Friday, December 28, 2007 (Ron)

This is our last day. I never thought it would happen, but we are kinda glad to be leaving Mexico and going home. Cancun is nice, the weather was good, but it doesn’t feel like home. When we are in Mazatlan it almost feels more like home than Washington. Cancun is nice to visit, especially if you are young and like to party. We aren’t and we don’t.

We got everything packed up and taken down to the lobby to stow for a few hours. The weather was great so we laid out by the pool to soak up a last little bit of sun.

I wanted to get some Mexican pastries and some stuff to eat during the flight. We took the bus downtown and stopped at Mega. They had a large selection of pastries and baked goods so I really stocked up. Then we saw a large hot deli section so we went over to check it out. Lots of variety, everything looked so good. Some of the dishes were labeled but of course the labels were in Spanish. Those were fairly easy to figure out, but many were not even labeled. I asked the lady there but she didn’t speak English. So I tried some anyway.

With enough food to feed the Mexican Army, we found a bench in the shade on Tulum Street and had lunch. Good food, good people watching, nice weather. After lunch we had to get back to the hotel to catch our shuttle to the airport. The busses all stop around where we were on Tulum Street so we looked around for our bus. A local guy saw us and must have thought we needed help. He came up and asked what bus we were looking for. I told him and he said he knew exactly where we needed to go to catch that bus. He said ‘follow me’ so we did – for about twenty feet. He told me this was the perfect spot and he was charging me a dollar for his valuable guidance. I told him forget it, I’m not giving you a dollar for that. We argued about it for a bit, but our bus pulled up so Pat and I got on it and went back to our hotel.

We got back just in time to catch the van to the airport. No problems checking in or getting thru security. With plenty of time before take-off, I worked on lightening our load by eating some of the pastries. Soon we boarded the plane and started the journey home.

Thursday, December 27, 2007 (Pat)

Our last full day in Cancun. Woke up to a partly cloudy day but a nice morning starting out. Today is our excursion to Isla Mujeres – an island we could just see to the east of Cancun. At 8:30am we arrived at the pick-up location up the road, paid the balance of our tickets, and gathered with a bunch of other people at the dock.

The Caribbean Queen was a good sized, ferry type boat. On the way up to the boat there was a photo-op with some crew members dressed up in Mayan/Aztec garb. Then we were given a plate of fruit and found a place to sit inside at a table with another family. The boat was full of people with the same idea of going to the island for some fun in the sun. Some breakfast juice, smoothies, and coffee were served and before long the relatively smooth ride was over.

We unloaded at a nice white sand beach area with lots of colorful umbrellas and beach loungers. Looked good! We followed the crowd to the eating area that was mostly covered for the orientation for the day. Ron and I just planned to check out the town and then check out the beach. We were still a bit hungry so we walked up the road to the town. Several narrow streets lined with shops and vendors and lots of people milling around. We found a grocery store and got some snack items and then wandered back along the beach. Lots of photo ops of the fishing boats, people, coconut drinks, and we were ready to head back to the beach area. The clouds were getting a bit darker but still had some sunshine so we went to ‘our’ beach section and found the correct beach chairs to sit on with our boat group. Lunch was not served until 2:30pm so we had some time to relax. We didn’t get much sunning. Before long darker, wetter-looking clouds were gathering to the North and East and looking threatening. There were some canopied areas with some white plastic chairs and before long we were all sitting under the tent canopy watching the rain pour down. It just kept coming! Soon it was time to eat and still raining. We went over to the eating area and managed to find a table under cover. Food was buffet style and not too bad.

Our boat group wasn’t due to leave until 5:45pm so we basically hung out under cover, people watching until it was time to load up on the Caribbean Queen. The ride back wasn’t as smooth but uneventful. Fortunately it wasn’t raining when we had to walk back to the hotel. Both of us were cranky, disappointed in the day and not feeling good with colds so we grabbed something easy to eat from the store downstairs, ate in our room, finished our munchies, watched some TV, and went to bed.

Wednesday, December 26, 2007 (Ron)

Kind of a lazy day. Pat and I both have colds so we’re not feeling too energetic. We laid out on the beach most of the day. By late afternoon we were getting hungry so we took the bus downtown to find a place to eat. When we got off there were a lot of people around, we were looking around – didn’t have any place in mind and weren’t sure which way to go. A Mexican guy came up and asked if we needed help finding something. We said we were looking for a place to eat and he said he knew the perfect place. He took us down Tulum Street for several blocks and I’m thinking “What the hell is this guy doing?” About that time he turned down a little side street and I’m not sure whether to follow him or run the other way. I was too tired to run so we followed him. He took us down the side street to a restaurant – we took a table outside and Hector the protector went inside. The restaurant looked good, the menu looked good, so we ordered. It was a nice evening – lots of people out – so we enjoyed watching people go by. We had a great meal and had fun people watching. The servings were way more than we could eat so the waitress boxed them up, we paid the bill, and walked around some more. After a while we caught the bus back to the hotel. A very enjoyable day.

Tuesday, December 25, 2007 (Pat)

We woke up to a nice, warm, sunny day. Had our usual morning routine then decided to head into el centro area. We found out bus R2 would take us closest to that area so with map in hand we caught the bus. Nice and empty. We got off the bus, checked the map, and ended up outside the Mercado 28. This is a big complex of shops in a maze with a central eating area. We started walking thru the aisles with Mexican crafts on both sides. We were early – some of the shops weren’t even open yet. We checked out a small shop early on that had the similar obsidian stone Mayan statues like we saw the other day. The vendor started his sales pitch. I will give you a good deal – it has been slow - $120USD…$100USD…okay $60. We should have gone for it but we had just started looking and weren’t ready to buy yet. More wandering thru the maze. One friendly vendor practically pulled us into his jewelry store. At least it was air conditioned, as it was getting hot. He offered Ron a shot of tequila and we looked at his jewelry. I spied some round silver with turquoise/obsidian inlay in the pattern of a Mayan calendar on the outside and Aztec on the inside. 350 pesos. I’ll think about it. As we walked down the aisle way from the jewelry store at the end was a man with a Dremel tool that he used to etch glass. He had shot glasses, large and small beer mugs, and cappuccino glasses. He showed Ron how he etched his name on a glass fragment then created a design on a big beer mug. Pretty cool. I didn’t have enough pesos yet so we decided to wait and I’d get to an ATM. We were also getting thirsty and I was ready to sit down for a while. We ended up in the eating area and sat down at a corner restaurant. The smells started getting to us and we decided we might as well eat too. We had ‘brunch’ with two different egg dishes and Ron had a michelada, a ‘spicy’ beer. (Ron - it’s a beer with a healthy portion of lime juice and Worcestershire sauce served over ice. Much better than it sounds.) The young son about six to seven years old brought our drinks, silverware, and picked up the dishes. He did a good job!

