I Never expected Tulum go downhill like this... Transcript, AI Summary & Key Points

00:05 The hard truth is Tulum, Mexico has changed. I've been coming here for 8 years now as a traveler, as a digital nomad, and I was this close to even being an investor. I love Tulum. It's one of the world's most beautiful [music] beaches, and it's also home to these one-of-a-kind cenotes. I swear, it's got to be some of the best food on our planet, and the energy here is sensational, or it used to be.

00:32 But if you go online, you hear about ecological disaster. You hear about crime and danger, and you hear about investment bust. But I wanted to come see for myself. What is the reality of Tulum, and is it true? Has paradise been lost? Now, Tulum did open a new airport, but unless you're coming from Miami or New York, you're still landing in Cancun, and you're still going to have an absolute [music] nightmare at the Cancun Airport renting your car.

01:04 Took me 3 [music] hours to get the rental car. Negotiations, hidden fees, and liability insurances [music] that they don't advertise. Don't know if this is a Tulum thing, this is a Mexico thing. From Cancun, it's about an hour and a half drive, but [music] that drive flew by because I got reunited with one of my best friends. Welcome back, Max. First meal of Tulum, I think we're doing it pretty good.

01:34 Amigo. Excelente. This is the spot, guys. Oh, you set up your taco here. >> [music] >> Oh. I'm not no Tulum is flawless. It has no problems. Everything is perfect. And we can go home now. Zero changes. We love it. And then I got hit with the bill. $40 for the local Mexican taco spot. >> [music] >> So, when was changing, these taco prices ain't like they used to be.

02:18 >> [music] >> So, Tulum attracts like every type of traveler. The resort traveler, the casual traveler, the backpacker, and [music] me, the digital nomad who's trying to balance work with travel with fun. And I'm really curious if Tulum is still hitting that need. >> While I think Tulum is definitely an interesting conversation, there's something else I think digital nomads should see, and it's this.

02:40 Because what's inside this box, I think it might just be the rocket fuel to your creative workflow. This right here is the ASUS ProArt GoPro Edition, and combines the best of a laptop and a tablet. But, I'll tell you more about that in a bit. >> Now, one thing I can definitely tell you is whether you are digital nomading or just traveling to Tulum, you're going to be pretty happy about one thing.

03:00 This is a very very lovely one-bedroom space. In fact, it's actually kind of like two, because the pull-out sofa makes this entire apartment into something that can host both Max and I. >> All of this room for like $100 a night. And get this, that's $100 a night during peak season. It's January 2nd today. Renting housing in Tulum used to be super expensive.

03:21 I'll tell you about the rental market in a moment, but let's get out of here. Let's get a sweat on [music] and get the day going. >> [music] >> Now, the area we're staying in is where I pretty much stay every time in Tulum. It's this little neighborhood called La Veleta, and everything around it is actually >> [music] >> pretty cool. Quiet streets, properly made roads, and I love that they like built around the trees.

03:50 You can see that while this was developed, there's also a lot of intention to keep it green. And I think that's something that is a huge bonus of Tulum. If you're going to live here, you can actually have like a little suburb, a community. Everywhere you look, construction or things that look like they're set to build. Definitely big plans for this area, but I'm curious if there's enough demand.

04:16 How fast does it go? 100 km. I bet. It's like the Batmobile. How long you've been living here? 7 years. Damn. Not so from me, it's cold. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Where are you originally from? Uh I moved from Dallas, but I'm from all over. >> I've been to Tulum so many times. I almost bought here in 2015. I watched it change and change and >> Yeah. Do you like Tulum still in 2025?

04:36 Yeah. Nature-wise, it's like the Fountain of Youth. Yeah. You know, I'm almost 50. You're You're 50? I'm 50. >> [laughter] >> I turned 50 in February. Bro, that's insane. That's your sales pitch for Tulum in You leave here if I go back to New York or Dallas, I feel like I'm in in that matrix again. Yeah. >> Here you feel like you're in this uh almost like a video game.

04:55 If you make mistakes, you're okay. You know, you can reinvent yourself. I could sell this tomorrow, start my own ice cream shop. Yeah. I don't even have to go get the licenses. I just pay the the permissions that on the way, you know. I've never felt more free than here. And you don't feel that the new Tulum takes away that freedom? You still feel freedom?

05:10 There's a lot about the new Tulum that I that I think is going to make it a little more touristy. You've got like more families moving in and stuff like that. It's becoming less of a party town, which is cool, too. Prices are always going to go up no matter if people think, "Oh, they're going down again." Now right now there's a surplus on housing. So, there's so many condos available, so many villas available.

