Wednesday, 22 February 2017: Celestun

Most mornings I get a carafe of coffee and bring it upstairs to help ease my way into the day.  And, most mornings Justin goes for a swim as his start to the day.  Today, after these morning rituals, we met up downstairs at Peter's for breakfast.  Sitting at another table, Carole overheard us talking about looking at property.  She is from Manchester, England and more recently from the Toronto area.  She has a house for sale here in Celestun but it is too expensive for us.  I am just nosey enough though to want to go see it  Perhaps more importantly, I learned about where to go for mani/pedi!

After our respite -- you know we've had a busy day already -- we walked to Sol y Mar Hotel to meet with "the Cuban". Herardo has been in Celestun for almost 30 years and he claims to have had the first hotel in town and therefore, he knows everyone... and their story.  With Herardo, we walked to look at the property that is owned by a former teacher in New Orleans.  Apparently his new partner doesn't like it here and he wants to sell.  The house has a great location and needs lots of TLC.  I am not sure we need to have fixer-uppers on two fronts.  But we will call and see.  The location is absolutely perfect!  Hands down!  If the price is right.

I made an appointment for a mani/pedi tomorrow.  Our afternoon on the beach was marked with relatively high winds.  Peter says the wind is up for three days after a northern front comes through.  If his theory holds, we will be back to our glassy bay on Friday. 



Dinner back at Los Pampanos -- yes, I can eat fresh seafood everyday.  I bought watermelon for dessert and finally found sunglasses (75 pesos -- $3.75).  The watermelon isn't as good as what we had in Greece and nothing is as good as Hempstead melons (you knew I had to get my plug in for Texas somewhere, right?) but for this evening, it was perfect!

Thursday, 23 February 2017: Celestun

"Hey man.  Houz it goin?"
"Oh my god!"  "Oh my god!"
Thus began the day.

Justin went for swim and I went down to have coffee to wait for him.  Not long after he sat down, another individual joined our table.  Soon we were four for a glorious day.  Ian, long time friend of Justin's son Erich and former student of Justin's (3rd and 4th grade, I think) and his girlfriend Adriana knew that Justin was somewhere in Mexico.  Half-way through his breakfast he looked across the restaurant here in tiny, sleepy Celestun, and said to Adriana "That's Erich's dad." 

Ian left Green Bay long ago and is now teaching high school ELA in Brooklyn and Adraina works for an elite contracting firm in NYC.  We talked for hours, went for a swim and talked more.  They had planned to spend the day in Progresso but when we told then that the beaches were better here, they delayed their travel plans to spend the day here and with us.  We took them to Los Pampanos where Adriana had a lobster lunch and we all proceeded to welcome the afternoon with various adult beverages.  (Why didn't I take any pictures? ! ? ! )

Ian and Adriana hit the road late afternoon with promises that we will connect in Green Bay this summer.  Their departure left Justin (and me) with an ear to ear grin.  It truly is rewarding to get validation that one has had a positive impact.  Justin says that, like Thanksgiving, this was just one of those days that you never want to end.  With grilled fish for dinner and another glorious sunset -- I must say that I agree.

Tuesday, 21 February 2017: Celestun

Packed up, loaded and on the road.  Willie Nelson has nothing on us.  Early?  Nope, not us.  But we were out before check out time. 
In all the treasures I packed, I brought a Bluetooth speaker, but didn't bring the cord.  So we continued our search to find a charger/adapter for our music enjoyment. No luck.  Several of the salespeople tried to tell me that it was broken and I know that isn't the case.  At least I know I have one at home; the only question is can I find it? 

We drove back to beach in Progreso and then toward the east end of the island.  There seems to be lots of poverty and lots of new construction.  No rhyme or reason to it.  Some of these places for sale (and rent, it seems) are literally falling down.  Other places are mansions.  The beaches are not as nice as Celestun here on the north shore of the pennninsula.  Not much risk of hurricane; too much erosion.  If we bought on the second row, all too soon we'd have beach front property.  In many places they are building break walls of stones and posts.  These are marginally effective for now, but unsightly.  We will check out sites like Home Away, VRBO and Yucatán Vacations as well as AirBnB to see about long term rentals.  Buying property might be a wise idea given the unknown with our economy. But not for us and not for today.

We missed sunset but we were back in Celestun in time for dinner at Nicte-Ha before we got settled back into Room #16.

Monday, 20 February 2017: Merida

Lunch at Taco Arabe. I told Justin he may have found the only doner kabob place in all of Merida.  It was a nice change in flavors.

