Episode Mexico: 6/21/2011
6/21/2011Yesterday we drove up to Raleigh in the afternoon to spend the day before flying out the next day. We figured it would be easier to spend the night in Raleigh then have to leave home at 1am to get to the airport on time. After meandering around a mall and an REI store for several hours, we went to bed around 7 and got up at 4am. I dreamed I was a drunk driver. It was extremely stressful. We got up, zipped on over to the Raleigh airport and got through security pretty quickly after checking our bags. We grabbed some breakfast near the gate and while picking out a few snacks for the flight (because we forgot to get them the day before), John commented that today was the first day of summer. And then I realized...I had ALMOST forgotten it was his birthday!
All the rush to the airport had thrown me for a loop. I felt HORRIBLE even though that reminded me (his birthday is the summer solstice). I gave him his birthday cards and we sat and waited excitedly in the terminal. Shortly we boarded and discovered that American Airlines does not keep your chosen seat arrangements. 
Thankfully, we were able to switch with some people and sit together on our first plane ride together ever. Our connection was in Miami and we caught it just in time (John grabbed a sandwich mid-step before we boarded). 
Again, mixed up seats but we were able to switch with someone. However, I ended up being next to a really annoying kid who proceeded to play his music WITHOUT HEADPHONES during the ride for all the plane to "enjoy." Thankfully, his mom eventually came back with some headphones so he didn't annoy us the entire ride. Even though he did anyway. We arrived in Cancun, Mexico to a HUGE customs line (totally expected), got through it okay, got our bags, and found our bus. 
It was about an hour bus ride to Playa del Carmen where we would be spending our vacation. It struck me on the way how poor it is there. I don't know why but I was expecting it to be more developed...even though I've been to Mexico before and know that it's not. It made me feel somewhat guilty for coming there on vacation when there were so many poor people. But I remembered that by coming there we were helping the economy through tourism. Especially with the blow of the drug cartel scare (which is only an issue in a small area of Mexico, not ALL of Mexico. I don't know why everyone is so worked up about traveling there. It's like being afraid to travel to America because you heard there's violence in Queens, NY.) 
We arrived pretty early and our room wasn't ready yet. The hotel was very hospitable and offered to let us change in a room so we could go to the beach but we declined and decided to head out, explore, and get some lunch. 
The first restaurant we went to, Las Delicias, ended up being one of our favorites. John got fish tacos and I got lobster tacos, both of which were amazing. While we were there, a Mariachi band asked if we wanted them to play. After turning them down once, we kinda thought "Why not?" and said they could. One of them joked around at first saying, "Happy birthday!" And I said, "Um actually it is his birthday today!" They thought that was pretty cool so they sang us two songs and the restaurant took our picture and printed it on a bottle of vodka which we bought as a souvenir. 
After lunch, we explored a bit more and then headed back to the hotel to see if our room was ready. It was humid and hot there but it felt GREAT. I don't know if it was the fact that I anticipated it for so long looking forward to the trip or if I was just used to the heat after living in the south for a little while but the heat did not bother me like it normally does which was a huge blessing.
Our room was simple but perfect, with a little kitchenette and balcony with hammock. 
We changed and hit the BEAUTIFUL beach and both of us ended up dozing on our beach chairs. 
It had been a long, early morning and napping under our umbrella was amazing. Afterward, we went back to our room and enjoyed a cigar in the hammock. 
I cannot tell you how much I loved that hammock. 
We explored the town area some more and found a really cute noodle place for dinner. 
Next to it was a really bizarre hotel that looked somewhat like a hospital with floor-to-ceiling wall-to-wall windows. 
So our first day taught us three things about Playa:1. The area we were in was a lot pricier in the food department than we were expecting.
2. They offer you weed there. A LOT. I counted 7 times on our first day. That progressed during our stay and also included offers for cocaine or "nose candy." I took it personally at first and wondered, "Do I REALLY look like a pothead??" But we noticed it happened to most foreigners. Let's just say the offers got REALLY tiring and obnoxious.
3. Not all tequila is made equal.
To top off our night, we did some tequila sampling at a giant tequila mall place and we were both surprised to find actual differences between the different tequilas. I've never been a huge tequila drinker and I always thought of it as hard alcohol that burned going down and had very little flavor to speak of. Wrong. There actually is a lot more flavor there than you'd think and the good stuff goes down a lot easier.
In lieu of cake, we bought the world's most expensive ice cream cones in celebration of John's birthday.
We went home full and happy, a little tipsy, and excited to see what the rest of our stay would bring. The evening brought a few concerns...about the likelihood of sleep. Our hotel happened to be literally two doors down from all of the nightclubs in Playa. Yes. ALL of the night clubs. And we had read that the hotel could get some of the noise. But thankfully we slept like babies. To be continued...Photos: Meself
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