Playa del Carmen ….. the final few weeks & with day trips to the Tulum ruins, Cozumel & Puerto Morelos

With our son Steve’s delayed departure (West Jet canceled his flight) we were glad to have his company for another night, but now we are left to our own devices.

The condo has worked out very well albeit not without a hiccup or two (excluding the check-in gong show). After several days we couldn’t turn on the TV…now we are not tech wizards but turning on the TV is well within our grasp…messaged Ricardo on WhatsApp and he came and turned on the TV …REALLY!!!. However, Annie has the presence of mind to ask him to turn it off and on again…Hah, we are vindicated as he fails miserably! He agrees to call the owner and tell him it is dead….we remind him we must have a functioning TV to watch football. We had brought an HMDI cable and borrowed Steve’s password for DAZN (works like a damn btw). To make a long story shorter, we have a new TV, so all is good. Not so much with the jetted cold tub…it does not work and after a service guy declares the pump to also be dead, we negotiate a satisfactory settlement of 200USD with the owner to compensate us for our “grief”…not a major issue as the pool is great and there is a jacuzzi there as well…it was nice to have these issues resolved amicably!

One annoying feature that you would never think of (not mentioned in any AIRBNB comments btw) are the “aqua potable” trucks that come every day on our street to fill up the commercial establishment’s cisterns with freshwater >>> they run thick hoses from the truck to the resto and then turn on gas engines which pump the water out… effective, but extremely noisy and annoying, particularly for the patrons of the local restos/bars or us when on our patio trying to read on the terrace …and this goes on for several hours…surely there is better technology.

The location is great and the Calle 38 is probably the nicest street in Playa ….it also has some very sweet restos ranging from Yucatanean to Lebanese to Vietnamese/Jamaican (a rather strange mix) and everything in between, while some of the bars play loud music it is not the bass thumping stuff that is so popular here and they also shut down around 23:00. Important as our bedroom faces the street.

January 3rd

First on the list is a visit to the Tulum ruins ….to provide the reader with some context, Tulum is the site of a Mayan walled city (protected by walls up to 16 feet high and 26 feet thick) on three sides and cliffs on the ocean side built and inhabited by the Maya. It achieved its greatest prominence between the 13th and 15th centuries as a major port and trading center with salt and textiles brought by sea and then distributed inland with feathers and copper the main goods exported via the sea routes. Mayans continued to occupy Tulum for about 70 years after the Spanish began the occupation of Mexico, but the city was abandoned by the end of the 16th century. The first detailed description of the ruins was published by John Lloyd Stephens and Fredrick Catherwood in 1843 in the book Incidents of Travel in Yucatan…

Below is a picture of a lithograph by Fredrick Catherwood in 1844 and an aerial view (not my pic)  of the site as it looks today…

Following our now normal routine we left relatively early catching the 8:30 ADO bus from the Playa del Carmen Alterna bus station and arriving at the entrance road to the Tulum Ruins site about 45 minutes later. As we walked to the ticket booth it became apparent that this was going to be a different experience from that of the other ruins we visited. Lots of buses, vans, and cars equals lots of people  … the ticketing is also rather cumbersome as you need to line up twice in 2 different places …it clearly favours organized tours that simply whistle through as tickets have been pre-purchased. In any event, by 10:00 we are through one of the gates in the wall and the visit begins.

It is a fair-sized site with well-delineated paths providing access to the various structures which are cordoned off to prevent ignorant tourists from scrambling over the ruins and otherwise disrespecting this heritage (e.g. carving one’s initials in the walls of the Colosseum in Rome and then claiming not to have realized its historical importance)…

Temple of the Descending God

Temple of the Wind

 

 

As you get closer to the ocean, the centrepiece of the site, the Pyramid El Castillo, comes into view at the edge of the cliffs overlooking the ocean …

….what an awesome sight this must have been for those arriving by sea. The view of  El Castillo from the beach is quite spectacular according to our daughter, however, when we were there the staircase leading to the beach was closed, and, the beach was a no-go zone….we never found out whether this was permanent or temporary ….timing is everything!!!

Walking along the escarpment provided beautiful views towards the north and south with hordes of boats posted up in front of the Tulum beaches …

We had brought some frozen Gatorade which thawed nicely and provided some added energy as the sun beat down and signalled that it was time to retreat. Although we were a bit dismayed by the sheer volume of visitors,  if you take your time and let the tour groups pass, you can enjoy the site in relative solitude for brief periods and get some photos without too many bodies in the way. The site is undergoing upgrades: access road, paths, signage etc. which will make a more appealing entry. With over 2 million visitors per annum, these will be welcome and necessary upgrades.

As we exited the gate and walked down the road to the bus stop the line to the entrance had increased significantly, not our idea of fun. As we passed a collectivo stand we were told the buses back to Playa do not stop at the ruins until after 13:00, so we went for the collectivo (a bit of a wait to get sufficient passengers) but at least it was in the comfort of air-conditioned seats as opposed to standing beside the highway !!

 

January 5th

One area we had wanted to see was Playacar, in particular the beach. Unfortunately, there is restricted access to this area. However if you tell the security guard you are going to look at ruins he will let you in…not sure if it works all the time, but it did for us. Playacar itself is a development of higher-end villas, some all-inclusive resorts and a golf course with the key point being the beaches. As mentioned before while beaches are public, access is not ….so they are doing their level best to keep non-residents out and off  the beaches.

The ruins themselves are the remnants of a small village called Xaman Ha which back in the day was a trading and fishing community being part of the historical Mayan trade route. Eventually, the town was abandoned around 1526 due to the arrival of Spanish conquistadors.

