The End!!

Sadly, our journey has come to an end.  Health issues have forced us to return home and take care of business.  But, I have no intention of letting this blog go.  The adventure continues and new places and situations will always be on the horizon just waiting to come alive.  Hasta luego dear readers, until we meet again!!  Stay tuned!!

Calypso's

We always like to try the local eateries.  This one we tried was great!!  But I can't say we tried one that wasn't great.  The Mexican food always proves to be delicious and very inexpensive.

Beaching It Again!!

We had another great day at the beach.  It probably was too much.  We both got sunburned!!  This time we parked our butts close to the Grand Carib Real.  The water and sand is gorgeous!!

Grand Carib Real

I took this picture for Addison and Kelsey.  The hotel they will be staying at is the Grand Carib Real.  It was right across the laguna from where we are staying.  It is the hotel right behind the bushy area.  We went and scouted it out.  It looks like a  very nice place!!  Have fun kids!!

Our Swimming Pool

We had a beautiful swimming pool at our condo in Cancun.  But, the beaches are so beautiful that a pool pales in comparison, so to the beaches we went!!  While looking across the laguna to where Addison and Kelsey will be staying, we caught sight of a baby manta ray!!  So cute!!

Another Funny Sign

The lack of sophistication is heartwarming and enduring!!  I love it!

Lunch at a Bistro

We ate a delicious lunch at this funky little panini bistro on Isla Mujeres.  I'm walking out stuffed!

Isla Mujeres Graveyard

I love visiting old and unusual graveyards.  The lure for me is the inscriptions etched on the headstones.  I find it gives me a glimpse of what this person's life might have been about.

Isla Mujeres

We had a very nice day on the island of Isla Mujeres.  It was a hot day but not a scorcher so walking around was comfortable.  Beautiful beach, lots of shops to snoop in, cramped quarters for some, boats of all sorts cruising the island.  I'd make the time to come visit again.  Well worth the trip.

Isla Mujeres Boat Trip

We took a boat trip and went to Isla Mujeres.  It is a small island that is twenty minutes by boat from Cancun.  The boat trip was uneventful except for the Mexican Elvis entertaining us.  Quite Funny!!

New Friends at Puerto Morelos

We spent another afternoon at Puerto Morelos because we really like the place and find it pretty cool.  It's laid back, not busy like Playa Del Carmen, and has many neat little restaurants and stores.  While on the beach we bumped into people who were from Saskatoon.  We spent part of the afternoon visiting with them.

Anyone Going to Merida??

We had a cool, cloudy day so we zipped around all day in our car.  But, unfortunately we got on a wrong, one way road going to Merida and had difficulty getting off.  The road kept going on, and on, and on with no returno available.  It seemed like we would have to go about 130km before being able to turn around, and our gas gauge was low!  Mexico!!  But, as we were driving down the highway we noticed places that others used to cross the ditch from one highway to the next.  The two highways were blocked from view due to thick bushes.  So we hunted for a pass we thought we could use.  Some of them, a lot of them, were either to rough, too steep, or too narrow.  We finally found one that looked not too bad.  We rearranged some rocks ( Hoss was worried about ripping the oil pan off the car), planned a route and took out chances.  We rearranged some more rocks, chose a different path and tried again.  Hoss booted it, peeled off some rubber from the tires, and with one wheel off the ground finally made it to the highway.  Good grief!!  That's way out of my comfort zone!!

Playa Del Carmen

We spent an afternoon at Playa Del Carmen.  It is very busy on the street and beaches.  Many people are shopping, or having drinks, or eating in restaurants or lounging on the beach.  We didn't ran into anybody we know, and we searched up and down 10th Avenue, 5th Avenue, and the beach looking for Tomchuk's, Redenbach's and Rob Henderson, but to no avail!!.  So, finally we plunked ourselves on the beach and enjoyed the sunny afternoon.  After catching a few rays we ended the afternoon in a small restaurant drinking a beer and eating chips with guacamole.   We headed for home to clean up and go out for dinner!!  What a day!

