Monday, April 16, 2018

THE RIVIERA MAYA – PLAYA DEL CARMEN AND PUERTO MORELOS


April 9, 2018

I got up early on Monday, thinking I would go to yoga.  I left Carlos snoozing and went out to find the yoga class which was supposed to be beside the adult pool, near our room.  I searched all over the property, but never did find the yoga class.  I went back to the room and worked on my blog for a couple of hours until Carlos got up.  Then we went to breakfast, arriving just before breakfast finished.  Viva Maya is like a cruise ship in that there is always food.  There are distinct mealtimes, but the snack bar operates 24/7, offering pizza, burgers, hot dogs, and an assortment of fruit and Mexican food.

Carlos is a good dancer and one of my missions for this trip was to start learning Latin dances.  We went back for another lesson in merengue.  The teachers went WAY too fast and the students were scrambling to keep up.  It was fun but passed by in a blur and I retained almost nothing.  As I have somewhat of a mental block when it comes to learning dance steps, this was not surprising.

After some time at the pool, we headed over to the trapeze rig so Carlos could try his hand.  He did pretty well for a first time and finished with an elegant back flip.  I videotaped his performance.  Then I went to a Zumba class while Carlos rested and sneakily videotaped me trying to dance.  When that was over, we got another salsa lesson.  I hoped that some of it might sink in if I kept going, but they seemed to be counting repetitions instead of beats and we were both fairly confused.  Still, it was entertaining and the music was good.

Don Diego Restaurant at Viva Maya
We had a 6:00 dinner reservation, so just had time to get cleaned up and ready to eat dinner at Don Diego, the Mexican restaurant in the resort.  The restaurant was decorated in traditional Mexican fashion with leather tables and chairs and sombreros and zarapes everywhere.  I started with shrimp nachos and was surprised when I received two chips covered with shrimp and cheese.  They were more like small tostadas than nachos, but at least I wasn’t tempted to gorge myself.  We both ordered arrachera and it was tasty, although the side dishes were more decorative than delicious.  Neither of us were impressed with the cakes we received for dessert, but the strawberry margaritas were good and Carlos got shots of good tequila.  The service was good and the staff amusing, so we had a good time.

Incredible Spread of Hors D'oeuvres
Carved Watermelon
















We had been invited to a cocktail party that evening.  The party was boring and we were too full to take advantage of the incredible hors d'oeuvres.  Everything was amazingly presented and there were beautiful watermelon carvings.  Looking at the food was the best part.  The two margaritas I had had with dinner made me ready for bed by 7:30, so I went back to the room to relax while Carlos went out on the town in Playa del Carmen with the girls he had met the previous night.  I was asleep by 10:00.



April 10, 2018

Once again, I got up early and went to get a cappuccino at the coffee bar.  The best WiFi connection in the hotel was at the coffee bar, so I stayed there, playing with my phone until I got hungry.  Carlos met me for breakfast and then I spent the rest of the morning using the internet in the coffee bar.

Playing Horse Shoes on the Beach
We met again for our dance lesson at noon and then barely had time to eat a little lunch before our dance instructress drafted us to play horse shoes.  There was a competition between several teams and Carlos and I emerged as the overall winners (due to no fault of mine.)  We received T-shirts as prizes, which was a good thing because Carlos had done laundry and all his clothes were still wet when dinnertime rolled around.  

Carlos Hanging from His Ankles
                      Carlos had another couple of gos at the trapeze and I begged off Zumba to videotape him.  Then it was time for salsa again.  Our days were flying by, even though we hadn’t really scheduled anything.

The Porto Fino Restaurant at Viva Maya












We had a later dinner reservation, so went for a quick dip in the pool before showering and dressing for dinner.  Tuesday night, we went to Porto Fino, another Italian restaurant in the resort.  The food was not as amazing as at the Miramare, but the wine was better.  I had a Caesar salad, some linguini al pesto that was good but strangely contained potato cubes, and some very lovely arrachera cooked in a red wine sauce.  Carlos had a chicken breast stuffed with crab and served in an almond sauce.  The sauce was good, but the chicken was dry.  The desserts were once again disappointing.  Carlos barely touched his mango mousse and I only ate the fruit and custard out of the center of my tart.  Still, they kept the wine coming and brought coffee with Bailey’s after dinner.  It surely beat the cafeteria.