05:26 I have too many options as a renter. Right. >> Yeah. So, now I can negotiate. Before it wasn't like that. When they get it all squared away, we're not going to like it. You know, it'll be Canada or the United States with paradise. What was your name? Sean. Sean? Christian. Christian. Really nice to meet you, man. I came here to see what Tulum has become.

05:44 And Sean felt like he was a character we were meant to meet. Someone who had seen the change, but still loved the new [music] Tulum in spite of everything. One thing I'm noticing everywhere is just a lot of places that look like half-finished. And don't get me wrong, I don't want to cherry-pick the underdeveloped, because there's also a lot of areas that are like really quaint, nice, completed, beautiful.

06:11 But honestly, when you walk around these walkways, it's so quiet. And I think some will love that, but I don't imagine that from the development standpoint, this is what people had in mind. It almost feels like it was built to be a little city, but it just doesn't have the foot traffic, at least not yet. But like anything in life, I mean look at Dubai, look at so many other destinations in the world.

06:31 There was a time where everybody doubted it, everybody laughed at it and said, "It's not going to make it. There's all these ghost towers." And now it grew into itself. I definitely wouldn't count Tulum out, but I don't think the idea of what it was meant to be has been realized yet. But let me be clear, Tulum is far from abandoned. Within all the construction, you can find places that are full of life, like here.

06:55 >> [music] >> I've been talking about rentals, property. I just got my first Airbnb booking at Los Villas. Cool moment. Think we should celebrate. All right, 60 pesos. And uh I'm beginning my intermittent fasting phase, so no breakfast today. Tastes like coffee, and I'm happy. What's 60 pesos? That's like uh how much money is that? $4? Ooh, it's kind of expensive.

07:26 It's really expensive. With card? Uh with card, thank you. >> Yes. Okay. >> [music] >> Little workout, coffee. Now, let's go to the We're not going to do a retake. We're going to the co-work space. Now, I will say this isn't really a Tulum thing, this is a Mexico thing. This is probably one of my least favorite countries in the world to rent a car in.

07:48 I was supposed to pay $30 a day. They [music] forced me into an upsell. They added on all these insurances. The next thing I know it's $90 a day and they took $1,800 deposit. But, I didn't really have a choice at that point. It was midnight. I was in Cancun and I had to get to Tulum for my Airbnb. They knew they had me. >> [music] >> Anyways, life moves on.

08:12 Now, after I paid all that money for the rental, I may as well use it, right? Send it back a little dirt. I can tell you one thing hasn't changed in Tulum. The infrastructure still sucks. Oh, that didn't sound great. Getting my money's worth. Holy, bro. What the heck? I know this isn't the only way out, but it was the only way we could find. One of the earliest communities that fell in love with Tulum >> [music] >> were the digital nomads.

08:34 And I wanted to see where that community was at. The place you could usually find them is none other than a co-work space. >> [music] >> This was one of the well-reviewed places called Digital Jungle. Going to do some work. I actually have a lot to do. I got a ton done and felt great about myself. But, I observed something. Seems a lot quieter than I remember, like a lot.

08:59 And it's January 2nd. This is prime time. Maybe I picked the wrong place, the wrong time. But, in Bali, there are so many co-work spaces and they're full of life. It felt strangely quiet here. I'm not sure where the community was at, but one thing I am happy about is that as a digital nomad, if this place isn't the right fit anymore, I can work from Bali.

09:19 I can work from Cape Town. And this laptop supports you on your life of creativity and freedom. This is one of the first computers in a long time where I am genuinely excited about design and some serious quality of life improvements. I think one of the most underrated features is this. When you want to watch your latest creation, you fold it, sit back, and enjoy.

09:40 This device is the centerpiece to your creative needs, but it's actually a workhorse. Advanced by AMD Ryzen that allow you to handle everything you can throw at it. And it was designed with the GoPro team which know a thing or two about making gorgeous devices. But a stunning laptop has to be matched with an equally stunning screen. And this is the bleeding edge of technology right now.

10:00 It's a 3K Lumina OLED. You've got incredibly rich colors. You've got dark darks, and it's a touchscreen. Just pull out the stylus, and now you have two devices in one. >> [music] >> This is uh kind of like a western style grocery store. And I remember like 3 years ago coming here. A lot of it comes directly from the producers, so typically have more high-quality ingredients, good for the body, good for the mind, and uh not for the wallet.

