Coba and the Large Pyramid

We were thinking of visiting Chichen Itza during our trip to Playa del Carmen, but on the scheduled day, it was too hot, CJ was a little whiny, and the drive seemed too daunting. So we decided to visit Coba, a set of ruins about an hour from Playa del Carmen, west of Tulum.

The ruins at Coba are not as extensively restored as those in Tulum or Chichen Itza so there's less to see. Our guide said that 95% of the ruins at Coba have been overtaken by the jungle. What Coba does have is a pyramid that you can still climb, so we were psyched to go!

Given the state of tourism in Mexico, we were not surprised that there were very few visitors at Coba. We had lunch at a lonely restaurant that had decent food. CJ loved the chicken and rice. Check out the photo on the right. Our silver rental car is under the trees. There are a few cars to the right. That was it, no other cars, no tour buses. I felt sorry for the shop owners.

After our visit, I did a bit of shopping at one of the stores. I bargained pretty hard and got two Mayan calendars, a purple ceramic star for the new office, a Mayan face figurine, and a Mayan mask for less than $50. I can't complain and the shopkeeper seemed happy. We both won.

There's not a ton to see in Coba but what you can see is pretty neat. Close to the entrance, you can see temples, plazas, ball courts, and other buildings. Then there is two kilometers of jungle between the entrance and the big pyramid. Our guide asked us if we wanted to walk, rent bikes or take a tricycle. Without missing a beat, CJ said he wanted to walk, so walk we did, in the heat!!! I was really impressed that CJ walked/ran the entire two kilometers and then still had energy to climb the pyramid with Maki.

I attempted the pyramid but I knew my knees could not handle the climb down, so I gave up after about 30 steps. There are 129 steps in the pyramid at Coba. CJ went up and down by himself, with Maki of course. Check out these pictures. I sat and waited for the boys under a tree. After the climb up the pyramid, CJ was ready for a tricycle ride home and a popsicle. He deserved both!

CJ and Maki at the bottom of the pyramid.

Maki and CJ close to the top.

Can you see the boys waving from the top of the pyramid?

Maki and CJ on the way down. CJ didn't need any help!

Our Best Meals in Playa del Carmen

As far as food goes, Mexico is not at the top of our list. I suspect it's because we don't know what we're doing and we were staying at an all-inclusive for part of the trip.

The food at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo was good, not amazing. The buffet had a lot of good options and CJ certainly never went hungry. The trouble is, we're foodies and we go on vacation for the food as much as anything else.

We did have several very good meals. The first was at a Mexican-Japanese sushi fusion restaurant called Sushi-Tlan. Chris, the concierge at the Hacienda was surprised that we wanted to go there, but the sales guy at the Royal Paradise said it's his favorite place in Playa del Carmen. As expected, the place was visited mostly by locals, which was just fine by us.

Okay, so if you're looking for authentic Japanese sushi, Sushi-Tlan is not the place to go. But if you're looking for some interesting rolls, this is a great place. A lot of the rolls are fried, and the menu had an overwhelming number of rolls that featured ACCH (avocado, cucumber, cream cheese). There was even a rice dish with chopped up crab, seaweed sprinkles and cream cheese! We were dubious but it was delicious; even Maki's dad loved it. CJ LOVED the place. He stuffed himself with salmon sushi, tuna sushi, California rolls, and another roll that featured salmon and cream cheese.

We had dinner at a fancy restaurant our second evening in Playa del Carmen. We went to a restaurant in a cave, yes a cave! The restaurant is called Alux (pronounced a-loosh) and it was definitely an experience.

You have to walk down stairs to enter the restaurant because it's a cave. Alux is huge and different sections feature different decor. There was a lounge with white leather couches. There was a section with long tables. There were several bar areas. The food was good, not amazing, but the whole experience was worth it.

Our absolute favorite and best meal during our trip was at a local placed called El Fogon. TripAdvisor reviewers gave it amazing reviews and Maki and I were craving some local food, so off we went. Again, the concierge at the Hacienda raised his eyebrows when we told him we wanted to go to El Fogon, but we were delighted at the food.

