For breakfast, we drove by a couple places we wanted to try, but they were closed (this seems to be a repeated problem, maybe because it's low season) and ended up at our old standby, Zamas. Mr. Sassy ordered an omelet with avocado and cheese and 2 cups of coffee. I ordered pancakes with yogurt, fruit and granola as well as my usual Mexican hot chocolate. The food and service were very good. ($187 pesos; about $15.50 USD)
When we got back to the cabana, Harry was waiting for us, stationed at his usual post.
It was a sunny, breezy day - not very warm...it reminded me of a spring day at home. We hung out at the cabana and swam a little, although it was a bit rough for me and the wind made me a little chilly. I should tell you that a few years ago I got pulled out in a rip current (at Assateague) and ever since then I've been a little nervous about going into the ocean when it's rough.The entertainment for the day was watching some workers next door at Hamaca Loca put up a new thatched umbrella. It was neat to see exactly how they do it.
In the afternoon we decided to take a trip to Playa del Carmen. This was our one excursion for the week and it was fun. We got to Playa around 4:30 and walked around a little, browsing in the shops. Then, we decided to stop for cocktails at the Blue Parrot - Mr. Sassy had a rum runner and I had a pina colada. Afterwards, we popped into an internet cafe for a few minutes (more expensive than Tulum, but still very reasonable) and then walked around the main area a bit on our way to dinner.
We had done some researching in our travel guides and decided we wanted to have dinner at Yaxche, an authentic Mayan restaurant.. We quickly located the restaurant and took a seat at one of the outside tables. Our dinner at Yaxche was one of the dining highlights of the trip. The food was scrumptious, our waiter was delightful, and the atmosphere was very appealing. We shared an appetizer - shrimp and cheese enchilladas (delicious and a bit different than the usual enchilladas). Again, we ended up ordering the same entree - I forget the name of it (it had a Mayan name) but it was a delectable marinated fish filet wrapped in banana leaf. Mr. Sassy also had a shot of tequila which came with a "chaser" - some kind of concoction of fruit juice, tomato juice and pepper sauce (Mr. Sassy RAVED about the chaser and what a nice complement it was to the tequila). The dinner was served with small breads and 3 dipping sauces. One sauce was sesame based. The second was a white garlic sauce and the third was a muy caliente green salsa-like sauce that I did not try (I leave those sauces to Mr. Sassy).
For dessert I ordered these chocolate-filled crepe things that were sinfully good and Mr. Sassy ordered a fancy flambe coffee/ice cream/liquor concoction that involved the waiter putting on quite an impressive show.We were also serenaded during our dinner. I have to be honest and say I've heard better serenades. This guy seemed to be just going through the motions but we tipped him well anyway.
Our dinner bill was a bit higher than we were used to paying - $715 pesos which is about $60, but still pretty affordable when you consider the quality of the food and what we are used to paying in Philadelphia.
After dinner, we walked around a little, but we didn't stay too long. I have to be honest and say that I am losing my taste for Playa del Carmen. First of all, it has changed so much that it is becoming unrecognizable. It used to be such a cool, laid back little Mexican town. Now it's too bustling, too Americanized, too crowded, too upscale and too frenetic. The worst part of all is the aggressive sales people who relentlessly harrass you as you try to browse. It is such a turnoff and makes me so uncomfortable. I just have no tolerance for it.
Driving home from Playa at night was an adventure. 307 is a decently maintained highway in most respects, but it is not a joy to drive on at night. First of all, you have the topes springing up out of nowhere. Sometimes there is a warning sign posted ahead of time, sometimes not. Sometimes the topes are painted brightly, sometimes not. A couple times we slammed our breaks because we didn't see them coming. These are the kind of speed bumps that will break your car's axle if you hit them at full speed. The other thing about 307 that makes it maddening to drive at night is the lines on the road. Sometimes they are visible, sometimes they are not. Sometimes, they will have faded white lines on white asphalt which renders them virtually invisible at night. Sometimes, the lines will disappear for a stretch and then reappear. Sometimes, they appear to shift and bend, but are not visible enough to tell for sure. It's downright scary because half the time you are wondering if you are driving in the right lane. And NOBODY goes the speed limit (except us).
We got back to our cabana around 11:00 p.m and went right to sleep. We were happy to be back in Tulum.
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