We’re full – the next stop was a baño – wandered around looking for one and finally paid three pesos to use one in another restaurant. Well worth it! (Ron - Three pesos is a little over twenty-five cents.) Wandered around some more looking for an ATM. Finally asked and got directed to one across the street. So with money in hand we were now ready to buy. We decided on the earrings (Ron – actually Pat decided on the earrings), obsidian statue, and etched glasses for our Christmas purchases. Problem now was that we were so disoriented it took us a while to find the jewelry store for the earrings. Then it was easy to find the glass etcher. We selected the cappuccino glasses with the date and our names with a Cancun beach design. Very nice! Now we had to find our way to the shop we first saw the stone carvings at. Like a maze we had a few repeat passes then finally ended up where we started. We both liked the one statue that represented either love or prosperity – the vendor kept switching. Now it was $100USD! Should have gone on our impulse, buy the first time.

Shopping done we worked our way back to the main part of town and caught the bus. There lots of people out and about by now and the bus was packed. We wanted to find an internet place – all the ones in town were closed. We got off the bus about midway up the ‘7’ – near the Sunset Lagoon Resort. There was a park area along the mangrove waterway that had a nice walking path so we decided to check that out. Lots of Mexican families were enjoying the park. The young ones were playing in the water. Some young boys were climbing up into a tree, then jumping into the water. Ron took some video of them which made them jump some more, showing off. Others were fishing with line and bait only. We strolled along, Ron shooting video and finally came to the outlet into the sea. We walked up onto the high bridge and it sure was a stark contrast. Down below, the green park area and waterway – simple, peaceful, full of Mexican families enjoying a carefree day without big material things. In the distance was the long line of high-rise hotels lining the vertical part of the (‘7’) hotel zone. Across the bridge was a large tourist attraction area with the big, expensive tourist toys – yachts, helicopter, big fishing boats, big fancy resorts/hotels, two big pirate ships as a tourist activity. More photos, then off to the internet place. By now we were getting hungry again so we stopped at the deli we had seen before and got a couple of chicken sandwiches to go. A nice walk back to the hotel and we cooled off, had our sandwiches and finished off Christmas day in the Mexican/Caribbean style.

Monday, December 24, 2007 (Ron)

Pretty rough day – hanging out on the beach at the hotel. Great weather for catching some sun. By late afternoon we were starting to think about supper. We went to the front desk to ask about places to eat downtown. They recommended a place called La Parilla. It sounded good, so we took the bus into town.

The guys at the front desk said to get off at city hall. We’re riding the bus – where’s city hall? We got off and walked back the other way, enjoying the interaction with the Mexican families on Christmas Eve. We turned down a small street towards the restaurant. Just about the time we thought we weren’t going to find it, there it was. A really nice looking place so we went in. They had a special buffet for Christmas Eve. It wasn’t quite ready so we ordered a couple of margaritas and enjoyed the crowd and the restaurant. Pretty soon the buffet was ready so we got our plates and started dishing it up. I had to check everything out and talk to the help, Pat already was sitting down when our waiter brought the drinks – on his head! The drinks were really big and balanced one on top of the other on his head. He was quite the character. A table next to us ordered three drinks and he served them the same way! One on top of the other, on top of the other, on top of his head.

Dinner was great, the drinks were very strong, and we had a lot of fun. The waiter came by and we said we were ready to go, but he said ‘No, No, No.’ We have to stay, the mariachis will be here in just ten minutes. We said OK and ordered a couple of Mango Margaritas. Pretty soon I saw our waiter leaving the bar with two drinks on his head, going the other way, dancing thru the crowded restaurant with the drinks on his head. He cha-cha’d his way to our table and delivered our drinks with everyone enjoying his performance. Eventually the mariachis arrived – there must have been eight of them, all dressed up and looking quite sharp. They performed a song then came over to our table and asked if we’d like a song. Pat and I looked at each other and decided sure, that would be fun. They said it would be $10USD per song, I said go ahead. They did ‘El Rancho Grande’ and it sounded great. Very nice. They performed several other songs at other tables and everybody had a great time.

After leaving the restaurant we walked up to Tulum Street to catch the bus back to the hotel. We walked along towards the hotel until the bus came along, but no busses. A taxi stopped and asked if we wanted a ride; we said no, we’ll take the bus. He said the busses aren’t running ‘cause it’s Christmas eve. We said sure, we wanted a taxi. He said he’d give us a special rate for Christmas. We got back to the hotel and found out that he must have meant a special high rate for his Christmas. Oh well. It was a great evening.

Sunday, December 23, 2007 (Pat)

Today we left the Mayan Palace. We got up early, had breakfast, packed, and checked out by 9:30am. Our shuttle to the next hotel was at 10:30 so we went to the pool and found some chairs in the pool area and enjoyed the pool scene for a while. Then we walked back to the lobby, the bellman had our bags all ready and the shuttle was there. So off to the Imperial Las Perlas hotel. About a forty-five minute drive. The hotel is the first one along the hotel zone – closest to Old Cancun at the edge of the ‘7’ that makes up the hotel zone in Cancun. The hotel is four-story traditional style Mexican hotel with the majority of the rooms facing the ocean. A ‘U’ shaped hotel with a pool area in the center, a nice beach area and a deck with a large palapa that is the restaurant. We were early for check-in so we found the bar, had a couple of cervezas, and at 12:30pm the restaurant opened for lunch so we had a nice buffet lunch.

After lunch we got checked into our room. We took the one on the second floor with a king bed, sink, two burner hot plate, and a nice balcony overlooking the pool and beach. The room has a sliding window on the side as well as the sliding door to the balcony so we can get a nice breeze. We unpacked, sat on the balcony, and read for the rest of the afternoon.

