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!