Thank you Mr Gravol!!! OMG what a day we've had. Up bright and early to get down to the ferry to Cozumel. Planned to catch the 9:30 but either the 8:30 was late or the 9:30 was early and we were underway by 9:00 a.m. The good news is that we made it but the not so good news is that the seas were soooo rough even Lynda (who is a sailor at heart and loves wild seas) said she thought we might go over a couple of times! I was oblivious to it all though as for the entire 45 minutes I molded myself to my reclining chair, focused on the music that was playing over the speaker above me, breathed deeply as the air conditioner did it's job, and imagined that each to and fro of the trip was nothing more than me swinging in a hammock at the beach. LOL!!! Okay, so it was a stretch but heh....thanks to that and Mr Gravol I made it across the water without leaving my breakfast on the boat!
Seriously, the wind was wild! The sea was wild! and here we were with tickets for a snorkel cruise! Sheesh - what a day to have that as our activity. But...by 11:00 our boat was ready to go and we were aboard. It was an easy decision for me to stay back with another couple and just enjoy the glass bottom while Lynda and 4 others (plus their guide) jumped overboard at two separate locations. I watched them snorkel in the waves and was oh so thankful that I was inside the boat! At the same time as I was watching them snorkel...I was also watching the lightening show that was taking place to the east (across the island). I could see our captain keeping a close eye on that storm too and it was no surprise that there was no third location for snorkelling this morning! As well, the couple who stayed back on the boat with me weren't really having much fun. One of them was pretty green around the gills from the minute we left the wharf and by the time that lightening show was underway she was into full blown seasicknesses. Watching her didn't help ease my queasy stomach either so again....I was in a hammock and the wind was nothing more than a breeze and the salt spray was just the mister that was keeping me from overheating....yep....I had as much exercise as the folks in the water did. The only difference was that I was exercising my imagination and they were exercising their bodies. LOL! :-) On the upside of all this....we did see some perfectly azure water under that glass bottom and at one point when the sun hit the water just right...we even saw it from the boat!
Once we were back on dry land we made our way to pick up our rental car. There was our little VW convertible waiting for us. It was pretty cue but.....once we heard it running and looked inside....we decided to take up the rental agent's offer of a different car for the same price. The one he gave us was a little bigger and had air conditioning. It was also a manual but heh....it also had a full roof and windows that rolled up and remember....there was a lightening storm just an hour ago and we're heading in the direction that the storm was coming from!
It took me a couple of blocks to get the hang of the clutch but once we were underway...it was all good. We headed straight across the island (14 km) and then turned south along that open coast. Again, when the sun hit the water just right....it was that perfect Caribbean blue and against the white sand...it was BEAUTIFUL! There was still lots of sea grass on the beaches and the water was sooo rough that it was covered with foaming white caps and massive waves but nonetheless....it was gorgeous!
We stopped at a few lookout points along the way and managed to suffer through a wonderful late lunch of shrimp and fish at a beachfront restaurant. The only problem we ran into was that had we known we would have reversed our trip direction and headed south right out of Cozumel Centro. The reason being is that everything, and I mean everything, closes at 5:00 so we didn't get to see a couple of things that we'd wanted to see. Had we reversed direction we would have been able to see and do all that we'd hoped. But....not going to complain too much as the result of our shortened trip was a much calmer sea for the ferry back to Playa del Carmen. It was still a rocking and a rolling and I was still in my hammock (having swallowed yet another gravol) but we found a window of time where the seas were the calmest they'd been all day! By the time we arrived back in Playa the wind had picked up and the seas for the next ferry were much wilder.
Once on dry land and in my case slightly dizzy/woozy/whatever we promptly made our way to a little French Bistro where we had the best coffee of our entire trip along with an almond croissant that was literally "to die for"!
Wandered the pedestrian street on our way back to Hotel Sahara and knew it was time to leave Playa when our server from last night called out to Lynda by name. That is our signal that we've been in a place long enough...when people start remembering you by name. :-)
I mentioned about the big party going on across from our hotel last night and there it was again tonight so this time we decided to head over to check it out. It turned out to be a Mexican fair celebrating the art and food of Oaxaca. Unfortunately we weren't hungry at all but we did find a couple of little purchases and spent some time watching a couple perform on the dance floor.
From there it was a short walk back to the little Italian deli where we get our complimentary breakfast. Again, we picked it up "to go" so we could have it before we get on the bus to Cancun in the morning. This time they had cake so we've got our sandwich and a piece of cake along with a drink for the morning. As for the coffee that is included....Lynda is saving hers for the morning (remember we have a microwave) and I enjoyed mine with the last of the Baileys tonight as I was typing this blogpost. :-)
Our bus in the morning will take us to or at least near the airport in Cancun where we'll stop long enough to confirm our flight time for the 1st. Something crazy has happened here...according to the internet, my computers internal clock, and Mr Google we're supposed to be just one hour different from BC time (since the clocks sprang forward) but....it seems that Quintana Roo (the state) hasn't followed the rules the rest of MX has and we're back to two hours difference. The result is that the print out of our ticket home has one time but the email confirmation we got today says a different time...so....we need to go to the Westjet counter, set our watches and confirm that time we should be there on the 1st! Jeez....life was so much easier when there were no time schedules to keep!! LOL!! :-)
just two sleeps to go.....till next time,
L & L
Monday, March 30, 2015
Sunday, March 29, 2015
March 29, 2015
Puerto Morelos, just south of Cancun...what a nice little place. Looks like lots of people have made a day trip from Cancun resorts but there is also definitely a lot of local vibe here too. We drove right past Playa del Carmen on our way north this morning thinking it would be better to just go as far north as PM and then work our way back. The traffic becomes increasingly busier and crazier about the same time as we begin to near Playa and it doesn't lighten up all the way to PM. It is really good highway all the way but as the traffic increases so does the challenge of driving in it. At times three lanes looks like five wide when you look in the rearview mirror...vehicles don't really follow lanes here. They are actually very good drivers in that they are constantly observing what is going on around them...in the front....in the back....and on both sides. At the same time as they're good in some ways...they're bad in others. No one gives anyone else the right of way and everyone speeds like crazy! Once you get the hang of it though...it's okay.