10 Reasons Why Our B&B is Freaky

Although the house in Cancun where we are staying looks very nice, it isn't all what it seems.  So here are a few reasons that I find it a bit freaky!!
1.  We have barely met the owner, Josephina, and when we did meet, she hardly gave us the time of day!!.  We were greeted the first night by her teenage daughter, and shown our room.
2.  The doors are never, ever locked, even when no one is home!! This is Mexico!!
3.  The windows are always open.  They are never locked either!!
4.  Josephina has a housekeeper, and her name is Espenanza.  Her quarters are attached to the house, but the entrance is from the outside.  It consists of a very small room that holds a cot and small table.  There is also a bathroom.  Our shed back home is probably 3 times bigger!!  Espenanza is a very nice lady and we get along well with her.  She speaks no English, but google translator has been a huge help for communication.
5.  We have no hot water!!  The kitchen has hot water, but not our shower.
6.  We had TV for the first couple of days, but now it is turned off.
7.  The family consists of three people.  Josephina, the mom, the teenage daughter, and a son of about 20 years of age.  The other 3 children are grown and gone.  We have no idea about the dad, but we do see family pictures of him.  The family is never home.  They seem to leave early in the morning, and I'm not sure when they return.
8.  The house at first glance looks very nice, but upon further inspection you start noticing many, many flaws.  There is rust everywhere... the fridge, mirrors, sinks, stove.  It has been poorly finished.  Back in Canada we would not put up with a shoddy job.  The fridge is too tall and doesn't fit into its spot, so it is shoved up against the cupboards with a huge gap at the back.  Cleanliness is also an issue.  Stained white towels are laundered and replaced for us to use.  I just throw them under the sink. 
9.  Lighting is almost non existent.  At night the lights are so dim it is hard to read.  During the day Hoss finds it hard to shave in the bathroom due to a lack of enough light.
10.  And the best of all I left for last.  Two days ago, Josephina and her son left for San Diego.  We were told the daughter would be staying at her married sister's place.  So it would be Espananza and us to hold down the fort.  At about 4:15 AM we were all awakened by many loud voices in the house.  We peeked out our bedroom door and there was the teenage daughter and 6 or 7 of her liquored up friends.  They had been clubbing all night and came here for more.  We got dressed and came out and met Espananza who did not like what was going on.  I think the kids were looking for a place to crash for the night but all the bedrooms were locked.  We chased the kids out.  One of the boys who was the DD was very apologetic and seemed to be very sensible.  Hopefully, he drove everyone home.

Next time I think I'll book a hotel!!!

Cancun Beaches

 This is the Westin Hotel.  It's huge!!

Cancun beaches can be described as fine, white sand that is so soft it sticks to you.  The water is an unbelievable aqua-blue colour.  Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous!!

Cancun has been great, and it's not too busy.  You can get a seat in any restaurant, the traffic is not too bad, and the streets aren't cramped with people.  It also has great shopping!!

Puerto Morelos

We took a trip to Puerto Morelos yesterday and it's has been along time since we have been there.  I remember it as a sleepy little Mexican town.  We were very surprised how some parts of this town have remained the same, and very impressed at the more developed areas.  There are no high towers, but have a lot of newer condo type developments.  These buildings do not exceed the canopy height, which adds to the appeal of this very relaxed and beautiful area.  The beaches are not too busy but just enough to prove interesting for people watching.  The sand is soft and white, and the water is great for swimming.  Small bars occasionally dot the beach which welcome thirsty, hot sun worshippers.

Cancun Digs

We are staying at a bed and breakfast in Cancun in the hotela zone that is called Isla Dorada.  We are a five minute walk to the main drag and the large La Isla Mall.  Our house is is in a gated community, and there are many canals that run through the backyards of a lot of these homes.  You can see huge boats parked outside homes, and occasionally they take off for a ride. It's a quiet neighbourhood, and we have access to a gym, tennis courts, two swimming pools, and lots of security.