January 21–22, 2014 - Tulum, Mexico

We hung out at the apartment until near lunchtime, then we walked into town. It has been fun walking down different streets and seeing different sights. This artwork wall is made from bottles.

We stopped at a tiny café and split four tacos and a fresh-squeezed orange juice. They were

pretty tasty and juice was great! It was only $47 pesos ($3.50 USD). We had fun meandering back to the apartment after looking at different shops and restaurants along the way. It was a day of relaxing.

This evening we decided to try a restaurant Chris and Barbara had recommended, El Asadero, a kind of barbeque restaurant.

It was delicious!! Before the meal, the waitress brought a basket of chips and four different dips – a creamy garlic, avocado with chilies, picante, and pico de gallo. Mixing the garlic and pico was really yummy. We split the restaurant’s special, which included beef steak, 3 sausages, a baked potato topped with cheese and grilled chicken, grilled prickly pear cactus, avocado slices and a jalapeño pepper. We had soft drinks and got a flan to go (I was too full to eat it there!) Dinner and tip were $350 pesos ($26 USD). I can’t imagine trying to eat the entire meal by myself – it was huge. This was just my half.

Today when we got up it was sunny, so we donned our swimsuits and headed to the colectivo for the beach. We weren’t lucky, however, and had to stand – but there were only 28 people in the back of the van! We walked on the beach, swam, and people watched – and were watched by this little sand crab!

The wind was down and the waves were much calmer today. We talked to a guy that owns a catamaran sailboat and he was getting ready to take some folks out. He said it had been too windy and rough the last four days to go out, so he was looking forward to the sail today. We are going to think about going out – it’s pretty pricey. We also watched some of the birds out on one of the islands. Tobey spotted one as it plunged into the water, then snatched a fish in its talons and flew off! The fish was really big and it was fun to see it flying over.

We caught the colectivo back to town and stopped to get some lunch at Happy Frog’s. It was a tiny place, but a pleasant surprise. Tobey ordered a huaraches carne asada and I had the gordita carne asada. Huarache is a popular Mexican dish consisting of an oblong, fried masa base, topped with some refried beans, carne asada, lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Gorditas are a Mexican flatbread made from cornmeal and stuffed with meat, cheese, and vegetables. We asked the owner what the meal she made for another customer was and she told us chicken enchiladas in mole sauce (not on the menu). She then proceeded to make each of a an enchilada to try! They were pretty tasty and a fun surprise. We enjoyed chatting with her – although I didn’t understand everything she said – it made me really work hard at my Spanish! She also told us about some place we should go see while we are here, so I have added them to our list! Our lunch and tip came to $82 pesos ($6USD).

 
We got back to the apartment about 3:30 and hung out until 7:00, when we decided we needed to eat again! Neither of us were very hungry, so we decided to walk until something caught our eye. We ended up at La Flaca Restaurant! We selected the vegetarian pizza and cokes. It was different from US pizza, but good, and a change from what we have been eating. $165 pesos ($12.50 USD) tip included.

On our walk back home, we passed by the square and I was tickled when I saw the little kids cars lined up like a parking lot!
Closer to home, we spotted a huge moth.
Tomorrow if the weather holds (and it probably will) we are going to go to the ruins. For now, Buenos noches!

January 20, 2014 - Tulum

Back to the beach for us today! Tobey forgot something in the apartment, so I started off without him. As I rounded the corner from the apartment, I saw a mother and her child kind of jump back. I spotted a snake on the road which they had also seen. Glad I had my camera, I stopped to take a picture before heading on. Tobey caught up a few blocks down the road and we walked to the colectivo stand (about 2 km from here). We were about 30 minutes early for the 10:30, but opted to wait. After a couple folks got on, we decided we better too, if we wanted to get a seat. There are benches around the interior perimeter of the van which will accommodate about 15 people and two seats in the front. We should have taken the two seats in the front with the driver…. By the time we were ready to leave, there were 28 people in the back – and only one was a baby! I’m just glad we had a seat near the door because it had a window! We also figured out that the driver overcharged us yesterday. This van had the prices posted and it was only $20 pesos for the two of us, not $30 to the beach. We also decided that next time, if the two front seats are open, we are taking them!