Daniel Singing
After we were done there, we went to the theater where they were showing Maleficent on their huge wide screen.  The screen was so stretched that all the characters were terribly distorted, which was rather funny.  Once the movie was over, it was time for the Mexican Folkloric show.  I had seen many folkloric dances at the various festivals I had attended, but this was the best.  The dancers were good, but the excellent sound system and beautifully photographed backgrounds really made the show.
The Backgrounds Really Made the Show











May Pole Dance
One of our dance instructors, Daniel, began the show by singing a solo and he asked Carlos to videotape it for him.  He was actually very good and his singing expressed a lot of emotion.  We congratulated him afterward and had our pictures taken with him and the rest of the cast.

Neither of us were really tired, so we walked out to the beach and sat for a bit, enjoying the cool breeze and the lights of Cozumel in the distance.  Then I went back to the room to write and Carlos went off to find his friends.

Me with Daniel and the Rest of the Cast

April 11, 2018

We made it to breakfast before the doors closed and then relaxed in the members lounge until it was time for my dance lesson.  Carlos was stuck on the phone, so I went alone.  My partner was a rather arrogant young man who was a professional dancer and informed me that I would have to keep up.  I mostly managed to do so and had a good time.

Lounging by the Main Pool at Viva Maya
The afternoon passed quickly.  I relaxed by the pool and Carlos went back for his trapeze session.  I did a Zumba class and then we took a salsa lesson. I had danced so much in bare feet on the travertine tile that I had raised a blister on the ball of my left foot.


We ate dinner at the Viva Café, a windowless room that might once have been a conference room.  I did not recall its existence on my previous visit to Viva Maya.  The food was beautifully presented and tasty, if a somewhat strange combination of dishes.  I began with an assortment of bruschetta, followed by cream cheese stuffed shrimp and then a petite cheesecake covered with assorted berries and graced with a tiny chocolate sailboat.
Trapeze Act
Flying Around the Stage

                                                                                                                                                               


              The highlight of the day was definitely the Las Vegas show that evening.  There were a number of fun dance numbers, but the two circus acts stole the show.  The first was a fellow who performed amazing feats of gymnastics while suspended from a trapeze.  He was amazingly strong and not a small man.


The second act which was in many ways even more fantastic was a young man who flew about the theater suspended from a rope, sometimes hanging from one foot.  At one point he even hung with a loop around his neck.  He swarmed up and down the rope and swooped and spun while the audience held its breath.  It was a spectacular performance.

April 12,2018

A Beautiful Place to Sail
I had a 9:00 appointment to review the status of my membership in the vacation club, so I grabbed a cappuccino and went to the office.  When I finished there, I had to hurry to the beach to meet Carlos in time to make our reservation to take out a catamaran.  The wind had finally died enough for the port to be opened.  It was lovely sailing on the beautiful, warm, turquoise waters.  The little Hobee catamarans offered by the hotel have no headsails and so are nearly impossible to tack.  They stall at the point where the bow is straight into the wind and only throwing our weight to the low side sufficed to complete the maneuver.  Gybing was somewhat easier.


Landscaping at Viva Azteca
I took a swim in the ocean.  The water was very pleasant.  I spent the majority of the afternoon reading under a palm tree on the beach.  In the late afternoon we walked over to the Viva Azteca and walked around the property.  It was a smaller, quieter resort with only one pool and not a lot going on.  We had met several guests who preferred the Viva Maya, even though it was not as expensive, because of all the activities and shows.  The Viva Azteca was beautifully landscaped and peaceful when we were there.
Me with Carlos at Viva Azteca

We ate dinner at Bambu, the Asian restaurant at the Viva Azteca.  It offered a strange variety of Asian cuisines.  I had spring rolls and a dish billed as Indian that was made of beef and tasted like Turkish meatballs atop fried rice.  It was tasty, but strange.  I had deep fried ice cream for dessert, which was fun.  It was a short walk back to Viva Maya and felt good after the meal.  Carlos took a nap while I went to the show.  Then I wrote while we watched a movie on TV.





