Mexcaltitan: Journey to the End of the World

Day 7 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 19, 2007 

As exaggerating as it may sound, finding Mexcaltitan felt like a journey to the end of the world. We drove and drove, and drove some more. We finally got to Mexcaltitan after 5 hours driving from Puerto Vallarta (made a few pit stops to at Bucherias and Puerto Vallarta Zoo; more on separate posting). Mexcaltitan is high on our list of places to visit while we’re in Mexico. Heard that this place is funky, as far as being a man-made island/city in the middle of a big swamp. I read here that it was the birthplace of the Aztecs. In 1091, some of them went out on a pilgrimage to find a new home. They should settle when they eyed an eagle devouring a snake, perched atop a cactus in the middle of a lake, says this site. And that place is Tenochtitlan, which is known today as Mexico City.

The other funky thing was -and I don’t remember where I got this info- the nothingness of motor vehicles on this island/city. There are no cars. People walk, or use their boats for transportation from and to Mexcaltitan. When it’s flooded, boats are used on the island, hence the name ‘Venice of Mexico’.

 

How does one reach Mexcaltitan? I posted this question at Lonely Planet’s forum before we left for Mexico, and got these replies. We did take the Hwy 200 from Puerto Vallarta, and the road condition was good. We were stuck in a traffic in a small town (almost to Tepic) for almost an hour. We didn’t realize that it was Mexico’s Independence Day and just like the Fourth of July in the USA, it was a huge deal. Schoolchildren were parading, and the Hwy 200 which goes through this little town seemed to be one-way and rather narrow. Nobody could turn around to find a detour. Cars were literally stopped and put on ‘Park’ for quite a while. We got out of the car and walked for about 4 blocks, to watch the parade. It was over an hour later, cleared the traffic, and we moved on.

When we saw the sign of Santiago Ixcuintla, I thought the journey was almost over. Because this is the ending point of driving. We should hop on a boat to the island of Mexcaltitan. Sound easy? Not really. We were lost in this little town. There were only one sign that says ‘Mexcaltitan’, but it was misguiding. We drove around and around, and asking direction was quite a challenge. Either we couldn’t find anybody, “no habla Ingles”, or they didn’t know how to get there. Our common sense and instinct were really challenged, tried to find the boat dock. Later on we realized, we’re not on a paved road anymore. In front of us, was a vaquero on his horse, herding the cattle. Slowly, but surely, the cows moved and opened an opening for us. The kids waved at the vaquero, he tipped his hat, and off we go to the end of the world.

 

After all hope was almost vanished, we finally see the entrance of the boat deck. No visitor cars in sight, only a pick up truck by a small building which appeared to be an office. It could be the worker’s truck. So we parked, stretched our legs, walked around under the hot sun, talked to the man in charge, paid for the boat, then hopped on a boat (fisherman’s boat, mind you… don’t expect anything fancy). If I’m not mistaken, it was US$ 20 per adult.

About 10-15 minutes boat ride on a brown swamp water, we approached a water gate (only one boat could pass through it) and quickly noticed the number of poles sticking out of the water. They’re actually electrical lights, built as an aide to guide boats. After the last light pole, you’d see an island in front of you (with smaller ones scattered around it). Instantly, I noticed the buildings, the church, and lots of white herons. We asked the boatman if he could take us on a little tour before we’re docking. Definitely not the usual tourist sightings, not very pretty. But hey… we’re not in Florida, we quickly adjusted our expectation to the swampy environment.

  

 Right after we docked, the sign says ‘Bienvenidos a la Isla de Mexcaltitan’ and in front of us, an alley to go to the town square. The street’s not paved, it’s dirt, and about 3 feet below the sidewalk. On the left and right, were local houses. We walked passed them, tried not to be too snoopy. But with a window open or a door ajar, my curiosity made me look. While still trying to be casual, I peeked into their houses and caught a glimpse of what/how is life on this island. Mainly the houses have concrete floors, and a room serves multi purposes, judging by the presence of a bed, chairs, TV, and what seemed to be a dining table. Although one room’s stuffed with so many things, I don’t think they’re pack rats; just lack of storage, I guess.

