Adios!

The hurricane shutters were finally finished yesterday - a good lesson learned for our next trip; not to start any new projects in February!  Almost everything is packed as I write, with just a few last minute items to do before we leave.  The waves are huge again today (and it was blustery all last night) so I think it's highly likely that the marina will be closed again.  No boats appeared to have moved so far.

We hope you have enjoyed our blog as much as we have enjoyed our time here.  It has been a great experience and we hope to do it all again later this year.

Hasta luego amigos!

Preparing to Pack Up

We have stayed close to home this week as we have had workmen here since Monday.  We have made arrangements for hurricane shutters to be installed but before they were able to do so we had some windows that had to be changed so that we could reach the shutters to pull them together and lock them.   The work is almost complete except for the patio doors which will be done tomorrow.  We are definitely getting close to the wire for timing and (of course) Mexican time frames don't help; the work was supposed to be completed by Wednesday, then extended to today and now tomorrow.

On Tuesday we found ourselves very close to the lower end of acceptable liquor levels so we headed into Playa for the evening.  We bought 3 bottles of Kahlua and 2 bottles of Bacardi - all were one litre in size with Kahlua costing 113 pesos each (marginally under $10) and Bacardi a whopping 105 pesos each!  As we were just across the road from La Pesca Restaurante we decided to have a return visit for supper.  It was much more busy than when we went there for lunch and there was a good selection of fresh whole fish laid out on display in ice.  We selected an appropriate size fish and had it cooked with garlic and chillies again as it was so good last time.  We were not disappointed.... yum!!

Malcolm took the boat out of the water on Wednesday and for want of a better description, 'winterized' it ready for storage.  It is now parked in a lot directly across from the office of the previous owner so I think it will likely have a few people keeping a close eye on it when we are not here.  The Durango will have to be prepared in the same way (fuel stabilizer, cover etc) although the vehicle will be left directly outside of the condo.

One more day....

Adios Red Boat......Hola (Bigger) Yellow Boat

In view of some of the challenges that we have had being able to use the boat in the right weather conditions, Malcolm finally made the decision that it was too small and that we needed something bigger (?!).  We towed it into Cancun and it sold within two days; Cancun is actually the perfect place for it as there is a large lagoon adjacent to the hotel zone which is very calm.  While in the process of doing this he came across a 25ft fishing/day boat that was being sold by someone here in PA.  The owner has a 65' catamaran business (Catamaya   http://www.catamaya.com.mx/mainmenu.html  ) and as he attends this business daily, he does not have much time to use the fishing boat and we therefore struck a deal.  Unfortunately the paperwork side of buying a used boat is horrendous here in Mexico and we are still in the process of finalizing these pieces - Malcolm and the existing owner have to go into Playa tomorrow to a lawyer's office and then on to the Port Captain's office.  We did take it out for a short time today along the coast; the ride is very much different than the Bayliner with the extra length helping to make it a much smoother experience.  The new boat is a Grady White 249 Fisherman and while significantly older than the Bayliner, it has been completely overhauled in the last two years.  I am not sure that we will have time to use it much between now and when we leave next week as we are also having some work done at the condo (hurricane shutters) but at least it will be waiting for us when we return later this year.  Next on the agenda is finding dry storage for nine months...

This picture was taken just over a week ago when we went out for a 'test drive'

Safely moored just along from our condo after our short trip out today.

Grounded

Today the marina was essentially closed due to weather patterns.  The wind started to pick up yesterday evening and was gusting overnight but the key as we found out this morning was the wind direction.  Apparently, if the wind comes from the west or north/northwest i.e. over land, the water is very calm albeit that the wind brings mosquitoes and insects with it from the jungle.  If the wind comes from the northeast the area is protected by Cozumel, an island directly offshore from PA.  Problems arise if the wind comes out of the southeast or south (which is basically the path that most hurricanes take) because there is no protection and combined with the angle of the marina entrance, it causes large swells that together with the offshore reef make navigation almost impossible.  This was exactly what happened overnight with winds coming from the southeast.  There is a flag warning system at the marina entrance and today it indicated that  no vessels less than 12 metres were allowed out although larger boats also stayed in today.  Needless to say it was not a good day for the fishing crew and boat captains as their livelihood depends on the tourist traffic but, of course, safety comes first.