Found a great little place for late breakfast/early lunch in Puerto Morelos and enjoyed walking along the beach where there were some giant sandcastles depicting the last supper and other images in keeping with Easter. Many many Mexican tourists here too! They are everywhere on the beach, flying kites, hauling their coolers filled with food and drink, and settling in for the day. This weekend is the start of the two week spring break here in Mexico that coincides with Easter (Semana Santa) so everyone is taking vacation and they're all heading to the beach to do it! Here the beaches are sugar fine pure white sand but again there is tons of that sea grass (seaweed). Here we find a sign that has been posted by the city that explains the sea grass is natural (not garbage) and that it in fact serves a purpose in protecting the beaches from erosion and as a habitat for sea and beach life. This is the first sign we've seen anywhere that even acknowledges that the sea grass is there! We also learn later in the day that for about two years now this sea grass is present pretty much everywhere on the Caribbean coast year round. Prior to two years ago...it came occasionally but not all the time. For the past two years the big hotels have staff that clean the beach daily and they bury the sea grass as they collect it. I have to wonder when they will run out of room to bury it!
Also in Puerto Morelos we saw something else that was very cool. You've heard of the leaning tower of Pisa...well PM has a leaning lighthouse tower. It was knocked into it's current leaning position in 1987 during a major hurricane and since that time has withstood two more hurricanes that were equally as devastating and it hasn't budged from it's new leaning angle.
This afternoon we made our way back to Playa del Carmen where lady luck shone on us yet again. What are the odds that our hotel would be within a block of where we had to return our rental car?! Well it was!! :-) Checked into the Sahara Hotel and were shown to our room which is large enough to host a party! We have 3 beds (1 queen, 1 double, and 1 twin) so we can even play musical beds in the night if either of us has any trouble sleeping. LOL! Our room also has a little table with chairs, a mini fridge, a microwave and a sink so we kind of still have a kitchen. We are kicking ourselves as we left a couple packages of microwaveable popcorn at our place in Tulum thinking we'd not have any more microwaves along the way. Oops! This is perfect though as we've got what we did bring with us all set up and we're settled in here for two nights. Our hotel is in a great location and in fact there is some kind of major bash going on right across the street in a big square tonight so...while I say it's a good location now...I might not be saying that if the party continues into the wee hours of the morning.
Once settled into our room we got the car returned and whew!!! we passed the inspection. I have to admit that I did have some apprehension as when we left Felipe Puerto Carrillo several days ago, and after that huge storm we had there overnight, we peeled the advertising sticker that covered the rear window off the car in an attempt to improve the visibility. In the process of it laying in the back seat it got a little tear and when we tried to reinstall it....I'm being generous when I say that it is highly unlikely that the advertising company will ever hire us to install those stick on signs! There were a few wrinkles and maybe it wasn't quite straight any more but heh....what a stupid thing to put on a rental car! Anyway....all is well that ends well and we made it past inspection and I got my open visa slips returned - whew!!!
I should back track a little here and tell a tale on Lynda. Part way between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos this morning we had to go through a police check on the highway. As we approached the road block Lynda shared her usual reminder to "don't look them in the eye" and I replied..."I won't" ....BUT....this time they waived us over to the side of the road so I had to look the guy in the eye when he came to my window. He was a lovely young man and after a little back and forth in Spanish it became apparent that he was concerned that our safety was in jeopardy. He pointed to my seatbelt and said "it is important". I replied..."Yes, it is." He looked a little uncomfortable and then he said, "it is an infraction" and he pointed to Lynda at which time she realized that she had completely forgotten to put her seatbelt on this morning! Honestly, that is a first and wouldn't you know...today would be the day that the police were on the lookout for just such a memory lapse. In the end...we were given the choice to either pay at roadside or follow him back to Playa del Carmen where we could pay at the police station. If we followed him back to Playa the fine would be double what it is at roadside and so...we paid the $700 pesos and he returned my licence and gave us permission to proceed. Yikes! what a way to finish off our trip! Honestly, we were talking about it tonight and we're pretty sure that this final week is going to cost more than the last six weeks combined! Oh well....this is where the comment, "I'm old and I have plastic" comes into play. LOL! :)
Back to this afternoon...we decided we'd spend a little time getting ourselves organized for the next couple of days so we don't find ourselves missing out on anything because of how busy it is here. We visited the ADO station and purchased our bus ticket for the 31st to the Cancun airport (where we should be able to get a shuttle to our hotel in Cancun) That ticket cost just over $300 pesos for the two of us. Once we had those tickets in hand we headed over to the ferry terminal to buy tickets to Cozumel (for tomorrow morning) and at the same time we got ourselves signed up for some activities for our day on the island. We'll be met at the ferry terminal on Cozumel by Martha who will deliver us to the boat that will take us on a two hour snorkel/glass bottom boat trip out over the reefs off the shore of Cozumel. Depending on weather we will visit at least two reefs. Lynda is looking forward to the snorkelling and I am looking forward to the glass bottom boat! LOL!! I will be sitting back enjoying my complimentary cervesa while Lynda and others get up close and personal with the creatures of the sea. I may have a change of mind once I'm out there but to tell the truth...it is doubtful and I'm happy to enjoy the glass bottom experience again. I had one of those on Lady Elliot Island (Great Barrier Reef in Australia) before and it was great! In fact, if you've ever heard my story about snorkelling on Lady Elliot....you'll appreciate just why the glass bottom boat is my preference over communing with nature in that snorkelling kind of way!