April 13, 2018

Friday was our last full day at Viva Maya which felt a little sad, but also somewhat welcome.  We couldn’t eat, dance, and lounge forever.  It was time to get on with life. 

We ate a late breakfast and then returned to lounge around the room until I went off to my last merengue lesson.  I was starting to get the hang of it and was sorry I wouldn’t continue to have a regular opportunity to practice with sexy young partners.  Carlos went to the beach in the afternoon while I dozed by the pool until it was time to head over to Viva Azteca for our dinner reservation at Xul-Ha, a Mayan restaurant.
Dinner at Xul-Ha

The restaurant was in an open-air palapa.  While the ambiance was delightful, it was hot and humid which may have contributed to my lack of appetite.  There was nothing wrong with the food but, after eating my sopa de limon, I barely picked at the little hard-boiled egg enchiladas in green mole and sliced pork seasoned with achiote.  Even the carrot cake for dessert didn’t tempt me beyond one bite.  The only thing I really enjoyed was the cold beer.

Dance Number from Chicago
We had time to walk back to the Viva Maya in plenty of time for one more show.  The entertainment team performed a selection of dance numbers based on Hollywood movies.  The huge screens provided vivid backdrops for the dancers.  In a few numbers, the dancers would disappear from the stage, only to reappear in the video, which was quite effective.  I especially enjoyed the selections from Chicago, but there were also impressive performances based on The Matrix and Grease.  When the show was over, I was happy to go back to the room to read while Carlos went out for one last evening with the friends he had made.
Grease
 April 14, 2018

We had just enough time to eat a leisurely breakfast, pack, and check out of the hotel before noon.  We took a taxi the short distance to the tourist bus station in Playa del Carmen (There are two.)  Carlos caught a bus from there to the airport for 190 pesos and I hopped on a bus to Puerto Morelos for 32 pesos (<$2.) 

Downtown Puerto Morelos Was a Mess
The ride took most of an hour.  We first threaded our way through Playa del Carmen to the long-distance bus station and then followed the coast highway, past numerous resorts, to the Puerto Morelos station.  The bus station was on the highway, but the beach portion of the town was a mile or so off the main road.  I got a taxi into town for 30 pesos.  The entire downtown area of Puerto Morelos was torn up and blocked off because of a repavement project.  The taxi dropped me a block and a half or so from my AirBnB.  I had to lug my bags over the piles of sand and concrete forms to the place where I was staying.

My House in Puerto Morelos

My Room
My host had left me instructions for operating a lockbox to get the key, but he just happened to be there and let me in.  There were three units but I was the only guest.  There was a restaurant in the front and three units in the back.  Most of the property consisted of a huge covered patio.  Each unit had an outdoor kitchen under the patio roof.  My room was spartan, but adequate.  The bed was comfortable and there was air conditioning and a limited supply of hot water that was sufficient for one person.  The hot water heater held all of two gallons.  I had an identical one under my kitchen sink to provide hot water until the water from the main heater kicked in.  The room could have used some paintings on the wall or something, but it was clean and comfortable enough.

The Kitchen
Puerto Morelos Malecon
It was very hot when I arrived, so I stayed indoors and read until the late afternoon when I went out for a walk.  There actually is a port in Puerto Morelos.  A coral reef just offshore provides a safe anchorage.  There were many fishing boats and tour boats, but not one sailboat.  The reef was protected in a National Park and sunscreen was prohibited on the otherwise attractive white sand beach.  The water was that clear Caribbean blue, marred only by the sargassum that grew everywhere in the region.  The weed washed up onto the shore and was raked into mammoth piles.  It wasn’t pretty, but did provide habitat for sea creatures.  I walked a little way along the beach, but the wind was blowing hard enough that sand was flying everywhere, so I quickly retreated inland to the street paralleling the beach.
Boats and Piles of Sargassum in Puerto Morelos
Catholic Church in Puerto Morelos
 Puerto Morelos is three streets deep.  My lodging was on the middle street.  There was a plaza between that street and the beach and a Catholic church across from that.  My lodging was to the right of the plaza, but the hotel zone and most of the restaurants were to the left.  Nothing was more than a few blocks away.  I walked down the street nearest the beach until I found a restaurant called Bianco that looked like it had a sheltered deck overlooking the water.