After dark we were getting hungry and headed out along a nice walkway up the hotel zone. We finally found a promising-looking restaurant – the Coral España. It was a Spanish style, nice sized restaurant. A slow night – one other person there. Ron had a cold coming on so we both had some good chicken soup. I had quesadillas and Ron had the Spanish chicken, also very good. Afterwards we went across the street to get on the internet and then returned to the room and enjoyed the music from the activities at the bar while we read and journaled.

Saturday, December 22, 2007 (Ron)

I'm writing this one a couple of days late so my memory is a little hazy on most of the details.

We had breakfast and took a taxi into Playa del Carmen to the Phantom Diver's shop. They took our information and verified our certification with NAUI. The dive master could see that I didn't have much experience and asked if I was comfortable doing a fairly deep dive. I assured him it would be OK.

There were ten of us, including the dive master, Octavio. We got suited up, walked half a block to the beach and the dive boat, and headed off for our first dive location. Octavio told us it would be a little farther out than most divers go, but it was a great spot with no other divers. On the way out we were instructed on safety and procedures as well as what we could expect to see. When we got to the dive site, Octavio went in first, then had me jump in. Since I was the least experienced he wanted to keep and eye on me. I had trouble remembering how to use some of the equipment, but Octavio helped me out and soon we were all on our way down to eighty-five feet below the surface. The water was so clear that, even at that depth, we had a lot of light and visibility was excellent. There were a lot of fish, sponges, and coral of all types. It was very cool! Way too soon, I ran out of air. At eighty-five feet you should take about seven minutes to get to the surface in order to avoid decompression sickness. Knowing I couldn't hold my breath for seven minutes, even in an emergency, I got Octavio's attention and signaled that I was almost out of air. All breathing apparatus have two regulators - in case one fails or a member of your group runs out of air. You very rarely need it but it's good to have a backup. Octavio swam over and gave me his emergency regulator. At that depth you can't stay down long and it was about time to head to the surface, so we slowly ascended. With our dive master's help we all got back to the boat safely. On the way to the next dive site we all discussed what we had seen and how cool it was.

The second dive was not as deep, but the shallower the dive, the longer you can stay down. The first dive was to a depth of eighty-five feet, underwater for twenty-five minutes. The second dive was only forty-five feet, but we were able to stay down for fifty minutes. We had a lot more time for looking around, more opportunity to see things. There were at least three turtles. These guys didn't move around much so it was easy to observe them. They seemed to be grazing on the sea floor, one had a couple of fish eating stuff on his shell. There were a lot of fish and several large schools of them. Before the dive was over my air was gone and once again Ovtavio came to my rescue and shared his air. We all continued swimming, Octavio and I both using his air.

When we surfaced the water was a little choppy, so we were bobbing up and down waiting for the boat and a couple of us got sick (myself and one of the girls), but then everything was good. After returning to shore, Pat and I walked around Playa del Carmen a little, then stopped for lunch at Palapa del Hemingway. We had a very good meal, excellent service, and a fair price. A very enjoyable meal. After lunch we caught a taxi back to Mayan Palace. We were pretty worn out from the diving so we just hung out for a while.

We went to the pool-side restaurant again for supper and had a very nice, relaxing meal, then back to the suite. We read, journaled, and watched TV a little, then Pat went to bed and I went to the couch. Most of the beds in the resorts in Mexico are very firm. The one at Mayan Palace seemed especially uncomfortable so after getting a couple of terrible nights' sleep, I started sleeping on the couch. It was much better.

(Pat)

Ron had his experience diving - he did well for his fifth and sixth dives - he just used up his air faster and needed the assistance from Octavio. I started out the first dive unable to descend. I had emptied the air out of the B.C., was exhaling, and was still bobbing around on the surface. One of the other divers who was a Dive Instructor also finally came and grabbed my hand and headed off to the bottom with me in tow. Unfortunately he went too fast for my ear clearing ability and I had trouble equalizing fast enough. Once on the bottom I felt okay and after getting another couple of pounds of lead, was able to stay somewhat neutral. The dive site was a deep wall with sandy bottom. Lots of nice corals, sponges, and fish. The current was fairly strong so it was a drift dive. It wouldn't be too bad since you can just relax and float and watch the reef go by. Since I came down near the end it took me a while to figure out which of the group of divers was Ron - since at eighty feet and with all the gear on everyone looks the same until you got close. I didn't feel like I really relaxed on the first dive, having some trouble with buoyancy, then seeing Ron on Octavio's breathing regulator, I tried to stick close in case they were getting too low and Ron needed to share mine. I wasn't able to stay neutral at fifteen feet for the safety stop and got to the surface then managed to get down again. While we got our gear off to get back into the boat Octavio said I had blood on my face. Apparently I ruptured my ear drum on the descent and didn't realize it. The second dive was much more enjoyable for me. I got down okay, equalized okay, and had better buoyancy regulation. Lots of big fish schools, turtles, large green eels as well as nice corals and sponges. Again had blood on my face when we surfaced. I felt okay but noticed my right ear was not feeling equalized. No more diving or snorkeling on this trip.

Friday, December 21, 2007 (Pat)

Winter solstice! A good day to honor the shortest day of the year in the sun - so that's what we did by the pool at the Mayan Palace. Our first day at the resort! After breakfast we gathered up or stuff for our trek to the pool and found some chairs on the far side next to the pool in the sun. It didn't take long reading in the sun before it got how so... in for a nice dip in the pool. Cool and refreshing. The Mayan Palace pool is made up of all these inter-connecting, multi-level pools that are all about three to three and a half feet deep. I waded around two sections during on cooling off session and got some exercise as well. By the afternoon we changed to a couple of chairs in the shade and had a chicken wrap with crunchy ranch fries for lunch. We moved onto the beach when the temperature started decreasing a bit and enjoyed watching beach volleyball, checking out the tide pools, taking photos and stayed until the sun was going down. A nice, relaxing day. We showered and decided to try another restaurant- the Havana Moon. It was a stylish restaurant with the Casablanca look - tall ceiling, colorful aqua curtains, white tables and chairs, a dance floor and big ceiling fans. It took a while for the waiter to take our order. The waiters kept cutting through between Ron and a big support beam that was annoying and we had to wait a long time trying to get some more butter for the bread. I had coconut shrimp and Ron had the roast duck. Neither were very good. When the waiter asked if everything was OK, Ron told him that the duck wasn't very good and about trying to get his attention to get the butter. He (the waiter) may have been new. Next thing we knew, the manager is there and took the duck off the bill. We left and went over to the deli to get an ice cream treat for dessert. The internet cafe was upstairs so we went up there. It was a number of slots with tables, a computer and a chair and dark - a light separate from the computer. We paid for thirty minutes each and did our e-mail. It was loud, occasionally opera music, other times rock or Spanish. Not very conducive to spending much time on the computer. Ron wanted to upload some photos but everything was taking time and the thirty minutes was up. So we left dissatisfied again. For the nice day the evening was rather disappointing. Oh well - it's still vacation time! So we had a quiet rest of the evening in the room and went to bed.

