Thinking of New Orleans

Tonight our hearts are in New Orleans.

We have loved New Orleans for many years. It is a special place for us. There is a magical devil-may-care spirit in that city, and we love to drink it in. Whether it is Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, Halloween or just a spring weekend in the Quarter, whenever we go to New Orleans life gets crazier, stranger, freer and better.

We have partied with porn stars, danced with vampires and watched ghosts wander home in the pre-dawn darkness. We have been in the crowd to hear the greats of modern music play on the stages of Jazz Fest, and we have walked alone on a cobblestone street following the sounds of a solitary saxophone. We have dined with the social elite at one of the oldest restaurants in America and with transvestites at a greasy hamburger counter down the street. For us, New Orleans is soulful… in every meaning of the word.

We arrived in Playa Del Carmen three years ago as Hurricane Katrina tore our beloved New Orleans apart. And we watched in horror as the City That Care Forgot was herself forgotten by America. We were filled with anger and disgust as the politically powerful, Republican and Democrat, ignored the danger, abandoned the helpless and ran for political cover even as the victims of the storm ran for shelter. The shame should haunt all of us forever.

A short story by the wonderful James Lee Burke tells of a man who is drowning in Katrina’s flood waters. As the waters take him away to his death he notices a wooden statue of Jesus is being swept along with him. He talks to the statue in his final moments and remembers the beauty of the place now dying along with him:

“That’s the way it was back then. You woke up in the morning to the smell of gardenias, the electric smell of the street cars, chicory coffee, and the stone that has turned green with lichen. The light was always filtered through the trees, so it was never harsh, and the flowers bloomed year-round. New Orleans was a poem, man, a song in your heart that never died.

I got only one regret. Nobody ever bothered to explain why nobody came for us.”

~Jesus Out to Sea by James Lee Burke

We didn’t make it back to New Orleans for over a year. But as we started our new life in Playa del Carmen we never forgot the city we loved so much. When we could finally return for a visit in 2007, we found a city destroyed and a people in pain. Places that had existed for generations were shuttered. The empty wreckage of homes were tattooed in paint with the strange code that told other relief workers it had been searched and how many dead could be found inside. People we had known and seen for years were gone–disappeared or dead we would never know. And among those left was a sorrow that could not be described. Friends and strangers would tearfully tell us their stories. Waiters and cab drivers would stop working to begin to cry with us, for their families, and for themselves.

Slowly and painfully New Orleans struggled to breathe. And the people stayed. They didn’t give up on themselves. They survived by their own strength and by the love and gifts of good people around the country. By the time we went to Jazz Fest this year, we saw the spirit of the place we loved starting to swell again. It was a joy to behold.

Sadly, tonight New Orleans again faces destruction. As we write this Hurricane Gustav is poised to strike the Gulf Coast just as Katrina did three years ago. Predictions are that it will arrive as a category four hurricane with its deadliest power centered on the levees of New Orleans which are built to only withstand a category three storm. Massive flooding and damage is expected.

Once the storm passes New Orleans will begin again. Of that there is no doubt. But they will need help. We hope that people will answer the call for help without waiting for the politicians and corporations who never came last time. There are many fine charities and organizations already in place. We will post some of them in the days ahead. We will ask the people who know us, or simply know of us through this blog, to try and help. Please help. Do what you can.

And tonight please join us, if only in your hearts, in New Orleans.

Obama/Biden in 2008

Why We Never Have Time to Go to the Beach

Friday, Aug 29, a relatively average day:

Get up early and do our morning tasks. At 9:00 am the two of us walk over to Nativo & get some fruit drinks para llevar and head to Scotiabank to pick up a new e-llave, the little security token we need to do our internet banking. Since all of the monthly tax payments have to be done via the internet, this little thingy is required for us to do anything with our bank account. The one we have stopped working, so we need a new one. No big deal, we think.

