Lost in the Green Grass by Henry Sands

Author:Henry Sands [Sands, Henry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838597382
Publisher: Troubador Publishing
Published: 2019-12-06T22:00:00+00:00

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Twenty minutes later, they were in a cab on their way to the Mayan ruins on the edge of town that dated back to AD 564. The benefit of getting there early in the day meant they had the whole place almost to themselves, but even at that time, Lucinda found the heat intolerable.

The Tulum ruins, built on top of a cliff, had once been a bustling Mayan port and home to over 600 people, with dwellings and scattered stones positioned around a central area of grass.

‘These Mayans seemed rather more advanced in their accommodation than we seem to be at Camp Mayo today,’ joked Anthony. ‘Look here, this one even has a stone toilet attached to its house.’ Lucinda gave a little smirk from the corner of her mouth.

The Mayan town had been built around a prominent castle and temple, and some of the inside walls still possessed original murals, which had been surprisingly well preserved.

After forty-five minutes of exploring the different Mayan buildings, the crowds started to build up and the heat became too much; they decided it was time to head on. Back at the entrance, Mr Ruin Man, their driver, was waiting under a tree with four other drivers who he clearly knew well.

‘You like?’ Mr Ruin Man asked, as he jumped up to greet them.

‘Very much, yes, but too hot now!’ Lucinda responded.

‘You want to go swimming to cool off? I know a secret place, the best cenote around. No tourists.’

This part of Mexico was known for its cenotes, a series of natural swimming pools scattered around the jungle, formed when the natural limestone bedrock had collapsed over the years, leaving perfect freshwater pools behind.

Anthony had read about them and was keen to visit, so he asked Lucinda if she was happy to go. He had brought a beach bag with them, just in case they had wanted to stop and swim on the way home, and so were fully equipped for the excursion anyway.

‘Sure. It’s not like there’s that much to do back at the camp, is there? Let’s go,’ Lucinda said, and they got back in the car.

Ten minutes later, Mr Ruin Man pulled into a petrol station, off the main road. Anthony and Lucinda assumed this was for a petrol top-up, but when he pulled in on the far side of the forecourt away from the pumps, they both looked a little confused.

Putting his hands upside down to his face, as if imitating a pair of glasses, Mr Ruin Man said in one of his evidently well-practised English phrases, ‘You buy! You buy!’

Lucinda initially assumed he wanted them to pay for his petrol, before crossly turning to Anthony with a “told you so” sort of face and saying, ‘They’re always trying to get something, aren’t they? Always wanting more.’

‘Who are?’ Anthony asked, somewhat confused.

‘These people, the Mexicans. Isn’t it enough that we’ve already paid well over the odds to drive us this morning? Now he wants us to pay for his petrol too.

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