Our next stop was the Museum of Mayan Culture.  I was heady to learn about how this group of people lived, the tools they used in everyday life, their trade, their housing etc.  I wasn't disappointed.  I was surprised though at the first part of the museum that dealt with the crater that hit the Yucatan peninsula near Chicxulub.  Was this the crater that was the cause of the extinction of dinosaurs?  Fossils found nearby might support this theory.  Equally interesting is the theory of the effect the meteor would have had on the coastline.  I think I need to be a museum curator in my next life.  I continue to be amazed at the displays and opportunities to interact with exhibits and information. 


We had dinner at a great little restaurant near Monumento de la Patria (Monument to the Fatherland).  Unfortunately for us, it was covered with scaffolding during our visit.  It did remind us of the Trevi Fountain in Rome that was also under repair when we visited two years ago with Bill and Diana on Memorial Day.

Sunday, 19 February 2017: merida

We hopped in a cab and headed into town for lunch.  Even though our hotel is not too far out, it is too far to walk (and it is too hot without the breeze from the shore) and cabs are so much easier than driving and parking.  When we were in Campeche, we could count on the cab fare being right about 40 pesos.  Here, the price may be 60 pesos or it may be 110 pesos.  Since there are no meters, we must rely on what they say.  Typically I adjust the tip accordingly since I know I am not being charged for a late night fare or extra luggage fare. 

Justin was interested in street food. We found the mother load!  Street vendors, market, people... we found it all.  After fried hotdogs, potato chips and French fries served together in a cup we tried the street version of panuchos and the tamale colados we had had yesterday.  We weren't disappointed.  I also ordered "agua limon."  When my lemon water came it was in a plastic water bottle with the cap screwed back on -- I called it "risky water."  It tasted great and it was cool and refreshing... we will see.


Man it is hot.  Hot!  I think Justin said the high was 96' today.  Gemma was a mess.  Poor little girl who has to wear her fur coat everywhere she goes.  We stopped for ice cream and offered her water.  I know she drank three little bowlfuls before she even slowed down. 
The streets around square were closed off so we took the opportunity to watch the dancers and street performers in their element. 

Back to our hotel room to cool off and take a siesta... now I understand.  With maps and ipads at the ready, we planned our route for the remainder of our trip... or at least a tentative plan.  We walked to a Brazilian BBQ place for dinner but had the salads only.  I must admit that I've never seen a sushi roll topped with salami.  And, I've seen birthday celebrations in restaurants with a cupcake, silly hat and song however, I'd never seen a celebration that included a birthday shot.  Wow!

Saturday, 18 February 2017: Merida

We started watching Black Sails last night so we slept too late this morning to catch breakfast at our hotel.  I did get coffee though and took Gemma out for a quick walk.  Justin has been waiting to start this series and since we finished Suits for this season, the timing was good.  The jury is out on whether we'll continue, but for now ... 

We took a cab into the centro for dinner and drinks of traditional Yucatán food.  When I lived in Clear Lake, I enjoyed a restaurant called Merida.  Quite different from typical Tex-Mex, I was eager to compare their fare to traditional offerings.  I wasn't disappointed with panuchos; corn tortillas stuffed with black beans topped with marinated shredded turkey, pickled onions, lettuce, tomato, avocado and cilantro.  We also had had a tamale type dish that was heavenly.  The dough for Tamales Colados is strained, therefore very fine and almost fluffy and more like polenta than what I think of as tamales.  Rolled, stuffed and then baked in banana leaves, the dish is much more elegant (?) than traditional tamales.  Topped with a tomato and onion sauce - delish!

After dinner we had drinks in the park to people watch.  Cab back home to rescue Gemma and then settle down to a bit more Black Sails.  I also connected our Apple TV so we can look at some of our pictures.  No photos to post today because, clearly, I need to do some editing.

Friday, 17 February 2017: Merida

Thankfully Justin is better and ready to get back in the game.  After breakfast in our hotel, we drove into town to explore.  Our hotel is on Paseo de Montejo which is known as the Champs Ellysees of Mexico.  The 19th century mansions tucked in the elegant tree-lined street, now host boutique hotels, restaurants, museums, etc.  I saw perhaps the most impressive Starbucks I've ever seen.  