We wait in line 30 minutes for one of the account executives. He tells us lo siento, but they have no e-llaves. Of course not. Why did we think this would be easy? At our request, he calls over to the Centro Maya branch, a 20 minute drive across town, to confirm they do indeed have them. No problem.

Tony goes to the hotel to work & Cheri drives across town to the bank. She waits 40 minutes for an account executive. After ten minutes, he decides his computer isn’t working properly, so she’s handed off to another guy who enters some data into his computer and then tells Cheri to go stand in the teller line to pick up the token. After twenty minutes in line, the teller asks for Cheri’s passport, which of course she hadn’t thought to bring.

Back across town. Stop at the hotel and write some checks (might as well do the other banking at the same time). Pick up passport at home. Drive back to the bank.

Stand in line another 30 minutes. The teller tells Cheri to go stand in line for the account executives if she wants an e-llave. Trying hard not to explode, Cheri explains that she has already talked to him and he told her to pick it up from the teller and no, he didn’t give her any paper with numbers on it. After Cheri refuses to back down, the teller hands her off to the manager. After the manager looks at his computer for awhile, then has a pow wow with two other people and then calls over the original account executive, the manager asks, “Quien es Anthony Head?” She replies, “mi esposo.” Oh, lo siento, but the e-llave is issued to him, I’m very sorry but we can’t just give it to YOU. Bank policy, you understand. After ten minutes of begging, pleading, frustration and explanation gets her nowhere, Cheri asks the manager if he’s SURE he’ll be there in 45 minutes when she returns with Tony. Yes of course, no problema. Then she asks if he can at least cash her two checks. No, sorry, you have to wait for one of the tellers for that. ARGHH!!!

Twenty five minutes later, she gets back in the Big Bastard & calls Tony and tells him to find his passport, because only HE can be issued this stupid little piece of plastic. THEY COULDN’T HAVE MENTIONED THIS ON EITHER OF THE LAST TWO TRIPS HERE???!?!? Tension level: very high. He goes home, finds his passport. Cheri picks him up so that she can return for the FOURTH trip to the bank today. We’re not happy.

On our way into the bank we see the bank manager leaving, of course. When it’s clear we’re about to accost him the parking lot, he tells us no problema, go see Ana at window 3 and she’ll help you. We go in and walk up to window 3, infuriating all the people standing in line waiting (do they KNOW this is our 4th trip to the bank today?!?!). Ana motions us over to another window where she spends the next 45 MINUTES looking at her computer, punching in numbers, looking frustrated, and getting nowhere. Finally we ask what the problem is. She says that her computer system is not working, but we can wait if we want to. By now it’s 3:30 on Friday afternoon, the last banking day of the month. We’re both ready to scream. She senses the frustration and says that she’ll keep trying to make it work and as soon as it’s ready, she’ll call us and all we’ll have to do is come back and pick it up. Yeah. We’ve heard that one before. Give ‘em some hope so they’ll go home & leave us alone.

We leave. She never calls. The bank closes at 5:00.

Total trips to the bank? Four

Total time spent on this task? Six and a half hours

Mission accomplished? Not even close

Welcome to our world. Now you know why tequila is so popular in Mexico.

A Little Hurricane Humor

As hurricanes become part of our daily focus, we thought we’d share some humor from theonion.com that was posted by our favorite meteorologist, Dr. Jeff Masters, on wunderground.com (click on the title below).

Hurricane Bound For Texas Slowed By Large Land Mass To The South

It’s so true. We once saw a Weather Channel broadcaster exclaim, “Thank goodness the storm hit Mexico!” And of course there’s always our favorite, Fox News, which, after Hurricane Dean missed us last year by a couple of hundred miles, dramatically declared, “Playa del Carmen is destroyed!”

Enjoy.

What a Long, Strange Trip it Has Been

Three years ago today we pulled up in front of the Hotel Zanzibar in the Big Bastard, our dream of living in paradise waiting to unfold. We brought with us three cats, an English bulldog and a van full of things we thought we couldn’t live without. (To read our trip report of that journey, click here.) Now here we are three years later. The Zanzibar is now the Luna Blue; two of our old cats have passed on; and many of the things we thought we couldn’t live without have never been unpacked. And life here south of the border continues to be a series of surprises and amazements.

