Playa Del Carmen

DW - 21-22/03... At the moment I'm sitting on our balcony in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico, sipping a Corona whilst Loz is having a siesta. Our arrival in Mexico was smooth-sailing until we arrived at our condo...

It was about 4pm (yesterday) and we'd been ridden to our desired location on a push-bike taxi (with all our luggage), costing US$5. the day to this point had run reasonably well, with only a slight delay in our connecting flight at Miami. Anyway, we arrived at the condo and had instruction to pick up the keys from the realtor who are in the same complex. We could see the realtor but no one inside (knocking on the door to no response confirmed that it was empty). Initially we thought it may have been Siesta and they'd return at 5pm, no problem... I went into a neighbouring shop and asked if this was the case, to which they answered (the one who spoke engligh) that no one had been in the realtor all day as it was a Mexican holiday, shiser!

We headed across the road to a restaurant with free WIFI and grabbed a beer. The owner of the restaurant, a nice Indian who spoke fluent English could see our distress and offered his support. He had the phone number of the owner of the apartment (a Canadian) whom we rang to ask for any advise. Unfortunately this was of no help so we decided to ask the security guards of the condo complex.

In hindsight we wish we'd leant some Spanish before entering Mexico because many of the locals don't speak a word of English, making it near impossible to communicate. After many back and forth Spanish/English conversations with the security guards they grabbed an American interpreter to help. I'm glad he did because what he interpreted suggested the security guards had
no idea what we were after, a key! Turns out they didn't have a key, and two hours after trying to check in we decided to find a motel for the night, and come back the next day to sort it all out. A frustrating and stressful start to our 'relaxation' leg of the trip.

So we headed up-street and found a hotel where we dumped our stuff and headed out for dinner...

Fifth Avenue in Playa Del Carmen is full of markets, bars and restaurants with an incredible and safe vibe. There are endless stores selling t-shirts, shoes, and Cuban Cigars (something I intend to try whilst here). We planted ourselves at a nice Mexican restaurant and the food was delicious, as was the atmosphere! Wandering the streets are those Mexican bands with guitars, trumpets, violins etc and they just turn up at restaurants and play Mexican tunes, very cool.

After dinner we walked up and down part of the strip (it's enormous) then headed back to the motel and hit the hay.

A pretty ordinary sleep in a basic motel but enough to give us some energy to make it through to Siesta. We headed back towards the condo first thing and had breaky at a restaurant in the same complex. As soon as we saw someone enter the realtor we headed over to check in. Turns out, the guy we booked through hadnt notified the realtor that we were coming before 23/03 so they weren't expecting us (another reason why they weren't there the day before). We sat for an hour and a half and eventually were given the keys to our condo. Now we can relax!

Once settled in we headed towards the local Walmart (very authentic Mexican I know) to fill the cupboards and fridge. Here are some highlights:
24 bottles of Corona (210mL) - M$140 (about AU$12)
1/2 kilo of fresh made (warm) tortillas - M$3.50 (about AU$0.30)
1L bottle of Smirnoff with a free 750mL bottle of some Cuban spirit we haven't heard of - M$160 (about AU$14)

So the fridge and cupboards are now full of food, drinking water, and grog at a total cost of about AU$100, yep!

Back to my Corona...

LW - (not sure the date - now in holiday mode) last night we had a quiet one after a few coronas with our new friend from the Indian shop "Harash" and hit the hay to get our body clocks back in order! This morning we woke and went for a long walk on the beach from playa car (beautiful new estate with crystal blue private beaches) to about 1/10 of the way to cancun. The beaches are so long and amazing that you can walk the whole way from playa del Carmen to cancun which is about a 45 minute bus ride. We then strolled through 5th avenue and found a cafe to enjoy a coffee where the language barrier was again apparent with Davo asking "do you have wifi here?" and getting the response "no we have pancakes". Lol. Back to pool than fruit salad for breakfast at 12noon!!! Definitely can get use to this.