Once we're finished with our boat/snorkel experience we'll be delivered back to the terminal at mid-day at which time we will pick up our VW convertible (how fun does that sound-wahoo!) which we will use to explore the rest of the island. According to Alexandra (the agent who set up our tours on Cozumel for us) this is where we're going to find those deserted white sand beaches and azure waters we've been looking for so we have fingers and toes crossed...we're ready to find them! Time is running out! We only have a couple of days left.
Once all our 'business' was complete we spent the next couple of hours wandering the pedestrian street (10th Ave I think it is) that has soooo many people on it! At one point Lynda commented...."look ahead of us...doesn't this look like we're in the Vancouver Sun Run or something?!" She was right...as far as we could see in front and behind there was a sea of people people people! We located a restaurant that had 4 margaritas and a plate of nachos for $150 pesos as their special - that was bait enough for me. I'd been ready for a drink ever since trying to find where to return the car in this city where street signs are poor at best. We polished off those 4 margs and the nachos and were lubricated enough to order 4 more. Yummy! :-)
When it was time to pay our restaurant bill it became apparent that we were going to have to hit another ATM so....we set off to find a bank. Lucky again, there is one right across the street from our hotel! Once we were flush with cash again we set out to find the place where we could get our "included breakfast" with a mind to pick it up tonight so we could take it for on the boat to Cozumel in the morning. Our breakfast consists of a sandwich, a piece of cake, a juice, and a coffee. They had run out of cake so we got two sandwiches instead and since the juice comes in a cup we were able to switch that out to water or pop. Lynda is going to warm up her coffee in the microwave in the morning and I put baileys in mine and drank it tonight. :-)
So far we've had no luck in getting wi fi connected in this hotel so I don't know when I'll be able to post this blog but....at least it is done and I will get it up when I can.
Till next time,
L & L
Found a great little place for late breakfast/early lunch in Puerto Morelos and enjoyed walking along the beach where there were some giant sandcastles depicting the last supper and other images in keeping with Easter. Many many Mexican tourists here too! They are everywhere on the beach, flying kites, hauling their coolers filled with food and drink, and settling in for the day. This weekend is the start of the two week spring break here in Mexico that coincides with Easter (Semana Santa) so everyone is taking vacation and they're all heading to the beach to do it! Here the beaches are sugar fine pure white sand but again there is tons of that sea grass (seaweed). Here we find a sign that has been posted by the city that explains the sea grass is natural (not garbage) and that it in fact serves a purpose in protecting the beaches from erosion and as a habitat for sea and beach life. This is the first sign we've seen anywhere that even acknowledges that the sea grass is there! We also learn later in the day that for about two years now this sea grass is present pretty much everywhere on the Caribbean coast year round. Prior to two years ago...it came occasionally but not all the time. For the past two years the big hotels have staff that clean the beach daily and they bury the sea grass as they collect it. I have to wonder when they will run out of room to bury it!
Also in Puerto Morelos we saw something else that was very cool. You've heard of the leaning tower of Pisa...well PM has a leaning lighthouse tower. It was knocked into it's current leaning position in 1987 during a major hurricane and since that time has withstood two more hurricanes that were equally as devastating and it hasn't budged from it's new leaning angle.
This afternoon we made our way back to Playa del Carmen where lady luck shone on us yet again. What are the odds that our hotel would be within a block of where we had to return our rental car?! Well it was!! :-) Checked into the Sahara Hotel and were shown to our room which is large enough to host a party! We have 3 beds (1 queen, 1 double, and 1 twin) so we can even play musical beds in the night if either of us has any trouble sleeping. LOL! Our room also has a little table with chairs, a mini fridge, a microwave and a sink so we kind of still have a kitchen. We are kicking ourselves as we left a couple packages of microwaveable popcorn at our place in Tulum thinking we'd not have any more microwaves along the way. Oops! This is perfect though as we've got what we did bring with us all set up and we're settled in here for two nights. Our hotel is in a great location and in fact there is some kind of major bash going on right across the street in a big square tonight so...while I say it's a good location now...I might not be saying that if the party continues into the wee hours of the morning.
Once settled into our room we got the car returned and whew!!! we passed the inspection. I have to admit that I did have some apprehension as when we left Felipe Puerto Carrillo several days ago, and after that huge storm we had there overnight, we peeled the advertising sticker that covered the rear window off the car in an attempt to improve the visibility. In the process of it laying in the back seat it got a little tear and when we tried to reinstall it....I'm being generous when I say that it is highly unlikely that the advertising company will ever hire us to install those stick on signs! There were a few wrinkles and maybe it wasn't quite straight any more but heh....what a stupid thing to put on a rental car! Anyway....all is well that ends well and we made it past inspection and I got my open visa slips returned - whew!!!
