Hablo un poquito español

Bud's brother Michael and his wife Andee love to travel as much as we do. They also seem to have a particular affinity for tropical breezes, sandy beaches, sun, water, palm trees and those funky rum drinks with umbrellas in them, just as we do. So it was only natural we would eventually go on vacation with them.  The first year we decided to vacation together, we went to the Mayan Riviera on the Yucatán Peninsula of Mexico. We flew into Cancún and rode a bus for more than an hour down the coast beyond Playa del Carmen to our all inclusive resort.  Actually, if we kept going for about an hour more we would have gone into Belize.  The resort was beautiful and new, but it's a good thing it was all inclusive because it was stuck in the middle of nowhere. There was absolutely nothing within walking distance. As a matter of fact, it would have been quite a hike to just get off the resort property and out to the road. There were tours we could take, and we signed up for several, but fortunately most everything we could want or need was included in the package at the hotel.  

There were several swimming pools at the facility; a regular pool, a kiddie pool and a topless pool.  There wasn't enough rum in the entire country of Mexico (or Tequila either) to get me to go to the topless pool.  However, I did drink enough rum to make me crazy enough to buy a bikini (I haven't had a bikini body in well over 20 years) so I could have a henna butterfly tattoo drawn into the small of my back.  I would have been embarrassed except there were so many other old bags who were equally as fat or fatter running around in skimpy outfits, so I fit right in.  The beach was beautiful and the aqua water calm and warm.  Topless bathing was also allowed on the beaches.  I did, however, find it a little unusual to see the beach patrolled by military personnel in fatigues with full pack and carrying automatic rifles.  Bud and I had our first full-body massage while in Mexico, but it certainly hasn't been our last.  What an indescribable pleasure, and we had been missing out on it for most of our lives.  There were also a number of "theme" restaurants, as there are at most resorts.  It's fun to seem to go to a different part of the world each night, and see how the Mexicans think the Japanese make food (or Italians, or American West, or whatever).  In most cases, the chefs did an admirable job, and we all considered the food at the resort to be tasty.

Bud, Me. Andee, Mike

One of the days we took a tour that included a stop at a quarry where we went swimming.  The water was cold, but not frigid.  The fun was to jump off the edge of the quarry, which was probably about 15' above the surface of the water.  Of course, not everyone dared to take the plunge, so there was a place for the less brave (or more sane) to enter by walking.  I've never been much for walking into cold water, so as you can imagine we were among the jumpers.  We also went to another location where we could swim a short distance underwater and enter a cave.  Once in the cave, when you surfaced there was plenty of air, but it was dark as the depths of Hell, and this water was frigid.  Fortunately, there was a photographer set up on one side of the cave to take pictures of anyone interested in a memento, so it wasn't necessary to stay in the blackest, darkest, creepiest part if you didn't want to.  Since, I'm afraid of the dark, you can guess where I went.  We also went to a wonderful cove area on the ocean where we snorkeled for a few hours and saw hundreds of brilliantly colored fish and plant life.  I got a really strange sunburn on my back, neck and the backs of my legs, because that's the only part of my body that was facing the sun.  Since I'm a redhead and have really white skin, I burn very easily.  I never tan -- I just burn, peel and freckle -- so I use a lot of heavy duty high SPF sun block.  However, I didn't have any with me because I hadn't expected to spend a few hours doing the deadman's float.  Ah, the price you pay for entertainment and exposure to the spectacular.  It was worth it.

Another day, we took a short excursion to a jewelry manufacturer.   Mexico also has gemstones (particularly emeralds, which are my favorites) at prices well below what you pay in the U.S.  Upon arriving on the bus at the jewelry exhibit, it was impossible not to notice the extremely well armed guards on each side of every entrance and exit.  I can assure you, only an imbecile would try to get out of there with stolen merchandise.   I appreciate the jewelry manufacturer and the government of Mexico are serious about security, and I have to admit I felt safe, but I much prefer not seeing people armed with automatic rifles and machine guns walking around among the general populace.  The jewelery displays were awesome and the sales people were eager to negotiate, even though I felt the prices were already reasonable.  I'm not much for dickering about price, but Bud seemed to be enjoying himself.  He bought me an incredible pair of emerald earrings and matching bracelet for less than the earrings alone would have cost at home.

Nohoch Mul

For me, our most exciting side trip was to the Mayan Ruins at Coba.  This site is a relatively recent discovery and much of it has yet to be excavated.  What is there though is incredible.  The main pyramid, Nohoch Mul meaning 'large hill', is 138 feet tall (42 meters) and is the highest in the Yucatan peninsula.  I actually walked all the way to the top and back down.  Those steps are not wide enough for a Woman's Size 8 foot, so I had to go up and back down with my feet sideways on the steps.  Obviously, this was before my knees went completely to Hell.  As part of the tour before we went to the ruins, we toured a modern day typical Mayan village.  The inhabitants are descendants of the original Mayans (as are many Mexicans) and still live in villages mostly without electricity or running water.  We also took a hike through the forest.  We were looking up into the trees for the spider monkeys who were making unbelievable noises.  The guide had warned us to watch out for fire ant mounds.  A short distance ahead of us, a group of girls had stopped and were searching the treetops.  Unfortunately, they had stopped directly on top of an ant mound.  Once the ants started crawling up their legs, they began screaming and stamping their feet, but they did not run.  I don't know about you, but I don't think stamping on top of a fire ant mound is much of a bright idea.  They were soon covered with ants and then they moved -- quickly.  Fortunately, the women were de-anted with relatively little long term damage to anyone.  It was hot and damp and the air was so heavy it was difficult to breathe.  The trees and the jungle canopy kept the air from moving and the feeling was very close and confined.  Bud actually started to exhibit signs of heat prostration and we had to rush him back to the air conditioned bus and get water into him right away.  Thank God he didn't collapse in the jungle because none of us would have been able to carry him.  He suffered no long term effects, and was fine once he was cooled and rehydrated.

Another outing took us for a day of shopping in Playa del Carmen.  What a riot.  The shopkeepers are irrepressible and come out of their shops and chase you down the street in an attempt to lure you into their stores.  Bud lost track of me for a few minutes, so he loudly called out my name.  Well that was all it took.  After that, every vendor in Playa del Carmen knew me by name and called "Carla, Carla, lovely Carla, let me show you my wares!"  I could have gleefully shot Bud for his little indiscretion, but there was nothing to do but laugh along with them all as I said "No, no, and again no."  Finally, we decided to find a bar and just sit and have a few drinks looking out over the water.  We had a great view of Cozumel, but we didn't go over to the island.  I'm sorry we missed that.  Maybe we'll visit Cozumel if we ever get back to Mexico.

Since I started grade school in Miami, Florida, I started learning Spanish right along with English in the first grade.  When we moved to New Jersey and I went to high school, one of the college prep requirements (for a few years I harbored the thought I might go to college) was two years of a foreign language.  Not being a dumbass, I took two years of Spanish (easy A).  I was able to read Spanish better than I could understand it when spoken, and I could understand it better than I could speak it, but I had more than a beginner's understanding of the Spanish language when I got out of school.  Unfortunately, when we went to Mexico, I had been out of high school for more than 35 years.  A lot of stuff slips through the cracks when you don't use it regularly.  Still, after we'd been in Mexico a week, I was picking it all up again.  And, then it was time to come home.  Mexico is another one of those places on my list of locales to go back to again.