10:30 This place is not cheap. Oh, perfect. Just next to some of the eggs, you got I guess it's a buy two get one free. No, it's not only not cheap, it's maybe the most expensive grocery store I've been in since Erewhon in LA. But I went to the more local style grocery store to get some necessities. We got sliced cheese, sliced ham, sliced bread, and tortillas.

10:55 Even that was so expensive. All of this, and this is what I got. >> [laughter] >> Nice. There's not enough room for all of this. I think we should have just stuck to the taco place. Another day. Another Another day. >> [music] [music] >> I'm utterly confused. The beach I used to always go to, There's like a giant kiosk. What am I waiting for? It's a public beach.

11:35 Used to be. I'm doing all this good. I'm good. I'm a very confused though. This is the beach I used to always go to. What are we waiting for? All people across with a car is guest people or people have a reservation before they coming. Oh. Even if you have a reservation is not possible go with a car. Okay. Leave your car in outside and go walking, okay?

11:53 Go walking? Go walking not to pay nothing for the access, okay? But not with the car, okay? Okay. Go to and take the right to the outside, okay? >> Thank you. So I just googled it and that beach that we just tried to go into, that was a public beach, an area that I used to drive down to all the time. I stayed down there. It was a hidden gem within Tulum.

12:17 So apparently, there's an archaeological site fee even if you just want to walk in. But if you do want to drive, you can have a reservation at a beach club or at a hotel or take a taxi or a bike. So there's a couple ways to enter. No matter what, you have to pay the archaeological site ticket. >> That's a change. And that's a change that makes me feel less freedom here on this beach.

12:37 And Tulum already had one problem. It was very locked [music] in. You take this long road and you have to pay for parking. You have to choose the beach club. The beach club occupies a huge piece of the strip. There weren't that many free open areas on Tulum beach. And now there's even less. Tulum is one of my favorite places in the world or at least it's where I have some of my most favorable memories.

12:59 Meeting Ruby, sunsets, incredible moments out with friends, big parties. I've had so many experiences here and I even live in one of the places that people always talk about the negativity of change. But I got to say, it's never the case that it's black and white. Some things are better, some things are worse. Some things are going to improve for others and some things are going to become completely untravelable, if that's even a word, for others.

13:23 But one thing that nobody can deny is that driving down [music] this strip is such a beautiful experience. Like I find it so >> [music] >> mesmerizing. But then you're brought into these moments where it's just the world's best beach. I mean, you can't tell me this isn't beautiful. Now there is one thing that goes horribly wrong here at the beach and it happens at least once a year.

13:43 I'll tell you more about that in a bit. >> [music] >> Feel like I'm in Bali. See this straight road? It used to be the only part that brought you to the beach. So if you wanted to go to the last beach club at the end of the beach strip, you were stuck on this one road. And what happened is New Year's would hit, big events, it could take anywhere from two to three hours to drive like just 5 km back into town.

14:11 I've heard of stories where people have had to pay $200 for a taxi one way. And this is new. So this is actually I think one of two or so new roads that actually allow people in and out of the beach strip. I'm not going to say it's a resounding success from what I can see, but they're a new artery and a new way to get traffic in and most importantly to get people out.

14:35 Quiet in town, but doesn't feel that quiet here. >> I traveled to Thailand and now I'm in the Philippines. I saw all your videos today one. I just going to take a picture really quick and I'll go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. After watching all his videos you really really like inspired me to travel more. So cool. And solo like you did in the first place. Thank you.

14:52 I appreciate it. Yeah, yeah. I'll be supporting anything you do, man. Yeah, later. It was nice to meet you. Bye-bye. This is probably always been my least favorite thing about Tulum is it's a small beach, there's paid parking. But from my experience it's always been pretty expensive. Hola. Uh do you take credit card? Ah okay, excellent. How much? 250 is good.

15:13 They do take credit card at parking. That's a new improvement and I like it. Okay. Gracias. The one thing I remember getting around here on foot is no bueno. And because all of these beach clubs are actually private, I can't just use their entrance to get to the beach. We have to figure out where we get to the beach from. >> [music] >> Acceso público.

15:39 This is a portal, one of the few portals that allow people who are not staying at a hotel or a private beach club to enter the beach. >> [music] >> Maybe the only thing everybody will agree on is that this beach is one of the world's best. You do not get any better than this. This isn't imported. This is how it is. [music] It's white fine sand, perfect palms, bluest of water.