I should back track a little here and tell a tale on Lynda. Part way between Playa del Carmen and Puerto Morelos this morning we had to go through a police check on the highway. As we approached the road block Lynda shared her usual reminder to "don't look them in the eye" and I replied..."I won't" ....BUT....this time they waived us over to the side of the road so I had to look the guy in the eye when he came to my window. He was a lovely young man and after a little back and forth in Spanish it became apparent that he was concerned that our safety was in jeopardy. He pointed to my seatbelt and said "it is important". I replied..."Yes, it is." He looked a little uncomfortable and then he said, "it is an infraction" and he pointed to Lynda at which time she realized that she had completely forgotten to put her seatbelt on this morning! Honestly, that is a first and wouldn't you know...today would be the day that the police were on the lookout for just such a memory lapse. In the end...we were given the choice to either pay at roadside or follow him back to Playa del Carmen where we could pay at the police station. If we followed him back to Playa the fine would be double what it is at roadside and so...we paid the $700 pesos and he returned my licence and gave us permission to proceed. Yikes! what a way to finish off our trip! Honestly, we were talking about it tonight and we're pretty sure that this final week is going to cost more than the last six weeks combined! Oh well....this is where the comment, "I'm old and I have plastic" comes into play. LOL! :)
Back to this afternoon...we decided we'd spend a little time getting ourselves organized for the next couple of days so we don't find ourselves missing out on anything because of how busy it is here. We visited the ADO station and purchased our bus ticket for the 31st to the Cancun airport (where we should be able to get a shuttle to our hotel in Cancun) That ticket cost just over $300 pesos for the two of us. Once we had those tickets in hand we headed over to the ferry terminal to buy tickets to Cozumel (for tomorrow morning) and at the same time we got ourselves signed up for some activities for our day on the island. We'll be met at the ferry terminal on Cozumel by Martha who will deliver us to the boat that will take us on a two hour snorkel/glass bottom boat trip out over the reefs off the shore of Cozumel. Depending on weather we will visit at least two reefs. Lynda is looking forward to the snorkelling and I am looking forward to the glass bottom boat! LOL!! I will be sitting back enjoying my complimentary cervesa while Lynda and others get up close and personal with the creatures of the sea. I may have a change of mind once I'm out there but to tell the truth...it is doubtful and I'm happy to enjoy the glass bottom experience again. I had one of those on Lady Elliot Island (Great Barrier Reef in Australia) before and it was great! In fact, if you've ever heard my story about snorkelling on Lady Elliot....you'll appreciate just why the glass bottom boat is my preference over communing with nature in that snorkelling kind of way!
Once we're finished with our boat/snorkel experience we'll be delivered back to the terminal at mid-day at which time we will pick up our VW convertible (how fun does that sound-wahoo!) which we will use to explore the rest of the island. According to Alexandra (the agent who set up our tours on Cozumel for us) this is where we're going to find those deserted white sand beaches and azure waters we've been looking for so we have fingers and toes crossed...we're ready to find them! Time is running out! We only have a couple of days left.
Once all our 'business' was complete we spent the next couple of hours wandering the pedestrian street (10th Ave I think it is) that has soooo many people on it! At one point Lynda commented...."look ahead of us...doesn't this look like we're in the Vancouver Sun Run or something?!" She was right...as far as we could see in front and behind there was a sea of people people people! We located a restaurant that had 4 margaritas and a plate of nachos for $150 pesos as their special - that was bait enough for me. I'd been ready for a drink ever since trying to find where to return the car in this city where street signs are poor at best. We polished off those 4 margs and the nachos and were lubricated enough to order 4 more. Yummy! :-)
When it was time to pay our restaurant bill it became apparent that we were going to have to hit another ATM so....we set off to find a bank. Lucky again, there is one right across the street from our hotel! Once we were flush with cash again we set out to find the place where we could get our "included breakfast" with a mind to pick it up tonight so we could take it for on the boat to Cozumel in the morning. Our breakfast consists of a sandwich, a piece of cake, a juice, and a coffee. They had run out of cake so we got two sandwiches instead and since the juice comes in a cup we were able to switch that out to water or pop. Lynda is going to warm up her coffee in the microwave in the morning and I put baileys in mine and drank it tonight. :-)
So far we've had no luck in getting wi fi connected in this hotel so I don't know when I'll be able to post this blog but....at least it is done and I will get it up when I can.
Till next time,
L & L
Saturday, March 28, 2015
March 28, 2015
Well this morning we finally found some really lovely white sand and there was a big wide beach of it too! It was in front of a hotel called Los Corales down in that very LONG strip of hotels we drove past a couple of days ago. We knew there had to be something to keep all these skebillions of people coming back and there it was. The staff were busy cleaning the thick layer of seaweed off the beach (a massive undertaking that it looks like they have to do daily!) and on the beach areas that were finished we could get a feel for what all those photos depict....pristine white sugar fine sand beaches. But....the water still hasn't co-operated! To be fair today was really windy after the wild thunder and lightening storm we has last night so the sea was very choppy and pretty black looking. It was perfect for the kite surfers though and it was a real treat to be able to watch them up close. Their colourful kites created a new kind of rainbow as the surfers zipped in and out from beach to horizon with the occasional high flying jump thrown in for good measure. It was fun to watch them and as we lounged on the cushioned beach chairs we'd claimed as our own it felt good to be at the beach again.
Also this morning while we were down in hotel row we met Phoenix, the peacock, who put on an amazing show for us. (photos below) We'd snuck into the parking lot that he calls home and I guess he was either okay with us being there or really angry with our trespass based on the show we got.
Once we'd had enough of the wild winds on the beach it was back to our private little oasis that feels even more private when returning form the busyness of hotel row. Again, we were the only people on our property so had the pool and the yard to ourselves. The yard is all walled so you don't even see anything that might be going on outside the property and as a result if feels very exclusive. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool, reading, and catching a few zzz's as the mood struck. Oh ya...there was some tequila and baileys over ice in there somewhere too. LOL :-)
Gotta pack up again tonight as we're on the road again tomorrow. Departure day is drawing so near now...it's hard to believe! Still have 4 nights to go though and think often about the many many people who come here with a total of 7 nights for their whole vacation! We recognize just how lucky we have been!
till next time,
L & L
Also this morning while we were down in hotel row we met Phoenix, the peacock, who put on an amazing show for us. (photos below) We'd snuck into the parking lot that he calls home and I guess he was either okay with us being there or really angry with our trespass based on the show we got.
Once we'd had enough of the wild winds on the beach it was back to our private little oasis that feels even more private when returning form the busyness of hotel row. Again, we were the only people on our property so had the pool and the yard to ourselves. The yard is all walled so you don't even see anything that might be going on outside the property and as a result if feels very exclusive. We spent the rest of the afternoon lounging by the pool, reading, and catching a few zzz's as the mood struck. Oh ya...there was some tequila and baileys over ice in there somewhere too. LOL :-)
Gotta pack up again tonight as we're on the road again tomorrow. Departure day is drawing so near now...it's hard to believe! Still have 4 nights to go though and think often about the many many people who come here with a total of 7 nights for their whole vacation! We recognize just how lucky we have been!
till next time,
L & L
Friday, March 27, 2015
March 27, 2015
Well...we've officially gone and done it....we shifted from travellers to tourists. The move was confirmed today when we donned wrist bands and hopped aboard a train to get the rest of the way into the site where the Tulum ruins sit atop the cliffs at the waters edge.
