The Best Two Years Thus Far. Part Cuatro: Playa del Carmen

Parte Cuatro

Upon arrival to Playa del Carmen we went to the rental car place to get our car fixed. There they showed us how to get the AC going. It was rather simple but very unintuitive. Basically, to activate the AC one had to pull the temperature dial out. Like in a washing machine. Antonio had rented many cars in his busy business life and has never seen anything like that. It must be a Mexican car thing. Darn Mexican cars!

We made our way to our Hotel, Hacienda Vista Real. The hotel was located within an exclusive residential area called Playa Car. Apparently you can buy a condo there if you have a lot of mullah. Katrina wants to live there someday when she is old and wrinkled and… widowed. Anyway, there is a golf course in the middle of the residential area. It is fancy and you have to check in with security twice to get to the hotel. Just my type of place.






The hotel was advertised with a superb spa. We were very excited about it until we found out that the spa was undergoing extensive renovations and wouldn’t be ready until March. Oh well. Katrina was in no mood for a spa, or crazy Mayan ladies, or swimming or anything. She was still suffering from her ear infection. The pain medicine she got (400 mg. of Ibuprofen) was not doing much to alleviate the cross she had to bear.
Our room was very quaint. It had a vaulted ceiling with 2354 red bricks. The bed had a giant sea shell as the headpiece. A swan made out of towels gracefully adorned the bed to greet us.




Mexican Angel


Against the wall was a giant picture of two Mayan ladies dressed in typical Mayan regalia. They seemed to be talking and laughing but I thought they were making fun of Katrina and her ear infection.



We decided to stay in our room for the most part of the day as the pain had become insurmountable. Katrina even suggested to cut our trip short and get back to the USA. She felt her head was going to explode, hence Tonio pointed out that that was a good reason for not taking an early plane back to the US. Eventually, we called the doctor in Chichen Itza to find out whether there was anything else Katrina could take for the pain. He prescribed another medication that could be dissolved under the tongue and numbs the pain. We made our way to the closest supermarket and got the medicine. Thank goodness for Mexican pharmacies that do not need an actual prescription to provide life saving medicine :)
Since we were at the grocery store we got some food. Tonio went crazy, as usual, at the bakery, but who could blame him? Eventually the pain subsided and we made our way to a nearby restaurant to eat. Tonio got some molletes and that got him very excited. Katrina had a hard time opening her mouth and chewing so that meant more molletes for Tonio :)
We returned to our hotel and watched TV the rest of the day. For some reason the channel selection was very peculiar. In addition to the local Mexican channels, there was an American TV channel, a German channel, and British channel. It was in that last channel that we watched one of the best British female comedians we have ever seen: Miranda Hart, bless her heart, and her show Miranda. Katrina was laughing so hard she was crying. Tonio was laughing pretty hard too. We are looking forward to see her again someday here in the States.


Tulum

The next day we went to the ruins at Tulum. We met up with our guide Abinadi, Helaman’s nephew. We met Abinadi in Cancun. He is married to the sister-in-law of Gabriel. The other sister is married to Nephi. It is such a small world. Abinadi gave us our tour. Tulum is much smaller than Chichen Itza. It rests on a cliff over the gorgeous Caribbean Sea. You can’t swim on Turtle Beach but there are other areas where you can swim. Quite a few people passed us in their swimsuits.


Turtle Beach

Abinadi was very easy going. He mentioned similar information to Helaman. Tulum is a Mayan ruin that is older than Chichen Itza and with the great difference that in Tulum people did not perform human sacrifices. On many of the buildings there is a god that is carved upside down Diving or Descending god. This could be symbolic of Jesus Christ because it represents the God who came down from Heaven to dwell among men.



There is also a Yucca plant there that has black tips. If you pull the tip the fibers of the plant form a thread and the tip acts like a needle. It is called Adam’s needle. It was used by the Mayans to sew their clothing and other items. Way to use natural resources!



Adam's Needle

We saw a number of iguanas around the ruins. Tonio tried to lasso one :) and he did get close enough to touch one.


Battle!!!


Tonio vs Iguana

Overall we enjoyed Tulum a lot. It is very clean and well kept. We liked that, unlike Chichen Itza, merchants are kept outside the archaeological area. This fact enhanced our visiting experience. It was nice not having people trying to shovel their stuff through your throat when you are trying to admire those ancient structures. Good job Tulum!


