Playing in Playa

Aaah - finally in Playa!  I caught the bus up from Bacalar last week and it rained all the way.  Got a taxi - in the rain - found the place - in the rain...  And it has been raining off and on every since.  Seems some disorganized system has been moving across the peninsula and while it has certainly kept the tour business depressed, I still LOVE being here.  I might feel differently if it were my only week, but having the month the rain is actually lovely.

Casa Maya Condo, Playa del Carmen

When Helen, the condo owner, was talking about her place, she mentioned the agent kept putting plastic flowers around the place, even after being told not too.  Then she mentioned that said agent was decorating one of the units in chartreuse!    When I walked into this place of understated-elegance, muted colors, beautiful local crafts and artwork I really thought I must have stepped into the wrong place, so prepared I was for plastic-flower-decorating!   Honestly, I was disoriented and it took me a minute to understand why. Made me realize again how "visual" I am:  having heard a description, I'd made it real in my mind's eye.  Whew - lovely surprise this one!  If you're looking for a place to getaway, this is a great value and a great place.   There are cheap flights into Cancun and from there, a short ride on an air-conditioned bus just blocks away from the condo!  I want to give this place a plug as a thank you for a fabulous month! Here's the link: http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3768686#photos. 

First things first - get some food in here. I borrowed an umbrella and walked to the market, came back and reveled in a place of peace and tranquility.  I loved my time in the hostels and Bacalar,  meeting so many really wonderful people - some of whom I will remain in touch with in the future.  But sometimes, being anonymous - especially after two-plus years being in the fish bowl of Uganda is also fantastic.

It really is wonderful - one block from the quite end of the beach, good kitchen, lots of fans, pool. I walk the beach twice a day - early morning and dusk - more when it's overcast. A few nights ago I came upon the scene of about 20 men trying to hold a big twin-screw fishing rig in place and get it into position to get onto a trailer. It looked a little like some of those You-Tube fiascoes you see.    The cockpit was full of water and it was low tide so the slope was not making it easy to get anything done.  Seems they had underestimated the reef - probably having cleared it at high tide when the left in the morning and not calculating for  low tide ole in the fiberglass hull.  Ouch!    This operation had been going on a while before I got there and I stayed an hour to watch.  As it got dark, they had just barely gotten the bow a nudged onto the trailer. 

Next morning, the boat was still there but this time they'd removed the trailer and drag it out over  8"diameter metal rollers on the sand (think of moving stones to build the pyramids) but lacking slaves.  And someone had to stand guard over the boat all night to be sure the two monster  outboard motors were still attached in the morning. A crane truck waiting to hoist it onto a waiting trailer.  Not including the damage to the boat, it must have cost a bundle to just get it out of the water and onto the trailer.  It took me back 35 years living on a sailboat - a different creature - but a boat none-the-less. The definition of a boat as "a large hole in the water into which one throws money" came to mind... Sometimes it's good not to have a boat...

Anyway -  I've been walking the beach and the town - a lot!  The picture (left) is the walk north is quiet and away from the hard-body tourist area.  I love scoping out new places and since the only major place to shop and get meat is a couple of miles away, I get a lot of opportunity to do that.  Playa does live up to it reputation of being a tourist town, but it's possible to bypass some of it.  Avenida Cinco is the heart of shopping and the tour hawkers really have their banter tuned, but it's been good humored and fun, until you've had enough! Then you just find a different route to go places.  One oddity I noticed was the use of silver duct tape to hold road tiles in place  Not everywhere but often enough to hint that it's not an accident. Doesn't seem to be working, they're still moving. Ya gotta love duct tape...

There's a huge expat community and some of the merchants seem to think I live here.  I think it's because I'm wearing clothes....  I mean enough to cover the vital areas.  And I'm not holding a drink in my hands... dead giveaway.   Lots of dogs on leaches here - locals.  Well cared for pooches these. Such a contrast to Uganda.

If all this sounds too tame,  don't worry - I have not lost my taste for some adventure. Tomorrow I'm going swimming with the Whale Sharks!   More on that if I don't get scooped up in one of those gigantic mouths designed for plankton, but big enough for a person - whole!

That's about it.  More when there's anything worth reporting.  Looking forward to heading to Oregon, but am to get everything possible out of these last couple of weeks.   Might head back down to the Tulum area - there be Sea Turtles there!