Playa Del Carmen

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Playa Del Carmen
Contemplating a Plunge in Cenote Crystalline, Playa del Carmen

Cenote Cristalino and The Nibbling Fish

Charles Kosman
Mexico
1

Contemplating a plunge in Cenote Cristalino, Playa del Carmen? We headed to this gorgeous cenote from our condo in town. It was also our first experience with the local collectivos buses. In all, it was a great day and a wonderful place to laze away the hours.

To those who haven't yet been to this area, a cenote (say-NOH-tay) is basically a large (or small) freshwater hole composed primarily of limestone and fossilized coral. They essentially get created when the water level drops and the rooftop caves in revealing a pool of crystal clear water. Because these pools are often connected to extensive underground rivers, they've become very popular with cave divers. Some of the deepest can go down for...

Barefoot Nomads on the Beach in Cozumel, Mexico

Cozumel and The Taxi Mafia

Charles Kosman
Mexico
1

When we woke up this morning to beautiful sunny skies and no wind, we knew we needed to make the most of it. We've been thinking about a day trip to the nearby island of Cozumel since we got here but then our lazy streak started and well, we really didn't feel the need to go that far to have an enjoyable day.

After a quieter time than normal yesterday we were all itching to get out and see the world this morning. We had scoped out the ferry terminal last week while we were in that area and had a pretty good idea what to expect for the first leg of our journey.

We managed to get the kids ready and were out of the house around 10. Both ferry lines (UltraMar and Mexico Waterjets) run pretty mucheach hour during the day and we were gunning for the 11 one. After a quick $2 cab ride to the bus terminal (it's the closest drop off point to the ferry terminal) we walked the other few blocks to the ferry.

It seemed every person we passed (and there are lots in that small distance) was asking us if we were going to Cozumel...

Mamitas Beach Playa del Carmen Looking at the Pier

Cold Pools and Warm Breezes

Charles Kosman
Mexico
1

Well it's been almost ten days since we arrived in Playa. Time seems to be flying by. We've been to the beautiful beach and the overpriced markets numerous times. We've walked La Quinta Avenida (the popular 5th Avenue pedestrian corridor) from one end to the other. We've tasted the delicious (and not so delicious) fares of several high and low end restaurants and have enjoyed countless hours on our deck and by the pool.

Amazingly enough to some of you, we haven't gone on any big excursions or taken any tours yet. We've looked into heading to Cozumel by ferry and are planningthat for the next time the sun is shining and the wind isn't blowing. We've found that almost every day we've had one or the other...

Manana - Lazy Day

Mañana Or, As We Call It, Another Lazy Day

Charles Kosman
Mexico
1

Years ago, when we first visited Mexico, we often heard the term mañana spoken by the locals. It was simple to figure out that mañana translates to tomorrow however it took us a few days to fully realize the importance of that word. For most Mexicans, and to be honest most warm latin countries, mañana has a whole other meaning.

When the locals say mañana more often than not they're saying, yeah, it needs to be done and there's a good chance it will however that time isn't now and maybe that day will be tomorrow. It's a way of pushing things off for another day. More than just procrastination, it's an understanding that life happens and in the tropics it often happens at a slower pace. Maybe it's the people or maybe it's the fact that at midday things slow down to a crawl and a lot of people laze around to escape the afternoon heat. I think it's a little of both but mostly it's just the way things are out here. More of a realization that life is to be enjoyed and lived and tomorrow will be similar enough to today that it can get done then.

I sometimes wonder if the colder countries lost that sense of relaxation. We tend to spend our lives rushing around as fast as we can. I truly believe it's because of the weather and in particular, the seasons...

Vintage Map of the World

Preparations for Playa

Micki Kosman
Mexico
0
We're now in full swing getting ready for our trip. Less than two weeks and we begin our first leg in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.It's amazing how much work goes into planning a trip like this for our little family of four.There are vaccinations to get, storage for our truck and belongings, travel insurance, adding parking insurance to the truck, doctors, dentists and optometrists appointments, organizing our condo rental in Playa (we had to transfer US cash to an Italian couple's American bank account for a rental in Mexico from a Canadian bank... I get confused just reading that....), buying our plane tickets, checking visa requirements, letting our credit cards know we're gone, and on and on.