Armchairshrink
24th July 2007, 04:14 PM
http://lh4.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLe31J2AyI/AAAAAAAAAQU/LrQ7ErYXYXM/s800/Mexico07%20024.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
We woke up early in Valldolid, I think this was night 3 of 5-6 hours of sleep - we are becoming zombies! We stumble to the restuarant for coffee (bad - no surprise!) and breakfast. Luckily our service was 100% better than it was the night before, and the food (we both had eggs with the regional sausage) was delicious and cheap.
Chris, who had come to Mexico with only cheap flipflops and sneakers had wanted to buy some nice leather sandals. We inquired around and found a leatherworker's shop right near the zocalo. After trying on every pair in the store, he finally settled on a handsome, simple pair. We went to the artisan's market to find some gifts for family and friends, but didn't find too much. Chris bought a guyabara shirt for his brother, and we found a hammock (after deciding we didn't really want to take the time to go by the prison).
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLe3lJ2AxI/AAAAAAAAAQM/bdhwaR-iLZ4/s800/Mexico07%20015.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/armchairshrink/Mexico/photo#5089875575329653522)
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLe0lJ2AtI/AAAAAAAAAPs/zfHKcbeRPOY/s800/Mexico07%20036.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
At this point it was around 10:00 or so and we had to figure out if we were going to visit Ek-Balam or not. I really wanted to, but I knew I'd been pushing Chris a little harder than he expected (he wanted more chill-out, do-nothing time) plus he had the ear thing, and his rhumatoid arthritis had been acting up due to the humidity and he was STILL being a good sport, so I let him decide, knowing that I was going to insist on stopping at the cenote in Dzitnup as well. He decided....next time. On to the cenote!
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLeylJ2AqI/AAAAAAAAAPU/wxuMa2FjmEs/s800/Mexico07%20072.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
http://lh6.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLezVJ2ArI/AAAAAAAAAPc/8E5lmbV9B1Y/s800/Mexico07%20076.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
I'd heard the kids were tough buggers there, but I was not expecting them to be quite so aggressive. (Unlike most of my fellow Californians, I have never been to Tijuana or any of the tourist towns on the west coast, where this kind of behavior is more common). We gave one some pesos for watching our car, gave another a few pesos for a post card, at which point we were out of change but those kids wouldn't give up! I actually had to push the car door open against the cries of "amiga, amiga!!" because they didn't want to let me out unless I gave them more money. Chris cheerfully offered to run them down if I had problems getting out.
Once the kids realized we really were NOT going to give them any money, they did back off though. I was disapopinted to see two tourist buses here, and we had to wait in line for a while to get into the cave, but everyone on the buses left after getting a few photos, and shortly thereafter we were left with two other young couples and nobody else. Time to swim!!
I'd NEVER felt water so deliciously cool. And swimming under the shaft of light was truly magical. I even got Chris to get in a little bit (he thinks any water colder than the Tulum ocean water is "too cold") although he had to be careful because of his ear and couldn't go diving down like I could. I had a hard time leaving that water.
Back on the road we decided to skip the toll road for Cancun mostly because we didn't have any cash left on us. Looking at the map it looked like it might be a lot closer to go back on the Coba-Tulum road then north on 307 to Playa Del Carmen as opposed to taking the old highway back to Cancun then south. So that's what we did. A long, uneventful drive. I was sad we didn't really have time to stop at any of the cenotes near Tulum but we had to eat, check in to our hotel in Playa, and return our car before 5pm so I knew we'd be cutting it close. Everything seems to take longer in Mexico.
We did stop for lunch at Casa Cenote in Tankah:
http://lh5.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLhEFJ2A0I/AAAAAAAAAQk/euv6-2CW8S8/s800/Mexico07%20155.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLhFlJ2A3I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/cF9o2vSB0Z4/s800/Mexico07%20163.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
I was awfully tempted to get in the water here - or in the Manatee cenote - too but again, lack of time. The water was coooool here, it must be from the cenote offshore. I'd visited this place on my trip in 2004, seemed a lot less remote this time than it did before. The topes on the road from 307 were killer on our rental car.