We found a place to park 10 or 12 blocks out of the actual city center.  Our walk in to the Zocolo (city center) led us passed markets and stores where the locals shop.  This is one of the parts of our travel that I enjoy the most.  It was stinking hot today so once we were in the city center, we made sure we found a spot in the shade to sit to take in all the sights.  The architecture of Merida is impressive and their public art is plentiful.

Mid-afternoon, we took the short hour drive to Progreso.  We wanted to check out that beach town and the neighboring communities on Chelum and Chuburna.  We met with property manager, Marti and drove around to get a feel for the towns.  We explored the beaches that are almost overtaken by a 7km pier.  We've heard that the construction of the pier has interfered with the ecosystem and the beach is deteriorating in some spots. Everything that comes in by boat for the Yucatán comes in here at night.  It is a shame that the engineers messed up on this one.

El Bull Pen for dinner.  The owner, Jill and Martin have some very American choices on their menu.  We passed on the hamburgers but we did have a Cobb salad to go with our lobster and shrimp.  Martin is from Mexico City; Jill used to teach middle school in the Denver area.

They are quite happy to make a go of their restaurant and hotel business and get away from the hub-bub in the states.  We are hearing that from almost everyone we meet.  Jill talked specifically how she likes the fact that she can go into her kids school and walk straight into the classroom without passing through security checks.  

I still do my happy dance every Friday morning.  Today I asked Justin where we would have gone this three-day weekend if we were still in Germany.  We weren't able to come up with a spot that would have been warm enough for us so it is just as well that we are in Mexico where that isn't a problem at all.  

Thursday, 16 February 2017: Merida

Justin must have placed a wrong step somewhere because Montezuma is seeking revenge today.  Gemma and I explored our neighborhood a bit before I went down for breakfast.  Justin was channel surfing while I caught up on our blog, watched a movie, "The Young Victoria" and read for a bit.  

Yummy Oysters Rockefeller, Gourmet Sliders and Sautéed Mushrooms

Dinner time found us, perhaps in an apropos manner, at Trotter's. Listed as a prime spot for steaks, tapas and wine we had a lovely dinner in an exquisite outside garden.  I do enjoy dining alfresco...especially in the middle of February.

Wednesday, 15 February 2017: Merida

Time to leave Celestun ... at least for now as I know we will be back.  We tried to make reservations in Progreso but hit the wall after just a bit so instead, we made reservations at the Zar Hotel in Merida for five days.  We'll get to see Merida and take short jaunts out to the beach communities.  We've revamped our travel plans as biting off all of the eastern shore of the Yucatán as well as Belize is just too much if we want to go with "slow travel"
We'd gotten quite settled in room #16 on the third floor of the Hotel  Gutierrez so packing up and getting out was the first order of the day.

They are building a new road between Celestun and Merida and when finished (June, 2017) the trip will take less than one hour.  For today, the drive is about an hour and a half.  We saw several iguanas on this leg of our journey.  They are certainly prehistoric animals.

When we stopped for gas we needed to double or triple tip the attendant who pumped the gas and cleaned the windows.  Yes, an attendant.  Our car is filthy since it has been sitting under the trees in the hotel compound for the past week.  Thankfully Justin takes pride in keeping the cars clean and tidy.  Not so much pride today, but we carry on.

We came to an umleitung heading into town.  The detour was not marked very well. Now that was no surprise.

Settled into our Zar Hotel.  Unlike our Zar Hotel in Coatzacoalcos, the elevator works here but the safe doesn't.  These hotels are quite new and they are without frills.  I can handle things without a bellman, but I might recommend that they spring for a cart to get your luggage to your room.

We walked around a bit before choosing a restaurant for dinner.  Back home I hooked up our Apple TV primarily so we could look at our photos.  First two tries were not successful so I'll try again tomorrow. 

Tuesday, 14 February 2017: Celestun

Valentine's Day
Justin went for a swim this morning while I nursed my coffee.  Later, Justin looked online at more property on the northern shore of the Yucatán near Progresso.
Found a tempting duplex ... called to see about renting for next week.  It wasn't available for rent so I started looking for hotels or AirBnB spots in Progreso.

We met a guy named Tim from north so San Fransisco who was staying in our hotel. After we all talked about travel in and around Mexico, he and Justin talked about boats, birds and who knows what else while I walked "downtown" to buy more watermelon and water.  Yesterday I bought a bunch of bananas, strawberries and a wedge of watermelon all for 40 pesos or about $2.00.  Since the watermelon was so good, we wanted more.  I must have lost my sunglasses yesterday so I planned to pick up a new pair at the local Mercado but I didn't find any success in that department.  

