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???

Xcacel

This afternoon we visited Xcacel, a beach area about 20kms south of PA.  An environmental group runs a turtle sanctuary there and in the summer months they wait for female sea turtles to crawl out of the sea and lay their eggs in the sand.  No such luck today; David went snorkeling but did not see too much to get excited about. 

As you can see from the clouds, the weather has not yet cleared but it is warmer.

Malcolm wasted no time getting in a snooze....



Cold Front Arrives in Paradise

This week has been absolute turmoil; a cold front arrived on Tuesday and then to add insult to injury, we lost the decent internet connection that we were using!!

Temperatures plummeted to 14C on Tuesday night/early Wednesday morning.  It doesn't sound all that bad but it really does feel cold.  I wore a fleece jacket when we went out for supper on Tuesday evening and then had to dig out a blanket for the bed.  It has steadily improved since then but we have been shutting the patio doors by around 7 or 8pm each evening (they usually stay open throughout the night) and I have even had to close the windows in our bedroom each night.

Despite the colder weather, yesterday was very calm so we took the boat out along the coast.  Milka joined us this time so we showed her some of the wonderful houses on the other side of the marina - you get a great view of their back yards from the water.

Our internet problems have finally been solved following the installation of an antenna that picks up a radio frequency from a local internet provider.  It has been installed upstairs on the roof and we have added a wireless router.  Everything is working great, including the magicJack phone system, and I can blog again including uploading photos (yahoo!!).

Roof Area Complete

Today has been cloudy so we headed into Playa for a few items including some plants for our roof area.  The decking where the jacuzzi tub was located has been repaired, we have had some privacy fencing installed and the plants were the last pieces on our list.  They were very reasonably priced at 100 pesos each (~$8).

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Yesterday we headed out to Paamul - a beach community just a few kms north of us.  For those of you who remember our February blog, this is the place where most of the accommodation consists of RVs with palapas built over them to provide additional living space.  A large portion of the 'locals' appear to be North American and for those coming down for the winter, appear to tow their RV for the period that they will be here, leaving just the palapa structure when they leave.

We had lunch at the local restaurant and then hung out on the beach for the afternoon.  The sea is quite warm and it was relatively quiet so there was lots of time for a relaxing swim.  David checked out the local reef with Malcolm's snorkel gear and gave it the thumbs up.

Numerous iguanas hang out on the boat ramp & you can just about see an RV in the background with a palapa over the top.

 

For New Year's Eve we headed into Playa del Carmen for dinner, then hit the cinema to watch the latest Mission Impossible movie and back to Quinta Avenida to our favorite coffee shop ah cacao.  We had already been warned that New Year's Eve is a low key affair here; there were lots of people eating at restaurants well after midnight with tables spilling out further onto the sidewalk than usual.  We found other locals on the beach with coolers of champagne and other drinks, just sitting in groups chatting or taking in the music from the beachfront hotels and condo complexes.  There were a few fireworks at midnight but nothing of any great extent and we got home around 1.30am.

Have you noticed how our photos always seem to involve food?