Sorry folks – but this is another live report from me as I drink delicious cocktails on the beach! This time around it’s happy hour at the Blue Parrot on Playa Del Carmen and I’m on the pina coladas. Expertly mixed by the staff at this Rough Guide recommended beach bar, I must say they are going down a treat. Tip offs from other travellers suggested that Playa Del Carmen (about an hour’s drive down the coast from Cancun) was a classier and cooler destination than Cancun itself – still tourist-orientated, but with more of a modern and sophisticated Miami Beach type vibe. I therefore decided that it would be worth an overnight stop-off as I work my way down the Yucatan coastline.
So far, my impressions of Playa have been favourable and in keeping with what I’ve heard and read. I feel I could actually stay a lot longer here, although I wish I could transport some mates out (especially some of my girlfriends to help me out in the 2-4-1 cocktails stakes!). Remaining here might not be best for my budget, though (which has already been a bit dented with the changes I’ve made to my itinerary recently). Of course, it’s not hugely expensive when you’re travelling on the pound, and when you compare things here to London prices. However, I think Playa Del Carmen is a place where people come to see and be seen, and of course that comes at a cost. The criss-cross of streets by the beach are filled with the delicious aroma of garlicky seafood and steaks from all the classy Italian and chic European eateries that there are around. These are priced, again, at foreign holiday makers with money to burn (usually quite flash looking blokes with high-maintenance girlfriends to impress!).
I feel comfortable and relaxed in this place, though. Even the vendors on La Quinta (the main drag in Playa) haven’t riled me - whereas in other tourist-orientated places I’ve been to recently they have driven me mad. Although I’ve had to explain about 20 times this evening that I don’t want my hair braided (or a henna tattoo, or a diving trip off the nearby Isla Cozumel), touts here seem to take a ‘no’ for what it is and they move onto the next person with good grace. This has left me unvexed and calm, which is surprising, given that this morning, when I returned from Isla Mujeres to Cancun, I found myself feeling really tired and quite foul-tempered. I was just about ready to lose it with the next taxi driver who tried to push a ride on me, or the next irritating Mexican male practicing the ‘hiss and stare’ technique for attracting female attention. I think maybe all the sun I caught on yesterday’s cycle ride was catching up with me. Although I had a decent night’s sleep last night I have been feeling shattered today and I was sorely tempted to crash straight out on my dorm bed when I checked into El Palomar hostel here in Playa (handily located right by the beach and next to the bus station). However, I wasn’t sure I’d ever get up again and, knowing that I only had one night in this location, I decided to spruce myself up a bit and head out for a wander and a cocktail.
Last night in Poc-Na on Isla Mujeres turned out to be quite nice. Amongst my room mates were Michael, an Ozzie from Adelaide, and Terence, an American from San Diego. I chatted with them for a while in the regular hostel bar and then, at 11.30pm, when the beach bar opened up, we cashed in the free drink vouchers that we had been given when we checked in. I thought this would mean a nasty shot of cheap tequila or something equally grim (I wasn’t expecting great things from hostel Poc-Na given the state of the dorms and their grubby rickety bunks). However, our gratis tipple was a very agreeable frozen margarita, which we sipped under the palm trees in the breeze - comparing the places we’d been to in Mexico (these guys had covered a lot of the same territory as me), and speculating about where we were heading next (again similar locations – although Michael and Terence were more into their surfing and diving than me, so they are focusing more on spots where they can do that).
As for me, next stop is Tulum – the one place in Mexico where Mayan ruins (yep, I guess I’ll have to see some more!) are actually situated on the beach. It’s meant to be quite stunning and relaxed, so I’m looking forward to that tomorrow. Right now, the rum (is that what it is in pina colada – I’m not sure?) is going right to my toes, so I think I will return to the hostel, drop off my lap-top, see what’s going on, and maybe head out for more drinks or a bite to eat.
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