We’re here in Cancun, enjoying the Caribbean coastal weather with Jeff and Carol. They just got here from Tulum, where they vacationed with relatives for a week. Here they are in the swing at their Tankah Bay seaside rental house.
They met us at the Cancun airport yesterday in their rental car and drove us over to the Royal Cancun Resort. Our suite has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a balcony, which overlooks a pool.
As with most Mexican seaside resort facilities, there are several large pools, swim-up bars, palm-thatched palapas, a beach restaurant, and the like. This place is very nice, and even has a volleyball court in the ocean.
We spent several hours today getting baked out by the pool.
While we were there, we spotted a Sasquatch in the water. He wasn’t much of a swimmer and looked more like a gorilla than a human. He minded his own business, and eventually went back into the forest.
We also met a nice Belgian man, his wife, and their son, who is a dwarf (Little Person?) named Juanito. The little guy, who looked to be maybe 40 years old, is an artist of some type. While Jeff was talking to the father, Girard, the man related that he had been coming to this resort for maybe 20 years, knew all the restaurants in the area, etc. So, Jeff asked him for a recommendation and he said, “La Habichuela” in downtown Cancun. And, accordingly, we had our dinner marching orders.
The restaurant was not in any tourist area. Instead, it was down a rabbit warren of narrow streets in an out-of-the-way spot. Luckily, Jeff had a MapQuest app (or something like it) on his mobile phone, so he steered with one hand and navigated with the other. Eventually, we arrived at the restaurant, which didn’t look like much from the street.
However, once we entered the place, we knew that it was going to be something special.
The menu was nice, as were the contents.
Jeff and Carol had mojitos to go along with their Calimari appetizer and clam chowder. Charlie had a vodka and sprite, and I had a Diet Coke, to help wash down our Soft Shell Crab tacos, which were muy delicioso. Then Carol and Jeff each enjoyed a very sumptuous Surf and Turf dinner, while Charlie had the Lobster Bisque soup, we both shared a Caesar salad (prepared with great fanfare at the table by Elias), and I had a Lobster-stuffed Grouper entree, which was very nice.
Everything was great, and our two servers, Elias and Kike, were excellent, as was our (Craig & Charlie) price: $69 U.S. plus tip. In Southern California it would have been over $100, for sure. (Note: the Mexican peso is currently trading at 17 per U.S. dollar; the last time we were down here it was more like 10 or 11 to the dollar.)
Aside: I thought I’d be nice and do a review of La Habichuela for Trip Advisor, one of my favorite I-Phone apps. Anyway, I wrote up a nice piece, particularly complimenting our waiters, Elias and Kike (spelled that way, but pronounced KeeKee). When I tried to post it, I was refused…because my write-up used a profanity. Guess what the offending word was. “No good deed goes unpunished.”)
Yeah, that’s our rental car parked next to a “No Parking” sign that says violators will be towed. Luckily, it was Sunday night, there was a huge block party going on in the barrio, and the Policia didn’t spot us. (Which particularly helped when Jeff backed into a car trying to extricate us from the tight curbside (illegal) parking spot. Ay, Chihuahua!!
Tomorrow will be a big day. We are going to head out of Cancun late in the morning and head west on Route 180D to Chichen Itza. It’s about 2-1/2 hours straight through, but we may stop in Valladolid, which is a small town 3/4’s of the way there. I’m hoping that we can find a nice place to eat lunch and take a look at the famous Zaci Cenote (cavern pool). Just down the road from there is another one, Cenote Ik Kil, that I’d like to see, as well.
We may actually go into the cool water; it will be something like 98 degrees at ground level (it’s in the rainforest!).
And, then, we will proceed to Chichen Itza, a World Heritage Site, where we will stay at the Mayaland Hotel.
I’m excited for tomorrow.