Katrina and the Beach





Saturday we went to the adventure of our lifetime (so far in Playa del Carmen): XPLOR. We had lots of fun doing the two zip line circuits: Deer and Jaguar. Basically, the Deer circuit had shorter zip lines, they were the ones for the faint of heart. Some of them ended in a pool of water so Katrina had to wear earplugs. The Jaguar circuit was longer and faster. We had quite a work out climbing to the top of the towers. We could almost see Cuba from up there! Unfortunately we could not bring our cameras so we have no pictures of our adventures on the zip line, but the memories will live forever.





So many choices. So little time.

After two hours of nonstop zip line frenzy, we went to the all included buffet. There was a lot of food for everyone. After eating we decided to spend some time at the nearby hammocks and relax for a little bit. Tonio found a nice hammock close to the shade and he rested for a little bit. Since the hammocks were in high demand Katrina could not find one close to Tonio so she decided to share the one Tonio was using. ONE HOUR LATER, we woke up from our nap and realized that the park would close in just one more hour (5:00 PM).



So we hurried to do some of the other activities. Tonio wanted to do the amphibian vehicle and Katrina the underground river. We headed first to the amphibian vehicle and we were a little disappointed, the vehicle was slow and noisy and the only amphibian experience was to go over a puddle. The best part was to drive through the caves since it was a little tricky. Katrina had to drive because Antonio wasn’t wearing his glasses. We only did course number one because we wanted to leave time for the river.


Grrrr!




My Ear Hurts...Help!

After the vehicle, we went to the underground river. We sat in a two-person canoe and put paddles on our hands to push ourselves through the river. There were numerous stalactites and stalagmites all around.






Automatic cameras took our pictures along the way so we had to be attentive and pose for the camera. We later learned that within our helmet there was a chip that automatically activated those cameras. That way each picture was associated with the chip or chips that were present when the picture was taken. The canoe was tricky to move and we had to be careful not to touch the formations. However, we eventually master the underground river and enjoyed a wonderful ride.




After the underground river, we had time for one more buffet run. You know Jensens and buffets: we have to get our money’s worth.



After the buffet we decided to see the pictures that were taken of us throughout the day; however, they were not that great, especially for the price they were asking. Overall, we really enjoyed XPLOR. Next time we go Katrina will try not to have an ear infection so we can do the river float.



Two Monkeys in Playa del Carmen


Ivy Attack



After a day filled with adventure we went back to Playa del Carmen.



The Beach


Ferry to Cozumel

After all we had not yet been to the beach (playa) in Playa del Carmen. We wade in the sea taking care that Katrina would not submerge her head all the way. The evening was astonishing and we enjoyed being there if only for a few moments. Katrina’s ear was starting to hurt again so we returned to our hotel. Maybe it was the stress of all the zip lines, amphibian vehicles, and underground canoe ride. By the way, we also ate some delicious tacos al pastor in a restaurant just outside our hotel. Katrina loved them so much that we came back the next day.


Fresh Coconut!


The next day was Sunday so we attended church. The building was located really close to our hotel making it very convenient (no more getting lost). After church we spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel relaxing and just enjoying our last day. Later on we made our way back to the beach. This time we only sat on the shore and contemplated the vastness of the ocean as we basked in the warm embrace of the Caribbean breeze.




Monday morning we drove to Cancun where we returned our singular car. After the usual long and inefficient long security lines we made it to our gate. A few minutes later we were in the air saying good-bye to the Caribbean blue sea. Good bye to Puerto Morelos, Cancun, Chichen Itza, Playa del Carmen and Mexico. Thank you for a wonderful time, and for all the souvenirs :)

The Best Two Years Part Tres: Chichen Itza

Part Tres

We left early Tuesday morning to drive to Chichen Itza. We had a 10 am appointment to meet an LDS tour guide named Helaman. There is basically one road to Chichen Itza. There is jungle all around you. We even saw a tarantula crawl across the road. We arrived shortly after 10; we parked and began the search for Helaman. We did not see him in the parking lot so we decided to go into the site. As we walk towards the main building we saw a BYU hat in the distance. Helaman was leading a tour of two newlywed couples. We joined the group. It was nice to have an LDS perspective. The Castillo (Kukulkan Pyramid) was amazing. It was surreal to be there. Tonio really enjoyed the Observatory and Chichen Itza in general. He had wanted to go to that place for many years and was very excited to be there (see pic below). We toured around until 1pm then, we followed Helaman to another Cenote.