We came to Mexico with certain expectations. Some of those expectations ended up dashed on the rocks of reality, but some of them were fulfilled beyond our wildest dreams. On the plus side, the little backpacker hotel that we took over that day became a huge success. When we bought the Hotel Zanzibar, it was barely making a profit. When we left for Mexico, Cheri admonished us both that we would have to be very careful with our spending and pointed out that we wouldn’t be able to afford even such luxuries as paper towels. This year the Luna Blue Hotel & Garden closed out high season occupancy at 99%. We still laugh about the paper towels.

During our trip to sign the papers for the hotel in February of 2005, we bought a small place in Paamul. We envisioned mornings swimming and kayaking in the Caribbean and then wandering into the hotel mid-day. As it happened, we never spent a single night there and ended up selling the place almost three years later. Turns out we were far busier than we ever imagined, and even the short commute to Paamul was way too long to make sense to us. Not to mention the cleanup required there after Hurricane Emily and later Hurricane Wilma. Luckily, it was the only really big mistake we made along the way.

Life in Playa was quite different in early 2005 than it is today. On our trip to sign the papers in February of that year, one of the questions we struggled with was: where would we find good fruits and vegetables? And what about pet food? At the time there were only a couple of supermarkets in town and their selections were very limited. So our plan at the time was to drive to Costco in Cancun every week with a cooler and stock up. When Walmart came to town, life changed drastically. It’s funny, we never set foot in a Walmart in the States; down here we can’t live without it. On its heels came Mega. Soon afterwards we were spending far less time traveling from store to store to find the most basic needs. Life sure became easier at that point.

Another change in our lives over these past three years has been our self-sufficiency in matters of basic housing. Back in the US, if we had the smallest leak under the sink, we called a plumber. We could change our own light bulbs, but any problem bigger than that required an expert. All we knew was the certainty than when you turned the tap, water came out and when you flipped the switch, lights came on. It was magic to us. In Mexico, we found out that things weren’t so certain, and that the magic didn’t always work.

Since moving to Mexico, we’ve had to become our own magicians. We’ve installed our own ceiling fans and air conditioners, learned the intricacies of wiring and plumbing and understand where water comes from and where to get it when it doesn’t. We’ve hauled a water tank to the top of our hotel with ropes and pulleys and soldered broken pipes in the middle of pouring rain. We’ve even had the “joy” of shoveling out the sewage trap both at home and in the hotel. We sure never did that in the States!

The bureaucracy of Mexico’s government was something else we had heard about but weren’t quite prepared for three years ago. You can read about the corruption, but you can’t really appreciate it until you have to live with it every day. Whether or not to pay bribes, called mordidas (literally “little bite”), is a problem everyone faces down here–Mexican and expat alike. The system built on offering little “gifts” runs against everything Americans are used to, i.e., direct access to a somewhat efficient and honest government. The prevalence of bribery here has frustrated us and sometimes scared us, but other times it has been a welcome opportunity to get things accomplished in a relatively quick and easy fashion. Good or bad, it’s something that is now just part of life in paradise.

In the past three years we’ve had plenty of ups and downs. During that time, we survived the largest hurricane in history, months of hurricane relief in Mahahual, an architect who stole lots of money from us, the loss of three pets, several large construction projects, and the extra tortilla weight each of us found along the way. And sadly, we’ve been disappointed by some people we thought to be our friends.

But on the plus side, overwhelmingly the people we have met on our journey have been good to us and in many cases as anxious to see us succeed as we were ourselves. We’ve made several very good friendships, learned a lot about living in another culture, adopted three new pets from the streets, found that we were tougher than we ever imagined, and managed not to strangle each other even when the stress was more than we thought we could bear. And life here is never boring, as no two days are ever alike.

