Monkey's & Bribes

Well, it's been a few days since our last update and we're having a blast. On Monday, we decided to walk in the old town section of Playa. The first stop we found was a Starbucks with a curious group out front. A group that fights to save the habitat of squirrel monkeys had set-up shop outside the store. They had a small group of monkeys and for a small donation, you could have your picture taken with the monkeys. While I imagined the monkeys would sit next to you for the photo...I was a little surprised to have them sitting on my head. One of them actually started to chew on my hair and groom me like I was there father. What can I say, animals love me. The rest of the day was spent shopping and relaxing on the beach.

Tuesday was an adventure to itself. We decided to visit the small town of Porto Morales just north of Playa. E's parents knew about a restaurant for breakfast run by an American. We visited the shop and had a wonderful breakfast. The owner had moved to Mexico from Kansas City and made a decent living catering to US and European tourists. E's parents were interested in purchasing tiles so the shop owner gave them the address for a tile shop just north of Porto. During our trip to and from the the tile shop, we were pulled over twice and asked for bribes to facilitate our release. Gotta love the good old release facilitation!!! After that, we decided we needed some beach time to relax.

Today was a day for complete relaxation. Nothing but bumming on the beach with fruity drinks. Tomorrow we may head to Cozumel...but we aren't pushing it.

Playa Del Carmen Mexico

Time for a quick travel break before the summer begins. We've made our way to Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. If you are not familiar with Playa, you need not worry. The town was a small fishing village until ten years ago. A one lane road led to this city around 40 miles south of Cancun and initially led through a small town. With beautiful untapped beaches, it was only a matter of time until it went through major development. The city now boasts a Wal-Mart, Sams Club, and multiple McDonald's locations.

We arrived in Cancun on Friday night and spent one night there. We awoke the next morning to find the most glorious shower I have experienced in years. They often say you can recall the last great nights sleep you had. I am that way with showers. The low flow control restrictor was removed causing the water to flow at an environmental raping rate. I normally will take a five minute shower but I couldn't get over this wonderful shower. I ended up staying in there for twenty or so minutes. A picture of that great shower head is included in the picture links on the right hand side of the blog.

We made our way to Playa and into our room at the Royal Haciendas. Great place with wonderful beaches. As you can see from one of the pictures, we have become one with nature. They have a fabulous monkey in the area which locals refer to as “Alcohol Chimps”. We have made friends with many of them. It is considered good luck if you drink the concoctions contained in their belly.

Tomorrow we are heading into Playa for some afternoon fun. Until next time!!!