Thursday, December 20, 2007 (Ron)

Today is the day for Xel-Ha (Shell Ha). We bargained with Alfredo for two free passes and two two-tank scuba dives in return for attending the time-share presentation at Sandos. Xel-Ha is an all-inclusive park that has swimming, snorkeling, bicycle riding, and lots of other fun stuff - plus free food and drinks. For an additional charge you can swim with the dolphins.

Since we had to get up early and the park has all meals included with the price of admission, we skipped breakfast. We rode to Xel-Ha in a large van, the ride took about an hour and a half. The first thing we did when we got there was have breakfast. It was a buffet and actually pretty good. We ate too much so we walked around for a while to work it off. There were toucans and macaws that were very colorful, tropical plants and flowers, and plenty of nice paths for strolling around the park. The weather was clear and sunny, great for walking and looking. Pretty soon we had warmed up, so we went over to do some snorkeling. The park supplied the mask, fins, and snorkel. The visibility was fairly good, the water was comfortable, and there were lots of fish to see. We snorkeled around for quite a while, it was very enjoyable. After getting out of the water we walked around some more to get warmed up.

I saw the dolphins performing and stopped to take some pictures. There were twelve to fifteen people in the water with about six dolphins. The people loved it and the dolphins appeared to having fun as well. It was fascinating to watch the humans and dolphins interacting, and it looked so enjoyable that Pat and I decided to do it. We paid our money and got signed up for an hour in the water with the dolphins, starting at 1pm. We were kinda hungry, and knew we'd be a whole lot hungrier by 2pm, so we walked around a little and found a place to grab a quick bite.

Just before 1pm we returned to the dolphin palapa for some brief instructions. We had to take off all jewelry and then we were off to meet the dolphins. The dolphins had a large inlet from the sea. During the shows it was divided into smaller sections to accommodate two or three groups of people/dolphins. A sort of dock stretched from side to side in several places to create the separate areas and for the trainers to work from while we were in the water. Next to the dock, in the water, was a platform about three feet deep for us to stand on. First we were introduced to the dolphins and them to us. Our dolphins were two males named Kanab and Itzman. They were both sixteen years old and weighed between 300 and 400 lbs. The larger one was from the west coast of Mexico, the other from Cuba. There were six people in our group - we formed a sort-of circle and the dolphins swan around among us and we petted them. They seemed to enjoy it and I know we did! It's hard to describe, but we all felt a bond between human and dolphin. Then the trainers had the dolphins do a photo op with each of us. During the course of the hour pictures were taken of each of us petting a dolphins, rubbing his belly, getting 'kissed' on each cheek by the two dolphins, plus several 'action' shots. Between photos we would go out in the deeper water and perform tricks with the dolphins. We all would tread water in a line and splash the water and a dolphin would swim by and gently splash us back. Another time we were in a line and the trainer had us wave our fingers around like a musical conductor. The dolphin would swim up in front of us and 'sing'. There were several other interactive tricks that we performed for the dolphin's entertainment, but there were two that were special. In one, we got in a straight line like we had done before. The trainer had both dolphins swim up one side of the pool to the far end, then turn and swim straight towards us. We were facing the other way, our backs to the dolphins. When they got just a few feet away they would both leap out of the water at the same time and fly over our heads about twelve to fifteen feet high, then land ten feet in front of us without hardly making a splash. They did that several times then more photo ops. But the best performance, the one they charged a whole lot extra for (and worth every penny) was when the pair of dolphins propelled us thru the water and into the air. We would each individually get at the far end of the pool and the dolphins would swim up behind us and each one would put his nose under a foot, then swim, with us being pushed thru the water. We quickly straightened our legs so that we'd be standing up on the dolphins' noses. It was such a great experience - I can't even begin to describe how amazing it was.

When the hour was up we all reluctantly said good-by to our new friends and got out of the pool. Then, like lambs to slaughter, they took us back to the dolphin palapa to view the pictures - no obligation to buy. How could you not buy some?? There were several packages, starting at just over $100 for a few 8x10 prints and going up from there. There was no way we could narrow it down to just a few pictures, plus we wanted the DVD of the experience, so we ended up getting the big package - El Grande. It included seven 5x7 prints, all 92 pictures on a CD, and the DVD. That really blew our budget, but we both wanted the proof in case we woke up the next day and thought it was all a dream. It was an unforgettable experience, but it's good to have the pictures and DVD to jog our memories.

After our dolphin experience we walked around a little, got a bite to eat, couple of beers, and then walked back towards the exit in order to get on the bus by 5pm. After dropping off some of the other families at their resorts, we got back to Mayan Palace around 7pm and just had a little to eat in our suite, and hung out there until bed time. What an incredible day!

Wednesday, December 19, 2007 (Pat)

Tour day! Up early to get ready and meet at the 19th hole golf snack bar to get on the bus at 8:30am. Shortly after we arrived our name was called out and we were assigned to the van. It sat about ten passengers plus the driver and guide (Francisco Mack). He was of Mayan descent and full of information about Mayan culture, their calendar, etc. Ron and I got in the back of the van and off to Tulum and then a nature preserve in the afternoon. It was about an hour drive to Tulum. Shortly before arriving there we stopped for a pit stop at a cultural trade place full of Mayan crafts. We spent a few minutes looking at some stone mask carvings. Ron saw one about three inches tall made of Obsidian. It was nicely carved and turned out to be the face of the god of health. It had a gold shimmer from gold flakes when held at a certain angle. It was beautiful, but unfortunately it was $200USD. The sales person started to come down but not very much. We were saved by having to leave on the van. Off to Tulum.

