A Guest Blog from a Trip to Tulum, Mexico
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, whenever a member of my team returns from vacation, I always encourage them to share some of their photos.
My operations manager, Matt Krack, recently returned from a summer trip with his sons to Tulum, a town on the Caribbean coastline of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. There, he and his family walked along Tulum's beautiful white sandy beaches, snorkeled in underground limestone caves, learned about well-preserved ancient Mayan ruins, toured historical buildings, and enjoyed the area's local foods - every day was filled with activity, learning, and fun.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- In under five hours by plane, one can be on the gorgeous beaches of Mexico’s east coast enjoying the clear Caribbean waters.
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- Matt and his sons, Alex and Charlie, chose Tulum for their vacation because of its history, its culture, its natural beauty, and of course its delicious food.
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- Matt loves all the colorful, handmade signs around Tulum. This one is on a building housing a bike repair shop.
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- This sign is on the back of a motorcycle – a traveling shoe repairman.
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- And along the roads, handmade stop signs warning drivers of bumps. Matt took photos of many signs – he called it street art made out of necessity.
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- Touring the city of Valladolid, Matt and his sons saw this truck filled with fresh watermelons. Watermelon is very popular in all of Mexico. It is often served in wedges, in fruit cups, or mixed with fresh water, agua fresca.
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- Here’s another sign directing drivers to the Nicte Ha Cenote. There are a lot of cenotes in Tulum. A cenote is an underground sinkhole that forms when limestone bedrock collapses and reveals crystal clear water.
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- Matt, Alex, and Charlie snorkeled at Cenotes Dos Ojos. Sunlight seeping in from the crater above shows the impressive rock formations.
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- They also visited the former Convento San Bernardino de Siena. Constructed between 1552 and 1560 by Franciscan monks, the Convento San Bernardino was part religious center and part fortress.
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- The facade has long corridors of arches with walls more than 20 inches thick. The entire complex consists of the church, chapel, convent, atrium, and a garden – all occupying more than 150,000 square feet.
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- These are some of the vestments worn by the Franciscan monks at the convent.
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- Next, was a stop at Negro Huitlacoxe, a restaurant in Tulum. This is a refreshing glass of horchata made with rice milk, corn milk, cinnamon, sugar, and vanilla.
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- These are fried corn ribs made by slicing, seasoning, and cooking strips of corn and serving with a creamy, spicy sauce.
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- This dish is chilaquiles, or fried tortilla chips, with corn ash, pickled radish, and cilantro. Chilaquiles is a traditional Mexican dish.
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- This was a favorite on the trip – tomato tamal with steamed ricotta cheese cooked in tomato sauce and served on a banana leaf.
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- For dessert, churro with cinnamon, chocolate, sugar, salt, chocolate ice cream, and candied pecans.
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- On another day, the three visited the ancient Coba Pyramid Ruins in the state of Quintana Roo first settled by an agricultural population between 50 BC and 100 AD. The large pyramids were mainly used for religious ceremonies and sacrifices, and as tombs for rulers and their spouses. They were built to resemble mountains, which were sacred to the Mayan people.
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- This pyramid is 138 feet tall and was the heart of the city, which at its peak included more than 50,000 inhabitants. The Mayans used local building materials like sandstone and limestone, and even created a form of cement using burnt limestone.
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- Mayan inscriptions are found on stelae or standing stone slabs. This one shows a figure and part of the Mayan counting system.
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- This is a Mayan ball court where the the ancient game of Pok-A-Tok was played. The court features a long trench area with vertical sloping walls on each side and two stone rings where “goals” were scored. Two teams of seven athletes would compete in this vicious yet ritualistic sacred game, kicking a ball with their hips, elbows, knees, and forearms so as to keep it from falling. Only the best warriors of the community could participate.
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- And this is AZULIK Uh May near Francisco Uh May, just 35 minutes outside the center of Tulum. It is a “City of the Arts” cultural complex and a holistic center where nature is mixed with art. It was designed by its founder, Eduardo Neira, also known as Roth, a self-taught architect.
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- The AZULIK complex includes a museum, residences, and a restaurant all nestled within the Mayan jungle. Its purpose is to reconnect people with their origins, stimulate creativity, and promote art.
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- Matt, Alex, and Charlie took this selfie from atop AZULIK.
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- And on the way home, shortly before landing, the three looked out of their plane and saw a double rainbow. A nice ending to a memorable journey to Mexico.
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