The area around the ruins is very nicely maintained and allowed us to access what are quite lovely beaches…

January 7th

Although we were not planning any excursions on Cozumel we wanted to visit the island and get a sense of it…we decided to go over on a Sunday as there are generally very few cruise ships in port. On most days there are 5 or 6 ships in port which translates to approximately 25,000 passengers being let loose on the island (some also cross over to Playa for the day). No wonder when we got there there was a cavalcade of taxis hanging around. There are two ferry companies (same price) which operate every hour on the hour each carrier on an alternating schedule (1400 MXN (110CAD)) locals get a special rate.

In any event, a nice cruise on a beautiful day:

upon landing we wandered about town …

 

….and then headed for lunch at the Lobster Shack > arghh closed on Sundays, we had it on good authority that the lobster rolls were, “to die for” so instead settled for lunch at the Loncheria Don Molis near the Mercado Municipal > not an exciting meal but very local and tasty…

Then meandered on back to the ferry checking out some cool murals …

 

… as soon as we left the dock the wind picked up with a downpour soon developing. It forced us below decks where we were entertained by some buskers… however, by the time we landed in Playa, the sun was out in full force…

 

Walking back from the ferry terminal on La Quinta or 5th Avenue we had a few thoughts….hmmm what can you say repetitive souvenir stores, tour vendors by the dozens, classy restos, higher-end boutiques, tequila “tasting” shops, clubs well you name it, it is here. It all seems to kind of work in a weird sort of way, during the day and evening. Being elderberries we did not patrol the street in the later evening however there is a large police presence and we did see some folks being picked up…we did not see, or smell any dope or witness any overt sex overtures. In any event, my favourite line from a hawker seeking our business was: ” Hey Mister Moustache, remember me I was your waiter last night…”  A few pics below to give the reader a bit of a sense of this street including one eatery catering to our family and friends in Quebec….

January 11th

We quite enjoyed walking in the morning from Coco Beach north when it was warm but not yet baking… 

On windy days the beach was a home away from home for kite surfers… I spoke to one of the guys (happens he was from B.C.) and he told me a 3-day course would get a person on the water, this is one sport I would have liked to have taken up years ago…

 

January 12th

One of the towns we had considered staying at was Puerto Morelos which is xxx kilometres north of Playa. On a whim, we decided to visit the town to see whether it would be a candidate for a future beach escape. A beautiful morning as we took an ADO bus which dropped us on the XXX highway. The beachside Puerto Morelos townsite is about a 50-minute walk …no way, we had learned our lesson…so cab to the beach (50 MXN (4CAD).  On the beach the wind was fierce and we spent some time watching the surf piling up at the reef which is a few hundred meters from shore along with the pelicans, seagulls and frigate birds soaring and diving into the water as seemed to be a lot of bait pushed up against the shore…

 

We walked around the town which has the look and feel of an “old school” beach town in the good sense of the word. A fair number of restos, taquerias and the like and a brand new Selecto Chedraui which even boasted a small sushi train!!

Lots of Canadians here and we spoke to a couple who have been coming for several and enjoying it ….hmm, food for thought. We were a bit early for lunch so settled for a nice breakfast at Mangato…

A  last look at the beach after which we reversed course and ended up taking a taxi/collectivo/walk combo back to our condo….all in all, a pleasant day.

 

We have contemplated going to Coba the site of some impressive ruins in a jungle setting but it is an over 4-hour return trip and we decided to pass on this idea and simply enjoy the last few days on the beach and revisiting some of our favourite eateries. Tonite we head out to Traitoria el Centro a nice Italian place and enjoy a very tasty pizza hoping also to have a tiramisu for dessert. However, I feel stuffed (highly unusual) and feel very uncomfortable on the 20-minute walk back to the condo. From there on it all went downhill in a hurry …I HAVE NOT FELT SO TERRIBLE IN AT LEAST A DECADE, suffice to say that in the next 8 hours, I made so many trips to the toilet that I considered simply bunking down there…who knew there was so much liquid stuff in a human body. The next day I felt better but tired and drained (literally). The next day Annie got sick again, not dramatically but it left her with zero appetite and no desire to head to any restos or bars.  So a somewhat ignominious end to the trip!!!

On the other hand, thank god this did not happen on our way home. Our flight was at 21:00 and check-out was at 12:00, luckily when we told Ricardo when our flight was leaving he suggested we stay in the condo as long as we wanted, as no one was coming that day and the cleaners were not coming till the day following ……YES!!!! 

Later that afternoon feeling in good shape we taxi to ADO Turistica, and take a bus to the Cancun Aeropuerto (480 MXN (38 CAD)) for us both and quite efficient. West Jet is a bit delayed but no big deal. Other than for a rather portly fellow infringing on my seat space (got settled by an elbow firmly placed on the seat rest and my thigh delineating my space which resulted in no further incursions)! We arrived without incident in Vancouver at 01:30, all luggage accounted for and a friendly UBER deposited us at Ella’s (our daughter) where she and Trevor (her husband) kindly left a bottle of tequila and some shot glasses…suffice to say we did not need a nightcap!

The next morning tired but happy to be home we stocked up on groceries ferried over to the Sunshine Coast and home……just in time to avoid a snowstorm which arrived that night and left us with a true northern welcome…

 

 

Well guys, we hope you enjoyed travelling with us….thanks for your comments, likes etc. As Publilius Syrus, stated in his Sententiae, “People who are always moving, with no roots in one place or another, avoid responsibilities and cares”, or, in the vernacular,  “a  rolling stone gathers no moss “, our airplane tickets are already booked and we will be busy finalizing the itinerary for the next trip ….see you when we land !!