Wandering around the ruins was HOT and there were so many people that it felt more like Disneyland than Mayan ruins! Giant iguanas lazed in the shade of the trees that dotted the grounds where we fell into line with at least 1000 others to follow the marked paths through the site.
Lynda visited this same location in 2002 and at that time it was a dirt road leading into the site, there were no gates or entrance fees to be paid, and her group of 4 were the only people there! What a difference 13 years can make!
When we made our way back out (by return train of course) we noticed that amidst the demonstration of Mayan dancers (including the guys who hang upside down by ropes swinging from a giant pole) there was a Starbucks, a Subway, and a Quiznos. Yep...there is definitely some American influence in this part of Mexico!
We enjoyed an ice cold beer while sitting on swing seats at a bar and then retrieved our car from the back of same bar where we'd left it parked for the fee of $50 pesos. To get our car out the drivers for a shuttle van and a taxi had to be found and then they had to move their vehicles before we could even begin to move. This place is crazy busy!!! People people everywhere!
So yes...we looked over the edge from the ruins in search of that perfect azure water and white sand beaches but alas...still no luck! The water looked very muddy for about 15-20 feet from shore and on the beach there is soooo much seaweed littering it that it really doesn't look very appealing at all. Supposedly this year there is more seaweed than ever before and no matter how fast they clean the beaches, the algae returns with each wave as it comes washing in. The result is that there is a solid line of seaweed that is several inches thick and 2-3 feet wide lining the entire shore. It is as though there is a thick black line drawn in the sand about 3 feet from the waters edge everywhere you look.
We spent the rest of the day checking out every little road that goes off the highway between here (Tulum) and Akumal which is another very touristy place. We are definitely into the part of MX where tourism is king and traditional customs take a back seat. While in Akumal we stopped in for a bite to eat at a beach bar/restaurant and as we've become accustomed to luck was with us again and we were seated in what I would dub as the best seat in the house. We were tucked in at the edge of the seating area, right up against some jungle plants, with nothing but a palm tree, a pile of dead coral, and the sea in front of us. Our table was completely in the shade and we had an unobstructed view. Yep, we're sure loving this lady luck that seems to have attached herself to us for this trip yet again!
Some of those roads we traversed between here and Akumal today led us into exclusive resorts, others into areas lined with private residences along the waterfront. Many of those roads were pretty rough and all of them had more topes (speed bumps) than necessary, which was maybe the most authentically Mexican thing about today.
Just before we got back to our apartment, the clouds rolled in and the thunder and lightening show started. By the time we'd arrived home the skies had opened and we were in a torrential downpour. It lasted for a few hours (thank heavens we have this roomy place!) and then turned into a drizzle. My hunch is that tomorrow will bring more blue skies and sunshine and a nice clean car as a bonus.
Hasta luego amigos,
L & L
Wandering around the ruins was HOT and there were so many people that it felt more like Disneyland than Mayan ruins! Giant iguanas lazed in the shade of the trees that dotted the grounds where we fell into line with at least 1000 others to follow the marked paths through the site.
Lynda visited this same location in 2002 and at that time it was a dirt road leading into the site, there were no gates or entrance fees to be paid, and her group of 4 were the only people there! What a difference 13 years can make!
When we made our way back out (by return train of course) we noticed that amidst the demonstration of Mayan dancers (including the guys who hang upside down by ropes swinging from a giant pole) there was a Starbucks, a Subway, and a Quiznos. Yep...there is definitely some American influence in this part of Mexico!
We enjoyed an ice cold beer while sitting on swing seats at a bar and then retrieved our car from the back of same bar where we'd left it parked for the fee of $50 pesos. To get our car out the drivers for a shuttle van and a taxi had to be found and then they had to move their vehicles before we could even begin to move. This place is crazy busy!!! People people everywhere!
So yes...we looked over the edge from the ruins in search of that perfect azure water and white sand beaches but alas...still no luck! The water looked very muddy for about 15-20 feet from shore and on the beach there is soooo much seaweed littering it that it really doesn't look very appealing at all. Supposedly this year there is more seaweed than ever before and no matter how fast they clean the beaches, the algae returns with each wave as it comes washing in. The result is that there is a solid line of seaweed that is several inches thick and 2-3 feet wide lining the entire shore. It is as though there is a thick black line drawn in the sand about 3 feet from the waters edge everywhere you look.
We spent the rest of the day checking out every little road that goes off the highway between here (Tulum) and Akumal which is another very touristy place. We are definitely into the part of MX where tourism is king and traditional customs take a back seat. While in Akumal we stopped in for a bite to eat at a beach bar/restaurant and as we've become accustomed to luck was with us again and we were seated in what I would dub as the best seat in the house. We were tucked in at the edge of the seating area, right up against some jungle plants, with nothing but a palm tree, a pile of dead coral, and the sea in front of us. Our table was completely in the shade and we had an unobstructed view. Yep, we're sure loving this lady luck that seems to have attached herself to us for this trip yet again!
Some of those roads we traversed between here and Akumal today led us into exclusive resorts, others into areas lined with private residences along the waterfront. Many of those roads were pretty rough and all of them had more topes (speed bumps) than necessary, which was maybe the most authentically Mexican thing about today.
Just before we got back to our apartment, the clouds rolled in and the thunder and lightening show started. By the time we'd arrived home the skies had opened and we were in a torrential downpour. It lasted for a few hours (thank heavens we have this roomy place!) and then turned into a drizzle. My hunch is that tomorrow will bring more blue skies and sunshine and a nice clean car as a bonus.
