Amber in Tulum
Let me tell you bits and pieces about my trip to Tulum; the jewel of the Mayan Riviera.
Tulum is blessed with idyllic beaches, powdery white sand, brilliantly green palm fronds, effortlessly blue skies, and the fluffiest of clouds. Ironically, I happened to have gone in seaweed season, so there was also infinite seaweed choking up the turquoise water, strewn across the beach in heaps and mounds with little tractors furiously plowing it away only for more to wash up on the shore a few moments later.
There are two main areas in Tulum, the beach/hotel zone and then Tulum town. Each area has a very different vibe.
The beach zone is upscale, bohemian, resort-y. There’s mellow music playing everywhere, loads of acai bowls and smoothies, bikes, and boutiques. The taxi mafia is a rip off along the beach road, so bikes are a must. You’ll see a similar aesthetic in all the hotels, shops and restaurants, involving weathered wood, thatched roofs, feathery dreamcatchers, lots of whites and creams and faded earth tones. Inspirational street signs guide you to ‘embrace the mystery’ and ‘follow that dream.’ It was refreshing to see so many local brands here, selling rough linen caftans, buttery leather sandals, and jewelry studded with bumpy pearls and gold dipped shells. In my opinion, these shops are grossly overpriced, but I must admit, very tasteful, and many of the goods are locally made, eco-friendly, and sourced with ethical products. Everything here seems to have been carefully curated to look picture perfect; just the right mix of barefoot luxury for the boho-chic jet-set crowd.
Tulum town, in comparison looks run down, grungy, and real. Small stands dish out baskets of tacos next to gas stations, and bright graffiti dances across crumbling walls. The main strip is lively and colorful, lined with little shops selling a myriad of trinkets, hammocks, painted skulls, pottery and tiny wooden animals. Families stroll up and down the strip and while it does feel touristy, it also feels local.
Then you also have the gorgeous Mayan ruins- temples gracing a cliff above the beach, crawling with camouflaged iguanas- but I’d rather tell you about the cenotes. Many people go to the Yucatan coast to see the cenotes- the underground caves or water holes. My friend K. had dreamt for years of swimming in a cenote so although I was a bit skeptical, her excitement caught on and I agreed to go. First you are driven deep into the jungle, and then ushered towards a hole in the ground, which you enter via a narrow flight of rickety wooden stairs. Underground, the air is cold and damp, stalactites hang in frozen drips everywhere you look, and the water is an icy blackish blue. The idea is to swim through the jagged rock formations and dip your face into the dank water to admire the rock formations underwater, while bats swoop and screech in the darkness overhead. I felt trapped in some kind of hell-hole, surrounded on all sides by the eerie stalactites, which looked like bumpy, diseased daggers about to shoot down from the top of the cave and impale me. While K. and the others snorkeled in delight, taking photos with their high-tech waterproof gear, I quickly clambered out of the frigid water and raced up the ladder, ripping off my snorkeling mask and gulping in fresh air and sunlight.
Searching for a way to cleanse my energy after my cenote nightmare, I found a number of intriguing options; I could participate in a cacao ceremony, or a temazcal (sweat lodge), but in the end I opted for a sound healing meditation. D. and I entered the Gratitude Tent at our hotel Nomade which was set up for the occasion. Mats were lined up around the perimeter and numerous candles created a soft glow. Unusual musical instruments and small relics were set up in the center of the tent. We were instructed to lie flat on our backs and just tune in to the sounds and sensations in our body throughout the meditation.
The sounds created a whole environment that felt like a jungle, with creatures leaping out at you at various times, each sound triggering different sensations within the body. At one point I heard bird calls that created a tingling sensation along my spine, then I heard a low, ominous throbbing that sounded like a jaguar creeping towards its prey, each throb of the drum echoing in my chest in time with my own heartbeat. When the instructor broke into song in an unidentifiable language, his voice soaring and dipping with beautiful melancholy, I could feel his voice rippling down my legs. The silence between each sound was almost tangible, the air still humming with vibrations. We emerged from the tent in a trance-like state of deep relaxation, pausing to rest on the hammocks under a black sky studded with sparkling stars.
