Playa del Carmen in the daylight

Thursday Jan 5 - Unbelievable, have to leave tomorrow and I don't have any souvenirs yet! Can't wait to see what the shopping is like in Playa del Carmen, as I've heard it's a huge area that's blocked off to traffic and full of interesting shops. There are a couple of ways to get to PDC, one is by taxi, at about $250 pesos ($20 USD), or take a shuttle van for $3 USD each way. The shuttle vans go up and down the highway between PDC and Tulum, and are a little like a tiny Greyhound or big taxi. They seat about 15 people each, and it's pretty tight, but relatively comfortable. There are stops along the highway, one right out front most of the mega-resorts along the riviera, and the shuttles run every 10-15 minutes. On the way to town, I meet Cindy, a 20-something from Vancouver, who is working as a dancer at one of the resorts.

Arriving in downtown PDC, the shopping is "two blocks that way" from the shuttle stop. I'm reminded of Spark Street in Ottawa, or Market Village in Kitchener, but this is shopping on steroids. A few miles of streets all blocked off to traffic, shops of every description, and every shop has someone outside inviting "senorita" to come and view what they have, as it's very unique. Uh huh.

I have some pretty distinctive things in mind though, and am on the lookout for "real Mexican vanilla" for my mom, a bit of silver jewellery for me (there's tons of it here, cheap), and a few trinkets. Not much room in my suitcase, nor much weight allowance left! Takes me a couple of kilometres of walking to find the vanilla, as most of the stores are jewellery (the diamond jewellery stores have armed police out front - more semi-automatic weaponry), hammocks/blankets/ponchos/sombreros), junk (cheap tourist souvenirs), or restaurants.

On the way, I realize that this street - 5th Ave no less - is only a couple of blocks from the beach. And that many buildings are brightly painted - typical of the Caribbean area and also of the Mediterranean. Love the snowman on one side of the street, and the palm tree on the other. Although the sky threatens rain, the sun stays above me the whole afternoon.

I finally find the items I'm looking for, and am happy to find that most places will bargain - the silver necklace I pick out dropped in price from $690 USD to $120. Interesting, considering the prices are posted by weight of the silver. I dodge the sales people on the way back to the shuttle. Of course, I take the wrong street at first, and find myself on a side street full of potholes, really just a dirt track, and whatever you picture about urban Mexico and the plight of the people who live there, it was here. Mildly concerned, I backtrack, and find the right street and the shuttle to take me back to the hotel.

When I get dropped off at the Palladium, I find that the easiest way to get across the highway is to take the tunnel underneath - which is really meant for the resort workers. The staff live in tiny apartments on the other side of the highway, and as they come through the tunnel from the resort, they are frisked and bags are checked to ensure they're not stealing. Hmmm. What a different life!

Realizing that I should have stopped at a restaurant for some refreshment while in PDC, as my tummy is now grumbling quite loudly, I quickly change and go to the Mexican restaurant. This evening, the guests are serenaded by a couple of gentlemen with guitars, singing and playing traditional Mexican music. Beautiful. Now, if I can see a spider monkey and maybe a kinkajou tomorrow, my trip will be complete - just in time!

Slow and mellow

Wed, Jan. 4 - With nothing planned until much later this evening, the sun called me to the poolside. As I lay there, getting some rest from the activities of the past couple of days, all the things I've seen and done started coming to mind. Beautiful tropical flowers, and interesting birds, including cranes, egrets, flamingoes, pelicans, orioles, and "Social Flycatchers". Animals that I never thought I'd see outside a zoo or pet store - iguanas for example, perched atop a delicate flowering bush. Crocodiles - fortunately not while I was kayaking, but in a penned in area here at the resort. White-nosed coati, which are cute little things that look a bit like raccoons.
Not so cute was the van marked "Federale Policia", resplendent with officers fully decked out in flak jackets and bearing AK47's at the ready.
Coconut palms, with coconuts hanging in various stages of growth and ripeness, banana trees, bromeliads and mother-in-law's tongue plants all growing wild.
The taste of real Mexican food like Marguerita shrimp and nachos the way they're supposed to be, having fresh guava and candied figs and fried cheese for breakfast, pineapple/spinach/parsley juice (sounds gross but quite tasty).
Wed. night - the Sunquest pub crawl in Playa del Carmen. A large coach bus picks me up at the lobby, and it's already full of guests from other hotels - 35 in total - all ready for a party. The plan is to meet up with another bus at a club called Coco Maya, stay there for an hour, then hit another couple of clubs for an hour each. To finish, we will go to Coco Bongo - which is quite well-known here for it's shows.

