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.