Great Start to 2024!

I am making a commitment to writing more often this year, so watch out world!

That said, I want to start out the new year by saying how grateful I am to all of my friends — new and old — for their presence in my life. You are the truest gifts! I am looking forward to seeing you all more often in the coming months and years. I am even going to *try* to get to Queretáro at some point for at least a long weekend. I miss all of my friends there so much.

2023 gave us many things to be thankful for, including continued good health, great weather and the opportunity to travel. In fact, we have just returned from our first vacation of the year — a quick trip to Playa del Carmen to meet up with some friends from the US.

Caren and Andy were here not that long ago, I believe it was May or June 2023, during which time we toured around the Merida areas as well as had a quick trip to Cozumel. This time, Caren and Andy first spent some time with their family at a resort and we hopped on over for a few extra days at the beach.

Playa is an easy drive from Merida, about 4 hours on the “cuota” or toll road. The construction of the Tren Maya has created a few delays, but they are mostly resolved now. We had a little drama with our rental when we first got there. Some entitled young man decided we weren’t “chill” enough to rent his place because we questioned his charging us more than what was stated on the website. It took all of 5 minutes to find the exact same condo in the same building for $200 less, so it was just a blip in an otherwise relaxing and uneventful stay. I packed groceries and lots of wine for the visit, so we saved a ton on food. When we did go out, we definitely splurged.

The condo was in a building called “Singular Joy.” The condo complex had a rooftop pool and a full-service bar, which was very nice indeed! It was about 1 block off the Caribbean. The beach at that point is virtually nonexistent so we ended up walking a little way to the beach in front of the Hilton, where we parked our towels and bobbed around a bit in the beautiful, warm and crystal clear water.

When the sun became to much, we headed back to the rooftop pool and then finished up the day perusing the many tourist shops and stalls. All of the restaurants we went to were on the main tourist street known as 5th Avenue. The street is one big outdoor mall with lots of shops, boutiques and department stores as well as hotels and and restaurants. You can find just about anything there except a quiet place. It is very common in Mexico for shops and restaurants to play music loudly, but around this area it is excessive. It is difficult to think with all the competing sounds and the people trying to sell you things.

We did do a little bit of shopping, but nothing outrageous. I bought a few T-shirts at H&M and a small gift for my neighbor who was feeding our cats and dog in our absence. Mostly it was strolling and browsing, with occasional eating and drinking.

The first restaurant where we had dinner, Aldea Corazón, was very interesting. The food was typical Mexican cuisine, but the ambiance was unique. The restaurant had its own cenote and a collection of monkeys that roamed free when the restaurant was closed. You could see them in their habitats while you were eating. It was very lush, and I must say the food was quite good. Caren and shared a plate. Some type of pork cooked in local seasonings. Lyn had steak tacos (I think) and Andy had some salmon or fish.

Our second meal out was at Porfirios, a chain of Mexican restaurants. I wanted to go there to hear the Mariachi. Unfortunately, it was so loud with competing music from all around that it was almost impossible to hear. They didn’t play long, either, which was disappointing. The last time we were there it was quite the show. The food, however, didn’t disappoint.

The best experience, however, was dinner at Nicoletta’s, an Italian restaurant a few doors down from Porfirio’s. Again, Caren and I shared a plate, a pasta with lobster dish that was delicious! Lyn had lasagna and Andy had some type of beef. The desserts were very good — I had a mandarin orange sorbet. I don’t remember what Caren and Andy had, but Lyn had the tiramisu, which was shaped like a gold bar. The gold part was a solid chocolate coating that encased the yummy tiramisu center. The presentation was special too, as they rolled it out in a locked safe. It was enormous, but Lyn handled it like a pro! He is a huge tiramisu fan, and not a drop was wasted. I did get a spoonful, but that was all.

Before Playa: The 2023 Wrap-Up

About a week before we headed out to the beach, we had guests in Merida. My friends Mona and Daniel came to stay for a few days while they were visiting from Holland. Daniel is Mexican, so they came to visit family primarily and, of course, to escape the cold, rainy Dutch weather. We had lots of fun. Spent one day in Progreso on the beach and one day in Uxmal.

Lyn and I hosted a small New Year’s Eve party as well, which brought together our usual collection of friends from around the neighborhood. It was a blast! I must say I haven’t stayed up that late in years! I think we finally closed it down around 2 a.m. Early by Mexican standards, but late by my old lady clock!

All-in-all a great start to the new year.

I realize that I have never written about the Puerto Escondido trip in early December, so stay tuned for that. Very interesting!