At the first pub, the club manager welcomes us (we're early, it's only 9 p.m.) with whatever drinks we want (except whiskey or wine for some reason), although they're a bit watered down. It's right on the beach and like most buildings here, there don't appear to be any walls or doors. What fun to sit on the beach in Mexico drinking a Tequila Sunrise! Interestingly, they really do have "beds" complete with drapery for privacy, along the sides of the club. Guess that's so that couples don't need to get a room.

Second pub was just up the street, and a bit smaller, but the drinks are stronger. I'm only partway done with the first drink, and the waiter brings over shots of tequila with lime for everyone. Not fussy on the whole salty thing, but when in Rome... Meet up with a group of young girls from Hamilton and as we're dancing more drinks arrive. Uh oh.

Third club is Mandala, middle Eastern decor, complete with hookah pipes at some of the tables. There I meet a couple from Birmingham, Mick and Josie, about my age, and they are just full of energy.
Finally we get to Coco Bongo, and it is simply packed. You literally have to shove and squeeze your way through the crowds, but the show is spectacular. Starts at midnight, and goes for a couple of hours. Full stage show, plus a huge screen, and actors/dancers hanging from drapes/ribbons from the ceiling and acting out everything from Queen to Guns n Roses to Lady Gaga. More tequila, and I swear Tattoo was asking me to "go with him to paradise". (Dee plane boss, dee plane!). I don't think so Herve.

Mick and Josie have to pull me along through the crowd as we leave at 2 a.m. to meet the bus. What an experience! When the bus drops me off at the hotel, the shuttles have stopped running of course, and I face a 20 minute walk back to my room (it dropped me at a different lobby). Of course, having had a couple of drinks, it's dark, I'm navigationally challenged, there's virtually no one around - even the hotel bars have closed by now), so it takes me closer to 45 minutes. But at least now I know where the spa is! Good thing I can sleep in tomorrow.

Mayan Adventure - cont. and Xplor

Picking up from yesterday/this morning, and finishing off the Coba Mayan Adventure. After leaving Coba, we were taken to a Mayan village somewhere in the middle of the jungle. First, we (the group of 18, mostly Canadians and Mexicans, and one family from Missouri), rappelled into a cenote (really just a small gorge, about 100 ft deep). I'd love to share a picture, but a note on my download info sheet explains: "Remember that we are in the middle of the jungle with limited Internet connection. Please be patient". Just checked, and my order hasn't been uploaded yet. Oh well, you'll just have to imagine me hanging from a rope off the edge of a cliff. Since there really wasn't a wall to rappell off, it was just a matter of controlling the rate of descent by squeezing the rope. And I must say that hanging from a rope a few stories up, off the edge of a huge hole in the rocks, puts a whole new perspective on life. After that, the zipline over the same "gorge" was just an exercise in "wahoo".

Next stop was a ride deep into the jungle, where we first kayaked through crocodile-infested everglade-type swamp to a trail that led to a deep cave. After descending a couple of hundred feet into the cave, we found ourselves at a natural pool, where we could swim in the clearest, purest, most refreshing water you can imagine. After the heat and humidity of the Coba climb, and the excitement of hanging from ropes a few stories up, this was a welcome reprise. It was quiet, peaceful, and calming to float around the pool, staring up at a ceiling covered in large stalactites.

Returning to the surface, we were taken even deeper into the jungle, where we could participate in a traditional Mayan ceremony, to purify, energize and centre our beings. Finally, we went back into the village, where we were treated to a traditional Mayan meal. We could see the cooks in the next hut, cooking over open coals, and I noticed that the crocks and pottery that held the food at the serving area were also placed on a grate over open coals to keep them warm. The food was marvellous, the best part was the empanadas with habanero sauce. The soup was served in hand-made, hand-painted pottery bowls. What a cool experience. While we waited to see our photos (the Mayan staff were taking pics of everyone all afternoon, note the caveat above about poor internet connection in the jungle), we toasted to above-the-earth, below-the-earth, and al centro - the centre - with tequila. What else?