  

The town square, which is located right in the middle of the island, has a plaza, some small stores, a church, and a museum. There were also a number of kiosks that sell knick-knacks and tourist items, such as Mexcaltitan posters/postcards. When we got there the museum was closed for siesta. We had to wait for a couple of hours for it to open. We opted to go to the only restaurant to hang out. On our way there, I saw some shrimps were drying in the sun on the sidewalk. This is also a common sight, so watch your step…

The restaurant was interesting. The appetizer was actually the dried shrimp we saw earlier on the ground. Of course, it’s been cooked and seasoned. Yet, I was the only one who could manage to eat it. The rest of the gang wasn’t so sure about it. The airy restaurant has an open view to the, er… swamp. The patrons didn’t really mind eating and looking at the brown swamp water. Not even us, the only foreigners; the key is not to look at it.

About 15 minutes for the museum to reopen, we started walking to the town square. Children were playing around the plaza. They were playing a similar game to marbles. Only, they used round chip-thingy instead of marbles. Some girls were playing firecrackers, laughing out loud and running around. The museum itself, Museo del Origen, was rather small but informative. My favorite was the murals explaining the origin of Aztecs and its pilgrimate.

The day was almost over, we should go back to the dock to meet our boatman and continue the long way back to Puerto Vallarta. Awkwardly walked through a mass that was held outside on the street, managed to snatch a picture of a man fixing his fish net. It was an okay experience. The ride was too long, we should’ve cut it in half. Maybe spend a night in Tepic or Mazatlan. It was worth it, though. Not too often you could visit an island with only 2000 population in the middle of a swamp, where some of its people never set foot to the outside world.

 

 

… See my Tabblo>

San Sebastian: Ex Mining Town Locked In Time

Days 5 and 6 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 17 and 18, 2007.

We didn’t do anything much on Saturday. We could use a break from road trips, actually. The kids spent their morning at the swimming pool, then we’re heading to downtown Puerto Vallarta. Doug wanted to watch the Iowa football game and had found this sport bar in the Romantic Zone of downtown PV. Although ‘Romantic Zone’ sounded rather shady (I thought), there’s nothing to worry; just bunch of cool restaurants and bars.

Sunday, time for another side trip: to San Sebastian up on a mountain. Historic, original, and unheard of. A perfect destination. Not much information I know about this place beforehand, other than: it was the center of mining operations back in the 16th century (thus the doubled population -is now estimated to 600 people), and located up in the mountain locked in time along with the beautiful old architectures. Actually for this particular reason, San Sebastian is tentatively listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage. Here’s the reasoning.

So, on a fine Sunday late morning, we drove from PV up to the Sierra Madre. The road condition (Highway MEX 200) is good, although some warnings applied; like ‘watch out for the falling rocks’ and ’slippery in rainy season’. The scenery up in the Sierra Madre was gorgeous, a mix of tropical and dry vegetation. There was a military check point before we went up the mountain where we were asked whether or not we’re bringing any kind of vegetables, fruits, etc in the car. If you do, you need to give those up to them before you can proceed. I’m guessing it was done for San Sebastian’s sake? They do have a coffee plantation up there.

After a couple of hours, we saw the welcome sign of San Sebastian. The Highway then continued to a gravel road, up and down, and  narrow too. After the final turn and  we couldn’t go anywhere else, the road turned into a skinny narrow pavement which brings us in to the town square. The weather was cooler, although for Iowans like us, won’t require any jackets or sweaters at all. The sun was playing hide and seek with us; I had to adjust my camera setting to ’sunny’ and ‘cloudy’ numerous times.

  

After we park in front of a police station, we walked in to a cute small restaurant for a quick lunch for the kids. The restaurant was colorful, artistic and has a delicious spaghetti  marinara. As the kids were eating, I walked around the town square. The center of the square is a plaza surrounded by roses and a gazebo right in the middle. Vicinities around the town squares varied from an old hotel, restaurants, small local shops, ATV rental, bars, a tourist information, and the police station. The ATV is a good option to navigate this town, as its hilly roads would tire your feet quickly.