We had amazing pork tacos, chorizo tacos, nachos and chorizo quesadillas. El Fogon is not in the touristy 5th Avenue area. It's on Constituyentes. The place is open air, but with a roof, no air conditioning, the waiters don't speak a lot of English, and it's hot in there. Locals and adventurous tourists packed the place. Including beer and mango drinks, 5 people ate for $35. If you go to Playa del Carmen, do not miss El Fogon!

Hotel Hacienda Paradise

After 3 nights at the Iberostar, we moved to the Hotel Hacienda Paradise. The Hacienda is a boutique hotel in downtown Playa del Carmen, just one block from 5th Ave. 5th Avenue is the pedestrian street that bustles with restaurants, shops and coffee shops.

The hotel was great. The front desk staff and the concierge were terrific, the small pool was perfect for CJ, the room was very comfortable and clean, and we enjoyed the breakfast of cereal, fruit and eggs. We paid less than $100 per night, including taxes and breakfast. We especially appreciated Christian, the concierge, who helped us with restaurant reservations, sights and directions.

Like other places we visited, occupancy at the Hacienda was very low. The front desk said only 3 or 4 rooms were occupied three weeks ago, at the height of the swine flu scare. There were more rooms occupied during our stay but I suspect the hotel of 33 rooms was only 1/3 occupied.

Playa del Carmen is less than an hour from Cancun Airport. It's a straight shot from the airport on the Maya Riviera Highway (307). The main roads are Constituyentes, Juarez and 5th Avenue. The roads increment by 5, so 5th Ave. is next to 10th Ave. Playa del Carmen has a Walmart and a Mega supermarket so if you need supplies, you can find them close by. Maki's mom had to fill a prescription and she did so easily at Walmart.

We rented a car during our stay. It's a hassle to pick up and return a car, but we loved being able to drive to Tulum and Coba, we visited a couple of other resorts, and we were able to run some errands. It's ridiculously easy to get around. Everything is off 307 - the airport, all the resorts, Playa del Carmen, Tulum, XCaret. There was no parking at the Hacienda but we were always able to find parking close to the hotel, if not right in front.

Helen, Brad and Nate in the Hacienda lobby

Nate and Helen in the breakfast/pool area before a day at the beach

CJ giving Grandma Linda a hug after breakfast

Tulum

A visit to Playa del Carmen is not complete without a visit to Tulum. Wikipedia says that Tulum "is the site of a Pre-Columbian Maya walled city serving as a major port for Cobá. The ruins are located on 12-meter (39 ft) cliffs, along the east coast of the Yucatán Peninsula on the Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. One of the best-preserved coastal Maya sites, Tulum is today a popular site for tourists."

We visited Tulum when we were in Playa del Carmen two years ago, and we enjoyed it just as much this time. Tulum is gorgeous. The ruins are well-preserved, the views from the cliffs are great, and there is a wonderful breeze that comes off the water.

It was pretty hot, so CJ wilted a little bit, and he didn't care much for the tour guide, but he did enjoy running around.

The center of Tulum is a series of temples that were used for ceremonies and yes, human sacrifice. There are windows in the temples that told the Mayans when it was a solstice or equinox because the sun would shine perfectly through the window frames. By marking the solstices, the Mayans knew when to plant their crops.
We had lunch in the tourist area right outside the Zona Arqueologica. Many of the shops were shuttered, just more evidence that few tourists are visiting Mexico. If you go to Tulum, go to the Kebab shop; they have the best food in the area.

Oh yeah, it costs extra to take the little bus to the Zona Arqueologica but I think it was worth it because it was so darn hot.

Tulum is a decent place to get souvenirs. Good souvenirs from Playa del Carmen include wooden and obsidian statues, Mayan masks, ceramic statues and boxes, Mayan calendars, and ceramic bowls painted bright colors. If you go to Playa del Carmen, don't miss Tulum!