I'm pretty sure just about everybody slept on the bus going back to the hotel.

So, today, Jan. 3, was a trip to Xplor. What is Xplor? Well, a long time ago, God said "hey, this little peninsula could be a kickass place to put a waterpark in a few thousand years", and it was so. A few kilometers of ziplining, rafting through a cave, and 4-wheeling through the jungle and more caves were just a few of the activities.

More ziplining? Well, this wasn't just across a cenote, this was a few kilometres of line, some runs up to 800 metres, reaching speeds of about 35 kph, taking less than a minute to fly across from one tower to the next, climb up again and do the next run.

Next, rafting through an underground cave. More relaxing and peaceful - like swiming yesterday. The whole loop is supposed to take about 30 minutes, but I get stuck behind a couple who has managed to get their raft turned around so that they're going backwards, and can't figure out how to get it going right again. I try to teach them, but don't think they're really interested in learning. I take a different loop when I have a chance and wish them luck. They're probably still down there.

The last thing I choose to do is the amphibious vehicles. They're really just souped up golf carts, but still, they can climb trees and swm, so it should be fun. There are two different routes, for a total of about 10 km. The trails go through the jungle, and it's not straight and level flight. Hairpin turns, crossing suspension bridges, down into caves, through waterfalls, what a blast!

Well, after two days of climbing, my quads are just a tad sore. Think I'll take a day to sit by the pool tomorrow, if the weather holds. Calling for rain and clouds, but then they did on Sunday and it was gorgeous out. Tonight, a whirlpool bath, then bedtime!

A Mayan Adventure

Monday, Jan. 2 - a day of old tradition and ancient civilization to give me a sense of grounding and yet a jumping off point for the new year. The day dawned a bit cloudy, but there's little rain in the forecast, so it should be a good day for adventuring. 18 people from Canada, US and Mexico jump in a small but comfortable bus, and off we go. Our guia (guide) is Euradice (Yuri), and she is full of life and her enthusiasm is catching.
Coba - The first stop on the tour is about an hour away, in the ancient Mayan city of Coba. On the way, we pass through a few truly Mayan villages, and I am struck by how similar their lives are to native Canadians/Americans, and the Maori of New Zealand. All the things that I pictured about Mexico - Rusted out pick up trucks with broken windshields and chicken feathers blowing from the back, tiny cinder-block houses with brightly-coloured blankets hanging out, used plastic pop bottles used as exterior decoration - are really here. I thought that was just in the movies. What I wasn't expecting was the satellite dishes in front of most houses, and the brand-new Nissan's in several carports.

When we get to Coba, we are fortunate enough to have a real Mayan guide who is extremely knowledgeable, speaks Spanish, English and Mayan, and even has the hook nose, a distinguishing characteristic of the Mayan people. He explains the true meaning of Dec. 21, 2012 (take heart, the world will not end that day), which is simply that this is the end of the current cycle in the Mayan calendar, and the start of the next. He also provides a detailed and somewhat graphic

description of the famous "ball game", "played" by the Maya people all those hundreds and thousands of years ago. There are two complete ball fields at this site, with the rings (goals) intact. He also explains that it was less of a game than a ritual.

Following the guided tour of a couple of the "groupas" (groups) of buildings (I won't bore you with the complete diatribe, it was fascinating but lengthy), we were given some free time to go to the Grand Temple - the largest Mayan pyramid in the state. I chose to walk the 2 km in and back, rather than bike or get a Mayan limo (a cart where you sit in the front, and is pushed by a bike in the back). The Temple is quite imposing, and dwarfs the surrounding landscape. Since the Yucatan peninsula is mostly flat, it's easy to see where there are ancient buildings under the jungle. Climbing up the 138 feet is easier than I thought (that's about 13 stories!), especially since the steps are quite high. It was both exhilarating and exhausting, and it was a bit symbolic and inspiring. In thinking of what the purpose of the temple was - to get closer to the gods - it was easy to understand why even though my legs felt like rubber, at the same time I felt stronger. The view from the top is incredible - nothing but jungle with a couple of the smaller temples poking through the canopy.

Getting down was even more interesting, and most people were sitting on each step as they descended. Again symbolic - most descents are more troublesome and undesired.

The remainder of the day will be recorded later, since I am off to Xplor - another day of new adventures, 4-wheeling in the jungle, rafting down an underground river, ziplining over the jungle canopy... Wish me luck!

