05-28-2012
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#1 (permalink) |
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very sparkly
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York City
Posts: 29
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First Mexico Trip Ever! The Good, the Bad & the Not-So-Ugly
This is my very first trip to Mexico! I have been to the Caribbean numerous of times but a first to just "South of the Border"...well not technically near the border
 We were down there from May 16 to 21, 2012 and stayed at the Playa Palms Beach Hotel. The staff at the hotel were extremely helpful and switched rooms for us when we had a slight noise problem. This was no fault with the hotel's but more like stupid party-goers hanging outside our window with their music blasting from their car plus some guy was on the bullhorn rooting the party-goers on. It sounded Israeli. So yeah, room switched with no problem at all and after that we had a great night's sleep for the rest of the trip! I can't party that hard anymore...I'm in my 40s and I feel like I'm in my 50s  (Click on days to see post) Day 1 - Arriving at Cancun and made mistake of talking to the people... - Checked in at hotel - Walked around La Quinta, switched US Dollars to pesos at a nice rate (12.95 Pesos to $1 USD) - Dinner at Blue Lobster Day 2 - Visited XCARET - Dinner at Don Sirloin's Day 3 - Beach Day! - Dinner at Yaxche - Sunburned  Day 4 - La Cueva Del Chango - MEGA & Lots of Walking - BRO*Chetas! Day 5 - Rain Day (not all day) - Carboncito's - Some Beach Bummin' Day 6 - Leaving on a Jet Plane - Last Minute Airport Duty-Free Shopping - The Pat-Down --------------------------------------------------------------------------- So here's my trip report! Day 1 - The Arrival  The Open Sea by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  Corona! by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr So upon landing in Cancun we went through two different lines: Customs & Immigration I'm still a bit lost as to what happened on this day. I blame it on the lack of sleep and my unbearable ear pains from the cabin pressure. My ears are just that sensitive. When we landed we went through several flights of escalators before getting to the customs & immigration area. We got our documentations in order and then off to the baggage scan in customs. There's a button you press...red light means they'll search you...green light means you can proceed. No problems here. Once we walk out that area....it's extremely over whelming! I have read so many topics regarding the Cancun airport as well as the steps on how to exit but no matter how much you read about it, it's not the same until you have experienced it. I think someone should make a video and a step-by-step guide about passing and exiting out the airport. I read that people will approach you with offers, etc. but did not mention they looked official. There were actual official permanent booths all along the passageway with people trying to give u offers to rides, attractions, etc. I saw their badge and assumed they worked for the airport. A MISTAKE! I guess they're authorized vendor badges but we didn't know that so of course once we said where we're going....offers galore! I just kept on walking and saying "No gracias" but wow, they're so persistent. One even stood in front of me and followed me for at least 20 feet trying to get me to tell them where I was going. Sheesh! Outside the airport was worse. Some pretended they were our transportation and said our car is ready for us. I said No, I have my own transportation. One guy seemed helpful (but was trying to get us to go to his buddy's "colectivo". He said the ADO bus is here....I looked and it didn't have the ADO logo on it. So we started to walk away. He finally said okay, he can give us a ride on the shuttle and it'll be cheaper than the taxi...$45 for the both of us. Okay, we followed him and waited since we saw the real ADO line was so long. 15 minutes passed and no van came for us. The guy with the radio and the say logo on his shirt looked at us and didn't say anything. Finally one of their guys came and said okay, this is our van. Just the two of us. He said there's no one else so it'll be just us. We got off at 10th Avenue and 12th Street because the area to our hotel is for pedestrian traffic only so he said tis is where we can get off and cannot proceed further. Whatever....I gave him a $50 USD and walked the rest of the way with our bags. Finally to our hotel! The Playa Palms Beach Hotel!  Suite Panorama by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  Beach Panorama by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  Hotel Pool by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr So the bottom line about arriving at the Cancun airport is to either have your transportation arranged prior to arrival, use the ADO bus and KNOW where it's located and finally...DO NOT TALK TO ANYONE AFTER LEAVING CUSTOMS...unless they're a customs agent or police officer. Once you make eye contact they're start hounding you with transportation offers. Last edited by BillyBuff; 05-29-2012 at 03:28 PM.. |
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05-28-2012
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#2 (permalink) |
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very sparkly
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York City
Posts: 29
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Day 2 - XCARAET
Day 2 - XCARET