Done with their lunch, we toured the town with a fast realization that we were the only American tourists. Mostly Mexicans from other side of the island, they were all as intrigued as us the whites (well, Asian for me). The residents of San Sebastian didn’t seem too bothered by the tourists at all. They continued doing their routines; some vaqueros (Mexican cowboy) with a tequila bottle on their hand talking loudly, the elderly grouping somewhere else, kids playing soccer at the school yard.

Not much of a churchgoer myself, I admire an astonishing one. San Sebastian’s church may be old in age, but it was well kept and well preserved. Its white and light blue interior wall goes together with the gold detailing.

  

The paved path of the road entwined endlessly, lead us in seeing local homes with their windows open thus making us curiously peeking into it. We stopped at a local artisan’s shop and walked away with a silver ring for my daughter, which the material was locally mined. Unable to walk as far as the mine center, I later found out from my father-in-law who went, that there’s a nicer and bigger hotel at the mine center. Just another 15 minutes walking distance from the town, the mine center even has its own underground tunnel system. Big names like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were there.

  

What strikes me the most about this town is, its ability to somehow lock itself in time and keeping everything from the old days to stay almost the same. Most of the haciendas were still in good condition. The combination of original stone pavements, magenta-white color for the plastered mud-brick walls, archways, plus wooden and tile roofs; all of these contributed in giving San Sebastian it’s own characteristic.

I sure hope this town would get more attention from the outside world without going into too commercialized. I sure didn’t get any tacky souvenirs like annoying T-shirts or stickers that say ‘I was in San Sebastian del Oeste’.

Las Marietas: Blue-footed Booby and Crazy Fish

Day 4 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 16, 2007. 

Snorkeling has always been on our to-do-list whenever we visit a tropical country. Even if we have to haul an extra luggage, which was a large duffel bag packed with the snorkeling gear. Although it’s always an option to rent these stuff at the place of destination (most  touristy places are more thank likely to have a rental shop by the beach), we prefer to use our own. The thought of using a snorkel used by a stranger is not very appealing to me. Plus, I have a prescription mask. Can’t see clearly without it.

When we were here on Day 2 of our vacation, we were offered by a local rental owner to go check out the best snorkel and dive destination around here. It’s called Las Marietas or Marietas Islands. From his description, it sounded like it was THE place to go. There shouldn’t be any hesitation on our part, except for this: it is only accessible by sea. I don’t handle motion sickness very well; especially at the sea, and that was proofen by some occasions here and there. Be it a 2-hour boat trip on a tiny fiberglass fisherman’s boat from Treasure Island to the tiny Sunny Island in Jamaica, or on a speedy ferry when we did parasailing in Negril, or even in a submarine when we were at St. Martin.

Today we’re back to Punta de Mita to take up on that offer. I took some Dramamine an hour prior hopping on the boat to help ease the motion sickness. I wasn’t sure if it was because of that, or the view along the boat ride that helped me. Beautiful sky, ocean wasn’t so rough, and a surprise sight of dolphins. I was so psyched seeing dolphins so close (about 50 meters) in the wild instead of zoo. We counted 5 or 6 of them, swimming up and down near and around our boat. The boatman even stopped the engine so the boat would be still (great chance for picture taking, but making me a little queasy -it was worth it). A couple of dolphins got curious and they were circling our boat; I could almost touch its dorsal fin.

 

It only took no more than 20 minutes to get to the islands. Getting closer and closer, it was being in a documentary movie, or a pre-historic era, for my lack of experience. The islands have rocky terrain with so many caves. There was only one secluded beach possible for a boat to dock, but too far out. Probably a hundred meters away with waist-deep water, too deep for the kids. So we didn’t land, but continue to explore the islands instead.

So many seabirds inhabit these islands, but one species captured my attention the most. Short and funny looking, it has a long neck, sharp bill, and bright blue feet.  Its feather are brown on the wings, and its head and neck are brown with black streaks. The rest of the body is white. Later on I found out they’re called the Blue-footed Booby. They can also be found on the Galapagos islands.