And naturally, I did yoga in Tulum. ‘Audeo’ is a duo who co-create classes - one teaches the yoga while her other half DJs; ‘jungle beats’ to be precise. Upon entering the gigantic wooden yoga shala I was handed big headphones. All the yogis were kitted out in them creating a futuristic, zen-like aesthetic, and as I cranked up the volume and dove into sun salutations I was able to turn inwards and really immerse myself in my own practice.
The practice and my trip to Tulum were brought to a beautiful close with the following poem by Nayyirah Waheed, dangerous, tantalizing words that made my heart beat faster and nearly threw me into an existential crisis, as poetry often does:
“Do not choose
The lesser life.
Do you hear me?
Do you hear me?
Choose the life
That is yours.
The life
That is seducing
Your lungs
The life
That is dripping
Down your chin”
Amber's Recommendations
AMBER STAYED AT:
Nomade (on the beach) – bohemian luxury tents with a Moroccan slash Mayan vibe, the spaces are stunning, the air thick with smoky incense, the service appropriately snobby for the price, and the daily activities world-class
Casa Pueblo (in the town) – contemporary, industrial style building with minimalistic decor, effortlessly cool vibe, hipster crowd and wonderful service
AMBER ATE AT:
Hartwood – one of Tulum’s most sought-after restaurants; think wooden tables, candlelight, and an avant-garde menu based on whatever the land and sea of the Yucatan offers up that day
Tres Galeones – high quality tacos in a pretty restaurant under a tumble of green plants in Tulum town. I ate here multiple times.
Loyal Order – beautiful ambience, people, and sunsets above the beach, offering a Turkish menu and great music
Charly’s Vegan Tacos –fun food truck experience serving pricey tacos with delicious pork-less cracklings and jackfruit pulled ‘pork’
Arca – low-key but glamorous, this sexy restaurant is set amidst ultra-tall palm trees with an insanely innovative, micro-seasonal menu. My personal favorite.
Raw Love café at Ahau beach – smoothie bowls on the beach loaded with fresh fruit and raw goodies
DelCielo- yummy breakfast place in Tulum town; lattes, poached eggs, and avocado toast galore
AMBER PLAYED AT:
Gitano- sexy nighttime scene for post-dinner drinks and dancing
Ahau beach club - faded turquoise colors, smoothies and tanning on the beach
Nest – tiny, cozy beach club, simple and serene
Yoga Dicha –no-frills yoga studio in the center of town
YalKu Lagoon- a beautiful inland lagoon for snorkeling; the clear water is packed with colorful fish, turtles, and tourists
The Tulum Archaeological ruins – pyramid shaped, Mayan ruins located inside the Tulum National Park, on a cliff with stunning views of the Caribbean
AMBER SHOPPED AT:
Caravana –high end boutique for cotton jute wraps and caftans in neutral tones, wound with braided leather belts, topped with fringed and feathered accessories –handmade in Mexico and also sold in Mykonos
Tulum Art Club – Contemporary art hub featuring social projects, film screenings, live music, café and artwork for sale
Mixik in Tulum town – brightly colored handicrafts, local ceramics, and lively folk art
AMBER READ:
Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera
AMBER LOVED:
The balmy air and the bohemian chic vibe, the sound healing meditation and the sunshine.
Reading in Tulum:
As I lounged back on a pile of woven Moroccan poufs at Nomade, I gazed at the sparkling blue Caribbean sea. Seaweed kept washing up onto the soft white sand. Smoky incense wafted on the balmy air around me and in this setting, I opened a slim black book called Signs Preceding the End of the World by Yuri Herrera.
A very short novel but layered with much depth, every single word has been carefully chosen by Herrera and translated into English by Lisa Dillman. It’s a story about the migrant experience; about crossing borders. On the surface, it is a story about a girl making the dangerous and harrowing journey from Mexico to the United States, but the girl is so much more than a girl and the journey is so much more than a crossing from one country to another. Herrera paints the world not as a one-dimensional place where ordinary things happen, but as a mysterious place with various spiritual spaces, realms and pathways to cross over real and imagined boundaries.
The story is told through the eyes of a girl named Makina, who has a depth, steeliness, and power that makes her appear larger than life as she navigates and negotiates her way in and out of situations. Through his writing, Herrera turns the harsh and heartbreaking experience of migration into an almost mythical journey.
While the content is dark and painful, the writing style is light and simple. Signs Preceding the End of the World has to be read more than once in order to even begin to appreciate the gravity of these crossings and all that they entail.
