Maren, Kaya and five other Norwegians are in Mexico and start the new year with warm and sunny days.
The touring group mainly stays in Playa del Carmen on the Yucatán Peninsula and travels from there to the places they wish to visit.
On Monday, all seven gathered in the city of Tulum after being split up. The gang then decided to have a late dinner somewhere nicer.
But suddenly the vacation trip took a turn. Because while they were waiting to order food, shots were fired inside the restaurant.
– Felt like a very safe restaurant, and there was plenty going on with fireworks and entertainment. So the first take we didn’t understand what it was, Maren tells TV 2.
The gang then thought it was probably just a rocket or something similar.
– Then suddenly we heard another shot and total panic broke out. People started running outside, while many lay down under the table.
At the request of Maren and Kaya, TV 2 chose to use only the girls’ names.
HOLIDAY: The Norwegian travel agency wants to inform other tourists who are considering a holiday in Tulum in Mexico. From left: Catharina, Kristin and Maren. Photo: private
Total panic broke out
Similar to what Maren saw around her, the Norwegian tour group also reacted differently to what happened.
Some of them ran outside or into the kitchen, while others hid under the furniture in the restaurant.
– Really only do what the person closest to you does. So we have slightly different experiences with the situation we’ve been in.
Maren says it sat under the table for a while before the waiters came out and said it was safe.
– The three of us who were there sat down again, but then there were more shots. We lay down again for a while before the waiters ushered us into a back room until it was safe and the police arrived.
He was completely puzzled
Kaya has a different experience of what happened inside the restaurant.
– Me, my girlfriend and a friend ran into the back room. When we arrived, there were a lot of people on the floor.
He says they reacted by shrinking, but because there were a lot of people in the room, there was pressure.
– I was pushed and landed on top of a girl. There was also a bottle of wine that went on the floor and was broken.
When Kaya got back on her feet after the fall, she didn’t have shoes on. However, she ran into the kitchen and out a back door.
– Everyone did not know what to do. So my boyfriend and I ended up running to a hotel next door.
At the hotel, she and her boyfriend ended up hiding with a family with Dutch children.
She says the way home seemed very long and that the smallest sound could be heard on her body.
– The way home seemed very long and all the sounds seemed frightening. You’re kind of in a state of shock and you don’t think anything like that is going to happen, but then suddenly you’re in the middle.
– It’s not a pleasant feeling
The girls say they felt fear and terror. All they wanted was to go home and get away from the scene.
– When you hear a shot at close range you automatically think it’s all over, but then a survival instinct kicks in. It was such a shock, Maren says.
Subsequently, the touring group had no one to talk to about the incident, either at the hotel or at the restaurant.
VACATION PARADISE: Tulum is one of the best preserved pre-Columbian cities in Mexico and is known, among other things, for its beautiful beaches. Photo: Daniel Slim / AFP / NTB
– We’ve learned that it’s not unusual for this to happen on the street, but it doesn’t usually happen in restaurants, as we’ve experienced, says Kaya, and adds:
– Whether it happens in a restaurant or on the street, I think this is something tourists should know before traveling here.
On Wednesday, the gang headed back to Playa del Carmen, something all seven were looking forward to.
– Tulum is truly a vacation paradise and very pretty, but it feels dangerous. It’s not something pleasant to hear.