We stopped at a spot in the entry complex that had info about the Mayan calendar, a model of the site and a map of Mayan territory. Francisco led us into the Tulum walled-in complex of ancient Mayan buildings. It was an elite living area by the sea edge. In the center near the cliffs were the prominent ruins with 120 steps to the top of the pyramid. On top were the remains of the sacrificial platform. It would have been pretty intimidating to the masses down at the bottom. The center area was where the upper class had their buildings. There were several good sized building ruins with columns, masks of their gods carved into the corners, and sleeping platforms. Francisco told us lots about the significance of various things. We made our way up to the cliffs overlooking the beach below. Lots of people were enjoying the sand and water. At that point we were on our own and told to be back at Frosty’s restaurant in the entrance complex by 1pm. Ron and I walked along the cliffs to see the gorgeous, dramatic view with the tower, turquoise sea, and palms. Scattered everywhere were the resident iguanas, lounging around the ruins, ground rocks, and bushes. They were two to three feet long and fun to watch and photograph. Ron had read about a nice beach nearby and we headed south along the border of the complex, but the gate through the wall was blocked off. We walked along the upper wall to the west side and enjoyed the view from the slightly raised elevation across the ruins to the big tower. More photo ops. Finally we left ancient civilization behind and went thru the west entrance and grabbed a couple of Cokes from a vendor. Boy it tasted good. Ron wanted to see the beach at El Mirador restaurant to the south and found out it was just a ten minute walk. Sure! It felt like miles walking at high noon in the sun with minimal shade from the trees along the road. About the time we were ready to give up we came across a driveway headed towards the beach. Darn, private property! We passed by one other driveway and by the third one we said the hell with private – lets just go. The beach was beautiful with soft white sand, wide and not too many people. There was a small cabana bar so we grabbed a beer and water then headed up the beach so we could make it back by 1pm. We walked fast and I was getting overheated when we finally got to Frosty’s. We grabbed a water and headed over to the meeting place for the van – which had returned from taking part of our group to Coba – another Mayan ruin. We waited for ten to twenty minutes – enough time for Ron to order some chicken taquitos to keep the restaurant guy happy that Ron used his bathroom.

Just as we finished the lunch the van returned and we piled in. After about a ten to fifteen minute drive north we pulled off the highway onto this dirt track that headed into the jungle. The jungle was thick on both sides. Occasionally there would be a small clearing or other track. It was bumpy and jerky going. Finally we pulled off into a small clearing with some other vans and stopped. This was Lang-Ha, the nature reserve. Several biologists were here studying the jungle and this was their base. Several huts with large tables and a big grill with some great smelling food. This was a genuine Mayan meal cooked over wood. Grilled chicken wings, sausage, and beans. A dense, Mayan bread/tortilla and some salad. There was a natural red juice drink and a rice/coconut drink as well. We all chowed down. The bathroom was a composting out-house and not too bad. After lunch we got our group together with several of the biologists and Francisco and had a tour down a jungle path. We came across a giant grasshopper on a plant – five to six inches long! More walking thru a variety of trees and we came up to the top of the zip line entrance to a large cenote – underground river cave. We got into our harnesses and waited, watching the others zip down and disappear into the cave entrance – like a narrow canyon. Ron and I were near the end. You stand on the platform and they clip you in to a wheel on the cable. Then they hand you a thick Y-shaped stick – the brake. You place it over the cable and pull down to go slower. Then you move to the edge of the platform and off you go. Wow! Less than fifteen seconds and you are inside a cave chamber and they help you brake and then unhook you. Very cool. I went first, then Ron. Then he climbed back up and went again. Next we went into the underground cave system walking on a wooden platform over running and quiet water areas. Lights highlighted the cavern depths and the stalagmites and stalactites. Bats flew around silently. It was amazing. We came out on the side of the cavern and climbed up a trail to the top. Some howler monkeys were swinging from tree to tree heading for the warmth of the cave for the night. Hard to see clearly with the thick canopy. Then the path led us to where we started. Next it was off to go swim in a big, deep cenote. We walked along a short path and they pointed out a fenced off hole in the ground about two feet across. Below was the cenote. We got into our swimming suits and took some winding stairs down to a platform in this big cavern. It was sixty to seventy feet across, the water was ten feet deep. With our life vests on we went into the water. It was cool water but tolerable. We could kick around check out the cave. Occasionally you’d come across a stalagmite coming up from the floor. By the river exit tree roots came down from the surface to the water. After twenty minutes or so cooling off we came out and headed back up. Changed clothes, gathered our stuff, last pit stop, thanked them for a wonderful day, and piled into the van. I ended up in the second to last row and it didn’t take long on the bumpy road to get me queasy. I grabbed a plastic bag to use as a possible barf bag and concentrated on not getting sick. After a long time we got back on the hiway and headed for Mayan Palace. We said our good-byes to Francisco and back to the room. We showered, I ate some ginger, and we headed for the poolside restaurant for dinner. A very fun day!! Off to bed early for our next big day.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007 (Ron)

There was some confusion (on my part) on the meeting time, but we made it out to the front gate by 9am to meet Alfredo. He rode with us to Sandos, the resort. It is located just north of Playa del Carmen. Alfredo introduced us to a girl who took our information and introduced us to our sales rep, Gregg. Gregg is a gringo who grew up in Wisconsin. He’s very friendly and talkative.

Gregg took us to the restaurant for breakfast. It’s a buffet similar to the one yesterday at Mayan Palace. After breakfast we did the usual song and dance – we were shown around the resort, told how wonderful it was, blah, blah, blah. Then Gregg took us in for the kill. It was a different program than any we’d seen before so it took a while to explain and then we had some questions. We finally got out of there after five hours! It took a lot of our day but hopefully it will be worth the time when we go on our excursions.

After getting out we went into Playa del Carmen. Playa del Carmen is a nice little town. With a population of about one hundred and fifty thousand, it’s a lot smaller than Cancun and much less developed. The main tourist area has a street that has only pedestrian access so it’s easy to wander from shop to shop, or just look around. We headed for the beach to start with though; we needed some time to relax after that sales presentation. The place yesterday was good and that’s where we ended up again today. We hung out there for a few hours, then walked the two or three blocks up to the pedestrians-only street for some more looking around. When we got to the north end we hailed a taxi back to Mayan Palace. Relaxed a little, then off to bed.