We went back to La Zebra and walked on the beach going south today.

We walked, and walked, and walked, then we turned around and walked back! We both took a small swim – the water was a little cool when we first got in, but it was refreshing. We watched some of the kite surfers who were really scooting along!

We also saw several dogs having fun in the water and on the beach. This fella just followed his master into the surf, jumping over the waves that came in. We also watched the cutest Cocker Spaniel racing along with his little girl and her mom. It didn’t like the water too much and had great side-running abilities every time a wave got to close!

About 1 p.m. we headed out to the street and grabbed some lunch at a taquería. We each had 2 tacos and split a “lemonade” which was actually fresh squeezed LIME juice with a teaspoon of sugar added. The food was okay, but probably the worst we have had so far. The lemonade would have been better with a shot of tequila instead of the sugar!

I had to take a picture of these women painting the bar at the taqueria because it reminded me of a quilt pattern! We finished in time to catch the 1:30 colectivo back to town.

We got out near the supermarket so we could pick up milk and cereal, as well as a couple asthma inhalers for Tyler, before we walked home. Both of us were complaining about tired feet by the time we got back. When we got near the apartment, the snake was STILL there. Needless to say, it was dead. Someone had thumped it on the head with a shovel. From what we could figure out online it is a coral snake mimic, Sibon sartorii. They are brightly colored black and orange or red snakes from the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and look similar to coral snakes. Oh well, it was still cool to see.

Tobey mapped our walking today and figured we came in at about 9 miles in flip flops – no wonder our feet were sore. After showers, we both decided that hanging out, reading and having dinner in was the order of the evening!

January 17–19, 2014 - Tulum

Seems like we have fallen into a routine : sleep late, walk into town, come back, read & nap, eat, go to bed. It’s not a problem!

Friday morning was sunny, but cool. We took a walk then went back to the apartment for lunch.We decided to go into town for dinner even though it was sprinkling and had dinner at Dona Tina. Tobey had the chicken soup and I had a chicken dish with rice and beans. The meals were okay, but not sure we will go back. The rain stopped during dinner so we took a stroll down to the square to see if there was anything going on. There was a group of “clowns” setting up for a show. Since my Spanish is rusty and Tobey’s worse, we opted to pass and headed home.

Saturday - The sun came out – and Tobey is starting to feel better! We walked into town, checked out different areas, picked up a couple groceries, and stopped for lunch. One of the high schools we passed had murals painted all along the outside wall. We have noticed several signs urging a stop to violence around town. I hope it is working!
Another thing that is difficult for us to comprehend coming from Colorado is what seems to be total lack of concern over dumping trash in the street. We have noticed this all over Mexico and Tulum is no different.

We stopped at El Chino for lunch and had shrimp and fish tacos.

Three fish tacos or three shrimp tacos were $51 pesos. They also served chips and the hot fish dip, as well as pico de gallo – YUMMY!

We hung out at the apartment and read, then watched a movie before going out for a late dinner. Every time we had gone by our dinner stop, the place was always packed with locals, as well as tourists, so we figured it was good – and it was, as well as cheap! They specialize in tacos al pastor. “Al pastor” is a dish developed in Central Mexico, likely as a result of the adoption of the shawarma spit-grilled meat brought by Lebanese immigrants to Mexico. We both had 2 tacos and split a glass of horchata. Horchata is a milky drink made from ground rice. It doesn’t sound very good, but it is usually very good. This one was a little watery and not as sweet as others we have had, but it’s a nice change from soft drinks. I forgot to take my camera so no pictures of the meat on the spit! We will probably go back – 4 tacos and one large drink was only $40 pesos! ($3 USD)

We walked around town and went to the square where the church across the street was having a huge outside revival type service. They had lots of music and praise team action going on. After getting a chocolate crepe, we headed back to the apartment around 10pm.