Bianco Restaurant


Bianco was an Italian restaurant and I had some very good gnocchi there.  After three and a half months in Mexico, I no longer felt I had to eat the local cuisine at every meal.  The food prices were quite reasonable, but the drinks were at least 50% more expensive than on the Pacific side.  I wondered if this was because people came to Cancun to drink.  I settled for beer which, even at inflated prices, was still only about $2.50 a bottle.  I enjoyed the meal and the view and chatted with a Mexican family at the next table who were friends of the owners.


After dinner, I strolled around the town.  The square was lively with vendors and street performers.  Music poured out of several restaurants.  My place was very noisy until well after midnight between the restaurant in front and the bar across the street.  At least I enjoyed the singer across the street, although I was amused to hear her perform the same repertoire played by all the musicians in La Cruz.  I longed for some good Latin music, but I hadn’t heard any on my stroll.  The best music I heard was coming from a lot featuring a collection of food trucks.  Unfortunately, I wasn’t going to have time to eat my way through all of Puerto Morelos.  I did manage to stop at an ice cream shop off the square on my way home and get a waffle cone full of chocolate ice cream.

April 15, 2018

I got up early and went for a swim on Sunday morning.  I walked down the beach, past most of the boats, and stopped to swim in front of one of the hotels where I saw a few other bathers.  The water was cool, but not too unpleasant.  I didn’t stay in long, since I had left my things unguarded on the beach.  I dripped dry on the walk back to my lodging.
The Cafe D'Amancia


After a shower, I went to the Café D'Amancia on the corner for breakfast.  I ordered a latte and huevos rancheros.  The latte was good and the eggs tastier than they looked.  Two fried eggs were served atop about four tostada shells and drowned in what looked like marinara sauce.  I had never had crispy tortillas with huevos rancheros before, but I enjoyed the meal nevertheless.

I went back home after breakfast to practice the guitar and work on my blog.  After a while, I heard water splashing and wondered where it was coming from.  Then the rain really started to hammer on the patio roof and I realized that we were having quite a dramatic thunderstorm.  The patio leaked quite a bit and water was puddling everywhere.  I spent the afternoon huddling in my room, drinking champagne, working on a blog post, and reading.  I was a couple of weeks behind on the blog, so there was a lot to do.  By the time I finally uploaded the post, it had stopped raining.

The rain had left the much-disturbed ground in front of my house a soggy mess and I sank up to my ankles as I stood outside to lock the door.  I had to wade across to the pavement of the street proper.  The rest of the town was less muddy, but still covered in puddles.  All construction had halted with the arrival of the rain.  I began to despair of the project being finished in time for me to get a taxi near my house when I went to leave.

Tacos.Com
I had come to Puerto Morelos on the recommendation of a friend from the United States who said it was his favorite place.  He had also given me a couple of restaurant recommendations.  On Sunday night, I went to the first of these, Tacos.com.  It was a little hole in the wall down the street (Javier Rojo Gomez) from my lodging on the other side of the plaza.  They offered a wide selection of gourmet tacos, most of which featured seafood.  I ordered shrimp, spinach, bacon, and cheese tacos on flour tortillas.  They were amazing, as was the orangeade they made from scratch.  After the champagne, I could pass on overpriced drinks.  I don’t know if it was the rain or just that I had gone out at dusk, but the jejenes were so bad that I almost fled before the food came.  My feet and ankles were badly bitten.  Fortunately, the itching from those bites subsided after a few hours, unlike the ones on the Pacific side which left big welts that lasted for days.

It was a little quieter at my place on Sunday evening and I managed to practice the guitar a bit more and do some reading before watching a bit of Netflix.  My lodging had decent internet and, being the only resident, I didn’t need to worry about hogging the bandwidth.  I tried to go to sleep about midnight, but was kept awake by a very drunk man trying to sing Pink Floyd a capella.  He sounded like he was in my courtyard but must have been out in the street.

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