Kukulcan Pyramid and Tonio

Mayan Rain God

Mayan Ball Game Court

Mayan Observatory

This Cenote is next to a hotel. It is probably the most popular and well visited one in the area. There were multiple tour buses in the parking lot. As part of our tour Helaman took us to the hotel’s restaurant for a buffet followed by an entrance to the Cenote Ikil. This Cenote had steps on one side that led to diving platforms. Perhaps the most characteristic feature of the Cenote was the multiple plants and roots cascading from the surface. The water was clear and inhabited by a plethora of catfish. There was a sea of orange life jackets filled with tourists. We stayed for a couple of ours so we witnessed many wild swarms of tourists coming and going. This was by far the busiest Cenote. Katrina braved the crowd and from multiple parts of the staircase she dove gracefully and sometimes not so gracefully. We took some pictures underwater with the help of our trusty water camera and our snorkels. Given the amount of people that were there we believe this was the place where Katrina might have acquired her exquisitely painful ear infection.

Cenote Ikil

Diving Platforms

Katrina Getting her Ear Infection

After we turned into prunes were ventured off to find our hotel. We stayed in the Villas Arqueologicas Chichen Itza Inn. This hotel was conveniently located only a five minute walk from the back side of the ruins. As we checked in we noticed an advertisement for an Authentic Mayan Massage. It indicated that the Mayan masseuse received her techniques through her dreams. We finally found our crazy Mayan Lady Massage! She scheduled an appointment for the following day. After we checked in we went to the pool (probably aggravating Katrina’s unknown ear condition).

Seats outside our Hotel in Chichen Itza

Interior of Villas Arqueologicas Chichen Itza

That night we went back to Chichen Itza for the evening show which consisted of colored lights on the ruins and a loud narration in Spanish about the Mayan history. Tonio translated part of it but he thought it was too dull to translate. He was disappointed by the show since he thought it would be more like the Trans-Siberian Orchestra Rock Concert (with we attended on Nov. 18).

Chichen Itza Night, Disappointing Show

The next morning we woke up early and made our way back to Chichen Itza. We want to beat the crowd and the heat. We visited some portions of the ruins that we were unable to visit with Helaman. Among the places that we visited were the Sacred Cenote where Mayan would perform sacrifices to the Rain God. It was a very hot day. We went back to the hotel to get ready for our Mayan massage. The masseuse was accommodated in the hotel room next to ours. Tonio went first in nothing but his swim trunks. He came back drenched in oil but very satisfied. Next, Katrina went in her swimsuit and had a unique experience (yada, yada, yada, that is all I have to say about that).

Champion!

Where is my Katrina?

There she is!

Katrina at the Cenote Sagrado (sacred Cenote) -I see dead People

Feeling refreshed we drove to the nearby town of Valladolid. The town was a charming colonial style place with its typical church and main square. Unfortunately, it began to downpour so we had to take shelter in a local leather shop. There Tonio bought some honey. Why they were selling honey in a leather shop we will never know. Tonio was happy. When the rain let up we went to a restaurant that someone recommended. The restaurant was located next to a….yes you guessed it another Cenote. The food was fair the Cenote was scary so we just ate. On the way back we saw a beauty salon. Even though Katrina was about to turn 31 she had never experienced a pedicure. Tonio encouraged her to get one there. After all the walking, swimming, and sweating Katrina’s feet were due for some service. The poor worker filed and filed away. Perhaps the most incredible thing of all was that it only cost $5. Of course we tipped her greatly for all her hard work. Katrina walked away with sassy pink toenails.

Church at Valladolid Main Square

Pink Toenails

That night the pain began. Katrina woke up at 2 a.m. with a very acute ear pain. She woke up Tonio and asked him for a blessing and some medicine. After taking some Tylenol we went back to sleep but Katrina had a very rough night. The next morning we got the number for a doctor in the village. Tonio called and made an appointment. After checking out from our hotel we went to town and found the doctor’s office. He quickly examined Katrina and determined that she had an infection in her right ear. He prescribed some antibiotics and some pain medicine. It was the cheapest doctor’s appointment in Katrina’s history only $20. As we drove away we saw the Mayan masseuse riding her bike. We left the town and made our way to Playa del Carmen. Our AC decided not to come on for our two hour driving making Katrina’s pain even more unbearable.

