This morning started off really great. I woke up just after 7 when the good housekepers made a little too much noise outside our room. It’s a good thing they woke me up because, unlike the rest of my family, I love the morning. Mom got up with me as well. It was her turn but I know dad was kind of awake because he kept opening his eyes and shaking his head. I don’t think he likes mornings as much as I do.

We got into a place called Tulum yesterday and we’re staying in a neat hotel room. Me and Jordan have to share a bed but that’s okay because mom and dad are right beside us. I like it when we’re close. Mom must have really wanted to keep me quiet because she let me play my Nintendo DS while she surfed the internet. They never let me play games in the morning. It’s too bad because I enjoyed waking up really early and sneaking downstairs to play it when I first got it a few months ago. Dad wasn’t too happy when he found out and from then on they hid it at night so I coulnd’t find it. Oh well, there’re always cartoons and toys to play with.

Once everyone was up (it wasn’t too much later since I barely got to play) we walked down the street to get something to eat. I wasn’t too happy at first because I was enjoying my DS but the restaurant had a nice cat to play with. It reminded me of our cat Cosmo back home with grandma. I kind of miss him but I know he’s enjoying himself with all her cats. I got to talk to him the other day on the phone while mom talked with grandma. He was pretty quiet but I know he enjoyed hearing my voice.

Anyway, mom and dad ordered me a chocolate and banana crepe. I wasn’t that happy with the idea of it until it came. It was huge and delicious and mom and dad kept stealing some. I finished the whole plate and was a little mad they took so much. I could have eaten a lot more. Next we walked down the street a bit and grabbed a taxi. That part was fun because we got to drive really fast. Mom kept telling me to sit down and hold on.

They told me we were going to see some ancient ruins. I have no idea what that means but I liked the sound of ancient ruins and used it in every sentence for the next 10 minutes. Dad finally made me understand that it was a place that was really old and had historic significance. I have no idea what that meant either so dad just said it was a place with old rocks lying around. I didn’t want to see old rocks but they promised me a train ride when we got there. It wasn’t a real train though. It was what dad calls a tram. To me it looked more like a tractor pulling a few carts. It was stil fun though.

When we got off there were these guys on a very tall pole. Four of them had ropes around their legs and they spun down upside down (like Spiderman) while another guy played some funny music on the top of it. Everybody was watching and it was very neat. Mom and dad got a little upset when they realized that we weren’t in the right area after that and we got to go on the tractor thingy again back to where we started. Dad seemed happier as we followed a crowd through a very large crack in a stone wall. Dad said this was the entrance into the ruins. There were a lot of people out but as we walked in we saw a whole bunch of lizards and iguanas everywhere. Mom and dad kept taking pictures of us next to the piles of old rock but I really liked looking at the lizards and playing hide and seek every time I saw a good place to hide. Mom and dad didn’t really want to play that much though.

There was a nice beach at the place but it was way below and mom and dad said they didn’t want to have to walk the long stairs up and down to get there. I think that would have been the funnest part. Dad said there weren’t any iguanas down there so I decided we shouldn’t go anyway. After looking at a bunch more lizards (and more piles of rocks) we followed the people out of the ancient ruins. Dad said people used to live there hundreds of years ago but all I saw were rocks everywhere. I’m not sure I believe him but I thought it best to just go along with him and nod my head. It seems to make him happy when I agree with him.

Next we walked to the place with a bunch of taxis. I thought we were going to get in and go to the beach but dad and the guy didn’t seem to get along. It had something to do with the taxi driver being a crook dad said. Anyway, there was another one a bit farther down the road. Dad seemed to like this driver much better and we drove away. Dad and the driver had a good long talk (usually it’s fairly quiet because dad can’t speak their language) and we stopped at a place by the water. As we walked in I noticed a playground and a trampoline. The place was really quiet but there was a a trampoline and dad said I could go on it after we get “settled in”. (I think that means that they want to find a place to drop those heavy bags and stuff.)

Dad talked to a guy and we got this huge bedlike thing. It was right on the beach! Jordan and I got to play in the sand and mom and dad ordered us some drinks. I had a great big Strawberry Smoothie and Jordan had a Shirley Temple. Hers was too fizzy but I liked mine. I really wanted to go try the trampoline but dad kept saying that we should finish off our drinks first. (I think they just liked their beers too much.) Luckily they finished them off really fast and we got to go bounce on the trampoline. (I really liked that part.) Dad taught me a new game called “crack the nut” where I hold my toes and he jumps around until I let go. He can jump really high and so we played a new game called “catch the Cole”.