Then the boatman took us to the snorkel site by the coral reefs. My husband Doug and my 6-year-old Davi went in the water, followed by my dad-in-law Jay. I wanted to go in but I freaked out because it’s so deep and I tend to get an anxiety attack if I couldn’t see or touch the bottom. My 5-year-old Dante refused to go in the water anyway, so we stayed on the boat. We had brough some bread with us to feed the fish. Our boatman had an idea to put the bread in an empty plastic water bootle. He added a bit of water, enough to make the bread soggy. He then threw the bottle to Doug, leaving it open. Doug handed it to Davi, I guess he was hoping for Davi to encounter some fish. Not only she did, but she was literally attacked by the fish (and seabirds!) fighting over the bread in the bottle. Davi freaked out and threw the bottle away. The bottle then float on the water, with the seabirds and fish kept on fighting over it. It was such a sight for the three of us on the boat, if only I captured it as a movie. Our boatman yelled, “Crazy fish!” so many times and couldn’t stop laughing I tought he was going to fall out of the boat. 

Right after that life-threatening episode, Davi decided to quit and climbed on the boat to join us. She said it was the scariest thing ever and not interested in going back in the water ever. Yea right, li’l Miss Drama. Doug and Jay joined us ahortly after, then it was time to go back. For $50 buck each (adult only, kids are free) and 2 hour experience, I though it was worth it. My only regret was not snorkeling. Other than that, I’m glad we went to Las Marietas.

Surf’s Up at Sayulita

Day 3 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 15, 2007.

  

Another  road trip up north today. Destination: Sayulita. Another fun driving on the curvy mountaineous part of MEX 200 Highway. Sayulita is a small fishing village but definitely is ready for tourism. I saw at least one hotel, a lot of little restaurants, a couple of beachside restaurants with its own surf rental/shop, an art gallery, a couple of knick-knack stores, a salon (Dante and dad got their hair cut there), a money changer, and an internet cafe. It’s pretty easy to orient yourself here too, just use the town plaza as a landmark and you’d be fine.

Known for its rivermouth surfbreak, Sayulita has becoming a popular off-the-beaten-path destination for people who are visiting Puerto Vallarta. There are two surf spots in Sayulita; a right (longboard) break in front of the village and a left (faster) break in front of the campground. Wetsuit is never needed here since the water is warm; but if you do like early morning surfing, they said you’d probably want to bring your rashguard due to the morning breezes.

Definitely do not let your little ones go in the water alone. The four of us were going to do bodysurf, were holding hands, still the waves was too strong for Davi who is 6 1/2 and Dante who is 5. They got pushed by the wave, knocked down under water,  and both did not like that at all so they don’t want to do bodysurfing anymore. They preferred to be safe and played at the beach for the rest of the day. Although Davi, being a water creature that she is, couldn’t resist the water and went in just to dip her little feet every now and then.

All in all, I think Sayulita is a great place to go; especially if you have teenagers. I saw a girl who’s probably 10 year old, was learning to surf. It was so cool. That could be Davi in four years, he he he.

Road Trip to Punta de Mita

Day 2 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 14, 2007.

Yaaay! Beach day! After recuperating for a day, we’re all ready and excited to go to the beach. My father-in-law, Jay, has been doing some research online about the beaches around PV and south of PV. They are contaminated with human feces. I don’t think I want my kids to swim in pool of poop.

So we headed north today to Punta de Mita, which is in the State of Nayarit. It’s the most northernmost point of Banderas Bay where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortes. It was probably 15-20 minutes driving from Nuevo Vallarta, where we’re staying, in the State of Jalisco. When you’re in town of Punta de Mita, it’s pretty easy to find the beach. Go until you can’t go any further. You’ll ended up in a parking lot-like area. Park your car and pick a restaurant. Why? Because in order to have access to the beach, you need to go through these restaurants.

I couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant we use as our base today, but it’s the second one from the right (if you’re facing the ocean). We came, we sat down, we ordered drinks, smeared the kids with heavy duty sun block, then watched them run to the beach. There were a number of hawkers trying to sell us stuff. It was a bit annoying but they’d go away once you said ‘No, gracias’ firmly. The only two hawkers that we couldn’t say ‘No’ to were the braid lady (Davi had mentioned that she’d like to have her hair braided) and Steve. He’s a very charming middle-aged guy who sells knicks-knacks. Such a smooth talker, he had Doug into purchasing two beer opener. I personally think it’s pretty cool; it’s a green scaly fish made of onyx stones. And Davi did not want to pursue the hair braiding process because she does not want to miss out the beach time.

