Exploring Playa

After yesterday's sunburn we decided to stay off the beach during the day and head out in the evening when the sun isn't so strong.  So we amused ourselves by eating mangoes, checking out the local library (with a real-live card catalogue!), eating greasy tacos of course, and playing at a local park.  The girls were astonished that everything at the park was made of wood and metal and rope and I was glad They got to see something not made out of plastic.  There were also almost no safety mechanisms- like bars keeping you from falling eight feet from the bridge-walkway.  Reminded me of my childhood parks. :)

We found a coconut and tried to open it with our bare hands, without much luck.

Then after a jaunt to the beach we finished our day at Xulam (shoolam) The Mayan Fisher Restaurant.  According to legend, there was a Mayan tribe who depended on the sea for survival.  One year was particularly bad and nothing had come out of the sea for months.  One day on his way home a fisherman named Xulam met the Jaguar God in the forest.  The Jaguar God asked Xulam to leave half his catch on a nearby rock each day as he walked home.  Over the next few weeks Xulam obeyed, even though the catch was small.  One day he left one of the two fish he caught and when he got home his purse was full of gifts from the sea- lobster, clam, octopus, fish, and more!  From then on the catch was fruitful and the Jaguar God asked him to share half with his people, who should also share half with those in need.

Well, one of the things we shared st the restaraunt was Bug Tacos!  Yep, real bugs. Four kinds.  Yummmmy.
Queen ants with wings and everything.
Meguey Worms all chewy and gooey.
Grasshoppers crunchy and salty.
And my personal favorite, soft smushy ant eggs.
You should try some sometime!
Ru had no problem popping them in.  TL liked the Meguey Worms best since she had read about them in her Mayan studies.  K had a bite of ant eggs but was not impressed (read:totally grossed out).  B liked the grashoppers.

All in all a productive day!  Tomorrow- 78° and sunny. Haha.  :)

Snorkels, Sunset, and Sunburn

Brand new snorkel!  Let's go see some fish.
Sunny at the beach today, the girls love the waves.  We played a game to see if we could resist the break.
Then to my favorite fruit market for lunch.
Sunset was beautiful- and even then the water is warm like bath water.  Big waves, tiny girls. :)
Home again, home again and then we realized we are all sunburned.  We swear we reapplied sunscreen hourly!  But apparently that was not enough.  El sol en mexico es muy fuerte! 

Corazon de Jesus y Fruitas y Queso Delicioso

After the beach we decided to walk away from the tourist area to find a good place for lunch.  We stopped at Corozon de Jesus, a little colorful place a few blocks north of our hotel.  The menu was in Spanish and the waitstaff didn't appear to speak English, giving me a chance to practicar mi espanol.  We ordered enchiladas moles, a mystery sandwich which turned out to have grilled hotdog strips, pork, ham, and cheese (yum!), picadillo- which is ground pork sauteed with veggies, served con tortillas of course, and filet de pescado (fish) which was expertly pan fried, moist, and absolutely delicious!  We also tried horchata, which the kids loved.

Then we stopped by the local fruit market.  Me encanta este mercado!  Mangoes, papaya, pineapple, watermelon, huge avocados, guava, everything!  We bought a huge avocado and three mangoes for 28pesos (about $2)!

Then after all that we headed home for the REAL mexican experience- siesta!  Me encanta siesta! 

We woke up and ate our fruits and later made some tacos with local tortillas, ready-to-eat beans from a package, avo, hot sauce, and this amazing cheese called Panela. Its soft and a bit crumbly, and salty.  Kinda like a mix between feta and cottage cheese in flavor.  Que Rico!

Then some television cable en espanol, then to bed.

What a wonderful day!

Playa del Carmen

This morning we ate breakfast at the hotel and headed straight to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world- Playa del Carmen.  The girls enjoyed the blue-green water, gentle waves, and fine white sand.  It was a bit cloudy which turned out to be better for sitting on the beach without an umbrella. 

Ta- Coma

Well, after a long day of taco eating it's time to get some rest!

Descansen!

All That Travelling Can Tucker You Out

After reaching Cancun and making our way through customs we took a bus to Playa del Carmen.  The littlest one only made it as far as the chair at the check-in desk before she took her much needed nap. 

Then after a few hours recharge we were out again on a mission for tacos at the beach.  Can't really beat a palm tree, a view of the ocean, a table in the sand (and shoes off of course), and a cerveza for a delicious lunch spot.  We had a mixed seafood make-your-own-taco platter which we would've taken a picture of if we hadn't have been so busy eating it!  Delicious!

Bon Voyage!

I bought the cheapest tickets I could find but I forgot to check the departure time.  Which meant we needed to leave our house at 2:30am.  So the kids 'took a nap' for a few hours.  Heres what one had to say:

"Six hours to rest and falling asleep right away are puzzled together so it seems like only six minutes I slept, unfortunately."

But we discovered 6am is a good time to fly.  Why?  Because you need to arrive at 4 am, which gives you the 'they-closed-the-airport-cuz-i-am-just-so-famous' feel- no lines, no crowds.  Beautiful. 

We had fun on the escalators and moving walkways before finally locating our plane from the window.

Now only another few hours to wait.....

Thoughts on Packing

Oh, packing!
What first-world problem is this?
So many, many, choices!
And all seems necessary.

Leave out the gloves,
And the dictionary please
But do bring the bugspray
And sunscreen.

Two backpacks means adventures
Of a different kind.
Less material
More room for mind.