Tulum to Cozumel- Mexico

Birthday Beach Parties and Solo Celibrations

Team Isla was comfortably situated in beachfront cabanas along Tulum's sweeping white sand concave shore. A great location, we were only a two-minute walk from the ruins, with its cathedral pyramid, atop a overhanging limestone cliff, visible from our front door. And whatsmore, we were literally a stones throw from the water's edge. It was quite and the long streching beach line aforded us our own little slice of heaven all to ourselves. The best part about it was that it was realatively cheap, we were only paying $7.50 a night for our beachfront accomodations, so what if our walls consisted of lose sticks and our bed were more sand than mattress.

Our time together was coming to an end. In a few days half the group would be pushing on into Belize, the teachers would be heading back to work, and a handful of us didn't know where we were going next (I'm sure you could guess which group I was in). But, we all wanted one last bash before we split up and my 26th birthday, only a few days away, would play the catalyst.

Anne and Hanna took the reins and began planning the whole thing, saying that we would have a birthday dinner on the beach and then party with a bonfire. Girls are so good at planning parties. They left in the early afternoon, taking a cab into town to go shopping, and did not returned until after dark. I wasn't allowed to take part in the set up, but was finally summonsed from by cabana just before 8pm and was lead down to the spot they had set up along the beach.

They had gone all out,. There were balloons tied to palm trees, birthday presents, and even a cake! For dinner they had gotten 5 boxes of pizza and we had a little birthday feast after which we had the cake. But the real desert was the 7 bottles of rum they had bought along and we took them and moved to a more secluded spot down the beach and built our bonfire.

The rest of the night consisted of us partying around the campfire, our group growing bigger as other curious travelers were attracted to the blaze. It was a good time and lasted late into the night, no one wanting to let it end. It didn't even stop when the Mexican police rolled up and made us put the fire out, we still raged on. It was one of the best birthday parties I had had in recent memory and I sat back happily drinking rum out of my birthday coconut, watching the others enjoy the evening. I was going to miss these guys, who, after only two weeks, had become good friends and had go out of their way to give me a great birthday party. I was going to miss the card games, the hours we spent playing Mafia, and most of all the always lively conversations.

So it was with heavy hearts that we parted ways a day later and I struck out on my own again. I decided to head up to Playa del Carmen, only an hours drive up the coast, but with a very different vibe than sleepy Tulum town. It was basically a mix of Cancun's over-extravagance and Isla Mujeres' cuteness. Like Isla, it had a quaint promenade, Fifth Ave., lined with hotels and fancy international food fairs. But, just like Cancun's hotel zone, it stretched on for miles, quickly oversaturated your sences, and lost all its charm. The unending line of cute little restaurants, the countless cozy hotel facades all seemed too planned out, too artificial to pallet and it left you feeling like you were stranded in the world biggest strip mall. I wasn't buying it and left the next day for the nearby island of Cozumel.

It was my birthday and I decided to treat myself. I would have no $30 budget, Today. I wouldn't hold back, I would do as any other tourist would do. If I wanted a steak sandwich that coast $13 dollars, I would have a steak sandwich that coast $13. If I wanted a cup of coffee, to hell with it, I'd have two. If I wanted A/C and TV in my hotel room, by golly it was going to happen. I did all of those things, and threw in a two-tank dive trip out to the world famous reefs just off shore for good messure. It was expensive, but worth it, and what did I care, I was just a vacationing tourist on holiday with no budget and no worries. I had a big diner at a nice restaurant and then took in a movie, The 300, after which, I strolled back to my hotel along the waterfront and fell into a long restful sleep. So, this is what it feels like to be old and have money.

But it was only a fleeting moment, a glimmer lost in time, and, awakening the following morning, I knew it was time to get back to the the real world. A world where I couldn't have three meals a day, couldn't have a second cup of coffee, and couldn't afford a hotel room, with or without A/C. Oh well, I am use to it by now, and maybe prefer it in some strange way. At least everyday is a challenge! So, packing up my bags, stowing my nice polo shirt and shoes, I put my jersey and flip flops back on and returned to the mainland, and reality.