Jordan and mommy jumped a little and then we all went back to our spot on the beach. I finished off the rest of my drink and then Jordan and I ran around in the sand. Mommy and daddy ordered us some nachos and more drinks. After we finished off the nachos they orderd something called a mojito. I’m not sure what was in it but after that mommy seemed really happy and then we got to jump on the trampoline again. Mommy was jumping like crazy this time and we all had a lot of fun. Jordan was a little scared to jump but she loved running on it. We would take turns chasing each other around on it until we got dizzy. I never wanted to leave it was so much fun.

I thought we were going but mommy and daddy wanted to go by the water for a bit. We spent a long time walking and playing in the sand. None of us even had our bathing suits on but we all got a little wet anyway. We saw a bunch of pelicans diving in the water after some fish and there were three dogs who were chasing sticks into the ocean. It looked like a lot of fun but I never got the chance to throw one. The dogs were too far away from us. I was happy though because mom and dad let my jump on the trampoline again before we left.

We were all a little tired when we got back to the hotel and mommy and Jordan slept for a bit. Dad tried to make me but I was still too excited about the trampoline. I got to play a little more DS after I had spent a little “quiet time” in the room. When mom woke up she took Jordan for a walk and when she came back she had bread, cheese and mayonese! Mom said we were making my favorite sandwich for a quick late supper. I was so happy because I ask for that sandwich all the time. Dad says it’s not right to ask for that for breakfast, lunch and supper but it’s my favorite!

After I had eaten three sandwiches (what can I say, they’re my favorite) we got to watch a cartoon and then we went for a walk. Dad said he needed something to snack on but what he really means is that he wanted some sweets. I don’t mind because that usually means I get something as well. I got to pick whatever I wanted at the store and got a great pushup blueberry sucker type candy. It was so good mommy almost kept it for herself. Jordan got some gummy bears and dad had a chocolate bar (though Jordan ate a bunch of it). When we got back we played some hide and go seek. Mom and dad can never find me even though I always hide in the same two places. They seem to enjoy it though. After that we all went to bed since it was such a full day. I can’t wait to find out what we’re doing tomorrow. I think I’ll get up really early so I can get as much in as we did today!

Thanks for listening about my fun day. Hope you all have as much fun reading about it as I did living it. Cole out!

To those who haven’t yet been to this area, a cenote 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 like diving Cenote Dos Ojos. Some of the deepest can go down to 200 feet while others can lead to miles of underground caves. As luck would have it, the Yucatan Peninsula has some of the nicest ones in the world and we thought we’d check one out.

After getting the kids prepped and ready and making sure the sky was still clear we headed out. We had heard that the cheapest way to get there was to take a taxi to the collectivo depot (a small van that basically acts like a mini bus that has a specific destination but you can literally get off and on anywhere along it’s route). Micki and I knew that the cenote we were headed for was relatively close so I had asked the taxi driver how much to get there. He grabbed a chart and pointed to the price. It was around $20 US. Not wanting to spend so much I told him no too expensive and that we just wanted to be dropped at the collectivo lot.

I think my Spanish was especially bad that morning because next thing I knew we were outside of the city and heading to the cenote. We had not even gotten close to the collectivo stand. Micki was nice enough to point this out to me but we had already driven so far (we weren’t 100% sure where the collectivos met to begin with) that we decided to just pay to take the taxi all the way there. $20 wasn’t so bad after dealing with the Taxi Mafia on Cozumel considering the distance we were going.

About 20 minutes later the taxi had pulled over in front of a big cenote sign. I think it was either Cenote Azul or Cenote El Edén (they’re all close to each other). It wasn’t the right one but I did get to try out my Spanish again as a local tout tried selling me on going to that one instead. Basically it was 3 cenotes for the price of 1. It was actually a good deal but we had researched and decided on Cenote Crystalline (also known as Cenote Cristalino). It’s one of the best in the area and gets great reviews. So on we drove (it was only a minute farther to be honest) and arrived at our cenote. There was a big billboard at the side of the road and a little shack selling tickets and simple snacks. It cost us 100 Pesos (40 for us, 20 for Cole and Jordan was free) which is about about $8 US.