Monday, December 17, 2007 (Pat)

Ron got up and showered close to 6:30am and I fell back asleep until after 7. The bed is a nice king size bed but very firm and we both tossed and turned some. I showered and read a bit, drinking some coffee, then got dressed and ready for our morning Mayan Palace update presentation at 9:30. We walked to the sales building next to the pool. We started in the upstairs area and were told we needed to be downstairs. We checked in, showed our ID’s, confirmed we were members and were doing the presentation for $100USD off and 10% off our Mayan Palace bill. Jeff was introduced as our sales person. He was an American who has lived here for five years. Initially he made some comment that we were in the wrong place since we were members – not renters – but he would see if it was OK with his boss if he showed us around. Okay – sounds good. So he starts asking the usual questions about vacationing, etc. I let Ron so most of the talking since we always seem to tell a new story about how much we own at each presentation. Finally we headed off for breakfast in the big, round, giant palapa. It was the breakfast buffet for the entire place so lots of people all over. It was hard to get breakfast as there was always another body to move around or bump into. The food was good – I had an omelet plus a bunch of fruit and other food on a separate plate. Ron had a big plateful as well. Since we didn’t really have dinner last night we were hungry. We chatted with Jeff while we finished off our food. He gave us the tour of the Grand Mayan pool area, large new pool structure being built and then showed us the suite – a lock-off design. The biggest difference between the two units was a patio and hot-tub vs. what is present in the Mayan Palace suite. Of course with the Grand Mayan you get amenities included such as the fitness center, day beds at the pool, etc. There are fewer Grand Mayan rooms so fewer people in the Grand Mayan only areas. Today our Mayan Palace was worth $29,000USD equity on a one-time chance to trade up for a Grand Mayan ownership worth $69,000USD. So for $40,000 we get a few more amenities and a few less people. I don’t think so!! By now it was almost 11:30am and we told Jeff we really just didn’t like the whole deal – rather than wasting more of anyone’s time it’s a definite no. Jeff got his supervisor who double checked – still no – and signed off our sheet so we were done. Back to the suite. It is a beautiful blue sky day, perfect temperature. Ron wants to go into Playa del Carmen to get the shopping done and check out the city so we head out to the lobby. At the concierge we learn that the shuttle leaves at 9am, 11am, 1pm, and 4pm and the 1pm was already full, next one is at 4pm. Nope! So over to the travel area. We check out the Tulum trip with the nature preserve at Tankah as well and decide that will be a nice excursion for Wednesday and got signed up. The only other way to get into town is taxi. Seventeen dollars US each way. Okay – we decide that’s what we need to do so we get our taxi and head off to the south. The highway is very good. It’s about a twenty to thirty minute drive. Mostly trees along the highway with occasional large fancy entrances for various resorts on the beach side. The driver took us down to the main walkway (5th Avenue) and Constitution. I gave him $20USD and we headed down 5th Ave which was blocked off as a pedestrian walkway. Both sides of the street were lined with nice looking stores of all types, restaurants, etc. We stopped in one tequila store to check prices. Lots of different tequilas. Very crowded though. More walking, picture taking of the colorful buildings and store fronts. We stopped at another Tequilaria. The store guys spoke good English and were very friendly. They had a bunch of flavored tequilas and offered little cups to sample. Ron tasted about each flavor. I liked the chocolate crème and the café the best – they were like liqueurs – so we wanted those two. They also had a number of other tequilas – some in very decorative bottles. Ron started looking at those and I mentioned I liked the one with the iguana if he wasn’t particular so we got a fancy bottle too. $104USD! Then they wanted to wheel and deal – oh, if you want to save money… - and made a presentation offer. I didn’t want to spend more time hearing about another vacation deal that we weren’t going to buy, cash if fine. Ron didn’t have enough so one of the guys escorted us around the corner to the Banamex so we could use the ATM. Back to the store – now with 2.25L of tequila packed in Ron’s backpack. We walked up the street some more then decided it was time to get something to drink so we headed down Calle 4 to the beach. On the corner was a bar/restaurant with tables on the sand. Looked good! So we took our shoes off, ordered some cervezas and enjoyed the beach scene. Some Mexican musicians came and played for some of the other patrons. Kayakers were coming in, fighting the surf. The ferries to Cozumel were coming and going to the south of us. People were constantly walking by. A pleasant rest.

Sunday, December 16, 2007 (Ron)

Today is moving day. I got up before Pat, grabbed my camera, and went to the restaurant to get some coffee. It was a very nice morning and I just walked around the resort enjoying our last morning here.

After a couple cups of coffee I went back to the suite and Pat was up so we started Packing. By 9:30 we had everything packed, so we went for breakfast, then checked out. We left our bags there and sat by the pool, talking, reading, and relaxing until our shuttle arrived at 2pm.

The shuttle driver didn’t speak very good English, but he was very friendly and he helped Pat and me practice our Spanish. The time passed quickly and soon we were at Mayan Palace. It’s a big place – the lobby area is about the size of the whole resort at Laguna Suites. Our driver Beer (When Pat and I first got on the shuttle the driver asked our names. I told him ‘my name is Ron’ which means rum in Spanish. He laughingly said his name was Beer.) so Beer and a bellhop unloaded our bags onto a cart and the bellhop took us to a lady who took us up to the front desk to get checked in. The lady at the front desk said they had a very nice room for us but it wasn’t quite ready. (We were a little early.) She suggested we might want to enjoy the pool area or get something to eat. OK, that sounds good.

We left the front desk and another lady, Michelle, met us and explained all about Mayan Palace. She was very friendly and helpful. We got on the little shuttle and went to the pool area and restaurant where we sat by the pool and had a very nice lunch. We finished eating and took the shuttle back to the lobby where we picked up our key cards. Then I found another nice lady to help us get our bags and find our room. She took us out front to the head bellhop who called another bellhop to help us. He got our bags and took us to our room. Number 1086, again on the ground floor.