16:11 I didn't know it yet, but just like Tulum wanted us to meet an e-bike connoisseur, she was about to introduce us to another key character in the story of Tulum. These two subscribers are actually property owners, and this wasn't set up. If anybody has seen the reality of the Tulum property market first hand, it's these guys. Hey, is your property ready now?

16:29 Yeah, it's ready. Ready for like 2 years already. Right in the beginning, like the the rentals were really good and the prices were high. Yeah. But now it's so oversaturated the market. Like how much have the rates come down? Um I think almost twice, maybe. High season, it's more or less okay. Yeah. But in the low season, like in the summer, it's like really Yeah.

16:48 just breaking even. Side of me being here in Tulum is just like I love this beach, man. It's Yeah, the beach is really nice. Yeah, the revenue is okay, but in the summer months, yeah, you get really so much of this seaweed stuff you have so here, so >> It comes in the summer? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah. It's getting worse every year. Is it because it's getting hotter or >> Yeah.

17:07 I think so. So they say, yeah, because of the climate change. I didn't catch your name. I'm sorry, it was >> Elina. Elina, nice to meet you. Gracias. At this point, this video is writing itself. It's too good. We wanted to talk about seaweed in this video and she's just like brings it up. I'm like, somebody gave them the script. You see this beach here is also a place that has been overrun by something called sargasso, an orange-brownish seaweed that in the wrong seasons will completely overtake the entire coastline.

17:34 In those notably rough seasons, you will have piles of it. There'll be massive excavators that are moving this sargasso, trying to do what they can to get it off the beach. But there's just too much of it. In one of my four or five visits, there was one visit when I first experienced it that honestly it was so bad that I again left not liking Tulum.

17:54 I couldn't swim. I was still paying a lot of money and yet I had to deal with the smell of sargasso, the sight of this brown fuzzy beach. It just wasn't what I dreamed it would be. There's no perfect clock on when it comes, when it happens, but generally speaking, the hotter seasons is where you get most of it. So, January is probably the best temperature and the best time to come to Tulum, but it's also more expensive.

18:25 >> [music] >> One of the things about Tulum that I honestly love is a beach club experience. People love to villainize it like it's the worst thing that's ever happened. But the truth is, what's wrong with enjoying a beautiful venue, good music, good food by one of the best beaches in the world? The one thing that I will say is a bit troublesome though is when a beach has nothing but private venues.

18:49 When you feel completely blocked out from being able to access getting on and off the beach, that's probably my biggest gripe with the Tulum experience and it always has been that way. When I came here about five, six years ago for the very first time, that was the thing I disliked the most. But with a little bit of research, you have public access and once you're here on the beach, it's just free roaming.

19:11 This beach is yours to explore. There's a lot of great restaurants along the way. They are all very expensive. I don't think there's any exception to that. You pay a lot to be here, but if you like the beach, it's one of the best. And if you love the energy, I think it's probably one of the only places in the world that offer this experience. Love it or hate it, it depends on you.

19:30 But on a day like today, that Caribbean water is just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. This is where I took Ruby for [music] our first date. It was like a really quiet environment. We had a nice little brunch here. We had a nice conversation here. The sand, the water, it's all stunning. But the part that also made Tulum famous is that boho beach [music] shack design.

19:57 A laid-back look with a side of chic. >> [music] [music] >> Gracias. There's just one thing I have to do before I enjoy this. This is Ruby and I's favorite dessert on planet Earth. She made me promise not to eat one without her. Hang on, here comes the train. >> [music] >> Yeah, I feel a little guilty, but uh it was worth it. You know, some things in Tulum just never change.

20:29 Wow. Oh my gosh. >> [music] >> This is the leche locomotive. Well, it looks like Ruby had the last laugh because that tres leches, one of them, one coffee, one of these, 34 US dollars. Damn. Bro, that's insane. That's crazy. That's crazy. Water, coffee, and the black coffee. Black coffee. There ain't no milk in this thing. I value this a lot, but that's insane.

20:50 I think they charged literally 15 dollars for this water. It was 175 pesos plus tip, that's nearly 12 dollars for that water. Holy snapple frappe pop. >> [music] >> Excuse my French, uh but this is a bit absurd. This is more than Miami pricing. But, I am far from the only one that's peeved off. You see, recently the beach clubs made a new rule where they were enforcing a flat [music] access fee to their venues and massive minimum spends.

21:19 Well, as it turns out, many people [music] said enough was enough and that the pricing on this beach had gone way too far. And people didn't just speak up, they spoke with their wallets because last season has been pretty rough [music] on Tulum with tourism numbers freefalling from previous highs. While my Tres Leches cake restaurant hasn't really gotten the message yet, the semi-good news is many of the businesses [music] are because these minimum spends and beach fees have just been waived for the 2026 season.

