Monday, December 27
What a perfect day! We got up early and made our way to Laguna Tours Muyil, hoping to book a boat trip through the Sian Ka’an Preserve. We arrived about 7:45AM, but they didn’t open until 8AM, so there was a rope blocking the driveway. After a little bit, a guy with an official-looking shirt came over, said Buenos Dias, and asked what we were looking for. We told him the Laguan Tours and luckily, he pulled out a brochure to show us what the tour entailed. he told us it was a 2-hour tour and cost $1,000 pesos per person. We agreed, paid him, and he told us to follow him on his bike to the parking lot. We did – which was a little sketchy as he was riding his bike on the side of the highway while we were following slowly behind him. Luckily traffic cleared enough for him cross it in time! We parked then wandered to the dock at the lagoon. Beautiful!
Our guide’s name was Felix, and he took us across the lagoon, through the canals lined with trees, to the floating canal. Along the way we saw a turtle in the water, and a crane searching for breakfast. We got out of the boat, put on our life jackets like a diaper, and jumped into the water. The current was surprisingly quick, so we got to float about 1km (about 40 minutes) through this beautiful area. Then we got out and walked on the dock back to the boat. Felix, who later refused a tip, then drove us back to the main dock. It was a great way to start the day.
We were back at the car about 10:30AM, and headed up to Caleta Tankha, a beach club we happened upon yesterday. It was $300 pesos per person, but after what we saw yesterday in Tulu, totally worth it! What we didn’t realize was the $300 included beach recliners and an umbrella. For the next five hours we just moved from the chairs to the ocean to play in the waves and back. At about 1PM we ordered tacos and margarita. On our way out, we stopped by the two cenotes up from the beach to check them out. Once you could swim in, but it was too crowded. Back to the car and hotel we went.
* If I were to come back here, I’d pay for a hotel on the beach. I didn’t realize you’d have to pay to use the beach, anyway, so why not make it more convenient.
** One of the great people-watching events was a lady wearing a plant-hanger dress and doing handstands on the beach. We first noticed her because she spent a lot of time talking selfies, so maybe the handstands where part of the show (in her head)? She did them constantly for about 1/2 hour and would fall into the sand when she didn’t land them, so her back was covered in sand. People are amusing.
We went to the restaurant next to our hotel for dinner, and again – what a fantastic meal! We ordered the first salad on this trip and shared the grilled shrimp dinner. The shrimp came with mashed potatoes, grilled peppers, zucchini, and eggplant. And the hot sauces they provided to top it all had the perfect kick.
Tuesday, December 28
We slept in a bit then happily packed up to leave dumpy little Palma Real. We headed north to Playa del Carmen, getting there about 11AM. We couldn’t check in until 3PM, so we luckily found a spot where the beaches were freely accessible. We paid $20 pesos for 2-hours of parking, then went and sat in the sand. We ate breakfast, read a bit, and watched the world go by.
We left about 1PM to get out of the sun and found a little sidewalk cafe for lunch. We had delicious, toasted burritos with a side-salad. Then we headed to the grocery store to stock-up for our last two days. I checked again, and we should have a fridge at the next hotel. Woo hoo!
We check in to El Mexicano estudios equipados about 3PM, and with the help of cell phone translation app, we get the codes to get into the room, the front gate, and the wifi. We get settled in the room, and there are two bath towels! Then we got online to figure out Covid testing tomorrow in preparation for the trip back home on Thursday. I found a place five minutes away that’ll do it for $350 pesos. The rest of the evening was spent on the lovely top floor deck reading and drinking in the shade.
Wednesday, December 29
We planned on boarding the ferry to Cozumel today, as we had to check it out based on rave reviews from my Aunt and Uncle. We started looking at ferry times, and where to park, and parking costs, and when to come back so we could get the Covid test. We decided after all that discussion that just walking down the street to the beach and renting chairs and an umbrella sounded more relaxing. Besides, we’ll be traveling all day tomorrow. Looking back, we should have left Tululm early and done the ferry trip yesterday. Live and learn.
Around 9AM we headed down to the beach and found ourselves a spot for $500 pesos for the day. It was a bit windy, which made a little sand blow in the eyes while we read, but we powered through. The next five hours were spent reading, people-watching, playing in the waves, and enjoying margaritas and tacos. Another perfect day.
I checked last night and found a spot to get our Covid tests for the flights. We’ll head over about 3:15PM, and for $350 each, will have airport approved tests emailed by 6PM. Someone is making bank on this testing requirement. After the test was done, we headed back to the hotel. Then we walked to the Super Aki to find a bottle of tequila to spend our last $220 on. Found it!
Now we’re enjoying our last night in Mexico sitting on the top deck, finishing the last of the margaritas; and feeling pretty fortunate, grateful, and a little tan.
Thursday, December 30
We got up about 7AM and ate some breakfast. Then got packed up and headed back to Cancun. We found the car drop-off spot, met up with the driver, and he dropped us off at the airport. We got in line for our tickets and bag check and discovered the hour we had spent the night before getting all our papers and passport images uploaded to the AirAmerica app was a complete waste of time. AirAmerica’s customer service rep just asked us for all the same info to put into his system. Ridiculous. But we got checked-in and made it through security. Finally got on our flight, and into the air. So long Mexico!
Our first stop was in Dallas/Fort Worth, and we had a two-hour layover before the flight to SeaTac. After the three-hour wait in Cancun’s customs line, we were a little worried if that was enough time. But we got off the plane and made it to customs. No lines! Not only did we not wait, but we didn’t even have to show our passports. They had a camera we stood in front of. They scan your face with your mask down, and off we went.
We were hungry, and I wanted a last margarita, so we found a place with light food and cocktails. You had to pull up the menu online, and while we were waiting for it to come up the waitress asked us if we wanted anything to drink. We both said margarita, so she went to the bar to get them made. We finally got to look at the menu, and each ordered a Caesar salad. We then saw the margaritas were $20 each!! For drinks, salad, and tip, that lunch cost $80!! We’re back in America.
