La playa: Tulum beach is a Caribbean cliche - sunshine, blue skies, butterflies, powder-white sand, azure water, coconut palms swaying in the breeze.
Wind & VWs: Matt has been learning to kiteboard, which involves a lot of technical work on the sand before you can even think about getting into the water and onto a board. V-dubs are everywhere in Mexico and Tulum is home to some great customised dubbies with cut-out door and open tops. Not sure what's hiding beneath the dustsheet but it looks like they kept the doors on this one.
Towel creatures: Our friends Kit & E discovered 'towel art' when they were cruising the Nile in 2002. Each day when they returned to their cabin after it had been serviced, a new towel creature greeted them. Looks like Egypt hasn't completely cornered the market. I think it must be the cleaning equivalent of a cocktail umbrella - utterly pointless and silly but it tickles my fancy just the same!
The cut: Matty’s hair grows so fast that he usually has it cut every two weeks. It’s been growing since we left London and he decided it was time for a cut. For 35 pesos ($3.50) and with some assistance with the translation, the deed was done.
El Camello: Inexplicably named The Camel, this roadside fish restaurant is just the kind of place you want to stumble across when on holiday. Local fishermen drop off their catch throughout the day. Prawns, squid, octopus and whole fish are prepared by the no-nonsense kitchen staff who clean, scale, score, and rub salt into whole fish before dropping them into vast cauldrons of hot oil.
El menu: Excellent prawn, octopus and fish ceviche (marinated in lime with onion, coriander and tomato), guac, tortilla chips, seafood soup and fried fish. Every lunchtime queues form as locals wait patiently to secure a table.
La cuenta: Prices range from 40 pesos ($4) for a generous portion of ceviche, to 80 pesos ($8) for a whole fish with beans, rice and salad (and, of course, plenty of fresh salsa and limes).
Mayan ruins: The Mayans who occupied Tulum must have known they were onto a good thing. With its stunning position overlooking the Caribbean, access to abundant seafood and a fresh water source (a cenote - these natural sinkholes filled with deep, clear water can be found throughout the region). They also had gardens where maize, beans, herbs, chillies, tomatoes and other vegetables were grown.
Mananas y noches: Every morning we ate breakfast on our balcony overlooking a papaya tree and every morning the resident lizard could be seen doing his circuit of the trunk. And every night a different sunset fell to the west of Tulum.
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