Later, we walked down the beach to Poseidon for coconut shrimp for our Valentine's dinner. On our way back, we stopped for a sunset beverage at our favorite restaurant and met some kids on the beach from the Netherlands, Germany and Mexico.  Since they were not in a position to begin their return drive to Merida, I felt we were doing the responsible thing by delaying their travel for the hour or so that we talked.

Monday, 13 February 2017: Celestun

Went to Nicht-ha for brunch.  This small, typical restaurant right on the square, suited us when we were here a few days ago.  Justin really liked their huevos rancheros and wanted that again.  I had camerone tacos.

We met a gentleman from Denmark as he was getting out of a pedicab with four women.  That could not have been a comfortable ride for anyone.  We are meeting interesting people as we travel.  Later, back in our room Justin looked online at property near Progreso.

Today we sorted out our property taxes on the property on the bay in Wisconsin.  Seems the address had not been updated and we didn't receive the notification.  Brussels, our part of Door county, requires that you pay the first installment to them directly and you can't pay online.  And, they don't send notification or information out electronically.  Jeez, welcome to the 21st century.  

We took a long walk down the beach and later returned to Nicht-ha for dinner.  Tonight we went for simple fare of camerone, pulpo and jaiba ceviche along with beans and rice.
We walked the long way around the square on the way back to our hotel.  I bought an ice cream popsicle, Justin bought a six pack of XX amber.  We came home and watched a few episodes of Suits before calling it a day.

Sunday, 12 February 2017: Celestun

We met with Gary at 10:00 to go look at his house.  It was very traditional with some very nice upgrades.  Actually, it was great and almost tempting, but no deal.  We have no business seriously thinking about buying property.  Justin has a saying "if you look for property, you will find it."  It is a slippery slope, but we will keep looking.  It is ok since we are really looking for long term rental right?

We were back at our beach for an afternoon swim and a nap before dinner.  We returned to our favorite restaurant, Los Pampanos (the one at the end)  and today, we had our Valentine's celebration of lobster for dinner.  Watching the children play along the beach is always a treat and today we watched a little girl turn herself into a mermaid.  Oh, yea...  yet another magnificent sunset.

Saturday, 11 February 2017: Celestun

A steet vendor started making announcements for fresh fish way too early this morning.  It seemed like it was every 10 to 12 minutes apart, but it was probably 30 minutes apart...still too close together and way too annoying.  Fresh fish.  Fresh octopus, shrimp and crab......very annoying.

Justin brought me coffee in bed.  What a guy!  The coffee here is French press and that is pretty good to begin with.  When it is served in bed it is even better.  Downstairs for breakfast, while waiting for Justin to return from his morning swim, I started chatting with a guy from Canada who has a house for sale.  I started by asking about long term rental but we ended up talking about all the infrastructure around Celestun -- roads being built, water sources, electrical upgrades, etc -- and that went to crime, corruption, a bit about his family and then we were at a point to set an appointment to see his house tomorrow morning.  After that lengthy conversation, we chatted with Peter, the Swiss owner of the restaurant who also shared his insights to owning and building in this area.

83' and sunny this morning and heading up to 91' today.  Wow!  Time to explore.  We spent the afternoon driving north on the beach road, Calle 12, looking at properties for sale and for rent.  That journey led us the 12km to Hotel Xixim which was the hotel we had spotted for our stay here.  Since the rooms were $200 a night, our plan was to stay there for two or three nights as celebration stay for Justin's birthday and Valentine's Day.  We got sidetracked in our stay at Hotel Guitierrez so it was good to check it out.  Each bungalow is private and separate and the grounds are fabulous and natural.  We looked at a few of the suites and had a drink by the pool.  None of the rooms have AC, television or wifi in keeping with the ecologically green and relaxing intent of the facility.  We also stopped by another hotel, Playa Maya.  These rooms are only $80 a night and we may go back there on Monday to meet with the Canadian owner to see about their condos.  It is a hobby, right?

Back to our side of town and at our favorite restaurant in time for sunset.

Friday, 10 February 2017: Celestun

It's Friday!  Oh, that doesn't nearly have the same meaning it had just seven short months ago.  Today it meant I needed to go down to the beach in search of coffee before Justin and I found a different restaurant for breakfast.  Somewhere around nine o'clock and I needed to determine if I wanted huevos rancheros or huevos con tocino or jamon -- these were tough decisions!

