Day 4
Today was beach day. We didn't have any plans other than checking out Tulum. We had breakfast at La Cueva del Chango again (Carrie really likes this place). We made another cat friend and Carrie gave him all her cream.
Every morning is photo op time
It is very important to fix your hair and makeup before, during and after your meal. If you don't, you will be thrown out of Mexico.
I had the empanadas, which were very good. We tried to explain to our waitress the off-menu item we kept seeing and she thought it was probably a torta. She brought one out, but that wasn't what we had seen the locals eating. Still, it was very good. The kids had french toast, which they thought was pretty good.
After breakfast, we loaded up all the gear in the VW and headed south to Tulum. The kids brought all their gear (snorkel stuff and boogie boards) in with them. They were the only kids walking around Tulum with boogie boards, for sure.
The VW puts the kids to sleep
We bought lots of water and some tickets for the tram to the entrance. I've walked all the way there once and it was not fun. The kids liked the pole divers.
Once we get inside the main part of Tulum, I try to explain to Austin what all this stuff is. The kids couldn't care less about a bunch of old rock buildings, they just wanted the beach. Due to their indifference for Mayan ruins, we scrapped our planned trip to Chichenitza.
The steps down to the "hidden" beach was new to me. Last time I was here, you had to walk around the main beach to access it. And why are all the buildings roped off with police tape? They don't let you anywhere near the main buildings now.
The beach was great. The sand is some of the best in the area. Carrie laid out and I boogie boarded with the kids for a while. During one swim break, Carrie, Carlee and I witnessed a large Italian couple changing right next to us. They just dropped their clothes and put on swimsuits. It was painful for us, plus there were little kids running around everywhere.
Before
After
Carrie wanted pics of Austin crawling...????
More Euro butt
2 hours of this was enough, so we headed back. Our tram tickets had got wet and we had lost one too. We had to buy another one for Carlee. Back at the shop area, we paid 25c to use their bathrooms. It took me 10 minutes to wash off all the sand from my feet and reefs, but I was determined not to walk around with sand grinding sores into my feet.
On the way out, Austin finally found his puppet. He wanted the one with the gun wielding guy. I think it was $15 or something ridiculous like that. Oh well, we can finally check that off his list.
We headed south again, this time to El Paraiso. Everyone was really impressed with the beach. It looked perfect that day. We grabbed a table in the beach club right next to the showers and ordered some drinks.
This is my favorite part! Austin goes over to the showers to rinse off. As he is rinsing, this beautiful 20 something Italian girl walks up and asks if she can borrow his shower. Oh, and she's topless. Austin was speechless. He just stared at her chest until Carrie went and rescued him. He was very impressed!
The shower where Austin fell in love with Italian women
We had burgers, guacamole and a club sandwich. Everything was good, but not the least bit cheap. After lunch, Carrie got a bed and laid out. The kids hit the ocean and I wandered around. It is truly a great beach and I'm glad we checked it out.
Everything was great except for the large topless girl laying a few feet from us. She was VERY large and had piercings. She would just lay there and play with her piercings. Austin wanted to know why she was doing that, but we weren't even going to go there.
We had had enough sun for the day, so we headed back to Playa. It's a LONG drive from Tulum when you've been in the sun all day. We really needed some cold showers.
I love how drivers will just pull out and block all traffic on the street to make a turn. This would result in several road rage deaths in the US.
A cool dune buggy
Bed swan
Back at the hotel, we showered up, dressed and hung out on the patio.
I had heard that Alux was a very cool place to visit, so we waited till 7pm (when they open) and drove over there. The parking situation was very strange. I parked to the left of the entrance until a security guard indicated I needed to park on the right side. The left side was nice smooth concrete. The right side was tons of rock and debris. He had to stop traffic in order for me to move the car. The car ended up being parked on 3 wheels due to all the crap there. The security guard didn't seem to notice.
Alux is very cool! We were met at the bottom of the steps by Miguel, who spoke about 10 words of english. He gave us a guided tour, pointed out several things and took us to a table. It was very surreal. We were the 1st guests of the night and we had a whole cave to ourselves.
We ordered some appetizers, drinks and a flambeed banana for Austin. I just wanted to see the presentation. It was very nice and took about 10 minutes for them to cook. Carrie saw something darting around in the walls by our table and was sure a monkey was going to attack her. Miguel tried to explain what it was...the gist of which seemed to be that it was like a cross between a squirrel and a monkey...I think.
Carrie said her tequila/butter grilled shrimp was very good.
The women's bathroom. The wall is a sheet of glass that shows the cave. Carlee said one of the monkey squirrels was sitting there staring at her when she walked in.
The "disco" area
After dinner, we explored 5th some more for some final trinkets (this was our last night in Playa). I had a taco al pastor from Aca Los Tacos and it was very good. They wrap it in 2 tortillas so it doesn't disintegrate. Their habanero salsa was some of the hottest stuff I had all week. We also got a couple of slices of pizza from Pizza Renzo, but it wasn't very good.
Carrie found another cat
Hotel Deseo pics - I love this place but they don't like kids
You can never escape the long arm of 7-11.
My favorite t-shirt
Carrie and the kids were tired, so I tried to put them in a cab. Not a single cab driver knew where Luna Blue was, and Carrie didn't want to be stuck in a cab trying to give directions in english. They walked back to the room and I grabbed a drink at Bourbon Street. They make a great mojito. I was psyched about getting to see the Mavs play. I had just taken my 1st sip, when the tv came back to the game from a commercial break. 45 seconds left in the 4th, Mavs down by 12. La cuenta please!
I downed my drink and caught up with kids. We got back to the hotel and fell asleep watching movies and Veronica Mars (again).