DW - Saturday... We've just returned from a great lunch with Jon and Beth, our new American friends, just about time for Siesta.

I can't recall the name of this restaurant but it was recommended to Jon/Beth by the waiter at their local bar. The food was amazing and incredibly cheap! 3 burritos for M$15 (approx AU$1.30) and they were incredible - we'll be back again and again in the coming weeks!

Yesterday we went to Cozumel, which is an island off Playa/Cancun and is very similar in all ways. The island is surrounded by a reef (part of the second biggest reef in the world, behind the Great Barrier Reef). Our purpose for visiting the island was to do a snorkeling tour...

When we first arrived at the island we had some time to kill before our tour so we hit the streets in search for cheap stuff we didn't need. Loz managed to negotiate Inter Milan and Liverpool jerseys (authentic) for a total M$620, and I got a photo with an iguana in a sunbrerro for about M$10, yep. Mexican people are very persistent in trying to get you not their stores (all stores re pretty much selling the same things, soccer jerseys, t-shirts, random souvenir stuff) and once you're in their store they'll do anything to stop you from leaving. The guy who sold Loz her first jersey gave me a free shot of tequila once he saw he might have a sale on the way, good business I think.

After an hour or so of shopping we visited Senòr Frogs for a bite to eat - this was the first time we encountered Spring Break on our trip... So here we were eating our cheeseburger and fries, while the table next to us were doing body shots and sculling beers, and the table behind us was a family with a 10 year-old kid... The music pumping and the DJ, a huge man sounding like Fatman Scoop singing along to al the tunes and deafening beats. Funny times.

We then commenced our snorkeling tour which took us to three different parts of the reef, all of which were full of beautiful fish including Snapper, Parrot Fish, and Barracuda. I also saw an eel which was cool. Once out of the water back on the boat we were given free Coronas and tequila shots. We've been told that the tequila in Mexico is nothing like the crap we see in Oz and it's 100% true. Not being tequila fans (due to too many bad nights involving tequila at uni) we were nervous about drinking it but it is so smooth and easy to drink (but it's tequila so still tastes like it). It may take a couple of weeks till we're buying it by the bottle. All in all, the snorkeling trip was great, especially when it only cost US$30 each.

It was on the snorkeling tour that we met Jon and Beth, a couple of chefs who live in Chicago. We got chatting to them on the boat which turned into a couple of cervezas, then cocktails, more cervezas, and tequila shots. Turned into a pretty big night and now feeling the after affects (or is it effect? I can never tell the difference).

DW - Monday... Again, Loz is having a siesta and I'm back at our Indian friend's restaurant across the road with a relaxing Corona.

This morning we went on another tour, this time it included quad-bike riding through the jungle and cave-snorkeling. Loz was the only girl on the tour and we were grouped with 8 Spanish lads who just wanted to go fast and stretch the limits of the quads. Good times... We had a bilingual tour-guide who led the way through the tropics of Mexico for about an hour. We then arrived at the cave...

The water was crystal clear and it was quite an experience swimming in the dark depths of a cave, narrowing between rocks with nothing but a torch (and our guide of course). After the cave we were back on the quads to return them to where we started. A really good way to spend a morning for US$40 each!

Today we saw rain here for the first time (surprising given it's a tropical climate), that last about 20 minutes before the sun returned. It's quite a hot place, the days are about 26'C but there's usually a nice cool breeze (not strong by any means, but enough so you don't feel burning hot like Thailand or Newcastle). The nights aren't much cooler so we're more than grateful we have A/C in our condo.

After siesta today we're going to hit a bar we've been tipped off about that is the cheapest on the beach - proof will be in the cerveza...

DW - Thursday... I've just remembered a couple of things worth mentioning:
1. a couple of nights ago when we had dinner with Jon and Beth (at the most amazing taco place), we passed a food stand run by a family, that was powered by their car battery. Mmmmmm, yummo.
2. A few days ago when we were on quad-bikes, we saw a family of five on a scooter (vespa). Dad, baby, toddler, mum, toddler was the order front to back. Buggered if I know how they all fit, quite funny though we thought.