Next on the agenda was swim and a walk along the beach.  Then writing on the blog, reading, and, of coarse, crushing a bit of candy.  I finished my book.  Eileen and Lorayne suggested Ken Follet's "Pillars of the Earth" when I was in Belgium in August.  The historical fiction novel, set in mid 12th century England, documents the building of a cathedral.  I certainly did enjoy it.  Next, I think I'll start a book on Mexico.  My history is grossly weak; I'll see what I can find.

Thursday, 9 February 2017: Celestun

 Flamingo boat tour with Dave and Sherry was first of the hit parade for today.  They had organized the tour for just the two of them and they invited us to join them.  We got on our boat right outside our hotel so we first needed to head around the peninsula to get back to the river to go inland.  We might have learned more if we spoke Spanish or if our guide spoke English, but the trip was great.  The water was glass-smooth going out.  The 22' boat with 125hp motor served us well during the three hour trip.  In addition to the flamingos we also took a jaunt through thick mangroves.  We saw all kinds of birds and plant life but nothing that even compared to the magnificence of the flamingos!


Back on shore, we had a quick bite for lunch before Dave and Sherry headed back to Merida.  They have friends that were arriving tonight; they plan to be back on Celestun within a day or two so we'll get to see them again then.  They have a house in Merida that they list through VRBO.  They were able to share lots of insights on places we should go while we are in the Yucatán.  Maybe we will also see then one day in Wausau or Green Bay.


We missed sunset this evening.  And, since the restaurants on the beach close at dark, we almost missed dinner too.  We found one still open so we were not in too much jeopardy.  Of course, we could have walked the three blocks to the town center, but the beach was our preference.  We did do a bit of a walk-about after dinner as we were in search of dessert, but no luck.  Our chocolate travel supply, courtesy of Dellene and her family as Christmas/travelling gifts, is dwindling but we were able to take care of our sweet tooth before retiring for the day.

Wednesday, 8 February 2017: Celestun

Time to get back in the car to head north to Celestun.  We had breakfast at one of the restaurants on the beach we had seen the first day we pulled into Campeche.  
The roads to Celestun are perhaps the best we've seen in all of Mexico. 
Once in Celestun, our task was to find a hotel.  And did we find it!  We are on the third floor; the sand is ten feet from the bottom of the stairs and and the water is about 50 yards from that.  We did have to decide if we wanted internet or tv as we couldn't have both.  We chose internet.  As we were checking in, we met Dave and Sherry from Wausau.  Can you stand it!  Dave was trying to tell me about the boat ride to see the flamingoes but I kept hearing "bull ride".  Finally I said "maybe I don't know what a bull ride is."  I doubt I'll live that one down for a while.  

We got settled in by getting most of our stuff upstairs before we headed to the beach for a quick swim and later dinner (fabulous shrimp and crab) where we could be one with the sunset.  We are finally here!

Tuesday, 7 February 2017: Campeche

A tribute to the working

fishermen of the city

Inside the botanical gardens

Breakfast in our hotel before grabbing a taxi into town.  We left Gemma at the hotel since we were headed to a couple of museums first.  The city of Campeche really has done a great job with "repurposing" their ruins.  Maybe that is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site standing.  The old, once walled city, had eight "baluartes" or bulwarks that once connected the walls that served to protect the city.  Today, seven of these remain.  One is now a botanical garden (top of Justin's list of places to go), one is administrative offices for a hospital and one is home to the Museum of City History (also high on the list of places to go today) showcasing life in the 15th and 16th centuries.  When the Spanish landed they found a thriving Mayan civilization.  Not the ancient civilization but one that prospered with trade, artisans, wood working, ship construction, chocolate, etc.  One of the most interesting displays in the museum was a replica of a Spanish galleon that had been cut into seven pieces.  The cross-section viewing allowed n pieces.  The cross-section viewing allowed you to see each deck and what would have been going on their during a journey. 

