"At Chetumal I was able to find a bank and change some money; as Mexico had just devalued the paso I found myself getting a very good rate. Money sorted out I was also lucky to be just in time to catch a fast bus up the highway to Tulum. It was a pretty featureless stretch of road for most of the way, so I was glad I was at least back on a comfortable modern bus again. The bus covered the 120 miles in about 3 hours, giving me most of the afternoon  to enjoy this attractive, if less impressive, of the Mayo sights I was to visit on this trip.
 
Tulum was started around 1000AD and soon became a large fortified city surrounded by a 4 metre high wall. Later, in the 12th century, it developed into an important religious centre attracting pilgrims from all over the Maya world. When the Spanish arrived here in 1517 they found a large thriving city with temples and administration buildings surrounded by plantations and orchards, but within 50 years it had all but been abandoned.
 
For me the attraction of these ruins was their beautiful isolated setting, perched up on the cliff overlooking an unspoilt and almost uninhabited stretch of coast, with deserted silver sand beaches.
 
The next day I woke to a bright sunny morning, the light breeze from the sea making the air feel fresh and clear, and the silence was only broken by the sound of the gentle lap of waves breaking on the beach, a short distance away. It was about 6:30AM and as the cafe attached to the half - finished chalets, that comprised this hotel, showed little sign of opening for a while, I decided to take a last look round the ruins. Under these idyllic conditions they seemed almost magic, and I could not help but feel moved by the experience; it’s times like these that can really make a lasting impression. A few hours later after breakfast at the cafe, I made my way out to the main road, where after a short wait, I was able to catch a bus on to Merida." - MH