We don’t get to the beach nearly as much as we thought we would, our Spanish still leaves a lot to be desired, and we still struggle with the mañana attitude sometimes. But the past three years have been an adventure we wouldn’t have traded for anything the world. To those of you who have encouraged us along the way and have seen us through some of the low points, thanks from the bottom of our hearts. We’re looking forward to more adventures and maybe…just maybe…we’ll finally find some time to really enjoy this magical place we call home.

Tony & Cheri

P.S. Happy birthday, Don. You’re the best brother (& brother in law) one could ever wish for.

P.P.S. VOTE OBAMA IN 2008!!!

An August Day at Akumal Bay

August means a couple of things to us down here in Caribbean Mexico. First of all, it is hot, hot, HOT. Even in the evening it stays pretty oppressive. Usually we have a few thunderstorms to cool things off at least temporarily, however the skies have been clear for weeks. The good news has been we’ve seen no tropical storms or hurricanes yet, although we are keeping our eyes open for the weeks ahead.

The other seasonal guarantee is that August and September are part of low season for us at the Luna Blue. That means we can actually take some time and enjoy our beautiful coastline. Today was one of those “time off” days. We used it to get in a little water time by snorkeling in Akumal Bay.

Akumal is on the coast about a 20 minute drive south of Playa Del Carmen. Akumal sits at the entrance of Akumal Bay, Half Moon Bay and Yal-ku Lagoon. The word “Akumal” means “The Place of the Turtle” in Maya, and Akumal Bay is known as a sea turtle nesting and feeding area. It has an interesting “floor” that combines sandy flat spots bordering large stretches of seas grass with active coral growth areas. As a result the sea life which can be seen there can be pretty amazing.

As usual we picked a spot on the beach in front of the Lol-Ha restaurant, set down our towels and sandals, and waded into the water. A boat lane marked by buoys divides the bay. We usually swim out to the right of the boat lane which takes us over some areas of sea grass, a favorite food of the sea turtle. As we snorkeled that direction we quickly ran into a large sea turtle slowly traveling along the sea floor, munching sea grass. He was three to four feet long and didn’t seem to mind our company as we floated above him. Occasionally he would rise up the 15 or 20 feet to the water’s surface to gulp some air before returning to his lunch. Sadly we had not brought our camera. The photos in this blog entry are from Wikipedia. Click on the photos to be taken to the Wikipedia page for more information on the amazing creatures pictured.

At one point a couple of tourists swam up to join the party. Unfortunately they began to chase the turtle, diving down to grab its shell. This bothered us, since we know the sea turtle is an endangered species. When they surfaced we yelled over to them, “Hey, don’t touch the turtle!” They looked quizzically at us. Then Cheri said, “No tocar!” They understood that, and swam off to do damage elsewhere.

We moved along and quickly ran into an even larger turtle that had two large feeder fish clinging to his shell. These fish feed by cleaning the shell of the turtle. Again we hung around for a while watching the big guy having lunch.

We then headed for the other side of the bay to the coral area. As we swam we came upon the largest school of fish we had ever seen: It looked to be 15,000 to 20,000 identical fish packed together creating a virtual wall. The school stretched like a gigantic green snake, circling around and over itself as it disappeared into the distance.

Suddenly we saw what was causing the fish to pack together to appear like one large creature. We found ourselves floating only a few feet from a five plus foot long barracuda. We know from experience that it is rare that a barracuda will attack a swimmer. They prefer smaller fish that can be easily swallowed. Still, the jutting jaw, the hooded eyes, the sharp dagger-like teeth sticking out of the mouth, and the size of the thing made us catch our breath. We watched for awhile, the school parting around its enemy, as the predator floated and waited patiently for one to swim out of the protection of the group. We never saw it happen.