The fiancé of the sea -- A tribute

to those who will never return

A tribute to the natives, the

church and the Spaniards

"All aboard!"  The 5pm trolley tour was the only tour in English.  We'd gone back to the hotel to get Gemma and there was no extra charge for her to go too.  We'd seen most of the sites and the neighborhoods even those outside the old city walls but we needed to hear the story from the locals.  One of the facts they shared was that here in Campeche, is a church in the barrio neighborhood of Guadalupe, that, in 1546 hosted the first Catholic mass in the Americas.  Hmm... Maybe a fact to research one day.  I would have thought that somewhere on the Nina, the Pinta, or the Santa Maria, a priest would have been present and surely he would have held a mass somewhere right about 1492.  Hmm... I'll save that for another day.  This town has amazing public art.  Throughout the city and especially along the Malecon visitors as well as locals appreciate tributes to the colorful heritage.  Of course, the insides of churches are adorned in a very Catholic-very colonial manner.  For example, one of the churches proudly houses a Christus Negra.  Made of ebony, this life sized alter piece was made in Italy and brought to the nephew world in 1565
Later, it was time for an alfresco dinner again in the old city.  Great tuna; disappointing beef tenderloin and a nice long walk home.

Monday, 6 February 2017: Campeche

We took a cab into town in time for a bit of exploring before lunch.  The cab driver was reluctant to pick us up when he saw Gemma.  "What if she pee-pee?"  When I reassured him I would clean up any messes he acquiesced.  

We started at the Zocolo, or in this case, Independence Square.  There is a McDonalds here, right smack dab in the city's historic center -- bright shiny glass storefront.  They did not do as good a job in preserving the historical center here as they did in San Miguel de Allende where there is a Starbucks but it is located in a old and protected building.
We wandered around taking in the sites and being drawn to the pastel painted buildings that define this part of the town.  At Casa No. 6, a very fashionable address during the 17 - 19th centuries, we were able to view what life was like for a wealthy Campechano family before the revolution.  The building, much of the furniture, some clothing, etc is exhibited today in this museum.  One of the bedrooms is a gift shop and the tourist information kiosk is in the foyer.  The city has done a great job in this respect with renovation, restoration and conservation.

After our late lunch, we grabbed a local hamburgesa for dinner before a fabulous chocolate drink for dessert.  Mexican chocolate is a bit more coarse, more spicy and not as sweet as what we think of as traditional American chocolate.  Our drinks were yummy and their consumption certainly sealed the deal that we'd walk home rather than taking a cab. 

Sunday, 5 February 2017: Campeche

Breakfast was included with our room but, unlike typical continental breakfasts or even buffet breakfast, we were to order off the menu.  Justin made an excellent choice this morning but since we don't know what it was called, we'll need to be on the look out for another similar dish.  Tostado on the bottom topped with a bit of beans then a salsa, (almost Italian) with ham, peas, cheese and plantains.  My huevos rancheros was delicious but mundane in comparison.

After breakfast a long walk on the beach was in store.  When we returned to the car, we were laden with sea shells.  I can't wait for a good opportunity to go through them all as I doubt it is realistic to cart them all home.

Campeche was a short trip north and we took the "libre" (free) road rather than the "cuota" (toll) road.  Our goal was to arrive in Campeche in time to settle into our hotel before the Super Bowl.  We did look at a few hotels and then we found a house for rent.  We called the number, talked to the guy and arranged to meet him at the house in 15 minutes.  The price for the monthly rental was right; heck, we could even stay for only two weeks and still come out ok.  Right across the street from the beach and the Malecon, plenty of nearby restaurants, yes, this would have worked very nicely.  As it turned out, the house was not furnished (breakdown in communication) so we settled on the King Carlos V hotel.  Dinner at Applebee's where, judging from the marquee, we assumed the game would be in English.  No go -- good thing we know the game.  

Now we need to decide if we are going to stay in Campeche for a while and get to know the city or are we going to continue north into the Yucatán and find new roads to travel? 
???

Saturday, 4 February 2017: Champoton

Shorebirds taking flight

Time to leave Ciudad del Carmen and head north.  First though, a bit of a drive around town to check out locations "se renta".  We hugged the coast as much as possible and barely outside of town we saw a house that caught our eye.  I got out of the car to peak inside the window and the lady came out to greet me.  In our very broken, but ultimately effective communication, we learned that the house was in actuality two rooms, one upstairs and one down.  Each floor had two beds, a bathroom, frig, sink and that was about it. The beach was magnificent. That view along with beach chairs, picnic table and hammocks almost made up for the spareness of the accommodations. The price? 200 pesos a night.  Really? $10?  In case we decide to come back...99 31 34 2888 or 93 81 04 2058

We drove another 100 meters down the beach to a restaurant called "Tortugas". I know this is the word for "turtle" not from high school Spanish days but from a Mexican restaurant in Austin back in the day.  Justin went with our waiter to select our fish.  Magically, the "robalo" came back in about ten minutes prepared "a la plancha" or, on the grill.  Our appetizer of guacamole was perhaps the best on the planet and since there were no other customers, the service was excellent.  

