Good News – Bad News
First, the bad. Today we have to leave our Paradise Island of Isla Mujeres. But the Good news is we get to see Playa Del Carmen! The whole purpose of my visit (do I really need a purpose?) was to check out ‘Playa’. After a breakfast of bollilos, and left-over tomatoes, we said our goodbyes to Michelle and headed off to the ferry, then hopped the R-1 bus to Cancun Centro. At the bus station we found the bus to Playa and off we went.
We arrived in PDC before noon, but it is just so HOT! We decided to put some of our stuff in a locker because we were going to go to Tulum for the first night and see if we could find some cabañas on the beach. Michelle told us about them. They are very basic, not even electricity. We will spend the night and then head back north tomorrow.
Well, just when I was getting really cocky about how good my Spanish is, I met the ‘Mexican Locker Patrol’. ( We paid 100 pesos ($15 CDN) to leave our stuff in a locker for 2 days. The price was 50 pesos for 24 hours. But, because we didn’t know if we’d be back by noon the next day – we might like it down there and want to beach and explore a bit – we paid for Two days. I thought the señora said something about one ‘mes’ – (one month). I couldn’t quite figure out what she meant by this, as we were paying a daily rate – for 2 days. So, I thought that maybe she meant that if our stuff was unclaimed within one month they had the right to open the locker. It was hot, my head was foggy, I just wanted to get rid of my heavy bag. I was hot. The lady kept pointing to the stuff in our locker, pointing to the key, and saying un mes, un mes. I kept saying 2 days, dos dias. She locked it and handed me the key. She walked away, and we headed off. We decided to have a beer, and cool off a bit before we went to Tulum.
Now somewhere in the next half hour, and looking back, neither Lydie nor I know quite how this happened we decided to put my other suitcase in the locker with our stuff, and look for a hotel right here in PDC for tonight, and head to Tulum tomorrow. I didn’t want to carry my suitcase too far if we couldn’t find a place close by, so we went back to the locker, opened it up, and put my suitcase inside.
I couldn’t get the key back out, and I asked Lyd to help, saying that my hands were too sweaty and slippery and I couldn’t get it out. Well, the locker guard was standing there smiling, kind of shaking his head at me. Turns out she had been saying ‘un ves’ not ‘un mes’. One time. You can use this key ONE TIME. Well, I was so flustered and hot, I paid her for another day – without leaving both suitcases in there, and we went looking for a hotel, carrying the bag I had planned on leaving.
Lyd and I split up looking for a hotel. It is so HOT! I wandered in to
Paraiso Azul. It’s beautiful! We have a huge room, with 2 double beds, lots of big windows and probably room for another bed or two if needed. There is a nice bathroom, and it even has a fridge. We got it for 250 pesos. (~$37 CDN or under $20 CDN each per night). It’s got beautiful gardens, a restaurant and a pool!
We got settled and headed for the beach:). This place is incredible! Way busier than Isla, but Lyd had told me that. The shops along 5th Avenue go on forever. Restaurants, bars, tiendas, etc. It’s just those darn shopkeepers calling at you all the time. If they only realized that if they’d just let you wander in and browse, you’d stay a lot longer. All you want to do is escape! Not spending too much money though. (
I walked down the beach and took lots of pictures. I toured a couple of different hotels, including a brand new one called Playa Maya. I had e-mailed the manager from Edmonton after reading his posting on the Playa Board. He is such a nice gentleman and his facility is first class. Low season rates are 600 – 800 pesos minus a 200 peso Grand Opening discount (plus tax). So, that means an economy room (which is absolutely gorgeous) would be $40 US/$60 CDN right now!
After my walk I met Lyd under a palapa. I had just bought 2 Coronas (12 p each) so we sat under here palapa to enjoy.
There was a young couple (hippie types) playing the bongos and making macramé jewelry. I took their picture and then bought a necklace. Lyd bought her a beer. She’s from Quebec.
Supper was a little later – shrimp fajitas and filet fish for Lyd. Dark comes early and we were in bed by 8:00.
Friday
Woke up at 6:30 to the sound of a marching band in the little square a block back from the hotel.
Lyd decided to go get groceries, and I headed down for coffee. I checked out taking a snorkeling tour tomorrow to a cenote. Well, she has a group of divers that want to go to Dos Ojos, and I can come along with them and snorkel. Sounds good.
When Lyd got back, we got ready and hopped a bus to Tulum. We walked from the highway in to the ruins. The heat is oppressive, but Lyd wants to save the pesos (about 20 cents). Just kidding, Lyd – you are a great influence on me. (
We trouped around the ruins for a while (Lyd about 10 minutes – me maybe 45). They are SO beautiful, and the setting is magnificent!
After a quick dip in the ocean, we decided to check out the cabañas south of the ruins. We started hiking. As it turned out we could have taken the first cab we saw, but.. Oh no, Lyd thought it would be cheaper out on the highway, so we walked some more. It’s hot!
We were able to get a fella in a van collectivo to take us into Tulum centro. We got out on the median, and started looking around. Hmmm, … the Weary Traveler looks like it might have an answer. The gentleman in there gave us lots of information, and said to take a cab to Papaya Playa.
Once there, we wandered up to the bar, sat on one of the swings, and struck up a conversation with the bartender. He said that because they were full, he couldn’t actually show us the rooms, but just to walk around, and take a look, most of the doors are open anyway.
Well, these places are Cooool! 
The circular cabañas have a stone floor, under a thatched roof. About the middle of the rooms was a closet area, then a raised section with 2 beds under mosquito netting. Behind that was the bathroom sink area.
Extremely basic, but very exotic. It reminded me of a commercial I saw on TV …. “not THAT exotic!” (Anyway, Lyd thought she had died and gone to heaven.) We went back to the swings bar, settled in to a swing, and drank an ice-cold beer. The bartender said we could “beach” there all afternoon. We took him up on it.
We went to the beach, and it is absolutely like something out of a dream. Postcard material at its finest. A bit of surf, palm trees extending out over the ocean, thatched palapas and NOBODY in sight! At one point Lyd went for a walk…to check out other cabañas along the beach. I was lying there alone, and there was not a soul in sight for miles in either direction. Me, the surf, the jewel blue colors, the sugar sand, palapas, and palm trees reaching out over the ocean. I couldn’t BELIEVE I was there!
Later on we hopped our bus back to Playa (after a short cab ride to the ruins) and watched a movie all the way home. Somewhere along the route there was an accident between a bus and a cab, so all the people from the bus climbed aboard ours.
Tonight supper is Mole Poblano for me, (that’s chicken in sauce, not an actual roasted mole), and pork stew for Lyd – complete with soup, rice, and beans for 25 pesos (under $5.00 CDN). Oh yeah, and a beer – about $1.50 CDN.
Early to bed. 8:00 PM