We crossed over into a flat sandy area and were rewarded with the sight of a number of rays. We saw several smaller eagle rays swimming gracefully a few inches above the sea floor, the motion of their beautiful “wings” occasionally causing a puff of sand to rise up beneath them. Then as we began to head back to shore we spotted something we hadn’t seen before, a spotted eagle ray also commonly know as a leopard ray. It was good sized, with a wing span of three feet or more and with a tail about eight feet long! We finished off by swimming among several parrotfish feeding on the coral.

Later, when we were back on shore we rewarded our hard work with milkshakes and onion rings while sitting on the deck at Lol-Ha. We gazed out on the bay and marveled at a sight that never grows old. The water of the Caribbean Sea was wonderfully calm and a gorgeous blue green in color. This, we reminded ourselves was one of the reasons we lived down here.

Delectable Spanish Tapas…in Playa del Carmen!

Tonight, just ten steps from our own Luna Blue Hotel, we ate one of the best meals we’ve ever had in Playa del Carmen. Miguel, the owner of Las Cazuelas, the tiny restaurant right across the street from the hotel, was trained in Spain and France and is an absolute whiz in the kitchen. We have eaten at Las Cazuelas a couple of times, and each time it was very good. They have a breakfast menu (which we have yet to try) and a comida corrida for lunch (a full meal with appetizer, entree, desert and drink for a fixed price). But in the evenings, his menu includes an amazing array of paellas & Spanish tapas.

We have been talking about offering some of Miguel’s tapas on our bar menu for quite some time, and tonight we finally had a chance to try them out. WOW!! All we had to do was tell Miguel we wanted to try some of the tapas, and he told us to sit down and he would take care of the rest. He brought us two large glasses of jamaica (a tasty drink made from the hibiscus flower and very popular here in Mexico), some bread, and some chips with one of his famous salsas. Just a short while later he came out with two huge platters of nine different tastes of some of his favorite tapas, all of them wonderfully rich and flavorful. Where do we start??!?!?

Here are the dishes he brought us, with their Spanish & English names from his menu:

Chorizo Espanol (Spanish Sausage) – Two different and very unusual chorizos. Served cold, they had a very strong flavor. Cheri didn’t care for this one, but Tony loved it.

Albondigas (Meat Balls) – Tiny little meat balls in a sauce unlike anything we’ve ever tasted. With tiny little potatoes.

Berenjenas al Horno (Baked Eggplant) – Neither of us are eggplant fans, but this was delicious. Very thinly sliced pieces of eggplant, grilled and topped with very thinly sliced & proscuitto with a little bit of cheese to top it off. Yummy.

Tortilla Española (Spanish Tortilla) – More like a potato omelette or fritatta, it seemed to have potatoes, onions & egg. It was really good.

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Gambas Al Ajo (Garlic Shrimp) – This was our favorite dish. Spicy with prawns, garlic and some kind of chilli flavor. When the shrimps were gone we used everything else available to soak up the sauce. Really, really, really tasty.

Ensalada Rusa (Russian Salad) – This was our second favorite. A Spanish style potato salad with a spicy mayonnaise base, it had lots of subtle and interesting flavors.

Pescaditas (Small Fishes) – Little pieces of lightly breaded fish with a mild and pleasant taste.

Pollo Al Ajillo (Garlic Chicken) – Little chunks of chicken with very thinly sliced pieces of melt-in-your-mouth toasted garlic.

And he also brought us something not on the menu, a small dish with tiny pastas, shrimp and calamari. As if we weren’t full enough!

The other items on the “Paellas y Tapas” menu that we didn’t have tonight are Jamón Serrano (Ham from the Mountains), Queso Manchego (Manchego Cheese), Huevos Mimosa (Mimosa Eggs), Pescado Al Gusto (To Taste Fish), Carne Estofada (Stew Meet – Beef), Pan Tumaca, Patatas Al Ajo (Potatoes with Garlic), Patatas Bravas (Typical Bravas Potatoes), Paella Mixta (Mixed Paella), Paella Vegetariana (Vegetarian Paella), Paella de Mariscos (Seafood Paella), Ensalada Nordica (Nordic Salad), Ensalada Española (Spanish Salad), Ensalada Mediterranea (Mediterranean Salad) and Ensalada Las Cazuelas (“Las Cazuelas” Salad).