After lunch I took time to check out one of the hammocks and enjoy the music before we went for a walk along the beach.   When we came back, we ended up on the outside of a sandbar. Justin ventured toward shore first and found that the water was just a bit above his knees.  I followed without event but Gemma took a bit of coaxing. She is a strong swimmer but she doesn't like it at all.  Safely to shore, we loaded our new found shells into the car and continued our journey northward.

This stretch of Mex 180 from Cd. Del Carmen to Campeche is perhaps some of the best road we've seen in weeks.  Not too many potholes and very few "topes."  We saw more trucks loaded with newly cut sugarcane also heading north.  

Taking the scenic route whenever we can, we turned into a very fancy and very new resort area named Aak-Bal Beach Residences and Spa.  It took us a while to get passed the gate guard and into the grounds.  We found a beautiful golf course and a grand marina, but hardly any people.  There were several buildings where construction had stopped.   We learned that the rooms were about $250 a night but they didn't allow pets.  Since we were there more out of curiosity rather than bone fide interest, we were not too upset to get back in the car and continue our journey.

It was about 5pm when we pulled into Champoton.  Rather than push on the rest of the way to Campeche, we decided to look for a hotel room.  I'd much rather enjoy happy hour and sunset than pull into a new town after dark with no hotel room lined up.  It was raining today.  We hadn't seen hardly any rain since we've been here. We drove past a few hotels and decided to check out La Perla Del Mar.  Initially they said no pets, but George, the manager changed his mind when he met Gemma. 

We enjoyed happy hour at the poolside bar.  Justin's fav seems to be Negro Modelo and I was able to have a clericot again after not having one for the last few days.  Time are tough when a girl has to resort to margaritas.  The outside bar closed at 7pm so we moved inside to the restaurant for dinner. We ordered a camerone ceasar salad but the chef came out to explain he had no lettuce.  Opting instead for a tomato, onion, pesto and balsamic starter we were very satisfied as the tomatoes are fabulous.  Our seafood risotto was scrumptious.  It is not often that you truly have more seafood than starch in a dish like this.  Back in our hotel room, I got lured into a recap of previous super bowl halftime performances.  I've missed most of these over the years so it was almost all new to me.  Great ending to the season to see Jordy Nelson honored as Comeback Player of the year by the NFL.

Friday, 3 February 2017: Ciudad del Carmen

I was up early-ish to walk to Oxxo to get coffee and to take Gemma for a quick walk along the beach.  After a peaceful morning we went into town to explore the city center and the historic part of town.  The town was bustling.  We found a great restaurant for lunch.  The location didn't have a printed menu but the owner did pull up the choices on the computer for our review.  We completed our everyday tasks of going to the bank and to the grocery store before we headed home to go to the beach.  We wiled away the afternoon and early evening simply doing nothing  -- just like the iguana I spied on the deck outside our veranda -- and it was fabulous.  Drinks and dinner on the beach before we called it a day. 

Thursday, 2 February 2017: Cuidad del Carmen

A lazy day at the beach.  I read my book, I worked on our blog, I crushed candy... just like a typical day at work at the DSO, right?  Right.

I picked up our laundry -- 85 pesos.  Yep, that's still $4.25 for wash, dry and fold.  It was ready at 7:00am, but not surprisingly, I didn't pick it up until well after 10am.

Justin read news stories to me and I am actually learning a bit about politics and our economy.  We met some of the neighbors.  The owner, Raju, was Indian, born in Singapore and then moved to Mexico about 40 years ago.  He worked on the oil rigs and then started buying property.  He said he has another smaller hotel in town but prefers to be on the beach.  His son runs the restaurant upstairs.  Our next door neighbors are Spanish and the couple down the way are Australian.  Most of the rooms upstairs have been converted to dormitory-like rooms for the oil crews but since those platforms are dormant now, Raju says the rooms will wait.

In the afternoon, we took a longer walk down the beach.  The small shacks remind me of those on the beaches in Japan.  They spring up each year for the "season" and they are gone just as fast.  Nothing permanent about these structures at all, but people seem to eek out a business.    None of these places seem to have electricity for anything other than food prep so business is over when the sun goes down.  Time to head home ...

Wednesday, 1 February 2017: Cuidad del Carmen

Sheep running after Gemma tried to join them

If Paraiso means "paradise" this is not it.  The only good thing I can say about this place is that the sheep are in charge of landscaping and they are busy.  Gemma had a great time chasing them around this morning as we were loading up the car. 