Anyway, yesterday we caught a bus down to Tulum, a place recommended by our Indian friend because of its whiter sandy beaches. It was about an hour bus ride (cost us M$224 return) and we were dropped off at the Tulum Ruins. We jumped in a cab and asked to take us to the beach which was about a 10 minute drive.

The beach we were taken to was similar to those at Playa, but the sand was softer again and the water bluer, amazing! So we soaked up the sun for a few hours then got a cab back to the ruins. The ruins are truly unique in that these big stone buildings are hundreds of years old built in sand, on the cliff-face of beautiful beaches. It's hard to describe but it really is incredible. The ruins are pretty well protected we weren't allowed to enter the buildings, just watch from a distance.

The ruins national park is filled with iguanas, you couldn't take 10 steps without seeing another lizard. They were pretty fat too, obviously fed well by tourists. Needless to say, Loz clutched my arm the whole way around the park.

I think we I'll return to Tulum again, but this time we'll head a bit gurner south and hire some bicycles. Apparently the nature reserves offer even better beaches, and possibly the chance to see some monkeys and/or a jaguar (although apparently sightings are few and far between). It might be best we don't see a jaguar, I'd hate to think how I'd react, let alone Loz (although she has earned man bravery medals thus far in our travels)!

DW - Tuesday (I think)... Again I sit on our balcony in the sun, drinking a cerveza (Carta Blanca) - so much for trying to get fit in Mexico. It's been a pretty quiet couple  of days.

Today, after a How I Met Your Mother marathon on Apple TV we went to watch Inter Milan get spanked by FC Chalke 04 in the UCL - a sad day when the former champions get annihilated by a minot. Thankfully, our pain for cut short by a blackout covering a couple of blocks. It appears someone didn't mix well with the electricity at a nearby construction site - one ambulance, and about 40 police seemed to have the situation in order (we hope the guy is okay).

Yesterday we visited Isla Mujeres, a small island about half an hour off Cancun. It was a fairly long day - we caught a 1.5 hour bus to Cancun, then hopped in the back of a van (it sounds suspect, and trust me it was) which took us to Puerto Jaurez where we boarded a ferry to the island. The island was really nice, with the pick of the beaches thus far. The sand seemed whiter and softer again (just when we thought we'd experienced the nicest sand) and the water clearer. We spent half the day at one beach where the water was no more than a foot deep for what seemed like hundreds of meters. The water temperature was perfect, and it was quite salty so really easy to float without moving. If only all beaches in the world were like this...

After the beach we walked back to the town centre and caught a cab to a turtle farm we'd read about. Not quite up to my expectations (not sure what i was expecting, maybe a giant turtle on entry that gave high-fives) but pretty cool. There were  bunch of green and white turtles in a series of indoor tanks swimming around. The baby white ones were Loz's pick, they were pretty cute.

Our cab driver then took us back to the town centre and we worked our way back to Playa. Btw, Cancun didn't stand out as anything flash - it seemed over-populated and pretty dirty (at least the parts we saw). It seemed like a 
big city, and certainly not like paradise. We're in no hurry to check it out fully.

So back in Playa... Not sure if I've quite described Fifth Avenue... It's a walking mall that doesn't end (we've been told it goes for 34 blocks but we haven't been all the way). Filled with shops, restaurants and pubs, it's like nothing else we've ever seen. The street is full every hour of the day with tourists just wandering, drinking, and smoking Cubans (cigars, not small men). There are also street stands, painters, and street performers day-long. If you're ever bored in Playa, go to Fifth Avenue!

DW - Sunday... Sipping my first ever Bloody Mary (tastes surprisingly good), feeling pretty sorry for ourselves today. We rose from bed at about 2pm and seedy is probably the best way to describe us at the moment. Last night we went out to an unbelievable Argentinian restaurant where we drank red wine... Follow that with numerous Black Russians and a couple of cigars, you can probably understand why we feel the way we do!