As the adults were enjoying the drinks (my oh my, was my margarita strong!), a guy approached us and asked if we’d be interested in snorkeling to the islands of Marietas. Best known for snorkeling, you’d need a boat to take you there. The price you’d pay for is for the boat, the boat man, and 2-hour worth of snorkeling time. But we didn’t feel like going on a boat trip today so we said we’ll be back. Couldn’t remember his name, but he owns the surf shop by the beach (renting snorkeling and diving equiptment, kayak, surfboard, etc).

Punta de Mita has a white sandy beach with a nearby coral reefs and the wave is calm; suitable for kids. The beach was kind of rocky, so make sure you’d have your water shoes on. Davi and Dante met a friend who own a boogie board and played with him for a long time. They had so much fun rolling on the beach, they have scratch here and there from the little rocks. But they don’t care… they were having too much fun to care.

Puerto Vallarta Trip: Some Similarities to Jakarta

Day 1 of our Puerto Vallarta trip: Nov 13, 2007.

In some ways, Puerto Vallarta (PV) reminds me of Jakarta. When we were visiting PV just recently, I found some similarities between the two. For a starter [it was so obvious on our first day coming into town from the airport], I noticed that Mexicans also drive on the shoulder of the road. Indonesians do this quite often, especially the minibus drivers (sopir angkot). When I was in one of angkot, I’d go, “Woo hoo… yeah… go angkot, go angkot!” These drivers have no fear at all (and no patience for waiting in line), they’d zip through the shoulder, even go in the ditch, just to get to the front of the line. The Mexicans are not as extreme, but definitely have the same lack of patience like Indonesians. And being in an opposite position, to be in a car properly waiting in line and seeing these cars pass us by, I was not very happy.

Other similarity was the use of meat. Like Indonesians, Mexicans also use it all up. For instance, the use of beef. Other than the meaty part, we both also cook the intestines, foot and even brain. If the Mexicans have Menudo Soup, Indonesia has Soto Babat. When we’re dining in the town of PV, we didn’t encounter any ‘local’ dish in any restaurant. Maybe because PV is considered as a touristy destination; the food business tends to cater for the tourists. But when we were at the remote Mexcaltitlan (I will write a different post about this place), I tried on their local dish, dried shrimp. Doug, the kids, and my father-in-law can not eat it, but it tasted just fine to me. Just like eating the good ol’ rempeyek with a strong dried shrimpy taste to it.

We did a lot of driving around when we were in PV; even to other cities/towns. Since we’re not staying in an all inclusive resort (eek!), we were able to get out and do a lot of different things. Everday we’re on the road, either to explore or to go out for dinner, I noticed a lot of road constructions were going on. And just like in Jakarta, the work is done mostly by hard labor instead of machines. Not safely-dressed workers beating up rocks by hand using hammers, with some of them were just wearing sandals. Related to constructions, I noticed that the way they build houses are very similar to Indonesians. Tall black rods sticking out in houses that were being built. The use of bricks was noticeable like us Indonesians too.

When we were driving long haul to reach Mexcaltitan, we were in desperate need for a bathroom for the kids. We stopped at a house that sells soft drinks. I’m glad Doug speaks better Spanish than me, we were okayed to use their bathroom in their house. We had to walk through a bedroom and I noticed an elderly woman watching the TV. Obviously she lives there with her daughter, son in law and grandchildren. In some other occasion when we had to walk very close to someone’s house -human nature- I glanced inside the house and saw elderly people who appear to be living in the household. Indonesians don’t really believe in nursing homes. Elderly people live and being taken care of in their children’s house, even until they die. Sometimes, this is the root of a family feud.

Mexican schoolchildren wear uniform like Indonesians. White tops, and different color for the bottom part depends on the level of education )elementary, junior high, or high school). The difference [for the teenage girls] is the length of the skirt. In Indonesia, it’s mostly about knee length; even longer if you attend an Islamic school. All the teenage schoolgirls -and no, I’m not exaggerating- in PV and around wear mini skirts [with long socks]. I’m not sure if the school requires it or what. After all, it’s a uniform.

