Final Thoughts, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Whether it's a father and son out for a sunset sail on a small boat.......

....or a couple on a catamaran......

...or a larger group of folks on a midday party cruise, everyone enjoys the dazzling warm azure/turquoise seas and warm weather of the Riviera Maya......

..........even those that stay by the pool. (Processed in Snapseed)

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So, here's the roll-up of useless but maybe interesting info about this trip.

Total Days in Mexico - 78
Total Days in Quintana Roo State - 77
Total Days in Yucatan State - 1
Total Days in the town of Puerto Morelos - 28
Total Days in in the town of Puerto Aventuras - 28
Total Days in the town of Cancun - 22

Number of days with a rental car - 21, spread over three separate rentals. Each vehicle was the cheapest model available and all had manual transmission (average cost $38/day USD)
Number of times I stalled the engine using poor clutch technique - 1
Number of times I was honked at when driving - a few
Number of "topes" driven over too fast - 1
Number of bus rides - 25
Number of taxi rides - 5
Exercise kilometers walked - 230+

Number of avocados consumed - over 300
Number of papayas consumed - over 20
Number of days without papayas or avocados - 0
Number of tortillas consumed - over 250
Number of blue corn tortillas consumed (the best ever) - not nearly enough
Number of meals in restaurants - 20
Number of meals at home - 200+
Number of days with intestinal upset - 1

Number of days when temperature was cool - 5 (twice it went below 60 F)
Number of days overcast almost all day - 6

Number of times scammed - 1 (by a Pemex gas station attendant in Tulum - he charged us for more gas than the car could hold by not zeroing the pump when he started - we weren't quick enough to catch him and we couldn't prove it)

Number of times treated unkindly or inhospitably by locals in any setting anywhere (except the scammer) - 0

Number of times I butchered the Spanish  language - Every Single Time I Opened My Mouth
Number of times Amy was mistaken for being a native Spanish speaker - Frequently

During the Northern Hemisphere winter, the Riviera Maya region of Mexico is warm, it doesn't rain much, it is sunny most of the time, it is windy much of the time, it offers good value for both accommodations and food, and has friendly people.  Many people speak or understand some English.  They are geared for and focused on tourism (mostly US and Canadians).  We might go back next year it was such a winner!

The single biggest lesson I take home with me from this trip is this:

A personal goal to take the time to be more helpful and understanding with anyone who doesn't speak English in the US but is trying to communicate with me.  There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to speak the native tongue when in a foreign country - I know this from experience. Folks here appreciated my efforts to try to speak their language (even badly) and were very patient and tried to be helpful to me.  I want to do the same to others. A few words, a few smiles, and a few hand gestures can accomplish wonders in any language.

 ¡Adios, Mexico, Hasta Luego!

Random Roundup, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

It's getting to be that time of the trip where I pull together random unrelated and unused images that didn't make earlier blog posts but images that I still want to use.  This red pepper stem was so real it looked artificial. (Processed with Snapseed with the focus centered on the stem's base).

This is the view as you leave the Zona Hotelera and approach Cancun Centro (downtown).

They are just finishing installing this fountain in the rotary at the intersection of  Avenidas Tulum and Kukulkan.

Print journalism is still alive and well in this part of the world. How they keep the papers from flying around in the mostly relentless wind here is an ongoing challenge.

An incomplete oceanfront dream sits idle. They appear to have used some sort of pre-cast concrete beams and columns to assemble on site - it reminds me of a Kenner girder and panel building set when I was a kid fifty years ago.

Old tractor wheels are used to define a parking lot perimeter. (Processed in Snapseed with center focus).

Lizard art in an empty garage.

I'm not sure why someone wears these shoes on a running/walking/cycling path but I didn't ask.

A father and son pose in one of the fountains at La Isla shopping center.

It is nice to see that the tobacco industry does not control the marketplace and politics in Mexico like it does in the United States.  I think the message is pretty clear. These were in the duty-free shop at the Cancun airport.

El Rey Archaeological Site, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

So it doesn't have the name recognition of Chichén Itzá or Tulum or Cobá but, the El Rey Archaeological Site near kilometer 18 in the Zona Hotelera of Cancun was impressive nonetheless. Admission fee was 42 pesos (about $3.25 USD) to these Mayan era remains.

