Hanging Out in Playa del Carmen and Cancun
(These entries were made in my blog during my trip)
Breakfast in Playa del Carmen
I first visited Playa del Carmen almost 20 years ago. Back then Playa was simply a place to catch a ship to Cozumel. At the time, the only foreigners you saw were hippies. Often, you would see them making money by braiding hair or selling small trinkets.
The hippies have been run-off (further south I’m told) and Playa is a much different place. You can still catch a ship to Cozumel but now Playa is a destination of choice for many, especially for Europeans. (At breakfast I sat next to Italians enjoying a Cappuccino. My dive shop of choice is run by French.) I prefer Playa to Cancun because it is smaller and quainter. I also like that there is a greater number of good restaurants in a smaller area. Actually, the food is better in Playa then it is in Cancun. Having a good place to eat is import for me when diving: I always come back with the munchies.
Three Dives in One Day
I would have done more than three dives but I am the only one interested in diving tonight. The dive shop (Scuba Playa in Playa del Carmen-I highly recommend it: great prices and the most professional shop I have seen in Playa) needs to have at least four people signed up. Too bad for me. But, I had three nice dives so I can’t complain.
My favorite dive was to Tortugas (turtles). The spot lived up to its name – we saw a lot of big turtles either swimming around or hiding. This was my first dive since January and it was a great way to get back into it (it reminded me of why I like diving). (Click here for video.)
It was interesting to meet my dive buddies – all Europeans (Spanish, German and French). Even the divemasters were European. Afterwards I had lunch with the German and I answered lots of questions about Texas and the USA (the right to bear arms and economics). Europeans are always surprised by Americans love for their weapons.
Everything went well except for two things: I forgot my boots so I could not use my own fins. The loaner fins were no as efficient as mine and did not fit well. The other problem that has me concerned is all the water I was getting inside my mask on my last dive. I had to clear my mask every 5 minutes (I am wearing contacts when diving so I have to be careful not lose a lens). Not sure what happened here. I’ll have to look into that.
Hotel Kinbe
As I shaved this morning, I thought of about my grandfather and my uncle (both on my dad’s side of the family – this uncle being the oldest of my uncles). I was remembering them during family reunions sitting outside, enjoying the great weather of the Andes and having a lively chat about their days in the military. (They still referred to each other by their military titles: “Buenos dias, mi capitan” my uncle would say to my grandfather while giving him a salute and a smile.) They held these chats every morning while having a dry shave – no foamy stuff for these men of men.
I was not quite having a dry shave but instead standing in the dark, using my Zirh gel and using a bottle of water to rinse and wash. I returned to my hotel room late last night and just as I was noticing my room did not have a television, the power went out. At first I thought it was just my room but I checked outside and saw someone walking around with a flashlight (it was already dark before the lights went out – they are not big on outdoor lighting it seems). My friends think I am always traveling first class or business class and staying at five star hotels and eating only at expensive restaurants. While I do appreciate the finer things in life, most of my friends have not seen me in this sort of situation (or trip). In this case, I took off my clothes and went to sleep – no big deal.
In the morning I discovered that without electricity we had no water. Again, no big deal – I have been thru this before (the last time this happened was in St Petersburg, Russia). It’s time to raid the mini-bar and use the bottled water to wash up and shave. As far as I am concerned, this is part of the adventure of traveling.
Despite the loss of power and water, I would stay at the Hotel Kinbe again: the price is right, it is clean, safe and conveniently located. The neighbors (business next door) were a little noisy but I only noticed this because the room’s air conditioning unit was not running. But, it was not enough to keep me from falling asleep. Maybe I was tired from the dives and going out.
Update: At checkout, I was charged $2.00 for the bottles of water I used for shaving and washing up. This rubbed me the wrong way! Two dollars is not much but I was bothered by the lack of customer service. Maybe I should not expect much customer service when only paying $50 per night?
El Grito
My dad and I decided to take in “El Grito”. El Grito refers to Miguel Hidalgo’s call for an end to Spanish rule back in 1810 . To this day, El Grito is made at 11pm on the night of September 15th. It is a tradition for Mexico’s president to repeat El Grito every year. The call goes “Mexicanos, ¡Viva México!” or something similar. Every municipal center has its own “Grito” in Mexico and it is also done by all Mexicans living outside of Mexico. This is our declaration of independence and September 16th is our recognized Independence Day.(Click here for a short video.)
(Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day – it is a battle victory over the French. Maybe Cinco de Mayo is so popular with Americans simply because Americans like to see the French on the losing side of a battle?)
This year’s Grito was not witnessed in person by as many people as in the past given the electoral controversy. In fact, Mexico’s President Fox decided to perform El Grito in the town of Dolores Hidalgo (where it was originally performed by Miguel Hidalgo) instead of the customary location (Mexico City) out of fears rioting might occur if El Grito was held in Mexico City.
In Mexico City a tent city was formed around the capital buildings by protesters upset over the election results. The protesters cleared the streets only after the military declared that they would not allow anyone to interrupt their traditional parade on Independence Day.In Mexico, you don’t screw with the military – they are much more feared and respected then the American military is in the USA.
In Cancun, before El Grito by Cancun’s politico, we were treated to some great mariachi music and folkloric dances. This was a family oriented event with lots of kids waving Mexican flags or with Mexican colors painted on their faces. I didn’t see too many people drinking but I’m told there have been some restrictions placed on the sale and consumption of beer and alcohol during this event. This came about a few years ago after some drunks started throwing empty bottles into the crowds (kind of like the Ministry concerts I used to go to except without the security fence around the band).