This is a view of one of the major temples.
The building on the left has one of the windows
that the Mayans used to determine the solstice.

Maki Brought His Ham Radio and Antenna to Mexico

Last November, Maki got his amateur radio license. He's now licensed to transmit on the amateur bands in some crazy number of countries. Maki spends nights learning morse code and listening for transmissions from around the world. He even has a vanity call sign - K4RQZ, which even CJ has duly memorized. And yes, he has the matching shirt.

Maki brought his radio, the Yaesu FT-817 that I got him last Christmas, to Mexico. He also brought along his BuddiPole antenna. It sounds like a lot of gear, but it wasn't and Maki was excited to be able to try out his fancy equipment outside the US.

Maki did not have a lot of opportunities to actually listen or transmit, but he did spend one afternoon on the beach while CJ and I played in the water. Unfortunately, there was a lot of static (not sure where it came from) so Maki didn't make any contacts. He did meet a meteorologist who saw Maki's giant antenna on the beach and introduced himself. Mr. Metereologist said that he and other meteorologists rely on hams (amateur radio operators) to provide them with information about storm conditions and damage when the power is out.

Nate and Helen's Wedding on the Beach

Nate and Helen's wedding was the reason for our visit to Mexico. Nate worked for me for three years at Matrix Group, he and Helen now live in California, they have become dear friends, and we wanted to be in Mexico for their special day.

Nate and Helen went through the wringer with their wedding planning. Swine flu nearly derailed the wedding, they briefly considered moving the wedding to Florida, and some people decided not to come to Mexico. And it didn't help that the swine flu was named H1N1 (get it, Helen and Nate?). Thank goodness the CDC lifted their recommendation against travel to Mexico the week before the wedding.

The wedding was on the beach and it was perfect. Nate looked relaxed and happy. Helen was stunning. Best of all, the scheduled rain did not come down until well after the wedding and reception on the beach.

CJ was the only child to attend the wedding. He and Maki looked cute in their matching blue shirts. He got a little bored during the ceremony so he and Grandma Linda moved to a nearby umbrella and CJ played in the sand. CJ loves sand. He can spend hours running his fingers through sand, dumping sand into shoes and other containers, burying things in the sand, yada, yada.

The reception was at the Jambalaya restaurant at the Iberostar. The speeches were hilarious and touching. The dancing was super hot -- Nate and Helen's friends all take salsa lessons, yow! CJ hung out with Grandma Linda and Grandpa Tak back in our room. It felt really special to be part of such a beautiful and intimate affair.

The minister waits for the bride and groom to arrive.

CJ and Grandma Linda play in the sand, off to the side, during the ceremony.

Don't the boys look cute in their matching khakis and blue shirts?

Nate waiting for his lovely bride.

Helen walks in with her dad.

Helen and Nate after saying their vows.

After the ceremony, CJ played in the waves.
This is my favorite photo of CJ on the beach.

Helen was a Stanford Dolly. Here, it's Helen's Angels.

Have you ever seen a more beautiful couple?

Staying at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo on the Riviera Maya

For the first half of our trip to Mexico, we stayed at the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo. The wedding was supposed to be at the Iberostar Tucan, but with the number of tourists in Mexico so down, the Iberostar closed the Tucan and moved all the guests to the Lindo. The Lindo is apparently an upgrade from the Tucan and boy was it a nice property!

The Iberostar Paraiso is actually a series of properties, all together in a huge compound. Guests of each property can visit the other properties, including the pools and restaurants. I think the Lindo was the prettiest of all the properties and that makes sense, since lindo means nice, lovely or pretty in Spanish.

The Iberostar is an all-inclusive resort hotel, which means you pay one price and it includes your lodging, meals, alcohol and a bunch of activities. Guests wear a wristband and it's your key to the kingdom. There is a kids' camp from 10-4 (CJ wasn't interested); there's two shows each night in the auditorium; there are a half dozen restaurants so something is always open; there's a series of pools (wading pool, wave pool, lazy river pool, pool with a swim-up bar, deep pool), and there's snorkeling, diving and parasailing.

