Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Notes from abroad: Las Ranitas, Tulum (2)


Perhaps there's a bit more to the present emptiness of this part of Mexico. After all there was that unfortunate business with all the face masks earlier in the year and the shopping mall shoot-out in DF last week.

In any case, in order to avoid the kind of self-catering which involves climbing trees for coconuts or throwing spears at the beach pooches, I caught a ride back to Tulum yesterday and stocked up with provisions at the San Francisco de Asis supermarket. (Why ever did M&S abandon the sainthood of its food range?)

These included little cellophane-wrapped squares of Manchego cheese, turkey ham, tortillinas, Pringles, olives, bananas, several cans of Arizona iced tea, a six pack of Bohemia Oscura and a bottle of Undurraga.

V has been ribbing me somewhat for the 'miedoso' and 'nostálgico' I appear to have become under conditions of solitude. (Comparisons have been made with the expression that Cherry adopts whenever she spots the horned Mayan devil mask hanging above our main staircase...and V often rams the point home by entoning spookily "la máscaraaaaa"!)

There is however a weird whispery noise that emanates from the spiky vegetation on the dunes, rather like the noise of an iPod that's been left on...

Anyway, it turns out that the place is not entirely deserted. Yesterday morning I was joined in the guest lounge by two Mexican ladies and a toddler (who appeared to call them both "mamá") They discussed civilised matters such as depilation between themselves then departed to one of the villas round the side of the main hotel.

The night before I'd gone for a stroll along the beach and came across a place called OM. It's not as bad as it sounds (viz my 'Namaste' worries the other day). The manager is a tall, bandana-bearing Mexican bon-viveur and that evening he appeared to be nursing a massive red state meathead as he strove to drown his plentiful sorrows in blue margaritas. They have wi-fi and a wood-fire oven.

This morning I got up to watch the sunrise over the Atlantic from the beach and the mosquitoes seemed to have made the most of the opportunity. I found this washed-up shoe which appears to have been on a bit of a journey.


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