Wednesday About 50 degrees when we left home this morning. Take-off a little late, and a long layover in Dallas. We were to fly over the Gulf of Mexico, but air turbulance sent us on a route over land instead. We arrived at our hotel (Quinta Avanida) about 11pm. A long travel day! Hotel is in older part of town (Coca Cola Zone). Since it is a busy city, a little noisy, but we did get a room in the back. Tomorrow we're off to see the sights.... read more

We got back to the snow and cold of Minnesota on March 4! We really enjoyed our trip, met some nice people, and ate some excellent food. Unfortunately we couldn't get our photos into the blog as we went along, but they are now there. Some good memories! This is Bob. I get to tell my story. Margie never says anything negative. No matter how much we read or prepare there are always surprises when we travel. I do not like large cities and did not look forward to going to Valladolid and Merida. Valladolid was the high spot on the trip (February 10) and we shot many pictures. In both cities we stayed in hostels very close to the center of town in very clean rooms with private bathrooms for about $25 per night. Many ... read more

Very peaceful to read on our private balcony after breakfast. Later in the morning we headed out to explore Isla Mujeres. Taxi to Puerto Juarez (40p, $2.80), then a ferry to the island (300p, $21 for two tickets, including return). We sat on the open top deck for the half hour ride, and were entertained by a Mexican singer with his guitar. There are many more scooters and golf carts than cars on Isla Mujeres. Narrow stone streets, colorful buildings, many craft shops for the tourists. The island is quite narrow, with just a few streets. Easy to walk around in a short time. We walked out to the east shore. Gorgeous aqua blue water, waves splashing up on the rocks, cool sea breeze. Several very private hotels here. Took many photos. The beach has very ... read more

Lots of rain this morning. Breakfast, then up to the roof to read our books under the covered area. Very fresh this morning with the rain. Unfortunately, even when the rain stopped, the hammocks were still wet. Poor Bob! Long walk today down south past the main pier, then inland a bit. Hit an area of very elite shops, then walked by Xaman-Ha, a park area with twisted mangrove trees, tropical plants, and archaeological ruins. Paths through this area led us to the beach. Walked the white sand beach for a long distance. Then back inland and back up north along the main road through an area called Condominio Playacar. Beautifully landscaped hacienda-style rental properties here. Gorgeous tropical plants in several shades of green and red. Back at the hotel, the pedometer read 4.6 miles. At ... read more

Coffee on the roof after breakfast. Gorgeous morning! Cruise ship in port. Thunderstorms were predicted, but it turned out to be a perfect day. Took the taxi to Playa Azul. Cab fares are quoted here in pesos and dollars. You get a better deal if you pay by pesos, saving a couple of dollars in this case. Fare was 80p ($5.60), or $8. Dollar prices are usually quoted where there are cruise ship people. The water at the beach was very clear, very aqua blue, true to its name (azul= blue). We walked through a very nice hotel lobby to get to the public beach. Fairly small beach area, but nice soft sand good for walking and hunting for seashells. We saw a couple of tour groups go out on jet-skis, all participants wearing vests and ... read more