Has it been a week on the beach!??!

I can´t remember when I got to the beach, but I know I don´t want to leave! This is my third or fourth day trying to go, I was stopped yesterday because i bought a hammock, so I had to spend some time reading in it. Today I have my bag packed and with me in town.... although I am just trying to get to another beach! This one, or maybe a lagoon nearby is in a wildlife sanctuary or something similar from what I can gather. It is supposed to be a place where I can learn a bit about the ecosystem, but may be hard to get to. If that proves to be the case it will be back to the campground on the beach.

The campgound is magnificent. For 6 bucks a night you get toilet facilities and a man to watch your stuff when you are not there. There is free camping on the beach, but no shade to put your tent under. The best way to make a tent last is to keep it out of the sun.... and not bring any porcupines inside.

Up the beach I went to a restaurant that serves as a side to their meals a big bowl of pickled stuff. Primarily there are carrots...the best I have ever had, and there was an entire bulb of garlic, not too strong or too weak...and the peppers. This is when I found out why cartoons are so expressive of people eating peppers. I had gone through a bunch of Jalipinos when I came to a squashe done that I thought was just a little deformed... It was actually a Habaniero...and a mistake I will never make again. For a full 5 minutes I couldnt even think... The pain was excruciating and the thought of the embarassment of being the silly white man rolling on the floor in agony was all that kept me from doing so! I am surely somehow stronger for it...but I dont think i will ever eat another one in just one bite again!

The other highlight of the restaurant was the mangar/owner? Pedro, He had plenty of knowledge to share but refused to let me into the secret of his garlic pickling...I can´t blame him... He did say that each day int he morning he swallows a clove of garlic like a pill atleast half an hour before eating and that keeps the bugs away. He also said it is better than chewing the raw garlic. I´ll let you know how it goes...


The campground is just up the beach from the ruins near Tulum, which I visited with Jess. I saw them this morning as the sun rose, and a dreaded mexican explained to me that Tulum used to be called sunshine or something similar, and then was given the name Tulum which means wall as the ruins have a wall all around them. The sunrise was great and begged me to stay another day...which I may! Look closely at the picture, its the corner of the building... The face is easier to see if you look on just one side as the nose sticks out, but a fron shot shows how it goes around the corner!