These guys park directly outside our condo and usually head out to Playacar hotel zone by 7am each day

Big or small, everyone is grounded.

We estimated 5ft swells.

We walked out to the marina entrance to take the above photos and when we got back the army was taking one of its boats out of the water (there is an army base in PA).  In the back of their truck was this handsome dog; we are not sure if it was purely a mascot or if it was a working animal but he certainly behaved himself as the soldiers got to work hauling the boat up the ramp.



Xpu-Ha on a Sunday

We had a light rain shower this morning and then it turned out to be a glorious sunny day so we decided to make it a beach day and headed back to Xpu-Ha.  Two things struck us as being different on this visit: the first was that it was much busier as it was the weekend with lots of locals taking in the nice weather and secondly, that the waves were much more lively whereas this area is usually very calm.

Larger waves but a gorgeous day

We walked along the beach when we first arrived and came across two different church congregations where the minister was up to his waist (fully clothed) in the ocean and was carrying out baptisms by dunking people in the water!  The rest of the congregation were on the sand, some with guitars and the rest singing and clapping.  It was quite a sight as there were tourists looking on and also local children playing in the water all at the same time, although the locals seemed to take it all in their stride and enjoyed their ceremony.

The congregation

We had lunch at the beach club and later in the afternoon a Latino-style band played nearby to where we were sitting.  They played very well and we sat and enjoyed the music for quite some time before we headed home.

  



Shark!

It wasn't exactly a scene from Jaws but I thought I would post some pictures of a Lemon Shark that was caught by the fishermen directly across from our condo yesterday.  Asked what he would do with it, the captain replied that it would feed his family for a while!  I felt its skin out of curiosity; it was quite smooth from going from head to tail but much rougher in reverse, rather like a coarse suede.

As it was cheap Wednesday we hit the movies again last night.  We ate out for dinner and took in the movie for a grand total of 166 pesos (~$13.25).



Roger & Bubba's Auto Repair Shop

We wanted to get the oil changed in the Durango before we leave at the end of the month.  Our friend Bob had bumped into Bubba at an auto parts store and took down their phone number.  Needless to say with names like Roger & Bubba they are not locals!  They are a father and son duo from Texas who have been running their auto repair shop on a full time basis for the last 5 years in Playa.  Although very basic (concrete shell would adequately describe it), the shop was clean and both seemed very knowledgeable.  While we were waiting a lady who originated from Kelowna came in and we chatted with her for a while.  They moved lock, stock and barrel to Playa 3 years ago and she explained that Roger & Bubba's was the only auto shop she would ever take her vehicle to in Playa and how great they were.  Not a bad endorsement when your vehicle is already on the ramps with its oil drained out.

Malcolm talking with Bubba

The neighbourhood wasn't exactly upmarket...

King-Sized Delivery Services..... by Casa Meade

Some of this week's efforts have been directed at purchasing a new bed.  Should be pretty easy (one would think) however we disobeyed the "buy it when you see it"  rule for shopping in Mexico.  We wanted to put a king-size bed in the main bedroom, which we have not been using up until now.  We had shopped around for prices but were not able to make a purchase until we had selected a headboard as we needed to know whether or not we required the box springs as well as a mattress or just a mattress.  Once the headboard was purchased, we headed off to Sam's Club and even got as far as the checkout when we were advised that the box springs that were included in the price were nowhere to be found in the store.  The next alternative was Costco, which meant a trip into Cancun.  Their prices were actually better and they had lots in stock but they wanted 1,600 pesos for delivery, which then made the purchase more expensive.  We were going to bring the items home from Sam's ourselves because it is not too far away so I managed to talk Malcolm into loading the box springs inside the Durango and the mattress on top of the roof rack and driving all the way back from Cancun as part of Plan B.  As you can see from the pictures, we did make it back safely, however I was a little concerned with some rather large rain clouds that were chasing us down the highway and which appeared to be going a little bit faster than our 70-80km/h although they did not catch up with us.  Carmelino was on his way out of PA when he saw us drive in and he kindly turned around and came back to help get everything up to our condo.  Another stressful day in semi-retirement!...

I know it's not exactly classy but..... it beats 1,600 MXN delivery charge!



