Our Time in the Sun

Retirement has its ups and downs (I know you wouldn't think so, but there are times when I wonder if retiring at age 60 was the right thing.) but now I am experiencing one of the 'up' sides. Getting away from the wet grey Seattle weather in January is a treat. Chris and I are visiting ruins and walking on tropical beaches in the Yucatan of Mexico. It was a good omen to have our connecting flight in Minneapolis upgraded to first. We had seats in the first row with the bulk head space for stretching our legs. There were free drinks, free omelettes for breakfast and warm washcloths for freshening up,and we were the first ones off the plane. We are renting an upstairs apartment on Calle 20 in Playa del Carmen for the week. Clean, with a full kitchen, small deck, cable t.v. and fast Internet; we are mostly pleased with this place. The constant construction noise and the nighttime clubbing din are not so nice but I think we can endure. We ate dinner at a nice restaurant and Chris bought his first margarita and steak fajitas. I had a Mayan dish called chicken pibil. The chicken was in a red sauce flavored with oranges and was very tasty! I went to bed at 5:30 and we slept 14 hours!!! That is what a red eye flight does to us old folks. This morning I took my run all the way to the end of 5th ave. which is the main street here and us lined with shops and fine dining. I took a street parallel to it on my way back and saw a little of where the locals live and eat. Lots of dogs just sleeping in the street, saving energy; they barely open their eyes as you pass by, much less bark or run after you. I went down to the beach and I had a very pleasant an informative conversation with an Argentinian woman who has lived here since 2000. I think she wanted mostly to practice her English as much as she wanted to give me tourist tips. She works for a high end hotel and today is her day off. Time for lunch! More writing later unless of course I want a siesta. 

 of Playa Del Carmen

I didn't take a siesta but I sure got lazy about writing. My excuse is that writing on a kindle fire is taxing on both my eyes and my typing skills. Here it is a month back in Seattle and finally I am updating this blog post. I took lots of pictures! You can see my pictures here:     

 and of Tulum

and Cozumel

and Progresso

 and Merida

and Cristalino Cenote

and the  Dzibilchaltún ruins.

Each and every place had its own beauty and we delighted in the variety of sights, sounds, and of course the tastes of Mexican food and drink! We are already planning a return trip next year, for a longer stay.