Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Mayan Riviera Travel Blog--Day Three


Today is a beach day. No big plans, no big decisions, except when to turn over. We had another great breakfast, this time at the Italian restaurant. I especially love the fresh tropical fruit. I tried guava for the first time, but my favourite is pineapple. There is so much variety for every meal. It’s really hard to complain about anything when it’s all paid for, cooked by someone else, and cleaned up by someone else. How will I ever go back to fending for myself? We came out here early, right after breakfast, in order to get beach chairs and the thatched roof shelters. If you leave some belongings on them at all times, even a towel, people will respect that and leave them alone. You can go for a swim or even a meal break, and your chair will be there.
There had been travel advisories before we came here, warning of violence in Mexico. I wasn’t really worried. That seems to be in border towns, or drug related violence, neither of which applies to us. Even walking around in Playa del Carmen, we felt perfectly safe. Also the security on the resort is very good, with check points and regular patrols. They even check who comes onto the resort from the shuttle to town, to make sure they belong here. I have no concerns at all, in that regard.
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It’s a breezy, cloudy morning. The sun peeks through occasionally, but I don’t worry. It is still morning, after all, and it could be worse. I could be back in Canada. We were warned in advance that this particular beach wasn’t the greatest, and it’s true. They’ve set up these concrete berms to break the waves, so there’s a calm pool where kids can swim, without fear of sharks, or being swept out to sea. To have a better swimming or body surfing area, you just walk about 100 yards north.
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They are blasting some Mexican party music on the beach, which is fine. There’s a beach volleyball game going on a few feet away. Just taking it all in. Vacations are a good thing, necessary for my mental health.
We ate burgers grilled on the beach and then had ice cream cones. We swam in the Caribbean Sea. The temperature was perfect. The clouds are clearing and I’m working on my tan in earnest. Gotta take it slow, so I don’t burn. I also plan to finish reading a book today. I brought along seven books, which is probably too many, since we’re busy most days. But the idea of being away from my library and running out of books to read is far worse.
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The activity directors, called the Animation Team, are involved in the daily activities and nightly entertainment. Around the pool, they lead water polo, aqua aerobics, and games, and on the beach, they lead volleyball, and group games that usually involve drinking Tequila, or Mexican water, as they call it.
Today they had a beach relay game that was fun to watch. Depending on where the contestant was from, they would count differently. For Americans, he’d say Uno, and the crowd would say, “Wuz up?” etc. For Canadians, the response was “Eh?” Someone from China, he said, we’d count the Chinese way, which was, “Po-Ke-Mon”. I think I was the only one who got it.
Dinner at the Italian restaurant, which is becoming my favourite, included salmon and tiramisu, among other things. We took in one of the shows at the theatre, called Drums and Fire. This wasn’t a good idea, since I already had the beginnings of a headache forming. The drumming was excellent and one woman twirled a flaming hula hoop which was impressive.

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