Mexico Day 1

We arrived in Cancun last night, and after escaping an attempted time share offer, we made our way outside the airport to catch the van we'd reserved to our hotel. Though it was supposed to be a shared ride, it turns out we were the only people heading to Puerto Morelos instead of Cancun or Playa del Carmen. We swept past the palm trees and road signs in the dark and I asked the driver if many people stayed in the town we were heading to. He said no. But he went on to say that personally, he liked it a lot. He went on about the amazing reef right off the coast and then said the town was quiet. "It's nice and relaxing. You can feed the pigs." What? Oh, feel the peace. Yes, well.

The hotel is a bit on the rustic side. Generally nice, but lacking a few niceties like a telephone, washcloths, and a bed that is pleasant to sleep on. But you can't beat the view out the back door.

This morning we went snorkeling off the coast. Our guide was a tiny man named Charlie Brown, who turned out to be somewhat of a local celebrity. The closest I've come to anything like that was scuba diving off the Puget Sound. But it was raining and cold, and the water was silty. I remember only a lone sea cucumber. This snorkeling, however, was amazing. Little blue glittery fish, giant barracudas, a buried sting ray, schools of silver fish.

The town is small, but we found a cafe that serves mango smoothies, coconut bread, and one of the best lattes I've ever had. We weren't hungry at lunch, and I opted instead for a beer by the pool. I swear to god I was in a Corona commercial.

In the afternoon, we made our way to Playa del Carmen on a bus. I don't know quite what I was expecting from the bus, but it was luxury all the way. For $4, we sat on plush seats in air conditioning and watched "Brother Bear" in Spanish. Playa del Carmen was teeming with people, a stark contrast to our little town, but fun for shopping and eating. At dinner I ordered a margarita that looked and tasted normal, but was apparently a glass of tequila topped off with some flavoring. I can hold my tequila, but that drink threatened to punch me in the face. It may be the first time in my life I left half of a first margarita sitting there abandoned.

The information booth in town is run by a couple, who are immediately likeable and gave us all kinds of tips on what to see and do. The husband got us a great deal on a rental car for the next day, and then the wife got excited and said we could get the car for free if we attended a simple 90 minute tour...

I wouldn't say we were suckered, because we knew from the beginning she was talking about a timeshare pitch, but she promised it would be painless and it would be a huge favor to her if we went. In exchange, they would arrange to have the rental car paid for. Though we really didn't want to listen to a 90 minute sales pitch, we are suckers for free things. In the end, we agreed and the couple then spent the next 10 minutes coaching us on how to act uninterested and giving us phrases to use so we could avoid any traps.

The stars, predictably, are amazing. I could get used to the ocean outside my window.