21:43 And no, I don't think it's the goodness of their heart, but I think you and I have just had enough. >> [music] >> So, I've been reunited with my friend Jasmine. Hello. >> [laughter] >> Jasmine and I know each other from Bali. First from Cape Town. >> First from Cape Town, Bali, now Tulum, and this is Michael. What's up, guys? So, Michael, you've been living here for 5 years?

22:13 Yeah. 5 years now. Uh yeah, it's been great. >> [music] >> 5 years in in Tulum. That is I mean, you're one of the OGs at this point. >> Yeah. One [laughter] of the locals. Tulum has a reputation for like big parties and and that's kind of all people know is is the beach, the parties. Yeah. Is there Is there something deeper that keeps people grounded and staying here for in your case 5 years?

22:36 Yeah, I would say the community and the people that live here makes it feel comfortable and there's a lot of things to do here and Yeah. Like coming to the beach and after you see like your beach friends here, you don't even like message each other, you just know where to go on the weekend. >> I've seen you give these a little few nods like everywhere we're walking.

22:54 I'm like, "Yeah, what up? What up? What up?" >> Yeah, yeah. >> And you were saying too like there's like run clubs now, there's paddle, there's gyms. >> How would you compare it to Bali? You've seen both now. I feel like Bali is a little more ahead, I feel. Just with community, I feel everybody's more active there. The The gyms are a lot nicer. I would say community is a lot bigger out there.

23:19 Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just because it's a bigger space. Tulum is small, but >> Yeah, I love it here, man. It's It's a cool space. >> I have no voice, which is great. This is No voice, big night? >> no voice. You had a big night? >> Yeah, yeah. >> Yes. What was the good party so far? Uh Zamna. Are you going again tomorrow? >> Going to Diplo tonight at Papaya Playa.

23:38 Ah. We We leave tomorrow. Okay. But yeah, Tulum is amazing. I love it here. Yeah. Only palms. What's the con? The only con is this guy right here behind you. You got pulled over by him? One of his friends. One of his friends. But if you're If you're a good salesperson, you can get out of it. But it's It's a little stressful. Were you like you were just driving your car and they wanted money?

23:58 Yes, exactly. Yeah. And he asked He asked for cash, then credit card, and then Venmo. >> [laughter] >> His personal Venmo. >> entrepreneur. Yeah, exactly. >> Respect the hustle. I try to support the community however I can, so give him a few bucks, it's okay. >> There's got to be better ways, but yeah. Yeah, exactly. Nice man. Nice to meet you. >> Right on.

24:17 Nice to meet you as well. Yeah. Stick around Tulum long enough and the people will tell you that the police that are meant to protect the tourists can often make the visitors actually feel very uneasy. Getting ticketed and coerced into bribes hasn't happened to me in my over 2 months and I guess 5 years or so of visiting, but it has happened to many of my friends.

24:34 But the police aren't just here to bother tourists. The honest truth is that they have a really tough job. Cartels are a serious problem across Mexico and Tulum especially. There's big money here and there's been many times innocent bystanders have been caught up in the violence. You had a shooting in front of your hotel? >> Yeah. When I was here last Wow.

24:55 I I was literally just on the phone last night with one of Ruby's friends who was in the same situation. She was in a restaurant and there was a shooting in the restaurant. So, she was hiding in the kitchen. Which is just crazy. This was like I think she said 2 3 years ago. She hasn't come back. Yeah. >> It was pretty bad back then. It was? >> Yeah, yeah.

25:11 Now it's been very chill. Yeah. I feel more laid back. It's such a crazy [music] thing to even have to think about it like cuz most of the places I travel to it's just such a non discussion. [music] I mean, I guess Cape Town's like the first time where I've actually been kind of cautious where I travel, but Tulum feels safe, but then when you hear some stories you're like, oh, there's another side to it, too.

25:30 I know that for many this is the reason you will never come to Tulum. And [music] if you've been seeing the news recently, there's been some unrest in Mexico and I don't think this is going to be helping tourism at all. Now, look, it's not all doom and gloom. One of the things that gets people going to Tulum are the massive festivals and tonight I'm trying one of them.

25:51 This is Zamna and it really pulled a massive audience. >> I didn't even realize what I was getting myself into. This is like I might not have found people in the co-work space, but Tulum still has no problem throwing world-class events to tens of thousands of people. So, remember how I was talking about that single road that can sometimes take upwards of 2 hours to get out of?

