The last time I was in Cancun a local told me that if I made it back down to Mexico, stay in the Tulum area. I’m quickly learning to listen to the advice of locals. On the day after Christmas 2018, I find myself traveling down the main Quintana Roo highway for my Holidays. I stop to get beer and groceries before making my way down the narrow beachside road where all the hotels are, the jungle on one side of me and the ocean on the other.
I haven’t made it out of the van yet and I’m already enamored with the place.
I picked the Hotel Nueva Vida de Ramiro to stay in while exploring the area. My bungalow is only a stones throw away from the beach. I settle in quickly, taking in the ocean breezes and salty air like a man that has gone without those sensations for far too long.
My favorite memories were the mornings before my day of adventure would begin. Coffee and breakfast weren’t served until 7 a.m., and I’m an early riser. I would find myself walking the shoreline each morning for hours, coffee free, taking in the rising sun while doing yoga and talking with the locals that were cleaning up the seaweed for another day.
I would return after my day of fun to take in the sunset. Couples would walk by hand in hand, groups of friends would laugh a little too loudly as their drinks clinked together. The ocean waves would massage my soul in the best way possible.
I find out a few months later that my ex-girlfriend of ten plus years passed away during my time in Tulum. We haven’t spoken since 2002, but her daughter wanted me to know. I remember feeling not only a sense of loss during my time in Tulum, but more importantly, a feeling of peace and freedom.
Her pain and suffering was over. She was free to fly, and I’ve no doubt her spirit was passing me by in the clouds over Tulum, her song carried by the seabirds to greener hills and white sandy beaches.
