Home again, yippee.

[beachreader]

Got home last night in the pouring rain, and it's been pouring rain all day today, perfect to match my mood. :( I'm already shocked when I see my face in the mirror, like "how'd you get so tan"? Sigh.

There are three pages of new posts here, so I'm a little scared even to look, but I'll try to start at the bottom and work my way up, just the way I did for three hours this morning going through my work e-mails.

It was a great trip, but I'm up to my ears in preparing for the sales conference that starts tomorrow, so I probably won't even figure out how to upload my pics from the new camera until after I get back from that next week. And then there's all the sorting of the pics and labeling them so I can find them again, and... remind me again why I do this trip reporting thing? :confused::)

It was excellent meeting Gale and Giddy and the Mariposas and the Luvthesuns and Rene and all the other wonderful people who were down there at the same time. It was a more social trip than I've ever had down there before, and it was really great. If only the blasted wind would back off a bit, it would have been a perfect trip. As it was, there was only one day that had very little wind, the day after our one rainstorm (happened conveniently overnight). That sandblasting does make for nice soft skin, though, always a bright side! :rolleyes:

You guys are not going to believe how fast things are changing down there. I'm sure Gale and Mariposa will tell you before me, but I was shocked at the changes even since I was there in December, and I've now heard with some certainty from several different sources that there will be a large golf course going in on the north side of the Coba Rd. as it heads out to the beach, reaching all the way to the Diamante K area. Hopefully it will be an eco-friendly design (yes, these are possible, and they're actually the hot thing in golf course design), but no matter what kind of happy face I try to draw on it, it will never be as good as just leaving the bloody jungle alone. :mad:

OK, back to work for me (real work, not this), sorry I can't even post a teaser pic for you, but my last two mornings had some great sunrises, so I'll try to get those up asap.

[PhyllisB]

WELCOME HOME CHICA! We missed you!!!! We've gotten little teasers of info from Gale, Rene, and Mariposa.... sounds like you all had a fabulous time!!!!

I know what you mean about the changes... Sigh... Guess we'd better start planning our next trip ASAP!!!!! TI trip this fall maybe????

Glad to have you back, amiga, even if you're not so thrilled about it as we are. :)

p.

[TheWindyCity]

Hey Beachreader, great to have you back...can't wait to see the pics from your new cam. Having a hard time believing this golf/resort plan that is posted. I hope Copal and Azulik didn't sell out to these developers! I hope this next trip of ours isn't our last.:(

[mayaflya]

Welcome back, indeed! It looks like the first wave is dissipating just as the second wave is forming offshore! Don't take too long to pass along any key information for those off us prepping for the next "raid"...Next week this time we will be airborne and inbound!

I particularly want to know more about the "new" restaurant south of Zamas!

[beachreader]

I was supposed to get in there to take some pics (Rene was going to set it up with the owner, who is the guy who also owns Mezzanine and La Zebra), but construction was shut down for some random permit-type reason so they weren't able to get me in. They were supposed to open next week, so I leave it to you, oh Mayaflya, to take the responsibility of taking pictures and telling us all about it.

I'm sure Rene can tell us what it's supposed to be called, but it's a large and handsome building with huge, open palapa'd decks, making use of what was otherwise the squatter's beach. There are still a few squatter's shacks, but I don't know how long they'll last.

[La Luna]

Welcome back to the real world Fran!

[kcaraco]

Welcome back. We will help you in your post-Tulum syndrome.

Seriously, did that go by fast or what!?

[TnTWalter]

WELCOME BACK CHICA!!

We sure missed you around here. :eat-drink:

[Barblin]

Welcome back! Hope you had a great time!

[Lynnette]

Welcome home, chica...it's always tough to come back to reality. :( I can't wait for your trip report and photos...take your time...I know they'll be well worth the wait!!! :)

[mariposa]

Fran, It sucks to get hurled back into work like that when you get back. I couldn't believe it when you were back already! It seemed like we just left!
I thought you must be writing from there!


Here's what I have..this is just opposite that little bay from Zamas. I think they're calling it Pesc (fish?) It sounds like Pez when they say it..They were working on it 24 hours a day when we were there (with guards through the night) It's also huge! Not sure that's conveyed in the photos. Looks like it would be a beautiful place to eat though. I'm wondering since it's owned by the La Zebra guy if they might move that whole Salsa deal down here. It's really crowded in there (with the parking attendants etc..) Ansd it seemed like there are 2 big levels. Maybe one for bar and one for restaurant?




http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/birdwingblue/L1000656.jpg

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/birdwingblue/L1000655.jpg

[Lynnette]

This looks like a really cool restaurant/bar. Isn't this the area where that local family lived? I hope they got mega $$$ for their property!

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h114/birdwingblue/L1000655.jpg

[beachreader]

"Local family"? You mean the group of squatter's shacks? That's what I'd always heard they were, anyway.

As Rene said, though, construction was halted on the restaurant as of Thursday due to some sort of permit issue. He used a phrase I've heard before, but can't remember it now. So I guess we'll find out from Mayaflya & co. if it's been completed or not.

It does look really nice, but it'll just add a lot more traffic to that little area, both foot traffic and cars. Hope they have enough parking!

[Lynnette]

"Local family"? You mean the group of squatter's shacks? That's what I'd always heard they were, anyway.

As Rene said, though, construction was halted on the restaurant as of Thursday due to some sort of permit issue. He used a phrase I've heard before, but can't remember it now. So I guess we'll find out from Mayaflya & co. if it's been completed or not.

It does look really nice, but it'll just add a lot more traffic to that little area, both foot traffic and cars. Hope they have enough parking!

Could have been squatters, but I was told at Zamas local family with rights...who knows. You're right about the traffic and parking problems...of course, that's until they make the beach road four lanes. :mad:

[beachreader]

Interesting if it was a local family. Perhaps the folks who called them squatters were just assuming and I've been passing that along for years now. :o

Mayaflya, can you confirm this bit of info for us? Whose property is Pesc built on? And who is still living in the shacks next door?

[Gale in KY]

Welcome Back BR! I was hoping you got home without delays..what weather we are having, 16 inches of snow and I wanna go back to the sandstorms!:)The only white stuff I want or need to see is sand.

It was great meeting you, and I hope we can reconnect in Tulum in the fall!

[austxdan]

"Local family"? You mean the group of squatter's shacks? That's what I'd always heard they were, anyway.


Yeah - those shacks were setting right there, weren't they. We hated walking past that place (before) because they always had a bunch of dogs tied to posts, so they couldn't roam very far at all. It bordered on cruelty, but we kept telling ourselves its a different culture.

So now . . . what happened to the dogs?



Dan

[cobeachgirl]

Welcome back BR! I am back as well, but am gathering all my stuff for the TR. I'm not as big an expert as alot of folks here, but hopefully I can add something, if only some nice pics. :)

[PhyllisB]

We love trip reports!!! Doesn't matter whether it was your first trip or your 10th trip, we love love love love LOVE them!

:)

[luvthesun]

Hi Beachreader!
I just got home yesterday.. I agree... LOTS of changes!!
It was great meeting you at La Zebra! I hope you had a great vacay! We did! :)

[beachreader]

Hey, Luv, it was great meeting you guys too. I hope you had an excellent time!

I'm just back from sales conference and now I have to go to another thing tomorrow, so I probably won't get my TR done until the weekend. At least I have my pics downloaded and I'm working on captioning and organizing them so I can find them when I put them up on Shutterfly.

Actually, I need to get going now, I'll check in again tomorrow. Sorry I'm being so slow!