Tulum: Day Two

I did it! I went to yoga class! I found a place near my lodging and signed up for an 8:30 a.m. class today and one tomorrow. My biggest yoga class fear is I haven’t been in so long and there are a lot of instructions to follow, and I’m nowhere near as young and flexible as I was last time I went to a yoga class.

That said, this was an easy one. I do actually go to a low-key pilates class on Saturdays in Burbank, and this wasn’t even as difficult. But the point isn’t easy or hard. The point is to go and to try to establish a routine. I don’t need to go to a class to be in a class—YouTube and pandemic sorted that out. But I have to actually do it and not just think about doing it, so today was step one.

The teacher was strumming a ukulele followed by playing a tuning fork near each attendee’s ears, as well as singing a little song I didn’t know at the end. Some of the others knew it well. I didn’t laugh. I had a tough time keeping my giggles to myself the first few times I went to yoga many years ago, but now I stifle them easily. I won’t have to do that if I turn on 30 Days with Adrienne or Kassandra or one of their contemporaries.

Once I succeeded in my yoga mission, I could have stayed home, and indeed that was the plan. But then I instead rented an electric bike and cruised to the archeological ruins of Tulum. Or rather, that was my intent, but I was thwarted by the chaotic crowds at the site. Step one is running the gauntlet of touts in the parking lot—I dodged that easily on my e-bike. Step two was waiting in line to pay for the conservation fee. Step three was a long line to buy a ticket, and step four was an even longer line to get into the site. I made it about 40 minutes before deciding I’d seen larger mounds of ancient rocks shaped into pyramids, even better ones in Mexico, and I didn’t need to participate in this madness. It was like going to Disneyland if there was no organizing principle and no signage. Only Mickey would be trying to sell you a tour.

I rode my e-bike back to town, stopped at the local mega-store to buy a sarong in case I take a swim somewhere, and then dropped off my bike. I had planned to keep it 24 hours, but I didn’t like the idea of leaving an e-bike chained up outside my apartment building overnight. I also regretted the e part of the e-bike, as the bike path was a mess between pedestrians and cyclists. I mostly rode in the street, but that felt dangerous (yes, I rented a helmet too), so then I’d switch off the power and go back onto the bike path. If I rent a bike tomorrow, I will just stick with pedal power. And I won’t go anywhere near Tulum’s ruins.

I walked around town a bit until I felt lightheaded. Oh, right. Cycling in the heat after doing yoga this morning. I pulled out my water bottle and guzzled, then stopped at the first smoothie place I saw for some blended berries and coconut. The smoothie place refilled my water bottle, and I walked the long way back to Aldea Zama, the neighborhood I’m staying in.

The long way back—or rather, the longer way back as there is no short route—unexpectedly put me on some muddy roads. I’ll avoid those if I rent a bike tomorrow. The only problem with being back in Aldea Zama is it’s a bit limited on the food front. The neighborhood is decidedly upscale, full of expats and wealthy Mexicans. And yoga studios, apparently. I didn’t want to go to a high-end restaurant, so I found a Korean carryout. I was much too tired to walk back to the part of town with taco stands.

And so ends Day Two, Tulum. So far, I’m ambivalent. It’s okay here. Could be worse. But if I want to go somewhere touristy in Mexico in the future, I’ll probably stick with Baja or San Miguel de Allende. This is…too much so far. Though I did love the food tour last night. Let’s see what the rest of the week brings us.