26:18 Tonight's one of those nights. We accidentally parked toward the very beginning and that might have accidentally been one of the best decisions we ever made. I didn't realize it was going to get so crazy getting out of here, but luckily we get to walk to our car, which is still 2 km away. We're on our way, but not quickly. All right, we're back. One of my favorite places in Tulum and that place is Burrito Amor.

26:45 Thank you so much. So happy to be back. Another thing that has not changed. [music] Love it. Firm on the outside, soft on the inside. All right. Tulum's beach, it's a 10 out of 10. One of the most beautiful in the world. But there's another side to Tulum that is just absolutely incredible. One of the few places in the world where you can find this. There's actually an entire underground water system that stretches hundreds of kilometers, invisible to the eye, all happening underneath us.

27:29 But there's a few little openings called cenotes where you can actually see what's going on beneath. And today, we've got ourselves some oxygen tanks here, and we're going to go see it properly. We're super excited. >> [music] >> Going to do one for roll down to see the cenote and do the briefing, and then we'll come back here to put the wet suit and and go down with our equipment for the dive.

27:53 One for you. Today, we're diving in the Sac Actun system. Sac Actun is the second biggest underwater system in the world. Wow. How deep into the cave system do we go? In terms of distance, today we're going to dive less than 1 km. Part of the system. It's still a lot. >> [laughter] >> You never done cavern dive before? No. It's all overhead environment.

28:17 Overhead means that you have a roof above your head most of the time. >> [music] >> Make it look like I know what I'm doing, you know? Perfect. Oh, it's way heavier than I thought. It's full of air. It's full of air. This is the Mayan jungle. Beautiful. >> [music] [music] >> Cenotes is a Mayan word comes from a Mayan word that was cenote and it used to mean just access to the underground river.

29:09 So everything that gives you access to the underground river is a cenote. So you could say that today we're going to see three in one Did it have like spiritual meaning to them? It had It was This was the door to the underworld. You see it looks like it. The feet looks more like it. They believed that the world was kind of a pyramid going up you would access the god of the sun and of the day and that's why they built pyramids and then the cenote would be an upside down pyramid and the sun would go rise up from one

29:39 cenote and go to sleep into another. So it had a very deep spiritual meaning and still has one. Beautiful. That's the second cenote where we can cross. You can see the little yellow dots. That's the line we're going to follow. The bat cave is a big air dome. Without big surprise it's full of bats. All right. I wish I could surprise you but I mean it's in the name.

29:58 And we're going to continue and we're going to exit the exact same way we started. >> [music] >> So this is a first. I have never dived into a cave. Not like this at least. A true cenote dive today. I feel so excited. It really does look like a portal into another universe. I've always been a snorkeler here but no no no not today. Today we're graduating.

30:33 I've been eating a lot of tacos recently. Hey Christian. Sup dude? Do you know why divers jump into the water backwards? Cuz if they jumped in first, they'd land on the boat. I'm getting underwater. >> [music] >> There's no way to appreciate [music] the beauty of the cenotes until you've swam through them. And yeah, I'm not going to lie, it is a little scary.

31:03 It's dark in there, and at some points, you're pretty far from an escape route. But oftentimes in life, the most amazing experiences are on the other side of a little discomfort. This is one of my favorite dives I've ever done. I'm a cenote diver at heart. These bats flying around in here. Apparently, you'll find fruit at the bottom of the cenote. They come in through that hole right up there.

31:32 And how fast does it grow these stalactites? 1 cm every 100 years. Every 100 years is 1 cm. Reminder for all those guys, there's still hope. >> [laughter] >> Just wait it out. And as we got deeper and deeper into the cenote, there was almost no surface level light left. Every now and then, we'd come face to face with another group. As they moved their torches, a narrow beam of light illuminated the cave.

31:59 It looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. Diving is amazing, [music] but diving a cenote, I hope every diver adds this to their bucket [music] list. But this dive was actually just the training grounds. You and I aren't ready for what's next. You already know I love action cameras and I love travel. And over this trip, I've been using a heck of a lot of these, action cameras.

32:25 And this laptop genuinely feels like it was made for us, for editors. Right here, that actually is a little track wheel that allows you to adjust sound, allows you to adjust color. Right here, that is a GoPro button that allows you to go right into the studio software to start working with your footage. And because the PX13 actually comes with a free GoPro cloud subscription, you get to use the incredible collaboration between GoPro and Story Cube to use AI recognition software to enhance your editing experience.