The tapas all range in price from $35 to $90 pesos per plate, with most in the $35 to $50 range. The paellas, which are quite large, are in the $130 to $180 peso range. (We have had Miguel’s paellas a couple of times in the past and they are quite good.) The salads, which are also large, are in the $35 to $60 peso range. Everything is very reasonably priced, in our opinion.

As we gushed over the delicious meal, Miguel was quite proud to tell us that the items on the menu are just the standards. Every Friday & Saturday he whips up two or three different ones…whatever strikes his fancy. We can’t wait to eat at Las Cazuelas again. Not only is the food delicious, but Miguel is delightful. This just may be our new favorite restaurant.

And remember, within the next couple of weeks, if you’re in the neighborhood & stop by the Luna Blue Bar for a drink, you’ll be able to try out many of these delicacies…delivered right to your swing.

Las Cazuelas is open Monday through Saturday and located on Calle 26 Norte, between 5th Avenue & 10th Avenue, in Playa del Carmen, just across the street from the world-renowned Luna Blue Hotel & Bar.

Bomberos Catamaya Sunset Cruise 2008

This event has been cancelled. Thank you to all the people who donated money. You credit cards will not be charged. And thank you very much to Catamaya Cruises for their very generous offer. We still highly recommend Catamaya as one of the finest tours in the area. Thanks also to Sarah Bursey of Graphicos Design for designing the t-shirt.

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On August 22, Mexico will celebrate Dia de los Bomberos, or Firemen’s Day. Here in Playa there is extra reason to celebrate as our local Bomberos will soon be opening three new fire stations here in town. There will be a large gathering at the main firehouse with an all day open house and festivities, including the presention of the firefighter team and individual awards given by the State of Quintana Roo, and won (of course) by our own Bomberos de la Riviera Maya. If you have a chance, stop by the fire station that day to meet and say thanks to some of the people who keep all of us is Playa Del Carmen–locals and visitors alike–safe.

One of the things that make our Bomberos very special is that they exist on contributions from a grateful public. Locals and visitors both benefit from the hard and often dangerous work of the Bomberos and have generously contributed donations allowing the Bomberos to buy the expensive equipment needed to protect the community. Those needs are ongoing, and on behalf of the Bomberos, we are asking for your help in protecting the little slice of paradise we all love, Playa Del Carmen.

So…..Catamaya Cruises and the Luna Blue Hotel & Bar are proud to announce:

The Bomberos Catamaya Sunset Cruise 2008 On Sunday August 24th Catamaya Cruises will offer a special Sunset Cruise with 100% of all ticket sales going to the Bomberos. All costs of the trip are being paid for by the generous folks at Catamaya!! Luna Blue will be coordinating the event & donating commemorative t-shirts.

The cruise starts at 3:30 pm and continues until 7:30 pm. We will sail the beautiful Caribbean Sea, snorkel, swim and grill hamburgers on the open deck (with appropriate side dishes and munchies) as we watch the sunset. There will also be an open bar. And you will get a chance to talk with some of the firefighters themselves who will also be along to share their stories, including Bomberos President Brian Borjesson.

Cost is $80.00 USD per person including transportation to and from Playa Del Carmen (the Catamaya leaves from Puerto Aventuras). Tickets must be purchased in advance. Simply go to the Luna Blue website reservation page and authorize your credit card payment. In the “notes” space just type “Bomberos Cruise.”  You will receive confirmation of your ticket purchase via e-mail within a few days.  Or, if you live in Playa or are visiting, stop by the Luna Blue Hotel any day between 7:30 am and 10:00 pm and pay in person.