The site stretches out over a 500 meter length. I was surprised at the lack of visitors on this fine afternoon.  Considering it is on the bus line and very convenient and accessible to all the tourists it was mostly empty of humans.

Past and present juxtaposed - the Iberostar resort on the beach is visible in the distance. This site is dated in the 1200 to 1500 A.D. time frame. The excavated stones, flints, knives, arrowheads, jade and quartz beads and pendants indicate to archaeologists that trade flourished along the Caribbean coast until disrupted by the Spanish arrival and conquest.

One of the amazing things about the site is the number of iguanas living there.  I must have seen at least 100 in a two-hour period.  This was the biggest one, about 2-3 feet long.  I've heard they are fond of tourists bringing bananas for them - maybe next time.

They have pretty fascinating "hands" except I'm not sure which sides are the "thumbs."  Their coloring is also very well adapted to the local stones.

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Now it's time for a game.  In the following images, there are iguanas.  How many is indicated by the number underneath the image. Some are easy to spot, some are not. See if you can find them all while enjoying the Mayan construction remains. Except where noted they are quite visible.

One

One

One

 Two

Four

Spoiler Alert: Here's a hint. The third one is very small, left of center, on the floor level of the pillars and the fourth one is large but  in the lower left shadow.

One

Three

One

One.

Rooftops, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

I was struck on one of my last morning walks by the varied types of rooftops. I don't recall when in my life I have ever seen so many different styles of rooftops within just a few blocks of each other.  It is rare to see so much difference in our homogeneous communities in the US - especially in New England where anything other than a standard peaked roof with gray cedar or asphalt shingles with white trim is generally frowned upon - although one can have a colorful front door, as long as it is black or red. Just kidding, it's not really that sterile.

Travel Tips, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

The Party Zone is sort of a subset of the Hotel Zone in the Cancun beach resort area. You can't walk 100 meters without happening upon a cash machine (ATM).  I've seen machines owned by at least a half dozen different companies or banks.  I'm not sure why one might need cash while walking/jogging/cycling on this path but, you never know........

...... here's another machine close by in case you need even more cash, perhaps to participate in the "Pole Dance Contest" at the Palazzo Club nearby....

.......of course "partyholics" usually need a lot of cash.......

...or if you need extra cash to participate in the "Sweet and Wild Wet Body Contest" at the Sweet Club here's another machine near there.

Oh yeah, this blog post is about Travel Tips.  I have two:  

First,  the reason for so many ATM's here is that they make a bundle of money on fees from people using them. Especially young folks at night who need more cash to party. The wise traveler will recognize that their home bank likely has affiliations with other banks around the world and if you use one of those partner banks, there are probably NO FEES at their ATM.  That is the case between Bank of America in the United States and their partner Santander Bank in Mexico. It requires forethought, planning, and finding out where "your" ATMs are located.

Second, your home bank or credit card company might offer a "Travel Credit Card" whereby if you use the card overseas, the foreign transaction fees they love to charge are waived.  We have a VISA card just for that purpose.

These two tips have saved us maybe $100 in unnecessary costs on this trip.  As a retiree, I need to watch my pennies (and pesos) - and stop entering pole dancing and wet body contests, I never win anyway.

For some reason, I don't think these men took the trouble to follow my tips.  Nor did the woman whose butt cheeks  seemed to be named "CAN" and "CUN." I guess I can't help everyone...........

Flag Ceremony, Cancun, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

This may seem like a normal flag of Mexico flying from a normal flagpole.  They are not. 

In fact, it's a HUGE flag flying from a HUGE flagpole. My estimate is that the flag is about 60 feet by 120 feet and the pole is more than  200 feet tall if each steel segment is about 20 feet. This photo was taken from our hotel's eighth floor across the street from the flagpole.

The flagpole base is about 21 feet in circumference. (Roughly seven feet in diameter if I remember my childhhod arithmetic correctly). For scale, a pencil and tube of  lip balm are lying on the ground beside it.

 A ceremony affirming allegiance to the nation was held one fine Sunday morning. Hundreds of local folks were in attendance.

A local band provided the music.

Federal police, municipal police, tourist police, firefighters, politicians, and various youth groups all participated. National pride and patriotism is alive and well in Cancun judging by this event.