Power Outage

We were chatting with David & Milka on Skype around 5.30pm last night when our internet connection was lost due to a power outage.  This was our third power outage on this visit; apparently power cuts were very common in the area 4 or 5 years ago and have steadily improved since then.  Our biggest concern during these periods is keeping the fridge as cool as possible because of the insulin for Pebbles.  Daylight was just disappearing so out came the candles and flashlights and we settled into the balcony with beer and rum for the evening.  Shortly after going to bed the power was restored!

Stormy Weather Subsides

With the stormy weather still persistent, we dropped Dad at the airport on Thursday and headed into Cancun for some items that we needed to buy in Costco and Home Depot.  We had a couple of huge thunderstorms come through the area on Friday afternoon and evening.  This was the first time that we had experienced thunder, lightning and heavy rain all at once here; usually it either rains or we see lightning in the distance but this was truly overhead.  Malcolm was on another arm of the marina and was absolutely drenched by the time he cycled home.

Today the weather took a change for the better; it was cooler (20C at 5 a.m. as opposed to 25C) and the humidity levels had dropped considerably.  The ocean was very calm so we decided to take advantage of the conditions and head out in the boat for the morning.  We headed further north along the coast than we had done previously ending in Playacar, the hotel zone at the south end of Playa del Carmen.  We recognized some of the hotels that we had stayed in in the past and it was clear from the number of wave runners and parasailing boats out in the water that the calmer weather was a welcome relief to lots of holiday makers.  We called into Inah for a swim before heading home. 

Xcaret

Malcolm's new best friend??

Playa del Carmen

The last couple of days have been stormy and windy so yesterday we decided to go into Playa and do the tourist walk around (as opposed to just hitting the shops that we need and coming home again).  Dad was surprised at the number of shops and eating establishments and the number of people essentially doing the same as us as we walked Quinta Avenida.

The town has a good mixture of old/traditional vs. new/modern buildings and we always seem to see something different each time we go.  We got lucky in our choice of restaurants for lunch when we chose a quaint traditional but small and unassuming establishment.  The food was excellent, everything was exceptionally clean and the 'daily specials' that included a beer each were really good deals for 89 pesos (~$7). 

 

Back to Akumal

Today we decided to go back to Akumal so that Dad could spend some time there.  We had a really lazy day watching other people, walking along the beach and hanging out at the restaurant for lunch.  The clouds rolled in shortly before we left and later this evening while we were out shopping it rained so hard that the local Chedraui mall started to flood by the doors.  There was a young guy trying to push the water back outside with a large squeegee but needless to say he was fighting a losing battle for a while.

Question: What's Cheaper Than Going to the Movies in Mexico?

Answer: going to the movies on a Wednesday night...

Last night we were back at the movies to watch Persecucion Mortal (Blitz) a good ol' British movie with absolutely no violence in it whatsoever (yeh, right).  Wednesdays at Cinepolis movie theatres are the equivalent of cheap Tuesdays in Canada, only much cheaper, and we paid just 25 pesos (~$2) per person (any movie currently showing).  Looks like Wednesday will be the new movie night!

We had been out in the boat during the day.  For some unknown reason Malcolm attracted a few pelicans to the boat; I was just hoping they wouldn't deliver their 'business' in my direction!!

Back on the Bike

Despite a great forecast from the Weather Network last night, today turned out to be a little stormy so we postponed plans to go to the beach for the day.  It has been 6 1/2 weeks since my test crash dummy impression (yes, I admit I'm the dummy - refer to blog dated December 9) so I thought maybe it was time to get back out on the bici.  Dad and I rode over to Chedraui, the supermarket across the highway to pick up a couple of items.  We made it there and back without incident (although it still hurts a little) however it poured really hard with rain shortly after we got back - great timing!!

It actually turned out to be a good thing that we had not gone out for the day; our friends Bob & Carol were on their way to the airport this afternoon to pick up a friend who is visiting when their vehicle broke down.  Malcolm went off to the rescue, picking them up from their vehicle and taking them on to the airport and getting their vehicle back to their condo later in the day.  We have offered them the use of our vehicle tomorrow so that they can go into Playa or Cancun to buy the part that is required.