Last year, donations helped purchase two sets of the “Jaws of Life” which are used to extract victims from badly mangled vehicle wrecks. In the past 12 months, the Bomberos saved the lives of more than 20 people using the Jaws of Life by enabling them to free the victims from the wreckage of their cars. Our friends Mayte and Alex are among those who were saved with this vital equipment. Donations from the Bomberos Catamaya Sunset Cruise 2008 will help purchase a badly needed additional set of the Jaws of Life so even more lives can be saved.

This is a not-to-be-missed event…a great time sailing on the sea and a chance to help some real heroes do their job. And if you can’t be here, you can still be a “Bomberos Buddy” by making a donation. Every person who donates $25.00 US or more (or buys a ticket for the cruise) will receive a one of a kind “Bomberos Sunset Cruise 2008/Bomberos Buddy” t-shirt . These donations will also be used to purchase tickets for deserving people who might not otherwise get a chance to join us…other local heroes who do tremendous work in helping make Playa del Carmen the special place that it is. And the t-shirts (which we’re hoping to have designed by the lovely SarahB) will promise to be collector’s items!

Don’t wait. Space is limited to 80 passengers… Send your ticket order or contribution today so you too can proudly say, “I’m a Bomberos Buddy!”

For more info on our Bomberos here is an article which appears in the August 2008 Playa Del Carmen Tourist Information Magazine written by Editor Scott Novak and re-printed here with permission: Dia de bomberos, as it is known here, is recognized throughout the world with the exception of the U.S. and Canada. It is particularly big in Latin America, where the populace is very aware that the fire protection they count on is largely a volunteer effort.Playa del Carmen, in the heart of the Riviera Maya, is fortunate to have a well equipped, professional fire department. Its history is short because Playa was just a small village not that long ago. A volunteer “bucket brigade” was formed in 1995 after a visiting tourist lost his R.V. to an electrical fire. By 1998 there was a full-time force of eight men, without a lot of equipment, but with a firehouse. The year 2000 saw the arrival of Playa’s first fire truck, a 1964 Seagraves donated by sister city Glendale, Colorado. That’s the white fire truck we now see on the roof of the fire station as a remembrance. That truck, and the men who operated it, saved many lives. That’s why it sits there. Now, in 2008 Playa’s Fire Dept is recognized as the best, most well organized, and effective team in the state. Fire fighters from Cancun, Cozumel, Chetumal, and indeed all over the country come to Playa every year for training at the annual Academy in April. The force, comprising about 50, now has around 20 vehicles including 13 trucks, pumpers, tankers, 3 ambulances, and a 75 foot ladder truck. They’ve also just acquired an all-weather rescue boat. The department currently responds to about 700 calls per year, and not just for fires. The entire force is trained in urban rescue techniques, first aid, and CPR. Their 3 victim ambulances are equipped with the “Jaws of Life” so they can extricate accident victims much faster than the private ambulances. Dangerous wild animals, poisonous snakes, hornets nests; the call goes to the fire dept. They maintain extensive coordination with Civil Protection and other emergency service workers, particularly during hurricane season. The dedicated firemen who make up the force do it to help their community, not for money, of which they don’t receive much. Rather their own fundraising efforts bring in resrouces for much needed equipment. You can help out by buying a tee shirt at www.bomberosrivieramaya.com.

Xpu-Ha Beach…a Gem Close to Playa

There are many great stretches of beach in the Riviera Maya. North Beach in Playa Del Carmen with Mamita’s and Kool Beach Clubs is our favorite “every day” beach. It’s beautiful and close to our house, and even closer to the hotel, so a quick walk down for a swim is pretty easy. We also love Tulum’s beaches. They are about an hour from the house, so when we get a day off, it’s one of our regular destinations.

However, lately we have been spending more and more time at a not-so-well-known beach about 20 minutes down the road called Xpu-Ha. Xpu-Ha was a popular beach for awhile. It was wild, undeveloped, and had a cute little restaurant, the Café del Mar. Unfortunately awhile back the Café del Mar closed, and beach access became a little more restricted. However, there still are public roads to Xpu-Ha, still some wild undeveloped stretches of beach, and three beach clubs of varying style and cost.