Today,we got up early so we could go to the beach before the Broncos-Patriots game. We walked into town and caught a Colectivo (a kind of mini-van shuttle bus) to the beach.

It was beautiful! We walked up the beach,then stopped and “borrowed” one of the hotel’s beach chairs for a while. We walked back down the beach before deciding to head back to town. Back on the street we watched for a colectivo, but didn’t see one, so opted to take a taxi. The collective was $30 pesos from the center of town; the taxi was $70 pesos from the beach to our door. Not bad either way!

Back at the apartment in time for showers, lunch, and the Broncos/Patriots game. Needless to say, we were VERY happy with the turnout! Broncos are Super Bowl bound!

We saw this delivery motorcycle on Saturday and took it to be an omen that we were going to deliver at the game today and we did!
Hopefully the sun will be out again tomorrow and we will head back to the beach!

January 15-16, 2014 - Tulum

Rain, clouds, cool – not what we had planned on!  Tuesday night it started raining and rained all night. Wednesday we woke to total cloud cover. Tobey was feeling a little better so we decided to go ahead and walk to the supermarket before lunch because we were out of “main dish” food.

It sprinkled on us off and on but we were back to the apartment by lunchtime and were only a little damp! We closed up all the windows and settled in for a quiet day of reading.
We found an English-speaking TV station and watched some re-runs of The Big Bang Theory, then watched a movie after dinner.

Today the sun came out, but the temperature stayed below 70 and it was breezy. We decided to walk to the west side of Tulum today and see what it was like. We passed a huge sports complex that had baseball diamonds, soccer fields, basketball court, and track. It was several blocks long and was well-maintained.

As we passed one house I noticed a sign that brought a chuckle – even in small towns in Mexico there are Tupperware ladies!

As we turned and headed back toward town I noticed this fellow walking in front of us carrying a chicken under his arm. Not sure if he just bought it or was off to sell it.

A little further down the street we encountered some road construction going on – and a HUGE road saw!We wanted to find a lunch stop on our way back to the apartment and decided to try this little stand near the primary school we had spotted on one of our other walks.

We both had two tacos asados and drinks and the bill was only $62 pesos. ($4.75 USD) It was really good and very popular with the locals!
Back at the apartment we read, napped, chatted with Tyler on the computer, and called our Moms. We decided to see if we could find a different kind of cold medicine for Tobey, then we went to Camellos for dinner. Chris and Barbara (our apartment owners) said they have great seafood – and they did! I had the garlic shrimp and Tobey had the fried fish dinner. Before the meal, we were served chips, pico de gallo, and an interesting fish/tomato salsa. It was really yummy! Dinner with tip was $335 pesos – just over $25.

There was a crepes stand just outside the restaurant so we got a crepe with Nutella and caramel sauce for dessert ($25 pesos) on our way home. Another day in paradise!

Tulum, Mexico January 13 & 14, 2014

Another couple, quiet days in Tulum!

Yesterday we walked and walked – all the way back toward Chedraui, not for groceries, but in search of bicycle shops. We stopped at a few to check out rental and purchase prices. If we decide to get bikes, it will be cheaper to buy them, then sell them back to the shop in four weeks than to rent! We haven’t made any decisions yet, but have some options!

After our walk, we came back to Villa Clarita, took naps, then a quiet evening watching a movie and reading.

Tobey isn’t feeling 100% so today we took a short walk and came back for naps. I spent time in the pool then reading and catching some sun. We have been playing some cards and so far I have won two games of gin rummy! WOOHOO!!

This evening we took a short walk to the pharmacy to get some cold and sore throat medicine and cough syrup before dinner.

