Ruins in the Remaining Hours

Today is our last morning with the Goodwin family.  Tonight they fly back to the U.S. Aimee really wanted to visit the Tulum Ruins and we managed to squeeze in a visit in their final hours with us. We had been to these ruins on our last visit to Quintana Roo.  I was only 3 years old at the time and I don’t remember anything.

Tulum was a Mayan seaport that traded mostly turquoise and jade.  I didn’t find the buildings very impressive but their location was amazing.  The buildings are perched on the edge of cliffs overlooking the clear aquamarine ocean.  The openings in the wall that surround the ruins are very small especially for four adults.  You can walk down the stairs to the beach.  We only had time for a short swim before the Goodwins had to leave. Adios amigos!  We also had to get to Spanish class, which will be in the afternoons this week.
- Brook 

Mark’s reflections:  Going into the vacation, I was in denial.  I had no idea where I was going, how long I was staying at the first destination, if anyone was going to be at the bus station when I arrived in Tulum.  This is how I preferred it.  I like to leave New England in April if I am going to go away.  It has been 15 years since I needed a passport to travel.  Upon arriving in Mexico, my initial thought was that it has been a long time since I’ve been away.  Linking up with Juan, Eydie, and Brook definitely added an element to the journey that significantly elevated the experience – “partners in crime.”  It has been most enjoyable to return to this part of the world, as it rekindled emotions from previous endeavors.  My tennis game has definitely improved, even with the 15 smoothies a day!

Dictated by Azor and edited by the Travelin’ Trio:  In Tulum Pueblo, there were a number of stray dogs that looked lonely and skinny.  I felt bad for them.  Before we went to Sian Ka’an and Dreams, I took some leftover meat and fed it to a couple of the strays.  The second one I fed walked up to me and let me pet him. He is a really cute dog.  I nicknamed him Carne, which means meat in Spanish.  Sadly, I couldn’t find Carne when we returned to Tulum.