Our suite is large and very nice. There is a kitchen/dining/living area, a large bedroom, bathroom, and a separate little area with another bathroom sink and mirror. Cool, separate sinks. There are two closets, a large dresser, and two nightstands so there is plenty of storage.

After getting everything put away we walked down to the resort’s store for some cereal, milk, juice, etc. The store was a big, fancy building – lots of glass and metal and wood. Two stories, big entryway, store on the left has groceries and stuff, store on the right has t-shirts and other apparel. Don’t know what was upstairs – didn’t go up there. The grocery store was big and bright and shiny. We found some bottled water – 47 pesos for a two liter bottle. That’s about $4.70USD! Over $9 a gallon! We got a one liter bottle, I forget how much it was. They didn’t have any Raisin Bran, but we also got a liter of mango juice and some bananas. Only one register was open and there was a long line, but whatta ya gonna do? We waited and waited but the line didn’t seem to be moving so we set our items down and left. I don’t need my mango juice that bad. Got back to the suite, read and worked on the journal, then went to bed.

There is such a contrast between Laguna Suites and Mayan Palace. Laguna suites is very small, quiet, friendly, relaxing. No activities and not as fancy. But we got to know a lot of the staff by name and they knew us. Mayan Palace is very big, lots of people, lots of activities, more impersonal. Pat and I both prefer the smaller, more personal type of resort but Mayan Palace will be fine for a week. We are certainly looking forward to the coming week with the Mayan ruins and diving.

Saturday, December 15, 2007 (Pat)

We got up and showered and while Ron worked on the computer, I read and got ready for the day. Ron went off for a deep tissue massage at 10am so I sat outside and read some more. It was cloudy but not raining and comfortable outside. Ron returned from his massage and off to breakfast at Laguna Suites. I had Huevos al Gusto and Ron had his Huevos Motuleños again. After breakfast we gathered our stuff and caught the 1pm shuttle for the Sunset Royale.

The clouds were starting to break up and when we got to the beach there was some nice sunshine and a good stiff breeze. We moved some chairs onto a sunny area of the beach and changed into our swim suits. We were able to read and enjoy the beach for several hours. Ron took some pictures & video and had some nachos – I ate the box lunch sandwich and banana. The sun went behind the building some so we moved up to the pool deck area which was still sunny and we read some more. The sun was getting lower in the sky so we changed clothes and watched the clouds to the east change color with the setting sun. We weren’t really hungry yet so we headed north, up the main drag to the Plaza. They had a Hard Rock Café, Chili’s, Starbucks, Hagen Daz, and many other stores. We stopped in one t-shirt store and found some t-shirts for the grandkids and Christine, and a white-sand turtle for our turtle collection. I picked out a $5USD t-shirt as well. Found a bathroom and wandered around a bit more then decided to head back to the Sunset Royale. When we got there the lobby was full of people and some Mexican musicians were playing music and dancing. We found out tonight was Fiesta night where a big dinner was being served with entertainment in the outdoor restaurant we had seen on the way in. We decided we didn’t really want a ‘loud’ dinner so we checked the time and had a drink at the bar. Later we noticed the restaurant was now serving as well – however just the buffet which we had already had yesterday. So we just headed back to Laguna Suites. Caught the shuttle and dumped our stuff in the room. Off to the outdoor, quiet, peaceful palapa restaurant. Much nicer. We both had the stuffed chicken dinner. Ron had the tortilla soup and it was very spicy – almost lost his voice! We had some cocktails and then shared a piece of chocolate cake. Sipping our Mayan Dream cocktails we wandered around for a while checking out coconut trees, then headed back to the room. Our last night here in the suites.

(Ron) – I had a massage this morning. It was a good massage but started out a little shaky. The lady who was to do the massage took me into a changing room. The massage rooms were down the hall from this room.

Now, I’ve had massages before and know that you don’t get them with all your clothes on. In fact, you have on little to nothing except a sheet to cover various body parts. Anyway, she took me into the changing room, said she would leave, and I was to take off my clothes and put them in the locker. I knew the massage rooms were down the hall. I also knew that often things are done differently in Mexico, but c’mon. I stood there for a few seconds, then started stuttering and stammering about how I would have to walk bare-ass naked down the hall. I think the only words I actually got our were “But…, but…” Her English wasn’t that good, maybe I misunderstood her, but she told me again, and again I ‘rebutted’ with “But…, but…” She instructed me again and I somehow understood that in the locker there was a robe that I was to put on before exiting the changing room. By now she had me pretty well rattled, but the remainder of the time was uneventful and I did get a great massage.

Friday, December 14, 2007 (Ron)

Looks like it rained overnight, but it’s nice this morning. I went out to enjoy the morning with my coffee while Pat slept. After about a half hour I came back in and Pat was up. I got the camera and went back out while Pat did whatever women do in the morning to get themselves ready for the day.

I walked around the neighborhood, taking pictures and talking to anybody who was out there.

When I got back to the suite it was time for breakfast. But by now it had started raining and it was coming down pretty good. The restaurant is only about fifty feet from our front door but we decided to wait it out. It wasn’t long before the rain had just about stopped and we went out for breakfast. Pat had the Omeleta Florentina and I had Huevos Motuleños. Both were very good. The eggs that I had were on corn tortillas with beans, cheese, sauce, and I don’t know what all. It was so good.

A lot of the food here has a strong Mayan influence so it’s different from what we are used to on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It’s pretty cool to be able to sample different local flavors.
We came back to the suite after breakfast and tried to plan out our day. It wasn’t easy. We wanted to go to the beach, but then it started raining, so we’d go to Plan B which was going downtown. Then the reain would stop and the sky would clear. The sun was out and it was a beautiful day to go to the beach. Then it would start raining…. We finally decided to go to the beach anyway.

The resort has a bus that runs between the three ‘sister’ resorts so we used it. We went to the resort with the best beach and got all situated with our beach chairs, towels, drinks (free), and something to read. After a while I decided to walk up the beach with the video camera and soon came to a spot where six or eight people were out on surfboards. The waves were pretty big but the guys weren’t trying too hard to surf. Once in a while one of them would get up and last about two seconds. The waves were so big (for the Caribbean) and the water was so turquoise that I sat and watched ‘em for a while.