We stopped at a very local restaurant we passed on our way to the pharmacy for dinner. There was no menu – just come back to a table by the kitchen and point to what we wanted to eat! I picked the chicken mole and Tobey  had the Bisteck ala Mexicana. (I had the owner write down what Tobey’s was called!)  Mine was served with two pieces of chicken, rice and a mole sauce. Tobey’s was a chopped beef with green peppers and onions in a sauce, served with rice and black beans. (We asked them what was the best and they said the Bisteck). They also brought us a stack of soft corn tortillas and we ordered cokes. Both meals were delicious! Because there were no menus, we had not idea how much the meal was going to cost. We were pleasantly surprised that including tip, we paid $132 pesos – $10US.

No other big plans for the next few days – just relaxing and catching up on some movies.

Phoenix - Tulum, Mexico January 11–12, 2014

Mom dropped us at Sky Harbor Airport at 6:30 a.m. for our departure to Cancun. The flights through Dallas were uneventful and we arrived Cancun at 5:00 p.m. After clearing customs, we met Chris, the owner of the apartment, and his father-in-law, Jacky, for our 90 minute drive to Tulum. After a quick stop at the Chedraui Supermarket to pick up some groceries, we arrived at Villa Clarita Tulum about 8:30 pm. Chris gave a quick tour of the apartment and I got started cooking dinner. 9:00 pm, dinner was on the table, and we were able to really relax! We watched some American football with Mexican commentators before going to bed.

Today we had Mexican pastries (not nearly as sweet as American pastries!) and fruit for breakfast before taking a walk in town. We walked all the way to the Chedraui Supermarket – about 3 km each way – to pick up some of the things we forgot last night. There seem to be lots of hostels in Tulum and we noticed several Americans, as well as Australians and Europeans, in town.

Hot and tired, we got back to the apartment and had a quick lunch, then I took a quick swim in the pool. It is NOT heated, but felt pretty refreshing.
The Broncos played this afternoon, so we were parked inside cheering on our team. Sorry if you are a San Diego fan, but we were very happy with the win today!
After the game, we headed back into town for dinner. We had planned to eat at Camellos, a seafood restaurant Chris had recommended, but they were already closed. We kept going and found a taco restaurant that looked pretty good. After selecting tacos camarones, tacos pescado, tacos asado, and tacos pastor, we added chips and pico de gallo and cokes to finish off the meal. Everything was tasty and was only $120 pesos including the tip ($9.25 USD).
We strolled back to the apartment after stopping for ice cream to share on the way. Not a bad way to start our trip!

Scottsdale, Arizona - After Christmas

Tobey and I had planned to spend the week plus after Christmas being adventurous, getting out, and doing some hiking and exploring. Things don’t always go as planned because Tobey ended up catching a horrible cold and spent a good deal of the week in bed, feeling miserable.

Instead of big hikes, we ended up taking Penny to the park not far from our moms’ houses to walk and chase tennis balls. My mom went with me several times and Tobey when he was feeling up to it. It was fun to watch the Canadian geese – some days almost 200 of them – as they came in for a landing on one of the lakes! It really was amazing.

We got to see a few movies: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Saving Mr.. Banks, and Last Vegas. I liked them all! Another day my sister and I did our “shop ‘til you drop” day. We were pretty successful in both regards!

Several evenings we played cards with our moms and Tobey’s sister, Patty. We have fun playing “Golf” and “3-13”. One night I had an incredible hand in Golf – a Minus 26 in one hand, then ended up not winning the game! Another day!!

A few times we played Pinochle with our moms at their clubhouse. Tobey ended up being the big winner one night and coming home with $7.00!

I also got to take a short hike with Fort Collins friend, Susan, who was here visiting her folks. We did part of the Squaw Peak base hike – easier than the Summit hike and not as crowded. Of course, we went on a Monday – after the kids had gone back to school from winter break!
I also got to have breakfast with a high school friend, Rita. We try to get together when we come down every December to catch up. Good company & good food!


It was soon time to pack most things up and get ready for our month in Mexico.

Hugs to our moms who are taking care of Penny while we are gone. She will keep them on their toes and be helpful when it comes to washing the dishes!