Bill and Dorothy are making their way around Mexico this summer so far so good

Postcards from Tulum

This trip to the Yucatan has been nothing but one memory after another. It's like revisiting old friends. Sometimes you like how they have matured and at times you are not so sure.

Today Bill and I visited Tulum, the only fortified Mayan ancient city on the Caribbean coast. While it is rather plain as far as Mayan decor is concerned, there is something to be said about an ancient castle that overlooks the turquoise blue waters of the Caribbean. Location, location, location.

And I will say right up front that I am not so sure I like all the changes that have taken place since the last time we visited. To begin with many of the structures are cordoned off and you may no longer touch the walls or walk up the stairs to the top of the pyramids. Bill and I would treasure the intimate connection between us and the ancients as our imaginations ran wild.  We would walk where THEY walked and touch what THEY touched. It is a Zen experience that encourages you to admire the skill of ancient craftsmen, appreciate the architecture built with astrological intent and celebrate their contribution to humanity.

Oh sure I understand the reasons behind the changes. How many visitors a day would this tiny little ancient site take in one day? Maybe 3,000...many of them bussed from Cancun, uppity Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and other swank destination resorts along the Maya Riviera. And then there are the hippies. Did I mention the dreadlock coifed young guns from Tulum who make hemp jewelry and play bongos for a living. Yup, they also go to Tulum too as if they were on some sacred pilgrimage.

So thousands trek to this magnificent ancient city and want to have the ZEN Experience of walking where THEY walked. Touching what THEY touched. Seeing what THEY saw.

However the authorities out there decided...well you know...people get hurt. They fall down off pyramids. The steps get slippery in the rain and also get slick with wear. And yes there is also the conservation issue. 3000 tourists a day time 365 days a year adds up to a lot of wear and tear on the real estate...

So yes indeed I DO GET IT, I am still not so sure if I like it.

Let me explain. About 25 years ago, my then novio took me to see my first pyramids in the Yucatan. We drove up to a site, paid a few pesos and had the time of our lives strolling around and taking videos and pictures. We were often alone as we usually visit early and avoid the noonday sun.

Now a days there is a marketplace at the edge of each major site, with folks selling tacos and t-shirts, onyx pyramids of every size, sunglasses, hats, water, coke ....well you get the picture.

"Lady do you want a guide?" Hey MISSTER...need someone to watch your car? No then how about wash it?" "No tripods."  "Video cameras cost 30 pesos to enter."

Hmmmmm.

It's not that I mind someone making a living, I applaud it. I just get a bit crabby when I am Zenning out and someone comes and taps me on the shoulder asking if I would like to buy a bark paint by number picture of some Aztec warrior holding an Aztec princess in his arms. Somehow I lose that loving feeling.

We revisit Tulum and other old friends along the ancient scabies or royal roads. We no longer can let our imagination run wild with the elder ghosts of the ancients. Instead we walk obediently along designated paths with night-light rocks for evening shows. We struggle to take pictures without the hundreds of guides and the tourists in the way of just one shot. One solitary picture. We cannot any longer avoid the crowds or the busses arriving on the half hour from Cancun.

Jeesh. This may force us to seek out new frontiers. New Pyramids, temples, ball courts and the like. Stay tuned.....