Another new trip and the anticipation or apprehension about what the new group will be like.  This group is large with a full complement of 16 members; more British this time as well as a higher proportion of elderly (as in about my age) co-travellers.  My new roommate, Edmund is about my age, retired and lives in Andorra.  An experienced traveller with excellent Spanish, we should get along fine.  After a meal together some of us went to a bar with a pool table.  Finally three of us gave up the struggle of trying to converse against the pounding music and sought out the bar where I ended the previous evening.  After a couple of drinks Edmund negotiated a discount for any future rounds and conversation flowed.  A lot of noise from the other side of the bar proved to be a Mexican extended family who were playing Jenga as a drinking game.  I was invited to try my hand and successfully extracted a brick at a late stage in the proceedings to great applause.  The group included a baby being breastfed, several children and adults of all ages and this was around midnight!  At one point three truck-loads of armed police went by and we asked why there were so many.  The answer was ‘Security’.  I asked whether they felt more or less safe with the police being so heavily armed and their instant response was that they felt more safe.

Overnight the clocks went back but nobody had told us.  In consequence the group was up and about early and we set out for the bus station and the comparatively short journey down the coast to Tulum.  Our accommodation at the Papaya Playa fits the Intrepid description of basic very well.   We have cabanas right on the beach but there is no electricity in the rooms; indeed, there is none at all after 11pm so I’m glad my torch wasn’t one of the things sent home from USA. 

As we arrived early a quick visit to the ruins at Tulum was organised and here we were able to swim as well.

Next day most of the new group took the opportunity to visit Chichen Itza while the rest of us opted for a lazy day.  Inconveniently, the sun stubbornly refused to shine and the humidity built up.  Trying to make some us of the time I tried to hire a bicycle to go exploring with one of my new companions.  The charge of 100 pesos for the day was fine but they insisted that we left our passports as security.  We refused to do this so the only other way they were willing to do business was if we left $100 US.  Not willing to do this either we took a taxi!  In town I discovered that the cash dispensers would not accept my debit card.  This inconvenience will hopefully be put right when we next get accommodation with internet access.  Strangely, I was able to use the card to buy another tee shirt!

Back at the resort the clouds built and it rained heavily for about two hours.  Workman were busy repairing the effects of the storm, so clearly this place was affected far more than anywhere else we’d been. 

I managed to read for a while but the Kindle isn’t so good in gloomy conditions and I eventually gave up and went for a lie-down.  I was beginning to feel unwell in some indefinable way but found that everyone else was doing the same thing.  After so long in very dry conditions, extreme humidity is very wearing.  We are supposedly having a barbeque this evening so I’ll be interested to see how it works out.  Everything is very soggy at the moment.