Getting gasoline, we saw the attendant filling up a plastic liter coke bottle for a guy on a motorcycle.  A couple of days ago I saw them stick the nozzle through the passenger window to dispense the fuel into who knows what.  Don't think they'd allow that in Texas or in Wisconsin. 



Cuidad del Carmen is our next scheduled stop.  We were back on major thoroughfares today so our progress was a bit less eventful.  We stopped at a touristy restaurant for a seafood lunch.  The view was fabulous and the seafood food was good too. 

We pulled into our cute little Azul Hotel and Restaurante that is about 200 yards from the beach.  The owner is an Indian gentlemen who was born in Singapore.    As we were getting settled, the hotel asked us to repark our car so we would not be in any danger of coconuts falling on our car.  Can you stand it?  We went upstairs to the restaurant for dinner.  It was disappointing so we are looking at options for tomorrow. 

Tuesday, 31 January 2017: Paraiso

Today was Justin's birthday.  And it was a day on the road for us.  We left Coatzacoalas after breakfast and after the consierge gave us a long list of hints and places to go.  He told us of waterfalls and hotels as we go north toward the Yucatán.  The Zar hotel is a small chain; this particular location has been opened only one month.  Perhaps that explains why the elevator doesn't work yet.  Otis hasn't been to Coatzacoulas yet.

Nice bright sunshine greeted our day!  We were feeling confident and took the road less travelled.  Off the toll roads, we took the route closest to the water.  The beaches were fabulous and deserted.  We stopped at one point and spent a couple of hours in total isolation.  Justin got his birthday plunge in the Gulfo de Mexico.  (A couple of years ago when we were in Japan, I took an APL day on Justin's birthday and we went to Hayama and to Kamakura.  He has a birthday swim then too.  This is so much better especially since neither one of us has to go to work tomorrow!)  We walked for seemingly miles with no other people.  I collected sand dollars -- more than I've ever seen anywhere.  I hope I can at least get a few home intact.

Back on the road, we had quite the experience.  The road was less than maintained.  It was washed out in some spots.  Justin said he felt like he was not only on an obstacle course, but a slalom course.  The puddles were the size of lakes and the sand was deep in spots --  too deep to go fast and too deep to go slowly.  All of this was dwarfed by the pirates.
At two points, locals had set up their own toll booths.  Sure it was only 10 pesos, but ropes and chain to bar the street when you are in the middle of nowhere and the road is washed out was a bit intimidating.

When we arrived in Paraiso, we ended up in a creepy hotel with snacks for dinner as we were too tired to go to explore.  Even though it wasn't a memorable birthday dinner, it was a special birthday!

Monday, 30 January 2017: Coatzacoulas

Today is Jan 30.  We left Austin one month ago.  We are so fortunate to be able to take this journey!  After a late breakfast in our hotel, eggs made to order, frijoles, juice, coffee and toast, we decided to stay another night.  We headed today to the Museo Arqueologia Olmec only to learn that it was closed.  And it looked like it had been closed for a while.  These heads and the Olmec culture are the main reason we even came to this town and we are striking out except for the ones that are displayed in parks and along the esplanades.  Fortunately, this town has plenty of public art.  The entire Malecon (boardwalk) and most of the larger roads are enhanced with not only Olmec art, but also seahorses, turtles, birds, manatees, mermaids, etc.  some are made of stone and others are cast metal.  It certainly does add a nice touch to the seaside town.

Rainy today.  We hadn't seen much rain since we've been here. After  looking at real estate on the internet, we spent a good bit of time driving around, looking at the neighborhoods in town.  We drove up the coast a bit too.  Could we live here?  How much would it cost?  Did they ever finish those houses?  Are they still working on those?  Can they find a bucket of paint?  I find that I am still programmed to think that a building brightly painted might just be a Mexican restaurant.  But, since many of the houses are painted in similar fashion, I need to let go of my preconceived ideas.

Time for grooming for Gemma this afternoon.  I brushed and combed her out then Justin was on bath and trimming duty.  We bought a new trimmer when we were in Green Bay and we might need to buy another already.  Perhaps from all the jostling in the trunk of the car, who knows, but the trimmer was really, really loud.  The security guy came upstairs to see what all the racket was about.  He probably thought the building was going to implode.  Ten more minutes... five more minutes ...   As a break from Mexican fare, we had a pizza delivered for dinner.