After dinner the first night, we of course had to celebrate our reunion on the balcony. It was so much fun to be together again in such a happy place.
My bedroom was very comfortable. As soon as I took my earplugs out in the morning I could hear the Mexican music across from my balcony. What a great way to start the morning.
The central living area was very comfortable and the kitchen had all we needed. Cindy made breakfast for us and we enjoyed eating on the balcony and observing the action pick up on the street.
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| Monkey Lamp |
A minor problem in the kitchen was a lack of light by the range. I was looking for another pillow in my closet and found this fun lamp that Randy and Cindy didn't know was there. It provided light and smiles! Very unusual lamp. Doesn't look Mexican to me but I like the monkey. Increase the size to see the monkey below the palm branches.
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| Mayan Sculpture |
We decided to walk down to the main square by the beach. It was a beautiful day and very pleasant. We passed a Mayan sculpture that was very ornate and well done.
There was a very old and pretty church in the square. It's not very big and there was a ceremony in progress so we didn't go in. We heard people make reservations a year or more in advance for weddings! The architecture was unusual with the two domes.
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| Playa Del Carmen main square |
The main road/walkway was connected to the square which led right to the beach. Nice set up. The archway was being worked on so it's covered with nets. It appeared to be Nautical figures of some sort. Playa Del Carmen info and pictures
To the left of the arch above you'll see a tall tower. Five men climbed to the top. One positioned himself in the center and the other four wrapped a rope around their legs. The guy in the middle started spinning the platform which unwound the ropes. It unwound all the way to the ground.
The restaurants are very inexpensive so we ate most of our meals out. There is also a great variety of restaurants. Octopus is a popular item and I enjoy it so we went to two different places for octopus.
We enjoyed, lamb, duck, Italian, prime rib and of course Mexican meals. Most of the restaurants we went to are open to the street which adds to the festiveness of the places.
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| Randy and Cindy at the beach |
We of course had a couple beach days. Many of the small resorts offer umbrellas, beach chairs, food and drink delivered at very reasonable prices.
Randy and I had some kind of pineapple, coconut Margaritas. They were good. Can't remember what Cindy had. Cindy got a 1 hour massage in a little gazebo where we were while Randy and I just relaxed.
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| Rainy Day |
We did get a little rain the first day we planned to go to the beach. It was still warm so not a big deal.
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| Variety of peppers |
We ended up going to the grocery store. We walked everywhere which was nice. It is a very big store, similar to a Walmart but with some different types of produce and meats. We also stopped at the Locals' grocery store. Lots of items I wasn't familiar with. There were thousands of peppers with varying degrees of heat! We passed on the peppers.
Randy came out one morning with the new t-shirt he got from his daughter. Very appropriate if you know Randy, and funny.
We went to an Italian restaurant one night. I got lasagna and Randy got pizza. The pizza and lasagna were very tasty but we needed Tums that night. Unfortunately, Randy's stomach was not good the next morning. We were scheduled to go on an 8 mile bus ride through the jungle to a Cenote tour. The tickets were nonrefundable and Randy said we should go without him. Bummer!
The Cenote tour was the highlight of my trip. It was very interesting and beautiful. We wore bathing suits and water shoes and often were walking through water. I learned a Cenote is an opening to an underground river. The river is fresh water and runs 1,500 miles through the peninsula. The water comes from rain. There is a special species of tree whose roots can penetrate the limestone and reach the river. These trees provide all the water for the foliage above ground. Here are some of the great views we saw.
We learned that the Mayans originally settled below ground by the river. But eventually they realized they were polluting the river so they moved above ground and began the phenomenal building we can see in their ruins. They saw the river and cenotes as sacred and women went there to deliver births. They also used the cenotes for funerals and illness, etc.
The colored lights were left over from Christmas. Usually they are all white. We were able to swim in the pool behind me. They provided a mask which made it more fun. As you can see the water was crystal clear. The water wasn't too cold and there were some small blind catfish swimming around. If you stood still the catfish would nibble the dead skin off your feet. Free pedicure!
A lunch was provided after the tour and it was better than we expected. The cook marinated chicken for 24 hours and then barbecued it. We used it to build our own tacos which were very.
Fortunately, Randy was recovered when we returned home. The kids and grandkids are coming the following week so Randy will do the Cenote tour with them.
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| Charcuterie board |
When I was in California I was exposed to a charcuterie board approach to appetizers. I was surprised when Cindy pulled out her charcuterie board! Very tasty and pretty! I'm told it is all about the presentation.
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| Rooftop Bar and Restaurant |
We were looking for something different to do and settled on a tequila tasting lesson. It was at a high end hotel at the rooftop bar and restaurant with a great view.
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| Cindy and Randy getting ready |
I knew nothing about tequila so I learned a lot. The bartender was fun and informative. It was interesting to hear about the different types and where they come from. All were Mexican. They served the tequila samples in cute little ceramic cups. I thought one would be a nice souvenir so I tried to buy one. The bartender said, "They are not for sale but I'm going over there for a minute and it's okay if one disappears!" Actually two disappeared because Randy and Cindy also wanted one. I think the cost of the tequila tasting more than covered the cost of the cups!
By the time we left, the sun had set and there was a beautiful moon showing through the clouds, over the very pinkly lit rooftop pool. We were happy with our choice of what to do.
As I've already noted, we loved sitting on the balcony seeing what was going on. One day a beer truck pulled up. The two wheeled carts allowed two cases of beer on one level. They just kept piling more cases on. The man and woman pushed the carts down the street like it was nothing. Very impressive!
The man and woman pushed the carts down the street like it was nothing. Very impressive!
Next there were the guys putting up some kind of receiver on top of a very high pole. The lift truck looked pretty safe, but the ladder was just leaning against a round pole and the guy working on it had no safety harness nor anyone holding the ladder. Fortunately it all ended well.
The most creative guy we saw was the cable guy who rigged up a drum system in his car to pull the wire out the window. It worked great!
Randy and Cindy wanted me to see a special tree growing a few streets away in a small square. It's called La Ceiba.
It is an impressive tree and mirrors the general feeling that people appreciate nature and have a spiritual connection with it.
I'll end this blog with a video that captures the music, atmosphere and mood of my visit. Very fun!
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