Hasta luego amigos,
L & L
Thursday, March 26, 2015
March 26, 2015
A rather uneventful day after all the excitement of the B & E yesterday! But...I will say that there is a really good photo of the outside of our place below. It gives a sense of the tranquility of this little oasis. You can see the green fabric waving in the breeze up at our rooftop patio too. It is gorgeous up there...big lounge beds in the shade with an amazing breeze that never really dies down. We spent some time today up in that rooftop area as well as lounging around our pool and enjoying the fact that we are the only people in our property. (ie: we have this whole place to ourselves!)
Also spent some time exploring the beach area just east of the town of Tulum and YIKES! are there ever a lot of hotels and a lot of people!!! It was some kind of culture shock for us given where we've been these past couple of months. That little road seemed to go on forever and ever and the whole thing was crammed with beachfront hotels and other shops, restaurants, and hotels on the other side. I had heard there were a lot of them but never in my wildest imagination would I have believed there were as many as there actually are! It sure reinforced for us just how thankful we are that we are located where we are. In a totally private location with none of the busy'ness that is present everywhere else we've seen here.
At the end of the final section of bumper to bumper hotels and people we hit a gravel road (the arch and gravel road pictured below) and once through it we were in a national park and if we'd have driven for about 50 km on that road...supposedly we'd have come to a really beautiful location and possibly even some manatees but...we went as far as possible with our car (about 20 km) and then had to turn back as the road was definitely not made for cars! A 4 wheel drive was the only thing that would have taken us any further! Regardless it was a really nice drive. The road was shaded by the jungle canopy hanging over on both sides, we passed only a couple of other vehicles, and occasionally the jungle opened up just enough for us to catch a glimpse of the sea.
Speaking of the sea and the beach in front of it....we're still waiting to see the beaches that are shown in all the photos of Tulum. So far, everything we've seen has been covered in sea grass that has washed up and today there was lots of wind and waves so...it sure didn't call us to run down to the shore and jump in. Tomorrow we have a specific destination in mind that is close to the Tulum ruins (about 20 km north of here) and that is supposed to be the stuff those famous photos depict. It is called Puerto Maroma and we've got our fingers and toes crossed that it induces the sigh that is attached to the experience of seeing such natural beauty.
Made good use of our kitchen tonight. Rice with fresh pineapple, BBQ chicken, onions sautéed in a whole bunch of butter, and some tomatoes with chilis all mixed together to make something good enough to say that "I'd make that again!" The bonus is that there are enough leftovers that we'll be having it again tomorrow or the next day too.
Tonight the plan is to see if I can get netflix off my ipad and onto the big flatscreen. Wifi is plenty strong here and so we should be able to find something to watch. Last night (after Mama Mia finished around 6:00) we couldn't find anything but zombie crap and super crazy game shows! Lets see just how techie I can be....and if not....then we'll be watching the iPad screen wishing it was larger. LOL!
Lynda just brought over some cut up fresh sandia (watermelon) so I gotta go cuz this is dessert and I already know how sweet this watermelon is cuz I had some of it yesterday. :)
Till next time,
L & L
Also spent some time exploring the beach area just east of the town of Tulum and YIKES! are there ever a lot of hotels and a lot of people!!! It was some kind of culture shock for us given where we've been these past couple of months. That little road seemed to go on forever and ever and the whole thing was crammed with beachfront hotels and other shops, restaurants, and hotels on the other side. I had heard there were a lot of them but never in my wildest imagination would I have believed there were as many as there actually are! It sure reinforced for us just how thankful we are that we are located where we are. In a totally private location with none of the busy'ness that is present everywhere else we've seen here.
At the end of the final section of bumper to bumper hotels and people we hit a gravel road (the arch and gravel road pictured below) and once through it we were in a national park and if we'd have driven for about 50 km on that road...supposedly we'd have come to a really beautiful location and possibly even some manatees but...we went as far as possible with our car (about 20 km) and then had to turn back as the road was definitely not made for cars! A 4 wheel drive was the only thing that would have taken us any further! Regardless it was a really nice drive. The road was shaded by the jungle canopy hanging over on both sides, we passed only a couple of other vehicles, and occasionally the jungle opened up just enough for us to catch a glimpse of the sea.
Speaking of the sea and the beach in front of it....we're still waiting to see the beaches that are shown in all the photos of Tulum. So far, everything we've seen has been covered in sea grass that has washed up and today there was lots of wind and waves so...it sure didn't call us to run down to the shore and jump in. Tomorrow we have a specific destination in mind that is close to the Tulum ruins (about 20 km north of here) and that is supposed to be the stuff those famous photos depict. It is called Puerto Maroma and we've got our fingers and toes crossed that it induces the sigh that is attached to the experience of seeing such natural beauty.
Made good use of our kitchen tonight. Rice with fresh pineapple, BBQ chicken, onions sautéed in a whole bunch of butter, and some tomatoes with chilis all mixed together to make something good enough to say that "I'd make that again!" The bonus is that there are enough leftovers that we'll be having it again tomorrow or the next day too.
Tonight the plan is to see if I can get netflix off my ipad and onto the big flatscreen. Wifi is plenty strong here and so we should be able to find something to watch. Last night (after Mama Mia finished around 6:00) we couldn't find anything but zombie crap and super crazy game shows! Lets see just how techie I can be....and if not....then we'll be watching the iPad screen wishing it was larger. LOL!