Mexicans and Indonesians are hard workers. Working long hours with minimum wage. Unlike Americans who live to work, Mexicans and Indonesians work to live.

Playa del Carmen – Day 5: Exploring Aktun Chen

Left our villa a little late today. Everybody slept in after a long day at Xel-Ha yesterday.  Stopped for an excellent brunch at a chicken joint (well, I was going to call it ‘restaurant’, but it doesn’t quite look like one). Couldn’t remember the name of the joint nor the address. But since it was pretty close to the place we’re staying in, I think it’s on 2nd Street between 15th and 20th Ave. It loooks like a big garage with an aluminum roof. You walk in there,  tell them what portion of chicken you’d like to order, then have a seat wherever you’d like. The grilled chicken comes with spanish rice, tortillas, and condiments. OMG, muy delicioso!

 

After everybody’s tummies are full, we’re then on our way to Aktun Chen, a 988-acres park of unexplored rainforest, located along the Mayan Riviera (between Tulum and Akumal). In Mayan, Aktun Chen means cave with an underground river inside. Three caves with a cenote (underground river) have been discovered in the park. The main cave is now suitable for an easy walking tour which has been enhanced with indirect lighting for a better view and enjoyment of the thousands of stalactites, stalagmites and natural sculptures, all of them formed by water and calcium carbonate throughout five million years. Wow!

The entrance from the Highway 370 will go about 3 kilometres or so, until you arrive in the reception area; and it was quite an interesting driving. You’d go pass through the nature trails through the park, go slow… you might run an iguana over. There’s a warning sign on the parking area to lock your car, the wild monkeys have gotten smarter and naughtier. Cute.

After we paid the entrance fee (was it $20 per adult?), our guide took us to the serpent area and explain a thing or two about snakes. Do you know how to tell if a snake is poisonous or not? I do now. Then off we go on the nature trail to the main cave. Good thing we were given hard hats to wear, I lost track the number of time I hit my head on the stalactites. Such a beautiful place. So serene, and mystical in the same time. Unlike the other caves I’ve been in, Aktun Chen’s main cave isn’t claustrophobic-y at all. Good breeze with lots of room to move around.

But what threw me was the cenote. The underground river. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen in my life. Our guide took us to an area with a very dim lighting. All I could see was the shadow of the rocks around the river,  stalagtites, stalagmites and some reflections on the water. I thought, “OK… what’s so great about this?” Then our guide turned the overhead lighting off, everything went pitch black, my son said ‘Uh-oh…’ and then he turned the underwater lighting on. The four of us went, “Whoa…” If only I could do better in capturing the view… but here it is…

From the cave, we’re exiting to the jungle where you can see a lot of white tail deer left and right. Should you need any refreshment or snacks, there’s a little cafetaria after you exit the cave. Aktun Chen isn’t only abundant in deer, but other wild animal as well: spider monkeys, birds, boars, etc. The walk in the cave took not more than an hour an a half. It’s worth it.

Playa del Carmen – Day 4: Xel-Ha Ecopark (And the Horrible Experience of Going Down the River)

Just in case you’re out of ideas of what to do here (just-in-case) or if you don’t feel like driving here and there, visiting Xel-Ha might be a good solution. They said you’d be able to easily spend a whole day there, and I thought, “Yea rite… what is this place? Disney or something?”

Holy cow… it was absolutely right. We got there a little ‘late’, around 10-ish in the morning, and the place was already packed. When we purchased the all-inclusive admission tickets at the booth (all you can eat buffet *yay sarcastically*, no-charge snorkeling gear and towels, and free ice cream), the line wasn’t so bad. But as soon as we walked in through the gate, mamma mia… all these people were here earlier than us? It’s not even noon! After we changed into our swimming suit, we decided to have brunch. The open air restaurant with the size of a football court (I’m not kidding!) was busy already. Good thing is, they situated the food here and there so there was hardly any line at all. Since we’re eating on the second floor for the breakfast time, the view was outstanding.  

