Lazy morning
Today was my last day in Mexico. Last chance for sightseeing, activities and travel. So of course I did… not a whole lot. To be honest, if I could’ve chosen to have my extra day in Mexico City at the start of the trip instead of here in Playa del Carmen, I would have surely done so. But, this is how the schedule worked out, so I resolved to stay in vacation mode as long as possible.
I slept in and lazed around a bit in the morning, and then walked down to the bus station to buy my ticket to the airport later today. The buses leave every ten or fifteen minutes and normally it’s no problem to just turn up, but since this is one of the busiest travel days of the year here, I figured better safe than sorry.
Ticket in hand, I had some brunch in Constitution Square, and then went back to the hotel to pack up my bags and check out. On the way out I met up with some of the other group members, said goodbye again, and thanked Milton one more time. I stored my stuff at reception and went to kill my last few hours in Playa del Carmen.
Feeling hot, hot hot
Today was hazy and overcast and actually not all that hot by Yucatan standards, but by Sari standards it was scorching. I took a long walk along the Playa del Carmen beach, dodging touts and salespeople and enjoying the sea air one last time. I’ll be sandy and sticky on the plane, but hey, it was worth it: Last chance to go barefoot ’til spring.
Then I hid out the hottest hour or so of the day in an internet cafe, checking my flight details and updating my blog. Internet cafes are practically anachronisms now: Once upon a time, this place would’ve been packed to the rafters, but as it was, the only two people in there were me and a skinny guy with a bad faux-hawk. They come in handy when stupid tourists lose their laptop chargers, mind you. Not that I know anyone like that. But anyway…
I spent a little time browsing the souvenir shops one last time. There’s an overwhelming amount of stuff for sale and really nothing to buy, especially here in Playa. The prices here are just as high or higher as what we’d pay at home, and the stuff is such trash. Elsewhere in Mexico, there was much better stuff to buy, but I didn’t shop much because I didn’t want to carry around heavy souvenirs all trip. Oh well, no big deal. I bought a shot glass and called it a day.
Mid-afternoon, I stopped for an iced mocha drink at a chocolate cafe. It wasn’t nearly as good as the chocolate in Oaxaca or San Cristobal, but for touristy chain stuff, it served the purpose. Before departing Mexico City, I got a take-out sandwich for the bus ride and then went back to the hotel. Just before I arrived, the sky clouded over and got really dark, and about a block from the hotel it started to pour. I shrugged: I knew it would only last a few minuets, like most late afternoon tropical rainstorms. And hey, at least I was cooling off.
End of the road
I picked up my bags and walked the fifteen minutes or so over to the bus station. Luckily it had cooled down considerably after the rain, since I was carrying all my stuff. But when I got to the bus station, I was still hot, sweaty and gross. Maybe some people have a temperature regulator gene enabling them to stay comfortable in hot, humid weather, but I must be missing it or something.
At five, I boarded the coach for the hour’s ride to Cancun Airport, mentally waving goodbye to the beach and my carefree vacation life.
Souvenirs in the Yucatan are rather lame. Beach towels and blankets (which shrink in the laundry), lame shot glasses, lame t-shirts…bleh. But the hawkers are pretty funny. “Pssst, something for your neighbor’s wife?” That kind of stuff.
Touristy though it may be, I rather like Playa del Carmen. I could do without the year-round spring breakers, but the streets are lively and the beach is wide.