Our favorite of these is La Playa Beach Club. The entrance is on the ocean side of 307, just south of the Catalonia resort. There’s a big sign saying “La Playa” at the entrance of a dubious looking dirt road. On weekends, there’s a rope across the road. Nearby is a house from which someone will come to lower the rope and let you in for the cost of $25 pesos per person. As the old joke goes: they don’t own the beach; they don’t own the road, but they own the rope. This money is refunded to you when you leave if you spend $100 pesos or more (approximately $8) while at the beach club. To collect your refund, just bring your receipt and wristbands back to the “gatekeeper” when you leave.

Once inside the entrance, you’ll find about a half mile of curvy, pothole-filled dirt road. Drive slowly as you go over the bumps. The road will end at the beach. Pull your car into the sand parking lot and take in the sweeping view. Walk through the restaurant out onto the deck of the beach club and down onto one of the most gorgeous tropical beaches you will find.

La Playa is a typical beach club. They have lounge chairs and palapa umbrellas, the use of which is free with your $25 peso admission price. The several hammocks hanging on the beach are also available for free use. If you like fancier beach lounging, there are sun beds and very cool rocking loungers available for an additional fee. The restaurant food is…okay and typical of beach fare. The burgers ain’t bad. Cheri says the pina coladas are big and yummy. You can eat and drink on the restaurant deck overlooking the ocean or on your chair on the sand. We’ve always found the service to be friendly and reasonably fast (by Mexico standards). Here you can also do a bit of shopping, with a large shady shack selling local handicrafts.

There are lots of activities—sailing, snorkeling, jet skiing, windsurfing, kayaking, etc. if that is your interest. For your scuba & snorkeling needs, check out Bahia Divers, just 20 yards from La Playa Beach Club. We tend to lie in the sand and float in the water.

If you stroll along the beach south of La Playa, you’ll hit a very funky little beach area called Bonanza RV Park. There is space for camping, some undeveloped beach, a few lean-tos with some locals selling handicrafts, and a funky but very friendly feel. If you want to lay on the sand undisturbed, this is the place, but bring your own towel and shade. There are no chairs or umbrellas.

Walking even further south, what you’ll find is a long stretch of undeveloped Caribbean beach. And that’s not bad.

Here’s a video of utter bliss: no music, no noise, no people. Just the sounds of the waves and the wind.

If you head north on the beach from La Playa, again you’ll find an area pretty much undeveloped. As you stroll, keep an eye open for a small wooden shack with brightly colored hammocks and string chairs hanging about. This is the store of Juan and Juan, father and son, who make and sell beautiful hammocks. We have a number of them in the hotel.

Continuing your stroll, you’ll eventually hit the Hacienda Vista Real (HVR) Beach Club. It’s normally for the exclusive use of that all-inclusive resort, but in low season, they tend to welcome walk-up guests and rent chairs for a nominal fee. It’s a small beach club with an even smaller restaurant. When we were there, the quiet is what attracted us. No pounding music, no DJs. Just the sound of the surf. Ah….heaven.

This summer, life has not been exactly low key for us. Opening a bar, dealing with some employee matters, and enlarging the house—with all the construction noise, dirt and hassles that go along with it—have made paradise a little less tranquil than usual. Getting down to Xpu-Ha on occasion has allowed us to remember some of the reasons we moved to Mexico in the first place. It forces us to slow down and get in touch with nature, each other and ourselves. Every time we float in that beautiful water, we always make a vow that we are going to do this more often.

Here are some more pictures of a day at Xpu-Ha beach:

A perfect Caribbean beach

Two Buddhas

La Playa Beach Club as seen from the ocean

A view from the La Playa restaurant

Cheri the Mermaid

The Caribbean as seen from a beach chair

Not-so-old Man and the Sea

Fishing boat

Cheri strolling on the beach

La Playa Beach Club on Xpu-Ha Beach

Cloud Mountain

A well deserved rest