Buenos Aires was the name of the restaurant and we had something called an Argentinian Paparilla (something like that, anyway) which was a feast of steak, ribs, sausages, and a mystery white meat (it's probably best we don't know what it was), served with salad and fries. The food was nothing short of amazing, everything cooked to perfection and delicious! We will be back. This one was a fine dining place so much more expensive than everywhere we've eaten previously. Saying that, it was still incredibly cheap costing us M$800 (about AU$67)  including an outstanding bottle of Chilean Syrah.

A couple of days back we bit the bullet and finally entered a cigar store with the intention of just seeing how cheap cigars were here. We walked out of the store with a freshly rolled Mexican cigar and a smaller chocolate-flavoured Dominican cigar for Loz. They are hands-down, the best cigars I've ever tried (I'm no connoisseur) and we intend to buy some more... Loz is going to try a hazelut and vanilla one, and I'd like to try a Cuban (once I finally finish this giant Mexican one sitting on the table).

On Friday we hired a jet ski for halfa - great fun! Loz had a small drive and managed to knock me off three times in the space of about 5 minutes. It's definitely something we're going to do again before we leave paradise.

I've been trying some new beers in the past week and have yet to be disappointed. We were told before coming to Mexico that Corona is considered a pretty shiser drink in here, much less premium than Sol, for example (even though it's the opposite in Australia). Some of the beers I've tried that are even cheaper than Corona are Premium (that's the name of the beer, not the description), Carta Blanca, and Barrilitto - all very nice. 

Aside from that we haven't been doing a lot over the past couple of days... I had a job interview (phone) with Laithwaites Wines on Friday, fingers crossed for that.

We have two (2) weeks left here and know that time will fly. Things we still want to do:
Jet ski (again)
Learn to SCUBA
Snorkel (again, but in different parts of the reef)
See some sea-turtles
Zipine (flying-fox)
Cave-snorkeling (again, in a different cave)

Unfortunately it's not whale-shark season until May so my dream of swimming with whale-sharks is on-hold until next we visit.

Btw, we are still yet to try our mystery Cuban drink, maybe this week...

Here's some general observations about the Mexican Riviera:
Weather - 27-30'C and 70%+ humidity. Light coastal breeze most of the time which cools things down nicely. Nights aren't much cooler than days so A/C is essential.

People - the locals here are friendly but mostly sales-oriented and you can easily get sick of spruikers trying to get you into their shop. Most of them speak some English so it's reasonably easy to have a conversation. Waiters and others in service roles show good English and are very nice.

Food - cheap and incredible. At some restaurants you can feed two people (including drinks) for less than AU$10. Mexican food makes up 90%+ of restaurants. There are places that offer pizza (although it doesn't look very nice), and other Americanised places offering burgers etc.

Safety - I feel safe most of the time but Loz gets a little scared, particularly at night. The police have a lot of presence and they carry huge rifles and/or machine guns. There are also army dudes around, riding with machine guns in backs of utes. There's no sign of drug-wars in this part of Mexico... I think the cops would have instruction to keep it that way given they need the tourism in these areas (as opposed to Mexico City).

Beaches - just as we imagined... Pristine soft white velvety sand that sticks to you for days. It's not as harsh/course as Australian sand, much more forgiving on your feet. Similar to Thailand but softer. The water is an incredible royal blue. I've never seen water so clean, clear and pristine. The temperature is over 20'C, you could stay in there all day. There is bugger-all waves in this part of the gulf.

Shopping - most stalls sell the same things - t-shirts, singlets, sunglasses, souvenirs and they're all reasonably cheap. Most charge in USD and a shirt will cost anywhere from $3-12. There are also numerous cigar stores selling Cubans which are really cheap - a Monte Christo will set you back about US$2-3. Groceries and alcohol are incredibly cheap and very accessible.

LW - well after two days of being "not so well" with a bit of food poisoning or the like we are both back up on our feet and raring to go. 

Davo has decided to become scuba accredited which is great so today and tomorrow he has the course and dives on which he has really been enjoying. This is leaving me with much time to work on my tan!!! 