The Best Two Years Thus Far. Part Dos: Cancun

Part Dos

We left Puerto Morelos on Sunday morning and traveled to Cancun. Tonio has a friend who lives in Cancun so we planned on attending his ward so that we could meet each other. Finding the church in Cancun was very challenging because the streets had no names! We had looked up the address on line and we even wrote directions, however, once we needed to make a right turn on a particular street we realized that not only did the streets lacked names, not even the locals knew where the street was. We became like Nephi of old, going without by faith knowing where to go. Eventually Tonio felt like he needed to make a right turn and lo and behold we arrived to the chapel and on time. Talk about miracles!

Cancun Chapel

That Sunday Tonio met with his friend Gabriel. They grew up together in the same ward in Mexico City. Gabriel is now married (his wife’s name is Zuemia) and has one child and one more on the way. After church, Gabriel’s in-laws invited us to come over to their house for dinner. We ate carnitas (roasted pork) with tortillas, guacamole and salsa. It was truly delicious. After dinner we visited for a little bit with the family. We talked about how we met each other. Gabriel and Zuemia also talked about how they met and their adventures in Cancun. Zuemia’s mother gave Katrina a little purse she made with the little things at the top of soda cans used to push them open. She is very talented and loves making all kinds of crafts like that one. Before leaving, they invited us to come over the next day to see Zuemia’s father play softball. He and some co workers played in a small local league and the final game was being played on Monday.

Gabriel y Tonio

We accepted the invitation and we took off to our hotel over the Hotel Zone in Cancun. Zuemia’s parents insisted on coming with us to help us get there (considering the difficulty that it is to navigate without road signs). They were very kind to us.

We stayed at the J W Marriott Resort in Cancun. It was a very elegant and fancy place. Given Tonio’s Platinum status our room was upgraded to the 12^th floor. The view was so incredible we could not believe our eyes. We took lots of pictures from our balcony. We thought we could see Cuba from our room!

Care for a swim?

Room with a view

That evening, we celebrated our anniversary by going out for dinner at Lorenzillos (a high-end lobster and seafood restaurant). We went there because Gabriel and his family recommended the place as one of the nicest in the Cancun strip. It was certainly nice, and pricey. However, we decided to indulge ourselves in an expensive place this one time since it was our anniversary. At the end of our meal, we were surprised by the waiters when they brought us a little dessert with a little caramel legend that said “Feliz Anniversario”. That was a nice little detail.

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Upon returning to our hotel from the restaurant we went for a little swim in the hotel’s pool. It was a really nice pool with several sections and bridges. Since it was late at night, very few people were present which made it a very romantic night.

The next morning we went down to the hotel beach. Our beach’s section had lots of chairs and umbrellas made out of “palapas” (palm tree leaves). Summer time is the slow season in Cancun, hence, the beach was quite empty. This was really nice. Katrina was working on a tan for her legs while Tonio read her a biography on Thomas Jefferson. Eventually we made it to the water and stayed a little too long. We put our snorkels to a good use and played getting “beached” (just like the whales get beached at the seashore) a couple of times. Unfortunately, the sand was not as soft as we would have liked it.

Should I be on a postcard or what?

Donde esta el salvavidas?

You might wonder how many other exciting things we did in Cancun. Well, we decided to go to a mall and watch two movies in a row. That is right. Cancun is a lot like Vegas so we did not feel so inclined to experience the party lifestyle of the city. We did, however, have a lot of fun at the mall. We ate at a restaurant called “Chocolate City”. Katrina was very happy to be there. We not only got good food for lunch but a delicious caramel brownie and a dozen chocolate covered strawberries (courtesy of the house).

Since movies are less expensive down there, we decided to watch the movies “Salt” and “Inception” (for the second time). After the movies we made our way back to town to meet up with Gabriel’s in-laws for dinner and the softball game. We had a lot of fun at the game. Prior to the beginning of the game we were told that a lady would normally come to sell her home-made tamales. When the tamal lady arrived a swarm of hungry fans surrounded her. Gabriel braved the crowd at the request of his mother-in-law in order to get a couple pieces of the precious food.

Pre-game dinner

Champion of the Tamales

The game was pretty quiet for most of the time. However, as we approached the final innings the excitement picked up quickly. Katrina was yelling at the top of her lungs (I cannot write the things she said for decency’s sake). It was very cool to see our team win the championship.

After the game we said good-bye to Gabriel and his family and headed back to our hotel. Our stay in Cancun was very short but we did not mind it. Our hotel was so luxurious that we felt a little guilty for staying there. There is a huge gap between the hotel zone and the real Cancun that makes you come to the realization of the poverty of that area.

The next day we made our way to Chichen Itza but that is another story full of joy and pain…