Happy New Year!

[emily_in_nc]

Very cool, Crankin! We've been drinking some of that wine from Mexican wine country!

We haven't been anywhere on the west coast of Mexico but enjoyed Merida and San Cristobal de las Casas very much as inland locations. Playa del Carmen is very touristy too, but if you stay out of the tourist zone, it's still very much Mexico, with mostly Spanish spoken, and plenty of local restaurants and businesses. Merida might actually be a better "fit" for us as a winter location, but it was easier to get here with a dog, so that is why we are here rather than there. And I'm really glad we got to check it out since we hadn't been here before, and it's been loads of fun.

Your senior trip sounds great!

[lph]

Yes, that's where we are! It's lovely, but I am afraid we are pretty averse to doing the usual "touristy" things (especially my DH, he HATES crowds), so we haven't been to any of the big parks (Xcarat, Xplorer, and others) that people usually visit when here, the cenotes, etc. We've mostly been enjoying riding our cruiser bikes on the bike path, taking tons of walks all over, buying interesting food, restaurants, learning Spanish, and the local track for jogging. The beach is pretty but quite eroded and very narrow compared to what I am used to in eastern NC. Beaches in Tulum south of here are MUCH wider and nicer, so that's been a bit of a disappointment.

Check out our blog as we have found some excellent restaurants you might want to check out while you're here:

http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com.

We've been told that April is VERY hot, and I believe it since it was also very hot in Belize. It will probably feel pretty good to you after a Norway winter. Bring lots of sunscreen!

Checking in to say, thanks for the tip. We just got back from two weeks in Mexico. One week spent at a huge, all-inclusive 5 star resort outside of Playa del Carmen (Occidental Grand Xcaret), which is probably fine as big resorts go, but drove introverted me quietly up the wall. Beautifu grounds, lots of animals, jungle and Mayan ruins on the premises, but also people and staff and music and entertainment everywhere. But the wedding reception was fun. All the Mexican women were in gorgeous long dresses in brilliant colours, perfectly coiffed and made-up, so after the church I swapped the pretty knee-length dress I was wearing with my best long copper-coloured gown and slathered on the make-up. And still felt like a small wood-dove in a group of flamingoes and peacocks and parrots :-D Lots of dancing, and lots of props - fans and toy veils for the women, aprons for the men!, masks and glow-sticks and paper flowers and funny hats.

The next week we went to Tulum and stayed on the beach, in a cabana at an incredibly romantic spot called Playa de Esperanza. No AC, no fan, sapling walls with big gaps, thatched roof, bathroom and shower with no roof, everything very laidback and barefoot, on white sand under palm trees and a literal stone's throw from the Caribbean Sea. A bit hot and sticky at night, but just PERFECT for us. It was sweltering, though, so apart from riding our rental bikes (very slowly) around and snorkeling we didn't get any exercise. Visited cenotes, the local ruins, went to Akumal, took a guided trip into the Sian Ka'an reserve and saw dolphins and manatees and turtles and loads of birds. I stayed in the shade as much as possible and used spf 20-40, and still came home with a tan.

The food was either terrible or really good. Mexico was fun! I'm sure we'll be back, since I now have in-laws there. Or rather - my in-laws have in-laws there :-)