Over the last few weeks I have been thinking about writing a travel book entitled "There is no milk in Mexico" however when Davo asked me what would be in it - I simply said that it would explain how you can't buy fresh milk in Mexico. That is all.  Maybe I should stick to the bank!! 

So many things we take for granted at home and then so many things here are so "mex-o-mised" for example: (here is my top 10)

1. Everything tastes like limes, avocado or Tabasco sauce (or all three!!). I bought a packed on plain salted peanuts from the shops and when I opened them they not only tasted like lime and Tabasco sauce but they also had a sachets of salsa inside to dip the peanuts in - CRAZY! 

2. Speaking to someone who actually knows what you are saying: we have also met a lady across our street who arranges tours etc. Her english is really great and we thought that we had actually found someone who is fluent and knew exactly what we are saying.... Until.... I asked her where the best place she likes to eat at is and she replied with "no I live out of town about 10 minutes away" - arrrrr so close!!

3. As discussed before but the police: they are literally everywhere in force - machine guns ready to go - but now I am use to it and becomes a normal thing. You are out for breakfast and oh look a truck full of armed guards pulls over, patrols the street, hops back in and away they go!  No biggie!! 

4.  You need air con - 24hours a day, 7 days a week never to be turned off! Coupled with ceiling fans and potable fans - it is just that hot!  This is a non negotiable!! 

5. Unfortunately nothing tastes quite like home: I guess you get so use to how things "should" taste and even though they are the same brand, they look the same, have the same packaging and everything - they can taste miles apart. All food from Kellogs special k to (sorry ally) but even your red dorretios just aren't the same! 

6. Fresh running water: we even have to buy water to brush our teeth with and can't let water go in your mouth whilst showering. So many times you go to turn on the tap to realize that  just can't use it! 

7. The main part of your vocabulary will change to be simply two words.... "no gracious". When we walk the street day or night this is honestly all we say. "Amigo you want jewelry, t-shirts, cigars, massage, dive with dolphins... I got it...." and simply the whole way down it's "no gracious" "no gracious"  "no gracious" aka no thank you. They all say the same things over and over and over! 

8. The budgie smugglers are apparently back and out out in force! So many ohhh so many... I seriously want to go and buy 100 pair of board short and give them out!!  All fun and games until my husband has now decided this is his look of choice at our pool!!!! Very funny indeed!!! (I have secret pictures!)

9. We are so lucky at home that we honestly forget how others live sometimes. A lot of people here are so so poor. There living conditions are pretty shocking with small cement shed like places packed with families and putrid smells beyond belief. However, one thing that we really do notice is that you never hear a little child cry or upset, they are always happy and content and you never hear from them - even though there are hundreds around. 

10. As discussed before - there is no milk in Mexico!!! I wanted was some nice fresh milk to go on my cereal but all u can buy is UHT. We spoke to our Indian friend and he said the only place you can buy it is at wall mart and there is literally only one brand, it's delivered pretty much once per week and there is about 10 cartons of it! 

Now it's siesta time for me! 

DW - as I suck down a delicious Pacifico Clara we realise that the Mexican dream is all but over. I've also realised that my chances of seeing an old Mexican woman on a bus with a chicken are fading by the hour.

This last month has flown by ever so quickly - it seems like yesterday we were checking into the first room with water that smelt like rotten egg. We've certainly had the most relaxing time and it's all we have expected of Mexico, and more. We were sitting at dinner last night (eating a mixed grill including lobster, prawns, steak and chicken) talking about how Mexico really is how you see it in the movies. The one movie that comes to mind is The Heartbreak Kid (I think that's what it's called; the one with Ben Stiller): There are Mexican bands throughout the streets; an incredible atmosphere everywhere you go; and an endless supply of limes, avocados and tortillas! We are so glad we picked Playa as the place to stay - it has some of the best beaches, fifth avenue, and a real Mexican vibe that (from what we've seen) Cancun lacks. If you're looking for a relaxing cheap holiday in paradise, look no further...