Friday Night at the Movies (with a twist)

We went to see La Chica del Dragon Tatuado (the girl with the dragon tattoo) on Friday night.  The movie theatre was very busy, which was surprising as previous visits have always been very quiet but I guess Fridays must be a popular movie night.  As you may recall if you read my February blog, the movies are shown in English with Spanish subtitles but the adverts/trailers before the movie are in Spanish.  So there we were almost through the adverts/trailers when words started appearing on the screen and an old 60s  background song was playing.  "Looks like a homemade movie" I thought to myself... and sure enough it was a homemade MARRIAGE PROPOSAL!  I clued in as the final page of words were coming up and I understood enough to translate "will you be my wife".  Malcolm and dad were none the wiser even after the lights came up, the movie theatre attendant produced the ring for the guy that was going to propose and the whole theatre applauded when the lady said yes!  Not exactly a romantic movie but the effort put into the gesture was cute:)

Xpu-Ha

Although it is one of the closest beaches to Puerto Aventuras, we had not visited Xpu-Ha until today.  Approximately 5kms south of PA, we were pleasantly greeted by a long bay with white sand, palm trees and calm, turquoise waters.  There is a small restaurant equipped with sun loungers, hammocks and tables & chairs and we settled in for the day.  The water was warm and both the beach and water exceptionally clean.  It was also nice to walk the entire stretch of the bay.  A place that we will definitely be returning to... 

I've found the advert.... now where's my Corona?



Question: What to do on a Rainy Day?

Answer: take the kitchen cabinets off the wall and put them back up again (what else?)...

My dad arrived for a visit on Thursday evening after a long flight from the UK that included a stopover in Atlanta.  We were finally back here at 9pm but almost a 20-hour travel day for him.  Yesterday we went into Playa so he could buy some shorts, t-shirts, swimmers and sandals as he had had little choice in January in England (and had not really thought about it either).  We walked around the marina in the afternoon so that he could become acquainted with the area.

Just as we were heading off to bed last night we heard an almighty crash.  Malcolm was convinced it was next door's kitchen cabinets that had fallen off the wall and sure enough, he was absolutely right once he knocked on their door to find out if everything was okay.  We had already purchased some brackets with a view to reinforcing our cabinets because Malcolm had become concerned as to the strength of the fixings, so it was no surprise to him to hear the crashing sound.  So as not to tempt fate, we emptied our cabinets before we went to bed!

It rained really hard for about an hour early this morning but then appeared to be clearing out however the rain returned early this afternoon. Dad and Malcolm set about taking the cabinets down, adding brackets and using heavy duty screws to put them back up again.  We are all feeling much better knowing that we are unlikely to have them come tumbling back down although I don't know what progress they are making next door.  Maybe I could hire them out as cabinet guys?...



Inah

Today was very calm so we decided to have a day out in the boat.  We went back to the snorkeling area that we have visited a few times before, which I found on a map to be called Inah.  Just as we were heading in to shore, we came across a seagull just sitting in the water.  Deciding that it was likely in distress, Malcolm fished it out of the water and let it take some time to catch its breath in the boat.  Unfortunately, it eventually passed away and we took it to shore rather than leaving it in the sea :(

The ocean was very warm and we spent lots of time swimming and Malcolm went snorkeling too.  There were a couple of snorkel trip/boat tours in the bay when we arrived but within a short space of time we had the whole area to ourselves.

Honestly.... the water's warm once you get used to it!

Mexican chicken??

Mexican Haircut

Six weeks after having my last haircut, enough was finally enough today and I called into the hairdressers on my way back from the supermarket.  I managed to ask for an appointment en espanol and was able to go back later for my first corte de pelo.  It was rather interesting trying to explain what I wanted (even though I don't have much to deal with in the first place!) but we got there in the end.  I think she was a bit concerned about how short I asked for it to be cut but I did explain that she was looking at six weeks' growth.  The hairdresser did a pretty good job at tidying it up (for 120 pesos - what a bargain) and I think she was a little relieved that I left the shop still smiling!!

Akumal

Yesterday was David & Milka's last full day here; David completed two dives in the morning and then we headed out to Akumal in the afternoon.  Akumal is a sheltered bay about 14kms south of PA and we found very calm waters which were perfect for snorkeling.  Akumal means "place of the turtles" and both David and Malcolm saw some turtles as they snorkled around the reef that is just offshore.  David shot this short video...

Captain Nemo???