We flagged down a taxi on 10th Ave to head out to XCARET. My wife was going to ask how much but had to shush her and said i know the rate. The driver actually didn't know the rate and so he drove by the taxi stand and asked one of his colleagues...I heard "ciento quince" and that was what I have on my cheat sheet of taxi rates.   P1000037 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr XCARET is a really nice place. Think of this as the Mexican version of Disney's Animal Kingdom but without the fluff. We opted to go here for the experience. We wanted to try things at least once and we're glad we did! We had the Sea Trek optional activity which was quite fun. Too bad those helmets were one-size-fits-all. I have like a thick chest/shoulder/traps build so the helmet sits higher than the average person. This is bad since the water will come up to mouth level no matter how much you tilt your head backwards. I'm glad I had military training so this wasn't a prob. I had to translate and explain everything to my wife since the subtitles didn't help and the guy going through the safety only spoke Spanish. Overall the Sea Trek was fun. You get to (in my Godfather voice) "swim with the fishes".  P1000114 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000121 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000108 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr This was the part where I had gotten sunburned!  P1000107 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000155 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr End of the night we took took a cab back to our hotel. I suggest getting a taxi voucher once you get to the park so you don't have to fuss around with money later. Stopped by Don Sirloin's on 10th Ave and 12th Street. I guess this is a new location? I read it was somewhere else...  Their pastor taco was awesome! We tried the others but the pastor was hands down #1! Too bad I don't have pics...my iPhone camera started to refuse to take photos for me for today. I lost most of the XCARET photos too.
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05-28-2012
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#4 (permalink) |
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very sparkly
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York City
Posts: 29
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Day 3 - Beach Day!
Day 3 - Beach Day!
One of the reasons we wanted to go to the Caribbean was relaxing on the beach and catching some sun. We decided to grab some breakfast next door at the Indigo Beach Club. Ah, breakfast on the beach. Then grab some sun and hit the waves. This is definitely how vacations should be! Pure relaxation!  P1000161 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000160 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr The sun is really beating down on us through the clouds..  P1000166 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr We decided to head a bit north towards Mamitas Beach Club and found a nice quiet spot  P1000176 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Despite the dark clouds over Cozumel, it didn't rain here. Plus the sun was west of us and it was just partly cloudy...  P1000174 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr After a few hours of fun & sun, we had the munchies so we saw this place and it was very appropriate...El Munchies!  P1000178 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr After showering, I realized I did get sunburned despite the 30 SPF sunscreen. I never get burned before and this was a first! I guess since the location is closer to the equator means one should get at least 100 SPF for sunscreen...  Well, a little bit of rest and our anniversary dinner was at Yaxche. I think this place was a bit hyped up due to the advertisement of Mayan "fusion" cuisine. I think dinner elsewhere would've been more satisfying. Perhaps Don Sirloin's?   P1000186 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000187 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000188 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr |
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05-29-2012
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#8 (permalink) | |
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very sparkly
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York City
Posts: 29
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05-29-2012
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#9 (permalink) |
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very sparkly
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York City
Posts: 29
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Day 4 - A Lot of Walking in the Sun
Day 4 - A Lot of Walking in the Sun
Oh boy, what a sunny day! It was extremely hot & sunny around 9:00 AM as we headed out to La Cueva Del Chango for breakfast. We originally wanted to go try BRO*Chetas but they were not open yet so la Cueva Del Chango it is! The sun was going in and out because of the clouds so the walk from 5th Ave and 14th Street wasn't that bad. We took the scenic route walking along the beach. by the time we got there the sun was already peering out from behind the clouds. This time I reapplied my sunscreen so I would not get burned again.  la Cueva Del Chango  IMG_1095 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Coffee!  P1000191 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr French Toast  IMG_1092 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Crepes  IMG_1093 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr I think I used habanero sauce with everything I had ate down in Mexico...  IMG_1094 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Basically after breakfast we had walked around the area. I think it was a mistake on my part because I thought the Plaza las Americas was near there? Nope! I thought wrong and ended up walking really far. So we decided to stop by MEGA instead. Nothing unique. Although my wife did buy from local fruits to snack on later on. Since it's still early we decided to relax in the sun. And talking about turning red from the sun...  IMG_1100 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Anyways, after some relaxation in the sun...we were hungry for a late afternoon snack. BRO*Chetas? Sure! This place is definitely well hidden. It's right in the same block as the Aldea Thai Hotel. It can be found by walking off the public beach access and passing by Mamitas. Aldea Thai will be on the left. keep going until you hit the end of that block and BRO*Chetas will be on the corner. There is a undeveloped piece of road there so people wouldn't tend to go down there. The skewers? We LOVED it! the fish and the salmon were favorites hands-down. And their sauces were awesome too!  IMG_1101 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Grillin'  P1000210 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr The skewers!  IMG_1102 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr On the way back we decided to scope out some of the other restaurants on 10th Ave...plus I also wanted to get away from la Quinta because I am awfully annoyed by the persistent vendors there. "No gracias" means no thank you but that doesn't mean I have the time to try it. Plus do I look like I want to smoke MJ or buy drugs from you guys? After a few days of that I started to become annoyed so walking down 10th Ave was a big welsome change.  P1000212 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000214 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Went to check out Senor Frog's to see what the fuss was about and it was pretty empty...so we called it a night and relaxed at the hotel over some cigars and beer  P1000215 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr |
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05-29-2012
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#10 (permalink) |
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very sparkly
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York City
Posts: 29
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Day 5 - Rain, Sun & Carboncito's
Day 5 - Rain, Sun & Carboncito's
The morning started out cloudy and then it started raining. Shucks! But then it stopped so off to Carboncito's for breakfast! the place was pretty much empty around 10:30 AM. I believe there were 2 other tables including us. Definitely try their different jiuce mix. I went for the papaya shake. They're my fave. Pic of my receding hairline and Carboncito's  Carboncito's by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000218 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000219 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr  P1000220 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr My huge papaya shake  IMG_1108 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Since this is the last day we decided to hang out on the beach before heading back to the urban jungles of New York City My girly drink..pina colada  IMG_1113 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr My last view..  IMG_1114 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr |
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05-29-2012
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#11 (permalink) |
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very sparkly
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York City
Posts: 29
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Day 6 - The Departure
Day 6 - The Departure
Can't really call this an actual day since we are leaving Playa del Carmen. Our taxi ride was early in the morning around 8:15 AM and our flight was 12:30 PM. I'm paranoid because 99.9% of the time I get the full pat-down at the airport. We'll get back to this later. I am glad we took the early ride to Cancun because it was raining cats & dogs. There were some flooding on the road too so traffic slowed down a bit. Upon arriving at the airport it was completely empty! Went to the check-in line without waiting. Passed by security without a hitch except for my wife. She had neglected to tell me about the 4 oz. bottle of perfume I had gotten for her as an anniversary present was in her carry-on! So security stopped her to examine her baggage. He took a look at the boxed perfume bottle and then placed it back. We were cleared to go. So, now we're here so early...what to do now?? Last minute shopping! I picked up a liter of cognac that isn't found here in the States as well as a carton of cigarettes for a friend and some cigars for myself. I saw some Cohibas but figured I won't take the risk since "Cuban" was written on the box. Had a quick bite at Johnny Rockets and proceeded to go take a nap by the gate. When I opened my eyes later on...that whole terminal was packed! I guess everyone decided to all come at the same time. It was only 11:30 AM and lots of flights have been departing the whole time. We witnessed many people running to their gates only to have found out their flight has already left or the passenger walkway was not connected to the plane so the passengers could not get onto the plane due to their tardiness. I guess my paranoia about being late worked. We were glad we came early. When it was time to board, I was pulled off to the side for a full pat-down! I *knew* this would happen so of course I didn't carry anything that would delay my flight. After a thorough pat-down I am New York bound! Maybe someone with my same name is on a flight hotlist or something if I am patted down almost every time I fly somewhere. Sheesh! Can't an Desert Storm Army veteran catch a break??  Anyways, here's the rest of the departing pics....and hoped you have enjoyed this trip report. if you have any questions, feel free to ask 'em! Whoooosh and we're off! Oops I did not turn off my electronics...aka camera  P1000225 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Adios, Mexico...for i shall return soon!  P1000228 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Back in dreary New York City!  P1000232 by William Eng Photography (aka eggrollboy), on Flickr Last edited by BillyBuff; 05-29-2012 at 03:37 PM.. |
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05-29-2012
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#12 (permalink) |
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reposado
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Pittsburgh
Posts: 1,017
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First I'd like to say THANK YOU for your service to our country!
Your pictures are awesome! I've stayed at the Playa Palms and it's very nice, however our room was a lot smaller than yours. Do you remember what room number you had? I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation! 
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05-29-2012
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#14 (permalink) |
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beachaholic
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Regina Saskatchewan
Posts: 456
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I agree, I LOVED the tacos al pastor at Don Sirloins. By far my fav in Playa hands down
. They were always served scorching hot. Until this year my fav were Carboncitos, and they are of course still really really good, but I do love the ones at Don Sirloins
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