I don't know if I'd go back to Casa Cenote for the food, though. One of the few meals in Mexico I was genuinely unhappy with. I got fish tacos which were really bland, with no salsa or lime offered and no sauce to speak of, and they were pricey too. Chris liked his hamburger okay. I remember the food here being much better before, and cheaper too. "I remember when" would become the theme for the rest of the trip anyway!
Back on the road to Playa, with Chris doing the drive from Tankah to Playa, first time he drove in days, and of course driving into Playa is absolutely maddening. I knew where our hotel was but we missed it the first few times and Chris was certain we were going to wreck the car hours before we had to turn it in. We made it in okay, parked illegally, and checked into the Luna Blue. Toni and Cheri had given us a free upgrade to a superior room, which was awesome - free drinking water and our own private balcony! Plus AC and beds that weren't as hard as a rock! Soft sheets! Hot water shower! We didn't have much time to enjoy those luxuries before we had to get the car back. Predictably, we'd lost the contract, which had the directions to the Playa office. We finally found it, and were promptly told that no, we had not rented from buster, even though I had a credit card reciept saying "Buster" at the top of it, and all the other documents except the contract. When we first got the car I thought Chris was going to be violent - now I was going to be. JUST LET US GET RID OF THE DAMN CAR. Finally they did, after trying to charge us for an extra day because we returned it at 5 instead of 4 (at the main office they told us to return it at 5...) We refused to give in and they let that go, too, but not before making me walk down Calle 10 with the large green inflatable raft I'd left in the trunk hoping they'd not notice it and dispose of it for us.
Still, a burden was lifted off our shoulders. Chris went back to the room to relax while I went down to the beach at sunset to take a quick dip. The beach clubs had shut down and only locals were out enjoying the water with their families, which was nice. We had really enjoyed our trip inland but we were both exhausted, just bone-tired. We went to grab dinner at Yax-che on 5th, where we were amazed by how cheap the prices are. I bemoaned what had happened to Playa, we stuffed ourselves silly (I got the sampler/appetizer plate which had just about everything on it, and chris got the pavo negro and we also got some panuchos on the side) for $450 pesos including drinks, tip, tax, etc. We grabbed a quick but uninspiring drink back on the Italian section of town at Wana Bana and went back to our hotel and passed OUT.
We woke up early in Valldolid, I think this was night 3 of 5-6 hours of sleep - we are becoming zombies! We stumble to the restuarant for coffee (bad - no surprise!) and breakfast. Luckily our service was 100% better than it was the night before, and the food (we both had eggs with the regional sausage) was delicious and cheap.
Chris, who had come to Mexico with only cheap flipflops and sneakers had wanted to buy some nice leather sandals. We inquired around and found a leatherworker's shop right near the zocalo. After trying on every pair in the store, he finally settled on a handsome, simple pair. We went to the artisan's market to find some gifts for family and friends, but didn't find too much. Chris bought a guyabara shirt for his brother, and we found a hammock (after deciding we didn't really want to take the time to go by the prison).
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLe3lJ2AxI/AAAAAAAAAQM/bdhwaR-iLZ4/s800/Mexico07%20015.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/armchairshrink/Mexico/photo#5089875575329653522)
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLe0lJ2AtI/AAAAAAAAAPs/zfHKcbeRPOY/s800/Mexico07%20036.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
At this point it was around 10:00 or so and we had to figure out if we were going to visit Ek-Balam or not. I really wanted to, but I knew I'd been pushing Chris a little harder than he expected (he wanted more chill-out, do-nothing time) plus he had the ear thing, and his rhumatoid arthritis had been acting up due to the humidity and he was STILL being a good sport, so I let him decide, knowing that I was going to insist on stopping at the cenote in Dzitnup as well. He decided....next time. On to the cenote!
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLeylJ2AqI/AAAAAAAAAPU/wxuMa2FjmEs/s800/Mexico07%20072.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
http://lh6.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLezVJ2ArI/AAAAAAAAAPc/8E5lmbV9B1Y/s800/Mexico07%20076.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
I'd heard the kids were tough buggers there, but I was not expecting them to be quite so aggressive. (Unlike most of my fellow Californians, I have never been to Tijuana or any of the tourist towns on the west coast, where this kind of behavior is more common). We gave one some pesos for watching our car, gave another a few pesos for a post card, at which point we were out of change but those kids wouldn't give up! I actually had to push the car door open against the cries of "amiga, amiga!!" because they didn't want to let me out unless I gave them more money. Chris cheerfully offered to run them down if I had problems getting out.
