The week I spent in Tulum was one of the major highlights of my journey through this region of Mexico. Not even getting bit by a stray dog on my first full day could ruin all that lie ahead of me. Exploring the natural wonders and participating in an inspiring plant medicine ceremony in this gorgeous coastal city with a bunch of new friends from all over the world can help you get over just about anything.

I arrived in Tulum late at night and was welcomed to the hostel by a couple of friendly Argentinian guys. Quick travel note: When traveling in Mexico be prepared to meet a ton of people from the following countries:

1. Argentina
2. Germany
3. Canada
4. Australia (This also goes for the rest of the world. These people are everywhere. There is no escape.)
5. USA
6. Obviously Mexico

First thing after breakfast the next morning I hopped on my complimentary rental bike from the Lobo Inn Hostel and headed into town. About five minutes into my journey I heard a dog barking behind me. Then it got closer… and closer… until the poor hungry bastard bit my heel.

Thankfully he found the stench of my feet unbearable and walked away immediately after the attack. I didn’t incur any major injuries or get rabies… I hope.

After drowning the wound in antiseptic, I then headed to visit my friend Rodrigo’s gallery, TAI Gallery located in downtown Tulum on the corner of Chetumal-Cancún/ Mexico 307 & Acquario Sur.

He and I met at an Ayahuasca ceremony in Tepoztlán back in February of last year. After the ceremony, we began to chat and he told me that if I were ever in town when he had a peyote ceremony I should join. Obviously I agreed and here I am in Tulum for a ceremony. That story I’ll save for the end of this post as it served as the grand finale of my week long stay in the area.

In his gallery, all the jewelry is made by the shamans of the Wixarika or Huichol community.

When they are at the ceremonias, they see what they have to do in their lifes, so kauyumari (the blue deer) gives them all the tools to keep walking and leave offerings.

One of these tools is the ability to make beautiful jewelry, so they have an income to buy food and a roof to live under.

All the jewelry is inspired directly from visions they have during ceremonies. The colours to put in, the history and prayer that goes into each bead they use is a gift of patience, love, and talent.

My ceremony would be at the end of the week, so I had plenty of time to explore in the meantime!

Tulum is home to some of the most gorgeous beaches in all of Mexico, so I made sure to explore them, along with the ruins, right after meeting up with Rodrigo.




After a couple days on the soft-sand beaches amongst the coconut palm trees I met up with my friend Finn from Germany. We met back at the Mezcal Hostel in Cancún and decided to go exploring the Ruins and cenotes of Coba just an hour north of the city.

 

COBA

After exploring and scaling the ruins of Coba, we rented some bikes and took off for the Cenotes just a few miles away.

Cenotes are natural pits or sinkholes resulting from the collapse of limestone bedrock that exposes groundwater underneath.

Come join me on my descent into the Earth in the time-lapse video below.

Once deep inside the Earth, we were greeted by some of the freshest groundwater we’ve ever encountered. What better way to cool off after a day of scaling ruins and

I’m not gonna do what everyone thinks I’m gonna do and just…. flip out man!

Some live music at Batey in downtown Tulum after our adventure.

The next day I headed off to the hostel where the German girls I met back in Cancún were staying before we headed to what we were told were the best cenotes in the area.

But first I had to get a photo with the biggest dream catcher I’ve ever seen.

The term “dream big” became the recurring joke of the day.

We headed off on our 20 mile bicycle journey north of Tulum to the Dos Ojos Cenote.

Biking that long will work up a hell of an appetite, so before diving into the caves we made sure to order a ton of fresh ceviche.

Now we’re ready for our descent into the caves!

The cenotes Finn and I swam in in Coba the other day were no way as fun as the cenotes of Dos Ojos.

Of course we had to get a group shot before heading back to Tulum.

And of course someone’s bike chain had to fall off every mile or so on theway back.

Later that night we said goodbye to Yannick and Florian who were headed to Merida. This would not be the last I saw of these crazy Austrians.

 

To finish off my time in Tulum I would participate in an incredible peyote ceremony administered by my friend Rodrigo and a few others.

No phone usage allowed during the ceremony to allow deep introspection. I did however snap a photo of our Shaman guide the morning after the all night ceremony.

After the ceremony we gathered our offerings of fruits, vegetables and flowers and headed to the beach to watch the sunrise and gift them to the ocean. I’ve had many plant medicine ceremonies over the past year, but this one was very special and I wanted something to remember it.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a plethora of this jewelery available at Rodrigo’s TAI Gallery located in downtown Tulum. After browsing through the shop and seeing the gorgeous bracelet below with a vision of a bird weaved into into it, I immediately knew it was made for me.

The person I’ve been evolving into over my past year and a half of travel values the lessons and the experiences we take with us when our bodies die and are returned to the earth and our spirit returns to source. In my new way of living, material objects serve little purpose unless they act as a reminder to the aforementioned.

As of very recently, I was glad to hear that thanks to a little networking, my friend Lee was able to arrange an Ayahuasca ceremony at the same location we had the peyote ceremony the previous month.

It is one of the greatest gifts in life to play even the smallest part in the divine timing that helps connect others through ceremony.

Next stop: Merida.