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33:18 Let's go. >> [music] >> I did my tour with the cenote guy, and the guide was amazing. As we drove toward the next cenote, [music] my instructor was telling me a little bit about the history. Most of these cenotes were completely unknown until like the '80s, and most of them had never been explored. So, the pit wasn't discovered diving or walking in the jungle, it was discovered diving.

33:43 And they [music] arrived not knowing they would find the pit. Can you imagine that experience of arriving there? It'd be like finding [music] gold. >> It It must be crazy. I mean, the thrill you must feel must be insane. Until today, I've never swam [music] a cenote, but I did know of the pit. In fact, one [music] of my talented friends took an amazing photo of it, and that photo is actually in my living room.

34:06 But today, [music] I was going to see it for myself. This is our pit. Yeah. See how easily you can fall in? Yeah. So, apparently this was like discovered in the early 2000s. I know it's just looking like a hole right now, but just wait till you see [music] from down there. You'll realize how crazy it is that for all this time nobody knew. This is a real special spot.

34:25 We basically just go down to our deepest point, which is going to be 30 m, maybe 28, and then slowly, slowly we circle back up. First challenge is that half of the dive is fresh water, and until we reach 14 m, the rest of the dive is salt water. At 14 m, we reach a layer that we call halocline. And halocline is the mix between fresh and salt water. Halocline creates two things.

34:49 The first thing, it creates a change in your vision. It becomes all blurry and and you see little pixels. And that's not your mask fogging, it's just the halocline. And [music] it creates a second thing, it creates change in your buoyancy. I'm sure somebody has eaten it down the staircase. Their tank on. Oh, god. >> Camera doesn't even do it justice.

35:13 [music] >> No, it does not, dude. >> [laughter] >> There's got to be a better way. Feels like an infomercial. There's got to be a better way. >> [laughter] >> Here I come. >> [music] >> See you on the other world. >> [music] >> The pit. A name that's kind of ominous. The moment you enter into the cenote, your senses go for a ride. From one side to the other, you can barely see the wall.

35:52 And as you get deeper and darker, you begin to lose context of where you are. [music] My vision became impaired, and I even got kind of dizzy. But as we drop down a little further, the vision came back. At its deepest, [music] the pit is about 80 m deep. Way deeper than we'll be going today. But if you're brave enough to circle down the pit [music] and make it to 30 m, you swim under this massive lip.

36:16 Here, you'll see all of the formations. And we even swam to the very back of it, almost entirely losing our light, and finding that magical entrance where a lucky and brave diver once discovered the pit. This was probably the most challenging dive I've ever done, and I felt a little uncomfortable at times. But at the same time, this was one of the best dives of my entire life.

36:43 That was something between a dream and a nightmare. It was truly like encountering the underworld. I felt like I was [music] just waiting for the sea monster to come. The magnitude of this pit just completely exceeded what I was expecting. I almost caught myself asking myself I was if I was dreaming. I loved [music] it. It was so so cool. I know that I will come back to Tulum, and I will come back during low season, get cheap Airbnbs, and get that beautiful light streak that will happen in the summer months.

37:20 Can't imagine being that first explorer coming in through that narrow passageway, and then you find the pit. Crazy. We're joined by a friend. Normally, they're so skittish, but he's just like, "What up, guy?" I left my dives absolutely inspired by the ecological beauty of this place. But right next door was something I was told I should take a look at, for better or for worse.

37:46 This is one of the biggest changes that have arrived to Tulum. In fact, there's two major infrastructure projects. Let me explain. This is one of the stops of the brand new Maya train, which is a massive train line. This is a huge update for not just Tulum, but Cancun and several other cities along the Quintana Roo province, all the way to the Belizean border, and even over to the far west, [music] which brings us to what will be Max and I's next adventure.

38:12 We're taking that train to Chiapas. If Tulum's not really your thing by the end of this video, this is something you might want to join us on. The Maya train was said to be Tulum's new gateway, a way for local people and tourists alike to be able to access this incredible destination. But from my personal experience, it hasn't been everything I hoped it would be.

38:29 It doesn't run even every hour. Right now, the last train going from Cancun, the major airport, all the way to Tulum was 1:30 p.m. And there was only three trains that day. And if you go further away from the major areas, that train is sometimes going even only once a day. Now, that doesn't mean it's going to stay like that forever, but right now, it's not exactly hitting the convenience mark.

