Saturday, August 01, 2015

The atmosphere at Tulum

The attraction I most wanted to see when visiting Mexico was some ancient May an ruins. I didn't care which, as long as I could pretend to be in an Indiana Jones movie, imagining feather bestowed tanned natives worshiping the sun rising in perfect precision whilst offering young human sacrifices I'd be happy (racist? Me?). 

So we set off on a day trip to Tulum. It wasn't quite the place I thought it might be. Well it could have been, I'm not sure. This is how the day went (all conducted in 37 degree heat and no shade):

'We are going to follow this path to an old old house where local Mexicans used to live a long time ago....'
'Can I have this lolly pop?'
'No you just had one'
'But can I please have this lolly pop'
'No you've just had one perhaps you could have it later'
'When later?'
'Just later'
'But when mummy?'
'I don't know. Around 3ish?'
'Why?'
'I don't know. You just can't have it now'
[A sound occurs which Starbucks has perfected into the loudest most annoying fake crying sound ever. With lots of tears]
'You definitely won't get it if you cry like that'
[More of the above]

'Why are you crying?'
'Because......you.....said.....I. .can't. ...have....A. ...lolly...pop'
'I didn't. I said - oh look how thick they made these old walls- you can't have another one now'
'But I want one'
[Crying, sobbing, the odd kick in the air for dramatic measure]
'Right I'm not going to talk to you if you continue like this'.

'Daddy. I want a lolly pop..'

You get the idea. It continues the whole of the visit, over not wanting to walk or go in the pushchair, over being asked to get out while the pushchair is carried down a flight of steps, of not being allowed
a lolly pop, of not wanting the orange juice she was bought as a 'reward'...

In all honestly this isn't even a pucture of Tulum. There are no pictures of Tulum. This is another ruin from another park. 

I can't give you an opinion on visiting Tulum, apart from to say on my research on Wiki once home again, it was lived in until at least 1200's and was not mysteriously abandoned as I hoped but sensibly left as the town declined. I don't think they offered human sacrifices  (Thanks Indie), but they did dress different to us, probably due to the heat and a recognition, before  us, that everyone looks good in feathers.

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