Once the kids realized we really were NOT going to give them any money, they did back off though. I was disapopinted to see two tourist buses here, and we had to wait in line for a while to get into the cave, but everyone on the buses left after getting a few photos, and shortly thereafter we were left with two other young couples and nobody else. Time to swim!!
I'd NEVER felt water so deliciously cool. And swimming under the shaft of light was truly magical. I even got Chris to get in a little bit (he thinks any water colder than the Tulum ocean water is "too cold") although he had to be careful because of his ear and couldn't go diving down like I could. I had a hard time leaving that water.
Back on the road we decided to skip the toll road for Cancun mostly because we didn't have any cash left on us. Looking at the map it looked like it might be a lot closer to go back on the Coba-Tulum road then north on 307 to Playa Del Carmen as opposed to taking the old highway back to Cancun then south. So that's what we did. A long, uneventful drive. I was sad we didn't really have time to stop at any of the cenotes near Tulum but we had to eat, check in to our hotel in Playa, and return our car before 5pm so I knew we'd be cutting it close. Everything seems to take longer in Mexico.
We did stop for lunch at Casa Cenote in Tankah:
http://lh5.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLhEFJ2A0I/AAAAAAAAAQk/euv6-2CW8S8/s800/Mexico07%20155.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
http://lh3.google.com/armchairshrink/RqLhFlJ2A3I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/cF9o2vSB0Z4/s800/Mexico07%20163.jpg (http://www.tulum.info/%3Ca%20href=)
I was awfully tempted to get in the water here - or in the Manatee cenote - too but again, lack of time. The water was coooool here, it must be from the cenote offshore. I'd visited this place on my trip in 2004, seemed a lot less remote this time than it did before. The topes on the road from 307 were killer on our rental car.
I don't know if I'd go back to Casa Cenote for the food, though. One of the few meals in Mexico I was genuinely unhappy with. I got fish tacos which were really bland, with no salsa or lime offered and no sauce to speak of, and they were pricey too. Chris liked his hamburger okay. I remember the food here being much better before, and cheaper too. "I remember when" would become the theme for the rest of the trip anyway!
Back on the road to Playa, with Chris doing the drive from Tankah to Playa, first time he drove in days, and of course driving into Playa is absolutely maddening. I knew where our hotel was but we missed it the first few times and Chris was certain we were going to wreck the car hours before we had to turn it in. We made it in okay, parked illegally, and checked into the Luna Blue. Toni and Cheri had given us a free upgrade to a superior room, which was awesome - free drinking water and our own private balcony! Plus AC and beds that weren't as hard as a rock! Soft sheets! Hot water shower! We didn't have much time to enjoy those luxuries before we had to get the car back. Predictably, we'd lost the contract, which had the directions to the Playa office. We finally found it, and were promptly told that no, we had not rented from buster, even though I had a credit card reciept saying "Buster" at the top of it, and all the other documents except the contract. When we first got the car I thought Chris was going to be violent - now I was going to be. JUST LET US GET RID OF THE DAMN CAR. Finally they did, after trying to charge us for an extra day because we returned it at 5 instead of 4 (at the main office they told us to return it at 5...) We refused to give in and they let that go, too, but not before making me walk down Calle 10 with the large green inflatable raft I'd left in the trunk hoping they'd not notice it and dispose of it for us.
Still, a burden was lifted off our shoulders. Chris went back to the room to relax while I went down to the beach at sunset to take a quick dip. The beach clubs had shut down and only locals were out enjoying the water with their families, which was nice. We had really enjoyed our trip inland but we were both exhausted, just bone-tired. We went to grab dinner at Yax-che on 5th, where we were amazed by how cheap the prices are. I bemoaned what had happened to Playa, we stuffed ourselves silly (I got the sampler/appetizer plate which had just about everything on it, and chris got the pavo negro and we also got some panuchos on the side) for $450 pesos including drinks, tip, tax, etc. We grabbed a quick but uninspiring drink back on the Italian section of town at Wana Bana and went back to our hotel and passed OUT.