It’s kind of hard to explain this place. Just imagine a place of your own; with rivers, lagoons, cenotes, caves, etc. Greeneries are everywhere, hence the name ecopark. Even the buildings were built nature-friendly. Close encounter with the animals are possible. Lizards crossing the road path (watch your step), tropical fish tickling your feet when you’re tubing down the river, or parrots perched on your body (well, this one was a tourist trap -they have some parrots ready to take picture with you with a little price).

And who said tubing down the river is easy to do? It’s exhausting! Freakin’ tearing my hands apart, especially when you have your kid with you. Either go by yourself on that stupid round thing or come up with a different type of floating device. I took Dante with me, while Davi’s with Dad. The four of us had life jackets on; Doug is a good swimmer, Davi’s actually better than me, and Dante… well, let’s just say he’s eager to but not quit sure how to. So, just trying to get in to that donut-shape float thingy was a struggle. Should I put my butt in the middle of the donut then have Dante on my lap? Or, put my two feet in the middle of the hole and sit on the ring then have Dante sit on the other side of the ring? Hm… based on the gravity law, that won’t work. I obviously am heavier than him. So, after a number of unsuccesful attempts to get things started, I got a little panicky to see the line of people behind me (while hubby and Davi took off already… thanks a lot guys!). With a big what the heck!, I opted the original position and take off. Wasn’t very easy. We’re just circling and getting closer and closer to the rocks; instead off smoothly go down the river. Tried to pedal with my hands, and after a while, it started to wear me off. Dante’s freaking out on my lap, thinking we’re going to die once we hit the rock or the veins. After half a mile, I saw hubby and Davi stopped at one of some decks. I struggled to reach the deck, unload Dante, haul the float device up, and start to explode.

“This is just not a good idea! What the heck were you thinking? And thanks for leaving me there, what a great help you are…”
But he was just laughing, “Are you having a bad time, honey?”
‘Bad’ was just not cut it. “I’m miserable!”
“Well, try this. I positioned Davi in the middle of the tube, feet in the water, and she’d hold on to the tube. You could get in the water and hold on to the tube and use  your feet to pedal.”
“You’re kidding. Get in the water? You know I can’t swim.”
“You’ll be fine, honey… you have the life vest on.”
“…”
“Well, do you want to continue going or call it quit?”
Grmbl… grmbl…

So there we go again. On the water. Still [barely] hanging on the floating tube and kicking my flippers hard. I just want to get to the ‘finish’ line. Not enjoying this at all. The sun was bright, forehead started to sweat and my darn sunscreen were dripping down and burn my eyes. Dante was having fun, at least. And so did the others. There were some college kids jumping off the cliff, skinny girls with tops barely covering the va-va-vooms competing on walking across a rope. They’re all having fun. Not me. My shoulders felt like they were going to fall off soon. For crying out loud, how long is this river, again?

Survived the river, time to refuel. Another lunch buffet. I ate like a pig. Who cares. Since we can order drinks as many as we want, I ordered pina colada. Then margarita. Done with lunch, we opted snorkeling. So much better. Nice and calm… no drama. We snorkelled into a cave, and realized that the ceilings had holes and people who are walking around up there could see us through those holes. So I got out from the water and took pictures of hubby and our kids from above. It was so neat.

Getting closer to 5 in the afternoon, almost closing time. Bummer. I didn’t feel like we explore this place thoroughly. Other than the horrible experience with tubing down the river, I enjoyed the time here. Maybe the next time we’re here, the kids will be big enough to go by themselves and I could try the river again. How ’bout that for not giving up?

Playa del Carmen – Day 3: Puerto Aventuras and $100 Swimming with Dolphins

Today we drove to Puerto Aventuras, 20 minutes south of Playa del Carmen. It’s totally a different set. Few days back, we’ve been experiencing the lively Playa del Carmen and quiet Akumal. Puerto Aventuras is like Monaco minus the race track -it’s a deluxe marina community. This place is our kids’ favorite for two reasons: (1) the beach is magnificent, with a very nice swimming pool, and (2) Dolphin Discovery. Accompanying its title as a rather hi-end place, Puerto (as the local calls it) has a 9-hole golf course, tennis court, scuba diving, shopping malls and restaurants.