As we followed a little rock and gravel path all the way down to the main attraction we were a little excited. It’s not everyday you get to see a natural wonder a minute off the highway in a foreign land. When we got there we were a little surprised. It didn’t look like much compared to the ads. It was a small pool with a fair bit of leaves and stuff floating on the top. It looked interesting but none of us had the urge to just jump in. Luckily, that was only a small part of it and as we followed the boardwalk it opened up into another larger area. The main pool was much larger and was both leaf free and crystal clear. The water was also deceptively deeper than it looked.

I think the biggest shock we had was that the place was empty. There were two Brazilian women (I’m pretty sure they were speaking Portuguese)  and another couple checking out the cave pools. The two women were interesting because one was incredibly pregnant and the other was taking tons of pictures of her in different outfits. It looked more like a photo shoot than anything else. Anyway, we had heard the place was very popular and were expecting it to be more crowded than it was. The two women left soon after we got there and we basically had the place to ourselves almost the entire time.

One of the neatest things about the pools is that they are teaming with fish. Some are actually quite colorful and you wouldn’t expect that in a fresh water pool. As we sat down along the edge and put our feet in, a dozen of the 3 inch ones started nibbling on our toes. We had read about that and I didn’t mind the tickling feeling that much. Micki and the kids couldn’t get used to it though so they made sure to keep their feet moving all the time. The fish wouldn’t bother you if you stayed in motion.

After throwing on our swimgear and hanging by the edge for an hour I finally jumped in. The pools were a little cool (though warmer than our swimming pool) so Micki and I were a little hesitant to jump in at first. Once I was in the water it was gorgeous and I got Cole to throw me my snorkelling gear. After swimming a few laps of the main area I got out and let Micki have a turn. She basically jumped in and then got out. No matter how much coaxing I tried I couldn’t get either of the kids in with me. Jordan was a little overtired and Cole was enjoying dropping pebbles into the water and watching the fish go after it thinking it was food.

When people finally started showing up we decided to call it a day. As Micki and the kids changed I went for a longer snorkel starting in the cave and arriving into the main pool. The cave was quite different to snorkel in and to be honest was a little intimidating. It gets dark in there! I found it much easier to swim from the cave out to the light than the other way around mind you. I think if the place had a bunch of people hanging out it wouldn’t have been bad but when you’re alone your mind starts to wonder what exactly is hiding under that ledge or in that dark spot in the corner.

When we got to the main entrance we stopped for a quick snack at the little shack and then crossed the road to hail down a collectivo. We had no idea how to do that but as we stood on the median one came flying by, slammed on it’s brakes and then backed up to pick us up. We didn’t even have to flag it down. We had a nice little ride back (Jordan fell asleep again) and it only cost us 50 pesos (about $4 US) to the terminal. The van passed only 10 blocks from our place and we could have jumped out then but we wanted to see exactly where the terminal was for our next excursion. We then grabbed a $2 taxi to our place since Jordan was sleeping and Cole looked like he was about to fall asleep any minute. We all had a nice little siesta when we got back and enjoyed a quiet night in with the kids.

As a side note, we’re thinking we might end up staying in Playa for the holidays so if anyone is heading out here let us know and we’ll meet you for Christmas drinks. Next on our must do while here list is probably going to be snorkelling with the turtles in Akumal. We have some friends coming out for the week later today and they’re staying in that area so we might end up doing that sooner than later. We’ll put out a post as soon as we do. Hope you all have a great weekend!

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 much each 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. Being the nice, friendly people we are we always replied yes. To that, they always replied that taxis are expensive on the island and that we needed to rent a car to get around. According to them it was lucky that we found them in time. Even more lucky was that every single one of them had a car to rent us. It’s strange how many coincidences one can have in a single block.

In truth, it was about the 3rd or 4th time we walked that strip (there’s a nice playground right there for the kids) and it always amazes me how they all change their tactics depending on the crowd. The last time we were there they were all touting Xcaret and the local activities.

See the Xcaret website and ticket prices here.

The time before that they were all pushing the big trips like Chichen Itza and Cancun daytrips. To be honest, those few blocks around the bus station are the worst in Playa for people trying to sell you things. It gets annoying after a while and you quickly learn ways to evade their constant “buy my crap because it’s better than the other 50 stores that sell the exact same thing” spiel.

Some of my favorite ways to deal with the constant selling include: pretending not to understand them, running towards their booth and then at the last second going to the next one, smiling and nodding my head so much they think I’m an imbecile, laughing like what they just said was the funniest thing I ever heard and pretending that the kids won’t let me look at their store and then pushing them forward a little faster. I always tend to do it nicely and will chat with the person if they’re genuinely friendly or helpful.

