Tulum-lum-lum

Tulum-lum-lum

Tulum-lum-lum

It's a magical Mayan laaaand

in far off Yucataaaan

You're stuck inside a set for "Hair"

-- the movie, not the stage, if you care

With bronzed and pretty Euro chicks

all dressed up in hippie chic

strolling the beaches, kicking up

confectioner's sugar saaaand

Tulum-lum-lum

Tulum-lum-lum

It's a magical Mayan laaaand

in far off Yucataaaan

Oh, no, you can't be an extra here

You've got that gut belying too much beer

Don't ask for a posada economico

-- there's too much green in ecologico

Dollares, massages, noisy generators

all going hand in haaand

Tulum-lum-lum

Tulum-lum-lum

It's a magical Mayan laaaand

in far off Yucataaaan

Ejido's sold out to the highest bidder

promising a future of wealth and glitter

Who cares about the trash on the shores

Tourism is cash, so bring on more

Cancun's got vegas, a bit of disneyland

But Tulum's a rockin' hippie chickie laaaaand

And so it was. When we arrived in Tulum after 4 days in comatose Bacalar, I couldn't shake the cynicism away. All the "eco-resort" signs and massage-yoga-meditation vibe and over-priced cabanas lining the beach (and blocking my view, dammit!) All the young Europeans who've spent way too much to look like "hippies." All the hustle and bustle of a town teetering on the verge of a new level of development. And all the trash marring the breathtaking beauty of the Carribean Coast.

But something happened in the last few days: we rented a little studio apartment (ridiculously cheap for Tulum, though it's still double what we're used to paying) on the outskirts of town for the rest of our stay in Mexico and now, what do you know, I'm a local. So, now, although I am still in this Tourist Town, it doesn't bother me anymore.

I'm starting to enjoy watching the young Europeans who are all so much cuter and fitter than most North Americans. We've been picking up young travelers hitchhiking to get to the beach or back into town. (The beach hotels come at a premium -- okay for vacationers, but... -- so traveler types stay in town.) I'm still disappointed that all the fishing villages have turned into resorts and there's very little good fresh fish around, but we're getting into the groove. The Tulum groove. Tu-lum-lum-lum-lum-lum.

Mexico, on the road,