tulum: part 2

...have we given tuesday's post enough time to really sink in and allow for anticipation accumulation to its maximum potential? i figured as much..

on friday evening a group of us hopped on our bikes, which were kindly provided to us by our hostel, and embarked on the 15 minute-or-so bike ride to downtown tulum in search of some authentic mexican food to silence our growling stomachs and some entertainment to settle our rumbling urge to have FUN.

safety is stylish in tulum. 

once downtown, we stumbled upon this little hole-in-the-wall mexican joint whose name was too long to remember and prices were too good to pass up. we parked our bikes (my professor and i couldn't get our bike chains around the tree so we just sneakily tied our bikes together... we think know we're clever! -- and this was after i weaved the chain around the tree and just my bike seat.. my lack of experience {and by this i mean common sense without actually admitting that i lack common sense?} concerns me sometimes). on our way in we noticed a nearby building radiating disco lights, laser beams, and loud, bumping dance music. without giving it much thought, we passed by and were seated at the restaurant, our thoughts quickly consumed with tropical juices and refried beans (or maybe those were just my thoughts?). after i devoured what was the tastiest meal of chicken and beef fajitas, we began to joke about "crashing" the party. after a few oh! how funny that would be! we should totally do it.s and such (one of my friends was extremely eager to do it, and so the majority of the talk and promises that went on was simply to humor her) we packed up and headed on our way.

as we got closer to our bikes (and, inevitably, the fiesta) we noticed the large throngs of extremely overdressed, over-cologned (what appeared to be) junior high persons (that stage where they're not a girl not yet a woman? SING IT BRIT) casually strolling in to the school, or so it was labeled. as if they happened to just run into their school on the night of the  biggest dance of the year looking so fly like a G6 and figure they might as well stop in and make an appearance since they're in the neighborhood.  oh junior high! my skin crawls at the memories.

we make it in front of the school and suddenly our group stops moving and is huddled in a little clump, everyone talking a mile a minute trying to produce a game plan. while the majority of us were nervously laughing and coming to the agreement that if we were going to get arrested and kicked out of mexico, crashing a junior high dance was not the way we wanted to do it, there was that one friend that insisted on asking for prices and if there was a guest list and if strange american of-agers were allowed in?

so she asked. and we payed. and then there we were. standing smack dab in the middle of this junior high stand (because no there was no dancing occurring whatsoever, junior high!) with all eyes on us (i know i don't understand why either?) so we strutted our way to the middle of the dance floor and broke. it. down.

it wasn't long until curious students began making their way over to our group, slowly head-bobbing outside our circle watching us out of the corners of their eyes. a few brave souls jumped into the center (or maybe we pushed them in there? no matter) and suddenly our group was expanding and people were dancing and cheering and then foam spray appeared and glow sticks were being thrown our way! and i was finally in the group at the dance that everyone else wanted to dance with!? 

> um. <

dreams came true. 

that night was magic.

and no, that tropical juice did not contain alcohol.

dance proof:

after the umpteenth same-sounding-techno-spanish-rap song was played we decided to call it a night before things got... weird. er than they already were. and this begins a story that my friends in attendance plus all of the folk that weren't even there (!!) like to heckle me about. so i am going to tell the truth and nothing but the truth right here on this blog to put an end to this confusing madness! ehem:

we were walking out of the dance. i turned to my friend man next to me and said, friend man, let's roll out in style! (for the record: friend man did not roll out in style.) and i proceeded to raise my hands in the air and wave them back and forth, my hips following with a little side-to-side sway, and i made my way to the door. out of nowhere this little shrimp of a junior high boy (the group claims he was like, seven {gasp!} -- he wasn't! i reassured them some junior high boys mature more slowly than others!) crossed my path and was unknowingly walking in front of me and my hands-in-the-air-saunter so i jokingly walk up behind this dude and wave my hands around, because, everyone else noticed and was laughing except him, and it's funny? he soon realized, turned, looked, and walked away and i dropped my hands and left. my friends claim he turned, looked, and that his face was overcome with this look of pure horror and he turned and cowered into his big brother's arms who proceeded to pet shrimpy and console him.

hello, friends, that was probably the greatest thing that ever happened to shrimpster. he was not traumatized. and to my defense, i proudly remind them, their was air between us, the hip action involved was exclusively side to side and my hands were OPEN PALMED! it was completely harmless!

and plus, i don't see why they aren't as worked up about my friend who tried telling some girls in spanish that she sat by a group of boys who ignored her but instead she said she felt them? i mean!

while no other night in tulum could top this one, i feel guilty for not acknowledging saturday or sunday so... saturday for lunch and dinner we biked back to that restaurant because it was just that good (and we don't like change) and it was closed all day, which was disappointing. for lunch we settled at another small family-owned restaurant where i, again, ordered fajitas and this time managed to drop some down my dress and in my purse. i am the classiest. it made for a nice snack later, however.

saturday evening we ate at a neighboring restaurant to the one we ate at friday. they didn't have enough seating so they set up a table for us on the sidewalk and, even though it was dark, we were able to see thanks to our biking headlamps! we were a sight.

both nights ended in ice cream.

and lots of laughs.

sigh.

thanks for the memories, tulum!