Anyways, to get back on topic, we decided to skip renting a car for this trip. All we really wanted was to see a bit of the place and spend the afternoon at one of the beaches. After enjoying the nice air conditioned 1 hour ride on the ferry we finally arrived on the beautiful island of Cozumel. Once we got past the usual touts and scammers that prey on the bewildered traveller we walked into the main square. Everybody was a little peckish but none of the restaurants were that appealing so we stopped by a 7-11 (the first one we’ve seen out here) and grabbed an iced tea and some snacks.

It was only as we sat there in the little park in the center of town enjoying watching the people and the colorful shopfronts that Micki and I realized we really didn’t know anything about Cozumel. We both knew that it was the biggest island in Mexico and that the nicest beaches were down to the south. We also knew there was a nice lighthouse in the far North and some small ruins close to it that weren’t worth checking out if we were planning to see the ones in Tulum. We also knew that there were a few small fishing villages on the opposite side that supposedly served awesomely cheap and fresh seafood. Of course, neither of us like seafood so that was out of the question. Beyond that we had no idea which beach to go to or even how to get there.

I had a rudimentary map from one of the touts in my pocket but it wasn’t to scale so we weren’t sure exactly how far the good beaches were. We had no idea if there were buses or even collectivos (small bus like vans that run only when they’re full) that circled the island. Once our snack was done we decided to walk along the boulevard that ran the length of the beach. We quickly counted 4 large cruise ships in port and the boulevard was full of day trippers. All the shops were crazy overpriced (even compared to Playa) and the lines of taxis was phenomenal for a 45 square mile island. After walking a dozen blocks we saw a McDonalds with free WiFi. We were a little overheated so we decided to sneak in and let the kids enjoy running around the playpark while we enjoyed the AC.

While the kids played I quickly surfed the net and did a little research on how to get around the place. Turns out I should have rented a car. I guess when life gives you 25 coincidences a block you should probably pay attention. The taxis on the island are known for their absurd prices (they have a very strong union and are known throughout the region as the Taxi Mafia) and up until a few years ago had even managed to thwart any organized bus routes on the island. Seems a little crazy and even I didn’t believe it until I walked up to one and asked how much to San Francisco Beach (reportedly the nicest stretch of beach on the island). When he said $14 US I laughed and kept walking. It wasn’t until the 3rd time I asked and got the same response that I realized they were serious.

$14 might not seem that much in Canada or the US but out here that could get me a bus ticket to Belize. It seemed a little high for a one way ride to one the nearest beaches but the day was quickly passing us by and we had already decided on not getting a rental car. So after sucking it up we jumped in the taxi and headed out. It turns out San Francisco beach is actually 14 kilometers outside of the town proper and definitely not walkable with a 2 and 5 year old.

When we got out of the taxi we were in high hopes and good spirits. The weather was still gorgeous and we were at the nicest beach on the island. That feeling lasted until we saw the actual beach. Turns out a few years ago a huge hurricane destroyed the majority of the beaches here and to keep the island a profitable tourist destination they rebuilt almost all of them. To put it in perspective, the beach was very small and the quality of sand was way inferior to anything we’ve seen in Playa. The island supposedly has tons of seagrass along it’s beaches and it was evident if you walked any distance in either direction.

To end this piece on a positive note, we actually had a great day. We got a beach spot at Carlos ‘n Charlies (a very popular bar/restaurant chain that’s everywhere out here) with a few lounge chairs by the water, an umbrella to minimize our sun exposure and a few cervezas to keep our hydration up. The kids had a huge lemonade in a 2 foot tall plastic palm tree container that Jordan refused to ever put down. We swam in the calm ocean and enjoyed trying to jump on the oversized trampoline they had buoyed out in the water. We didn’t leave the place until after 5.

Besides for our ferry not being able to start (we had to get out and jump in a different one), we made it back to Playa in one piece. Both kids fell asleep in the taxi on the way to the ferry and Jordan slept until we got off the boat. We then stopped at a little Mexican restaurant next to Coco Bongo (Patrona De Playa or something similar) that serves great food at a great price. After a $2 taxi ride back home we were happy to be in our place again. Cozumel was fun (and I hear it’s great for snorkelling) but I think the next time we want to hang out at the beach we’ll just walk the few blocks to this one. I hear the cervezas are just as cold, the taxi rides a wee bit cheaper and the beach that much nicer.

