Don’t get me wrong, I’m an adventurer. On any given day, I love sleeping in the dirt and generally loathe air conditioning. But 650 pesos a night for a mattress bragging boldly of its sordid history, two dead (and very large) scorpions, one 6 inch window and gaps through to the ground below had me jonesing for anything else. I was simply shell shocked. Or maybe sticker shocked is a better expression. Sure the ruins were stunning and not to be missed, but Tulum pueblo took a toll on our wallets. We like limited planning for trips to allow for massive amounts of flexibility. Usually, this also comes with a great deal of uncertainty, which often leads to occasionally spending more than anticipated as cheaper options are filled. This was no exception.
Imagine our surprise rolling into the sleepy town of Cobá to discover a clean, quiet, spacious room with its own bathroom for only 350 pesos at the Hotel Sac-Be. Needless to say we were thrilled. Thanking the travel gods of Mexico, we promptly moved in.
The next morning, arriving to the ruins of Cobá at the moment they opened was damn near perfect. While you can pay someone to zip you around the jungle on cargo bikes, the experience of wandering through the jungle on shaded paths was peaceful and preferred. A slower pace means you absorb more details around you. What does the jungle smell like? Where is that line of ants marching? What is that wriggling, fuzzy mass on that tree trunk? Turns out it was a big ball of caterpillars.
Heading straight to the main pyramid to beat the rush turned out to be nothing short of brilliant. Approaching the Great Pyramid in Cobá, called Nohoch Mul, the view is shrouded by the tree cover until you are about 30 yards from the base. Scaling the stone steps, we found ourselves at the top alone. Looking out over the canopy in silence, there was nothing taller for as far as the eye could see. Knowing the area was settled somewhere between 100 BC and 100 AD makes the thought of that first glimpse to the horizon on a newly erected pyramid all the more pivotal. It’s mind blowing to think what the early Mayans felt towering over the jungle, feeling that much closer to the gods as they tickled the clouds for the first time. I felt suspended in history and bemused by this simple and overwhelming thought.
But with the screeching of bike tires in dirt, the silence was shattered. The experience was short lived as the hoards of tourists caught up from their tour, driving us back to the bottom of the Great Pyramid.
Church dismissed.