Lynda just brought over some cut up fresh sandia (watermelon) so I gotta go cuz this is dessert and I already know how sweet this watermelon is cuz I had some of it yesterday. :)
Till next time,
L & L
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
March 25, 2015
On the road again....and what a great road trip it was. Approximately 200 km from Bacalar to Tulum and we spent the better part of the day making the trip. We stopped at roadside vendors to purchase fruit for the next few days. Watermelon, pineapple, mame, oranges, and mangoes...all freshly picked, warm and sweet from the sun. Yummy! We drove down roads that in the end...went nowhere except to butt up to a fence blocking any further progress. We drove down roads that took us into tiny villages that were seemingly deserted. We explored other little villages where the locals looked at us as though we had two heads...oh just a minute...we might have well had....we are giants in the land of the Maya after all! :)
Eventually, we arrived in Tulum and thanks to some very good directions were able to locate the apartment we'd rented for the next four days. I say thanks to some very good directions because the "road" we had to turn down to find our place doesn't look like much of a road....I'd describe it more as a back lane and one that might require 4 wheel drive to boot! On the upside, we have no traffic on our "road" so it couldn't be any more quiet. We are just 1/2 block off the main highway (and the centre of town). We are just 1/2 block from the corner where you start the drive down to the waterfront and the beautiful Tulum beaches found there. All in all...it's a perfect location!
As well, we've "upgraded" for this stop on our tour. We have a full apartment complete with full kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. There are just five apartments on the property so even if it fills at some point during our stay...it will never feel crowded. We have a private rooftop deck with a large lounging area complete with cushions and curtains to stave off the sun. There is also another private deck that overlooks the pool right off our living room. We even have a big flat screen TV and cable so for the first time in months watched a movie tonight and as I'm typing this, Lynda is watching Mike and Molly which is giving her cause to chuckle at their antics. WTH...now she is watching some crazy/hilarious Mexican game show where people are having to strip every time they answer a question incorrectly! I'll do my best to stay focused on my typing though. LOL! :)
Speaking of chuckles and hilarity...we were experiencing our fair share of that this afternoon after we returned to our apartment from the grocery store. Of course we had ice (for the drinks we were dying to pour) as well as enough groceries to take care of breakfasts, snacks, and at least one dinner for our time here. Oh ya...I snuck in a bottle of Baileys to complement the coffee too. :) Anyway....Lynda had the keys to our door (which is one story up so there are an abundance of stairs to carry our groceries up!) and as I came back with a second load from the car...she said, "I can't get this door to unlock!" I climbed the stairs and gave it a try as well and with no better luck. Initially I was mad enough to even put my shoulder into the door with a mind to open it by force (as the only lock was the door handle) but...as I gave that a second thought...I considered the potential consequences of doing that in a foreign land! So...instead we decided to break in via the open window above the stairs going up to our apartment. Fortunately there were no other people on our property to witness our antics AND Lynda removing her skirt. Yes Darlene and Gail...she was wearing her red skirt! That red skirt would have some great stories to tell if it could talk! She removed her skirt so she wouldn't get tangled up in it during the B & E! For a minute I wondered if she'd maybe done something like this before because she really is quite good at planning it all out! She also laid her skirt across the window sill in the hope that it would help to protect her from scratching herself as she scrambled/crawled/hung/slithered/grunted her way through the open window.
So....I steadied myself on the stairs just below the window; pushing my butt against the wall and my hands on the railing. I held my breath and braced so she could step/kneel on my back to have a chance at getting high enough to "flop" the top half of her body through the open window (she'd been able to take the screen out). Fortunately it was a large window so there was no fear of broken glass etc and after she'd hung there long enough to grab a couple of cushions off the couch and push the couch just far enough away from the window that she could "fall" onto the cushions on the floor. When I asked her if I could do anything to help as she "hung" there half way in and half way out...and in her underwear....she replied, "just don't look" and I assured her I wouldn't! :) LOL! She made it the rest of the way into the apartment and was able to open the door from the inside. We laughed and laughed and then we poured a couple of stiff drinks. Thankfully we had purchased a LARGE bag of ice so not all of it had melted during our antics. In 30+ temperatures...a bag of ice does not last long!
What a day! Arrangements have been made for the locksmith to be here at 8:00 a.m. to replace the lock and get the deadbolt lined up as that is the one we'd prefer to use. Lynda's red skirt has a new story to tell and tonight it holds a place of honour in the closet as a key element in her successful B & E this afternoon. :) Who knows what it will see/do tomorrow.
Till then....
L & L
photos are of roadside vendors en route to Tulum as well as the "road" into our apartment the outside views we found when we got here.
Eventually, we arrived in Tulum and thanks to some very good directions were able to locate the apartment we'd rented for the next four days. I say thanks to some very good directions because the "road" we had to turn down to find our place doesn't look like much of a road....I'd describe it more as a back lane and one that might require 4 wheel drive to boot! On the upside, we have no traffic on our "road" so it couldn't be any more quiet. We are just 1/2 block off the main highway (and the centre of town). We are just 1/2 block from the corner where you start the drive down to the waterfront and the beautiful Tulum beaches found there. All in all...it's a perfect location!
As well, we've "upgraded" for this stop on our tour. We have a full apartment complete with full kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. There are just five apartments on the property so even if it fills at some point during our stay...it will never feel crowded. We have a private rooftop deck with a large lounging area complete with cushions and curtains to stave off the sun. There is also another private deck that overlooks the pool right off our living room. We even have a big flat screen TV and cable so for the first time in months watched a movie tonight and as I'm typing this, Lynda is watching Mike and Molly which is giving her cause to chuckle at their antics. WTH...now she is watching some crazy/hilarious Mexican game show where people are having to strip every time they answer a question incorrectly! I'll do my best to stay focused on my typing though. LOL! :)
Speaking of chuckles and hilarity...we were experiencing our fair share of that this afternoon after we returned to our apartment from the grocery store. Of course we had ice (for the drinks we were dying to pour) as well as enough groceries to take care of breakfasts, snacks, and at least one dinner for our time here. Oh ya...I snuck in a bottle of Baileys to complement the coffee too. :) Anyway....Lynda had the keys to our door (which is one story up so there are an abundance of stairs to carry our groceries up!) and as I came back with a second load from the car...she said, "I can't get this door to unlock!" I climbed the stairs and gave it a try as well and with no better luck. Initially I was mad enough to even put my shoulder into the door with a mind to open it by force (as the only lock was the door handle) but...as I gave that a second thought...I considered the potential consequences of doing that in a foreign land! So...instead we decided to break in via the open window above the stairs going up to our apartment. Fortunately there were no other people on our property to witness our antics AND Lynda removing her skirt. Yes Darlene and Gail...she was wearing her red skirt! That red skirt would have some great stories to tell if it could talk! She removed her skirt so she wouldn't get tangled up in it during the B & E! For a minute I wondered if she'd maybe done something like this before because she really is quite good at planning it all out! She also laid her skirt across the window sill in the hope that it would help to protect her from scratching herself as she scrambled/crawled/hung/slithered/grunted her way through the open window.