Safe travels everyone!

To be completely honest, Micki and I only realized how crazy our previous week was as we landed in Cancun. What’s weird is that after having traveled for years together, when we walked out of the airport we were a little surprised to find ourselves in a foreign land. It all happened so fast that we weren’t prepared for the reality that this was going to be our life for the next 6 months.

Now many of you may laugh at the thought of a place like the Mayan Riviera being considered foreign, with its miles of white beaches and dozens of outrageous All-Inclusive adult playgrounds and, for the most par,t I’d be the first to scoff. However, unlike most people who come here, we’re not getting off the plane only to be scuttled to the free shuttle to begin our week (or two for the more fiscally strong) of beer guzzling, margarita swilling, beach chair hogging, overpriced, pampered, adventure guide following stay at a beautiful resort.

We all know (and admittedly I also love) those quickie vacations that rejuvenate our soul and make staying the winter in Canada somewhat bearable. For us though, that walk into humidity represented the first steps into a 6 month adventure that, admittedly, we spent less time planning than some of our overpriced last minute resort experiences. Sure, we’ve glazed over plenty of guidebooks about what to do and where to go but with 2 young kids, a contract quickly ending and that first line of this post to deal with we really haven’t mapped out our travels that much.

Once we walked through the green light go, red light please bend over, welcoming into Mexico we were on our own. So do we jump on a bus, take a taxi or take a mini shuttle? Will they drop us off at the condo we rented or will we have to walk or take a taxi once we get to Playa? (Playa is about 45 minutes south of the Cancun airport.) How much is it for each? How much is it worth it for us to be pampered a little after a 4 AM wake up call, a 5 AM entrance to the Calgary airport, over 4 hours flight to Houston with a 2 hour layover and then another couple hours to our destination with 2 small children in tow?

It will only cost us $65 US to take a taxi that will drop us off at the condo without much fuss (provided the taxi driver doesn’t try to scam us last minute) but nope, not good enough. That $45 extra buys us more than a few rounds of Coronas and you don’t go travelling for 6 months starting off that way. In the end we finally go the nice aircon bus route. Direct service to Playa for $20 all in. Cole should have cost us more but I gave the guy at the counter my best “please give me a deal smile” and he relented.

So within minutes we were aboard the nice shuttle bus and zigzagging our way to the next unknown. Namely, where the hell are we being dropped off and should we attempt to walk it to the condo or jump in the nearest taxi. Seeing that we were all nearly spent we grabbed the closest taxi to the door.

Small travel tip. The proportion of people trying to make a fast dollar from unsuspecting travellers is directly related to their proximity to the nearest airport, bus or ferry terminal. In short, if the guy asking you if you need a ride is first in line once you get out of afore mentioned area, the higher the odds that he’ll charge you double what the next guy would offer.

To that end, our driver charged us 50% more than the going rate but, at that point, I was fine with it. No, I didn’t let my guard down but it costs $2 US for all in town trips in Playa and seeing that he almost broke his back loading and unloading our luggage I thought I’d let him have his $3. What can I say, I’m a sucker for that “I have 8 wives, 40 children, 5 jobs and only days to live” haunted look most 3rd world foreign taxi drivers seem to pervade.

Anyway, we finally made it to stage one of this little post. The condo is a half decent size and in good shape and, best of all, the people all around us are great. There’s a nice pool literally 8 feet from our balcony and Cole has half a dozen Spanish speaking girls constantly chasing him. There’s the towns biggest food market literally a block away and tons of Italian eateries all around us.

Yup, you read that right, here we go all the way to Mexico only to be surrounded by Italians. The area we’re in is known to many as Little Italy. Seems there’s a large influx of Italian people making their way here.

In truth, Micki and I knew this beforehand. It was actually one of the many reasons we chose this area. In case any of you didn’t know, Mexican and Italian cuisine are our faves. After starving ourselves in the Philippines a few years ago we were starting this trip knowing that good food was only doors away. Tonight Micki made homemade bean burritos and salsa. Of course that was washed down with a few Coronas.

Yup, Playa has welcomed us with open arms and after spending the afternoon floating around in it’s crystal clear ocean and white sand beaches, we’re ready to start enjoying all it has to offer.

I’ll talk more about our place, the local dialect (too much Italian and damn, I need to learn better Spanish quickly), the food and the people in my next post.

Safe travels everyone,

Charles