Here's a snapshot of our activities in the past week...

So I am now a qualified Open Water Scuba Diver which means I can scuba anywhere in the world for the rest of my life up to 30m depth. It's something I've been wanting to do for ages and there was no better opportunity than here (it's about a third of the price of Australia). In the five dives I did in my training I saw some incredible underwater life. Plenty of fish and coral with all colours of the rainbow... Some of the highlights were swimming with Barracuda, and seeing these amazing moray eels. These things are about 160cm long, a foot high and are bright green! They hide in rock caves with their mouths about the size of my head, and just eat passing fish - truly amazing!

Early in our trip we were recommended to some street food by Jon and Beth (read more of this blog if you're now lost). I have to say we were a little hesitant given our stomachs aren't Mexican (Loz has been pretty appalled at some of the hygiene techniques used in Mexico, or lack thereof), so we put it off and off. Eventually I bit the bullet and had one of the best sandwiches of my life - simply chopped steak with avocado and tomato (somehow it tastes like Mexico though), I've been eating it daily since! Yesterday Loz had a burrito from the same street stall and said it was the best food she's had since we've been here. What a shame we didn't try it earlier!

Speaking of food, a new restaurant opened downstairs a about 10 days ago and we've been spending quite a bit of time there - they have free WIFI and Coronas are only 18 pesos. The couple that run the restaurant are Argentinian and speak very little English so communication (as it has been at a lot of places) has been tough at times. Saying that, a couple of nights ago we had been there for the afternoon watching the soccer and got quite acquainted with the owner (the lady). Day became night and we'd lost count of cervezas (by this stage, the owner was sitting with us drinking while working and shouting us beers), and Loz and her started to communicate via Google Translator. It was quite funny to watch, they were having quite deep conversations about life and stuff, but had no idea what each other were actually saying (until they typed it into Google Translator). They're now Facebook buds and we go down most days to say olah.

Back to the near-empty fridge to finish off the last cerveza.

Viva la Mexico 

DW - 17/04... It's hard to express the emotion we're feeling today. We couldn't be sadder to leave Playa (it has been home for a month now), yet couldn't be more excited to visit our favourite city in the world, NYC!

On our final night we visited Harish and Claudia at our favourite Indian restaurant for a few beers. Harish is an incredibly interesting bloke that has seen so much of the world. He has now engaged the rest of Central America as a place of interest to visit (particularly me), including Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama. We'll see how we're going in 18 months time!

After a couple of beers at Harish's and a  quick photo with Spiderman we ventured along Fifth Avenue to find our last Mexican dinner. Loz picked well and we had amazing soup, tacos and fajitas. We were also personally serenaded by a Mexican band and after dinner offered a tequila list bigger than most wine lists. Not wanting to offend the waiter I obliged and tried a glass with a choice of salt/lime or Sangrita (I think that's what it was called) as a chaser. Both were quite tasty but I can't say as much for the tequila - I picked the cheapest one on the list so it's no surprise. Still a hell of a lot better than tequila at home.

On the previous night we returned to our favourite Argentinian restaurant, Buenos Aires for another Parrallido (mixed grill of steak, sausages and the mystery meat). After dinner, curiosity killed us and we Googled 'mollejas', the mystery meat. Wikipedia defines it as,
"Sweetbreads or ris are culinary names for the thymus (throat, gullet, or neck sweetbread) or the pancreas (heart, stomach, or belly sweetbread) especially of the calf (ris de veau) and lamb (ris d'agneau) (although beef and pork sweetbreads are also eaten).[1] Various other glands used as food are also called 'sweetbreads', including the parotid gland ("cheek" or "ear" sweetbread), the sublingual glands ("tongue" sweetbreads or "throat bread"), and testicles (cf. Rocky Mountain oyster).[2][3] The "heart" sweetbreads are more spherical in shape, and surrounded symmetrically by the "throat" sweetbreads, which are more cylindrical in shape."

Playa we will miss you - see you again in 2012...