Just chillin'

Nice lazy day. Slept in, till almost 8 a.m.!!! Took my time getting out of bed, going for lunch etc. Didn't really get to the beach till about 1-ish. Really windy today, and a few clouds, but nonetheless, the tan lines are getting a bit more distinct.
A few more first impressions and lessons learned. Reasons not to arrive in the evening:
1 - You can't see anything on the way to the resort - its too dark.
2 - it seriously cuts into the partying time
3 - All the kids on the plane/bus/train whatever, are by this time hungry, overtired, grumpy, fussy and the parents are too, so there's absolutely no peace till the kids simply pass out from exhaustion after screaming for several hours. Why don't I remember my daughter being like that? Oh yeah, because she was good when we travelled.
Surprised to see a 7-11 store just outside the airport. Love the way all the palm trees have Christmas lights strung around their trunks. Why is it so hard to find real Mexican food at a resort in Mexico?
Sunday Jan. 1. Not much to report in the way of "Ooh this is so amazing"-ness. Pretty much enjoyed the sunshine and the fact that I'm finally in vacation mode. Wandered around a bit more and got better oriented, navigationally challenged as I am. Although I still haven't found the gym/spa/sports center, it seems a moot point since one needs to walk a couple of kilometers just to get to the restaurants and back, or be completely lazy and wait for the shuttle. Which cuts into beach time, so that's not happening. So, still no pics to share, too busy working on my tan and a few mojitos.
Whilst reposing on the playa (beach) this afternoon, I was entertained by watching my fellow guests, and wondering which Walmart they shop at. One couple in particular stuck out for their, uhhh, individual uniqueness. He was tall, skinny, bone-white, black-rimmed glasses (not sunglasses), greased back black hair, and what looked to be a speedo, except that it was kind of loose, and had a zippered pocket. Picture a computer geek from the 60's and you pretty much have the idea. The little woman was definitely not so little, her bathing suit was reminiscent of a tent made from fabric decorated with large red and white flowers. It remains a mystery how her generous frame could balance on such relatively teeny tiny feet. Cute couple. Ahem.
Anyway, finally packed it in as the sun started going down, grabbed a mojito-to-go and lazed around on the balcony of my room for a bit more.
For supper, decided to check out La Adelita, the only Mexican restaurant in the whole place. Whaaat? OK, I get it that kids are going to want food they're familiar with, and there are people here from all over the world. So far, I've met people from Belgium, Romania, Montreal, Regina, Kelowna, Germany and Israel. But seriously, if you're going to go to Mexico, shouldn't you expect to get Mexican food? Off to La Adelita I go. And now, I have vowed that I will go back every night. The salad bar is to die for, includes all the Mexican salsas, real corn chips, vats of jalapenos, and queso blanco (white cheese). Best ones are the chicken/mango salad and the smoked fish and greens salad. Wow. Love their names for some things though - zucchini is pumpkin here, limes are lemons, etc.
It was fun to people-watch here, too, as there was more... individuality. Mr. Blackwell would have swooned at some of these outfits. My fave was the sundress made from pink, leopard-skin print fleece. I kid you not. Can't believe someone actually thought of this. Then someone actually thought it was a good idea to make it. Guess there's a market for just about everything, unfortunately.
Decided on the chef's specialty this evening - chicken quesadillas (on real corn soft tortillas), with a chocoalate sauce and onions on top. I know, sounds gross, but it was really good. And the rice on the side was really good - and I don't even like rice usually. Definitely worth coming back for some more of the real thing. Had to walk back to my room, but I'm still feeling a little stuffed.
New advantage to travelling alone: It's way easier to get a seat in the restaurants. There are so many large groups and only a few couples (and a single) that the smaller tables are usually available. However, it is getting slightly tiresome to always get the puzzled look when I say I'm there by myself, followed by "Why?". I really do need to try and come up with a smartass answer. Best I've come up with so far is "Why not?".
Best get some sleep, as tomorrow is a day of wearing off food. Climbing to the top of Coba, the highest Mayan pyramid at 138 feet, then snorkelling in the cenotes (sinkholes linked by underground rivers to the ocean). Bonus is trying some traditional Mayan food, seeing the message about the dawn of a new era, and checking out the flora and fauna of the jungle. Trust me, there will be pictures tomorrow!