38:48 The second thing that I'll talk more about in the next video is that it's also a little bit controversial. We were being told that some of the cenotes are hearing vibrations as the train passes by. Not the cenote we were in, and I'm sure not countless of them, but some of them are impacted. And the jungle's been cut right down the middle, which is home to many animals.

39:05 But luckily, Tulum also has a second brand new mega project, and that is the brand new Tulum International Airport, which I thought was going to be really exciting. It was going to get you into Tulum faster, more directly. [music] But to my surprise, there's actually not many hubs that are flying to the Tulum International Airport. At the end of the day, these two mega projects haven't actually made a big difference in getting to Tulum.

39:26 I still found it easier to rent a car in Cancun than it was to take another more expensive flight from Cancun to Tulum International. The drive from the Tulum Airport to downtown Tulum is 40 minutes. The drive from Cancun is only an extra hour. Unless you live in one of those American cities where you can fly direct, I just don't think it's making a big difference.

39:46 >> [music] >> Everybody knows if you're going to make YouTube videos, you got to shoot some thumbnails. And I kid you not, as I was taking thumbnails, I heard my name called. Turns out this guy built his dream home here in Tulum. He invited me inside and showed me a couple of his projects. When do you want it to be done? Or when do you When do you think it'll be done?

40:05 That's a better question. >> how that goes. >> When do you want it to be done? Yeah. I'm here thinking um strategically how to finish it, you know? Yeah. Yeah, with the income from here, dumping it all in there. Awesome. So, you've been renting this one here? Next door? This one we just launched maybe 2 months ago. Okay. Great response. Bro, the inside's really cool, too.

40:22 Oh, dude, this is a really nice setup. How was the process of building? It was easy. Yeah? >> easy. The Oh, good. the Mexican builders are really talented. So, you launched this 2 months ago. How's it renting so far? We pre-launched it with some bookings. After that, we had somebody long-term, a really smart tech guy. Yep. And now we're on the platform, Airbnb.

40:40 Nice. >> Yeah. >> [music] [music] >> I think that if there's one thing us travelers should do, is we got to reward the people that design, that dream, that keep things fun and creative, and don't just think about the bottom line. I really appreciate Holistika. I don't know how the business is doing, but this spot has always been a fun little sanctuary, and I just wish that more [music] of Tulum could hold on to this and create this experience for everyday travelers.

41:17 >> [music] >> Design, creativity, I think this is one of the things that made Tulum the place it is today. It's what got people talking a decade ago. The early Instagram days, where we all saw photos of this out there place, inspired by boho, by beautiful enchanted cabins on the beach side. And if I'm being very honest with you, a lot has changed in that sense.

41:36 The cool spots are still here, and it's because of these businesses that people like me, and probably you, have come to Tulum at one point or another, or plan to come. From my time here, I can tell you the businesses that look uninspiring, they are empty. The cool spaces have people. Architecture and design are a principle of Tulum. It's what made it special.

41:57 Developers often don't care about that. And it's because of that that Tulum is starting to lose a little bit of that enchanted brand, that beautiful aesthetic that it once had. I'll be honest with you, these white concrete buildings do not age gracefully, and a lot of them are not built well. Our Airbnb, 2 days in, I can tell you our water smells so nasty.

42:14 I'm brushing my teeth with a water bottle. The toilet barely flushes. You noticed that, too? I noticed that. >> [laughter] >> I'm sure that home would have looked great on day one. Probably a year or two in, it's starting to age pretty rough. But, there is one upside to this. This oversupply means if you're not too fussed about where you call your bed for the night, you have a cheaper opportunity to stay in Tulum than ever before.

42:35 Yeah, Tulum has changed. But, tell me one special place in the world that hasn't. When people find something truly exceptional, the world starts to talk. More people start to come, and things will evolve. For better, for worse, I think Tulum is absolutely worth your visit if you're looking for the world's best beach. You're looking to dive the cenotes.

42:56 You're looking for the energy, the nightlife, or some of the best food. If you're on a budget, you can stay in town and keep this trip rather affordable. If you're a visitor, you're in luck. If you're an investor, you're not as much in luck. But, if you have the budget and you want to stay by the beach, it's not cheap. But, when you're looking for that one-in-a-million vacation, that special place to get out, to meet people, to socialize, or just to relax by a tropical beach, Tulum has you covered.

43:23 It's not for everybody, I understand. But, what remains is an extremely compelling destination that I think so many people are going to love. You just got to know what you're getting yourself into and how to get the most out of it. And, I hope this video helped. Let's get lost again in the next one.