I felt just a couple of tiny sprinkles and decided to head back. By the time I got there it was raining and Pat and just about everyone else had headed for shelter. I found Pat in the lobby, right next to the restaurant. Cool! The restaurant at this resort, just like ours, is free for the guests of the three affiliated resorts. They had a buffet going so we got our plates and started looking things over. We tried a little bit of a lot of it and it was all good. We stopped before totally stuffed (at least Pat did) in order to save room for dessert. We had both spotted some papaya pie on the dessert table and we both wanted to try it. We sat and let our lunch settle while watching the weather outside and the people inside. The rain was on-again, off again showers. We had our papaya pie which was very good, and went out to the sidewalk to walk around a little before catching the shuttle back to our resort. When we first stepped out of the resort’s lobby it wasn’t raining but by the time we got to the sidewalk it was sprinkling. By the time we had gone two or three blocks it was raining pretty good so we went into a OXXO store to get out of the rain. OXXO is a chain of convenience-type stores in Mexico and not really a place to hang out. The rain slowed way down so we went out to try to come up with a plan. It started raining again and we quickly came up with a plan – run across the street to Señor Frog’s.

So we’re in Señor Frog’s – we looked around a little and the rain didn’t let up at all. In fact by now it was pouring! OK, now our plan was to try to not get totally soaked going back to our resort. We got a taxi and the driver held the door open for us while we ran for it. We did get pretty wet but not drenched. Back to the resort for $9USD, and to our suite to put on some dry clothes.

Around 7pm I started getting hungry. Pat wasn’t ready for dinner so I went over to get a beer and a snack. Got the beer, then went over to talk to one of the waiters about a snack. He suggested nachos – that sounded pretty good so I said sure. He said he’d bring it to the room and asked if my wife wanted a beer. I replied that I wasn’t sure, but bring one anyway – if she doesn’t want it, I’ll drink it. Five or ten minutes later he knocked on the door. He had four glasses of beer, a plate full of nachos with beef and chicken, and another plate with guacamole and salsa. That was my snack! I worked on the beer and nachos for a couple of hours while writing today’s journal.

Still not finished with the nachos, I went in the bedroom where Pat was reading. She asked if I was ready for dinner. My stomach felt like I’d just eaten my dinner and half of hers. We didn’t go out for dinner. We stayed in the suite, read, finished the journal for today, watched a little TV, then went to bed.

Thursday, December 13 (Pat)

We woke up just before the alarm went off after a good night’s sleep. We showered and got ready for ‘The 90 minute presentation.’ We met a couple in the van on the way to Sunset Lagoon. They were from San Diego and had been traveling in Florida before coming to Cancun and had traveled to Peru and other areas – three months each year! Now that’s a great lifestyle. So we got set up with our presentation host. Alma – a talkative Mexicana. Very nice, and interesting. We got a tour of the resort. A huge, marble floored condo with a big living area, a separate two bed bedroom and then upstairs to the master bedroom. Very luxurious! We had breakfast – a very nice buffet with lots of food – then went outside to see the pool and the pool and the yachts. As an owner at the resort, for seventy-five dollars an hour you could tool around on the yacht. A nice sitting area, small bed area and a larger sleeping area. Very posh! Fishing in style. Then we took the water taxi over to Sunset Plaza on the beach. The suite there was a lock-off suite with a beautiful view of the beach and Caribbean sea. Then the ‘fun’ began. Alma explained how vacation ‘ownership’ was a good deal for developing equity. There was the usual start high with the $149,000 option, but maybe the $89,000 version would fit our budget better. Give the extra weeks to marketing and make money ‘cause they will rent the suite for $1500 per week. Where have we heard that before! We had told them that we just owned at the Mayan Palace. Alma kept putting down the timeshares, showing how much money we were going to be losing, etc. They even offered to give us $7500 off if we gave them the Mayan Palace. No! Then it was down to $10,900. Then $7,500, then $4,500, then $2,500 and some final offer I wasn’t even listening to. We kept saying now was not the time we wanted to take on anymore debt. If we didn’t own 6 timeshares already and this was the first presentation we had heard ti would have been easy to cave in. I started zoning out after a while. When they finally gave up and signed off our sheet so we could leave it was 2pm. The couple we had met in the van ride over had ‘escaped’ as well. They are regular presentation goers and said this was one of the hardest sales presentations they had been to. So I’m glad we got out of there without signing on for more lies and promises that don’t come about.

We spent what was left of the afternoon having lunch at the Laguna Suites. Ron had the Aracherra Padilla and I had the Fajitas con Pollo. Both good and filling. Finally a chance to sit in the sun and read. We asked to have some chairs brought out to the patch of sun on the west side by the golf course. Fortunately we didn’t get hit by an errant golf ball. We moved into the pool area when the sun was stuck behind some low clouds. We chatted with a couple from Medicine Hat, Alberta about their presentation adventures. More reading until it was too dim to read and back into the room. I worked on the laptop – sorting some dentistry photos into groups for my next project. We played music since Ron brought the hard drive loaded up with lots of music. There is internet wireless but you have to pay for two days so I will wait until Friday. About 8pm we decided we were getting hungry. The Laguna Suites dining area was full so we had a drink and sat by the pool. A very pleasant evening temperature, no breeze – starting to unwind and relax more. Pretty soon we got seated at a double table where a woman and her daughter were that came in right before us. “Can we separate the tables” she asked the waiter. Ron and I looked at each other and separated the tables a bit. Later on in the dinner she was scrutinizing the bill and making comments and coming across as a NY bitch. We enjoyed dinner. I had only the green salad so I could enjoy some dessert. Pastel con queso. The older waiter enjoys it when we speak Spanish. Ron had Kukulcan soup, chicken tacos, and pastel de coco. (That’s cheesecake for Pat, coconut pie for Ron.) Then off to the room. More reading and log writing. Then I started working on the log in the bedroom and turned on the TV. I found the Jim Carey movie “Liar, Liar” with Spanish subtitles. The movie is very funny and it was a good way to learn various Spanish ‘bad’ words. Cretino! Maldito! Merida! for a few. It was after midnight when we crawled into bed. Ron found the E! channel so we watched the Playboy’s three girlfriends and went to sleep.

(Note from Ron: The E! channel on cable in the states blurs out any chances of nudity and beeps any bad language. In Mexico they don’t seem to do that so it was kind of interesting!)