So....I steadied myself on the stairs just below the window; pushing my butt against the wall and my hands on the railing. I held my breath and braced so she could step/kneel on my back to have a chance at getting high enough to "flop" the top half of her body through the open window (she'd been able to take the screen out). Fortunately it was a large window so there was no fear of broken glass etc and after she'd hung there long enough to grab a couple of cushions off the couch and push the couch just far enough away from the window that she could "fall" onto the cushions on the floor. When I asked her if I could do anything to help as she "hung" there half way in and half way out...and in her underwear....she replied, "just don't look" and I assured her I wouldn't! :) LOL! She made it the rest of the way into the apartment and was able to open the door from the inside. We laughed and laughed and then we poured a couple of stiff drinks. Thankfully we had purchased a LARGE bag of ice so not all of it had melted during our antics. In 30+ temperatures...a bag of ice does not last long!
What a day! Arrangements have been made for the locksmith to be here at 8:00 a.m. to replace the lock and get the deadbolt lined up as that is the one we'd prefer to use. Lynda's red skirt has a new story to tell and tonight it holds a place of honour in the closet as a key element in her successful B & E this afternoon. :) Who knows what it will see/do tomorrow.
Till then....
L & L
photos are of roadside vendors en route to Tulum as well as the "road" into our apartment the outside views we found when we got here.
Tuesday, March 24, 2015
March 24, 2015
This blogpost will be a pretty short one cuz all we did today was laze around the pool or down by the edge of Cenote Esmerelda (the cenote that is part of Laguna Bacalar and that is right in front of our hotel), roll into either of those bodies of water just long enough to cool down, and then climb back out and onto a lounge chair in the shade. Yes...shade is the place to be. We've seen our share of sunburned bodies in our travels and neither of us wants to be one of those lobster coloured victims!
There is a bit of background on Laguna Bacalar that we uncovered today and that you might be interested to hear about. This lake is considered to be the most beautiful in all the world. You might wonder how they arrived at that decision and in fact...there was a science to it. Photos of many many beautiful lakes were laid out on a large table and people from all walks of life and cultures were asked to choose the most beautiful. Almost all of the people participating in the study chose Laguna Bacalar! Researchers cannot explain it but the evidence supports the claim that there is no other place quite like it on earth. The sad part is that it is in danger because of the attraction to visit it. As it becomes more popular, more tourism finds it's way here and because there are minimal (if any) laws governing human interface with the lake...it is close to being identified as officially "at risk".
The beauty of the lake really does boil down to the many shades of blue that you can see at any given time. The colours literally shift and change before your eyes as clouds pass overhead or as the sun shines from a different angle or the turbidity in the water changes or the depth of the water or the breeze....it all factors into the shifting hues of blue. There is also a whole bunch of research on how the colour blue comes from the water as opposed to the eye but....all I know for sure is that this lake is absolutely stunning and we both continue to comment on how lucky we feel to have it as our view!
After a stressful day of lounging, we managed to make our way into the town where we had another great meal...umm hmm...shrimp again. After that meal we had on the way back from Chetumal the other day neither of us ever thought we'd be able to eat another shrimp but....I guess we've recovered from that foolish thought.
Tomorrow we're off to Tulum where we've rented an apartment for four nights. I'm pretty sure it will have wi-fi so we'll keep up with this communique but...if you don't hear from us...it just means I was wrong and we'll be out of touch for a few days.
Till next time,
L & L
There is a bit of background on Laguna Bacalar that we uncovered today and that you might be interested to hear about. This lake is considered to be the most beautiful in all the world. You might wonder how they arrived at that decision and in fact...there was a science to it. Photos of many many beautiful lakes were laid out on a large table and people from all walks of life and cultures were asked to choose the most beautiful. Almost all of the people participating in the study chose Laguna Bacalar! Researchers cannot explain it but the evidence supports the claim that there is no other place quite like it on earth. The sad part is that it is in danger because of the attraction to visit it. As it becomes more popular, more tourism finds it's way here and because there are minimal (if any) laws governing human interface with the lake...it is close to being identified as officially "at risk".
The beauty of the lake really does boil down to the many shades of blue that you can see at any given time. The colours literally shift and change before your eyes as clouds pass overhead or as the sun shines from a different angle or the turbidity in the water changes or the depth of the water or the breeze....it all factors into the shifting hues of blue. There is also a whole bunch of research on how the colour blue comes from the water as opposed to the eye but....all I know for sure is that this lake is absolutely stunning and we both continue to comment on how lucky we feel to have it as our view!
After a stressful day of lounging, we managed to make our way into the town where we had another great meal...umm hmm...shrimp again. After that meal we had on the way back from Chetumal the other day neither of us ever thought we'd be able to eat another shrimp but....I guess we've recovered from that foolish thought.
Tomorrow we're off to Tulum where we've rented an apartment for four nights. I'm pretty sure it will have wi-fi so we'll keep up with this communique but...if you don't hear from us...it just means I was wrong and we'll be out of touch for a few days.
Till next time,
L & L
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