It’s rather tricky to find your way around Puerto. Easy to get lost in the middle of those private beach resorts, condos, houses, and/or apartments. We’re trying to find an entry way to a public beach and finally found one accidentally through a dive shop at Omni Puerto Aventuras Hotel. This hotel has a superb beach location on the north end of Puerto’s main beach. My 6 year old daughter learned to snorkel for the first time here. The water’s clear and calm, making it easy for her to adjust with the snorkel equiptment (though it was super cute to see her trying to walk on the beach with the flippers on both feet and goggles on her face). The shop attendant at Omni Puerto Aventuras Hotel’s dive shop was nice enough to let us use their smallest flippers for Davi. We brought the rest of the snorkel equiptment from home for the four of us.

Can’t remember how much we paid for the beach chairs but it was sure worth it. When we’re bored with the beach/sea, right behind us is a super nice swimming pool for the kids. Beach bar just around the corner and a shower/rest room is so close to the swimming pool. The kids just love going in and out to/from swimming pool and the beach. Dragging all those sand in to the pool even though the shower/restroom is not too far away.

The Dolphin Discovery is not too bad either. It’s free entrance, you can see all these cute sea animals in their tanks. Since it’s open air, you’d be able to watch them being trained or just swimming around showing off what they’re capable off. Took a movie clip of a pair of obnoxious sea lions (or was it seals?)  ‘barking’ with my old Olympus C4040Z. Will try to upload it somehow.

If you have an extra hundred dollars laying around somewhere, then you’d be able to swim with the dolphins. Woo hoo… yeah, I know. Don’t get me wrong, I do like dolphins. And I do wish I could swim with one. But then, (a) I’m not a very good swimmer and dolphins are such a playfull and strong creature. I saw it with my four eyes (I wear glasses) how dangerous it was to see how dolphins ‘play’. They’d take you on and push you down to the bottom of the tank, hold you down under the water til your lungs feel like they’re going to explode, then jump up in the air so high before splash you back to the water; (b) I don’t have a 100 dollars.

Later on as I was enjoying my ice cream, I saw these group of people in the dolphin tank. A guy in a ‘Dolphin Discovery’ diver suit was coaching them to line up and get ready to be highfived by a dolphin. In another tank, people were ‘petting’ a dolphin and learn how to give some basic commands. This kind of shattered my imagination earlier of how cool it’d be to swim with a dolphin. If I were to pay a hundred dollars, I want it ‘private’ -just me, the trainer, and the dolphin.

To close the day, we went to La Floresta on highway 370 by Playa del Carmen. This place is well known for its shrimp and fish tacos. Oh my… the shrimp tacos were out of this world. A must try!

Playa del Carmen – Day 2: From Sleepy Akumal to Tulum Ruins

Today we decided to get out of Playa del Carmen (PdC), get on Highway 370 to go farther south.  A lot of road construction was going on. Lanes switched with no warning signs, threw us off from time to time. Sharing a lane with no lane divider and seeing cars coming from opposite direction, making me jumpy. Oh what fun!

With no apparant reason, we turned into Akumal. What a big difference from PdC. Akumal is quiter, less partying or souvenir vendors. Private beach houses with their back to the road and their front to the beach. Not easy to access the best beach because the only way is if you rent the property. Definitely the getaway from the hustle and bustle. A good location for a therapy for your soul. Stopped at a bar by the Jade beach to stretch our legs out and have a snack -heavenly nachos!

Then we drove to Tulum, the ‘walled city’ that was built by the ancient Maya on a cliff overlooking the Caribbean sea. When driving on the reoad from Akumal to Tulum (not on highway 370), you’d arrived at a secondary gate to enter the Tulum ruins. There’s no parking fee here (unlike the main gate if you’re entering from the highway 370); but the walking distance was longer -about half a mile away. Still need to pay the entrance fee, with additional fee for a tour guide. A better explanation of Tulum ruins is here. As for myself, I’m amazed on how detailed some of the stone works were. The presence of some iguanas made the prehistoric feelings even deeper. They’re everywhere! Lurking on every corner of the ruins, starring at you, then gave you the tongue! How rude…
The beach here is perfect for body surfing. Beach’s kind of short and rocky, with no amenities. Just be prepared to see some people changing their clothes behind the rocks.

Pics by Diny. Taken in Tulum, MX. March 07. … See my Tabblo>