Staring into the dark in Tulum

by Emilia Buggins (United Kingdom (Great Britain))

I didn't expect to find Mexico

I’m in a cave... under water. There are colourful schools of fish around me, bats above me, and I’ve spotted a turtle or two doing their thing. I’m staring off into the darkness, breathing through the most ridiculous scuba mask that makes me look like Hanibal Lecter. I’m in awe of where I am, and I’m also slightly terrified that my own curiosity is urging me to go further than I feel comfortable with, but I’m too chicken to investigate how far the mysterious depths of the cenote plunge. I’m in Mexico, of course. Home to more adventures, stories and dreams than you can count. The Yucatan Peninsula is home to a complex underground cave system, with over 1000 cenotes to explore. It is believed these caves were formed when the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hit. For the Mayans the cenotes were a sacred place, the entrance to the underworld where their gods lived. And it was pretty special experiencing the sweet, sweet cold refreshing relief from the roasting 35 degree heat outside in the mid-day sun. Cenotes are sinkholes of the brightest, clearest blue water you might ever lay your eyes on. Modern day Mayan families still use the cenotes for drinking water, to bathe and to wash their clothes. We learned this on an eco tour close to Tulum. I’d seen beautiful pictures of Tulum across blogs I followed, and on Instagram of course. And when I booked our flights to Cancun, escaping miserable London at the end of March. I had felt like that would be the place I wanted to turn 30. It turned out to be one of the strangest places I’ve ever visited. We had an incredible time, but Tulum was a place of extreme contrasts. The beach road is full of luxury hotels, restaurants and boutiques. We preferred spending time in the slightly more realistic pueblo area, but we had an incredible meal at Arca, trying the local delicacies which had been expertly prepared. And sitting in the jungle under the stars, listening to the ocean with incredible company, living our best lives is a memory I will never forget. But this heady side of the the experience in Tulum has its own dark scary depths, just as the cenote did. The reason those pristine beautiful beaches exist, is because there is a vast mangrove forest just south of Tulum in the Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. These mangroves filter the salty sea water. And they provide shelter and safety for growing fish. Those fish then eat the coral reef, and poop out the sand. The things you learn, eh? The natural beauty of this place is what makes it so appealing, but the increasing demand of tourism here is putting pressure on the town to keep up in an unsustainable way. The jungle is being cut down and being replaced by luxury apartments that sit next to shanty towns, fishing is going up, and waste infrastructure just isn’t there. And with unregulated tourism development, the water systems are becoming more polluted, putting the whole system in danger. We were being mindful of how we travelled but we were still directly contributing to this just by being there. The direct consequences of climate change, and the impact of modern day humanity on nature were so evident, it really was food for thought - and not the delightful taco kind. Mexico was beautiful, but I left a little older with my heart a little broken, wanting to help as much as I could. So please take this as a reminder to be more mindful and protect this incredible planet we are all lucky enough to enjoy. Your actions have impact, and you can be a light in the dark.