The food was good, not spectacular, and there was a decent selection of cuisines. The two buffet restaurants had some nice Mexican dishes, the steakhouse at the Maya was pretty good, and the seafood at Jambalaya was really good.

We're new to the all-inclusive resorts, having in only one other property - the Paradisus Playa Conchal in Costa Rica last year. (Why do these properties all have paradise in their names?)

The lobby of the Lindo is a little over the top. It looks like some
Mayan temple with a lot of lapis, marble and gold.

The raised walkway from the lobby to the rooms was a real treat.
There were pools and fountains everywhere, which made me and CJ
very happy. CJ just loved watching the fountains!

There were old-looking columns between the buildings.

Here's a view of the pool from one of the restaurants.

Here's one of the sunning areas by the pool. There were chaise
lounges everywhere, plenty for everyone!

This was the courtyard by our room.

On Monday evenings, there is a night market at the resort.
This guy was painting using spray cans! The paintings were
not in my style but he was very talented and had a lot of buyers!

Check out what this artist is able to do with spray paint
and pieces of paper that he would use to create hard and
wavy lines and wipe away paint!

Mexico, Here We Come!

Despite the dire warnings about swine flu, Maki, CJ, Maki's parents and I traveled to Playa del Carmen last week for a wedding and vacation. Our friends, Nate and Helen, were getting married on the beach. We loved the area two years when we came for another wedding, so we were game to go again!

We flew out of National on Saturday. I love flying out of National because we avoid the haul out to Dulles or BWI and it means that we don't have to get up before dawn and will have a civilized morning. We flew American and got a ridiculous deal on the airfare - $1,100 for 3 people!

Standing in line to get on the plane, the pilot walked by us and CJ said hello. I said something silly like, "Hey CJ, maybe the pilot will let you see the cockpit." At that, the pilot said, "You want to see the cockpit, young man? Follow me." Oh boy. The pilot led us to the front of the line then let us visit the cockpit! The pilot asked if mom had a camera. Does mom have a camera? I always have my camera!!!

The pilot let CJ sit in the pilot's seat, he let him wear a pilot's hat, and the other pilot even asked CJ to turn on the wing lights. CJ eyes were bugging out at all of the switches, lights and controls. Of course, CJ had to entertain the pilot with stories about his trains. And CJ explained that we were going to Mexico for a vacation. So cute!

It was very sweet of the pilot to let CJ visit the cockpit area and I wondered if he enjoyed it as much as CJ did. It must be amazing to see the wonder in a kid's eyes at the work that you do and the things you make happen -- like make a big piece of metal fly through the air!

We got delayed in Miami. Our flight was delayed and I think it was because another flight to Miami had been cancelled and American was trying to consolidate passengers. The same thing would happen to us coming back. The sad part is that our flights were not crowded, despite the cancelled flights. It was just an indication of how few people are visiting Mexico.

Flying to Cancun from the DC area is easy. It's just over two hours to Miami, and just over an hour to Cancun. Cancun is on Central time so there would be no jetlag and time difference to adjust to.

Because we were delayed in Miami for so long (3 1/2 hours), we ducked into the Admirals Lounge. I did my best Tina Fey imitation and showed the receptionist my Platinum card - it worked! They let us in, they gave CJ candy, we were able to get online, and best of all, we got to hang out in the kids' lounge! The kids' lounge was a godsend during the long delay. CJ was able to watch Disney channel and play games on the computer. I was able to read my trashy novel, which meant my vacation was starting and I minded the delay a whole lot less. Somehow, we even found sushi in Miami airport (the little stand was called Sushi Maki, which cracked up CJ).

Here's a photo of CJ showing off his crab sushi. This kid continues to be mad for sushi and is now eating salmon, tuna, yellowtail, egg, crab, and California roll.

We finally got to Cancun around 5pm, met mom and dad, picked up our rental car from Hertz, drove less than an hour to the resort, and checked into the Iberostar Paraiso Lindo.