We are already having taco withdrawal, so we go shopping and buy a bunch of fresh veggies and peppers and make up some salsas. Next day we even go and buy masa flour and a tortilla press, along with a bottle of tequila. This cold is crazy! You can't even take in a deep breath without your lungs going into a spasm from the cold air. People down there asked us how we lived in such a cold place. I am starting to wonder myself....? ... read more

Akumal is a beach area between Tulum and Cancun where sea turtles nest from May to October, and where the coral reef is fairly close to shore. Usually the turtles are gone by now, but for some reason some of them are still around, feeding on the sea grass in the area. We rented life jackets from the dive shop so we could swim farther and longer, and were able to see and swim alongside some turtles. We spend a wonderful day in the ocean, being amazed at the diversity of life in the ocean, and on this reef, the second largest coral reef in the world (after Australia's). We walked around the town of Akumal, which has a lot of big, fancy hacienda properties. Apparently, there is more tourist money here than in Tulum. Clouds ... read more

Tulum is much smaller than Playa del Carmen, with only one main street - about 10 blocks long or so - of restaurants and vendors. The vendors still try to get you to come into their shop, but they are not as agressive as the ones in Playa, which is quite a relief. We spent a lot of time walking around the rest of the town, which at first glance seems to be quite poor. However, because the standard of living here is different than we are accustomed to, I have learned not to judge what I see in the same way as at home. It seems like there are fewer middle class homes (at least, what we would think of as "middle class"). There is a real mix - big fancy resorts, casitas (small houses) ... read more

Well, our Caravan bus tour of ruins in the Yucatan is already over. Hard to believe. We would recommend this tour to anyone. It was well planned, well run, and our tour guide, Pepe, was very knowledgeable. We are looking forward to relaxing on a white sand beach though, as we have been on the go for the past 8 days. So, what can I say about Playa? It is packed full of drunks, wide-eyed tourists, rude people, loud music at each store and restaurant, all competing to out-blare the next. Vendors, hucksters, police, whooping and hollering, yelling, drums, horns......you get the idea. Oh yes, everyone seems to smoke - and lots of stinky cigars everywhere. You can't get away from it. Food smells, both good and bad. Everything is overpriced. No bargains to be had ... read more

Another really long day of driving. We head north through the state of Campeche to the coast on the Gulf of Mexico. They grow sugarcane here, and we see trucks full of it along the way. We stop for a mid-morning break at a little place where a guy was busy in the back outside the building cutting up bags of oranges for fresh juice. He had two cages holding green parrots in the same space, but not close to the juice (nothing beats fresh orange juice - so much sweeter than our oranges too). Inside, ladies are busy making fresh tortillas and filling them with a kind of fresh stringy mild cheese, then frying them on a big round grill for quesadillas. Different than we are used too, but delicious! Later, we stop for lunch ... read more