Beach bum

Well folks, today is my last day here in Mexico, and guess how I am celebrating. I am lying on the beach in Playa del Carmen, soaking up as much sun as possible before I don't see it again for months. Hehe. The temperature is perfect (high 70s to low 80s), and the water is clear and cool. The residents of this beautiful establishment (North Americans, Mexicans, Italians, Germans, and even the Dutch) are already out and about, taking advantage of the numerous gelato stands and Starbucks stores (3 on one street!!!). You should all be proud of me; I have not once frequented a Starbucks since I left Michigan on January 3. Nope, not even here. On the contrary, I have woken up early each morning since we arrived to visit Ah Cacao, a coffeeshop where the beans are fused with Mayan cacao beans to produce a robust and chocolately flavor. It is virtually amazing (I guess that's why I have already spent almost $20 there...).

You probably want to know what I have been up to since returning from the tumultuous waters of Chuburna. I will get there, but first I have a few inquiries to respond to. These ones come from my lovely godparents, who posed the following questions:

What is the heritage of most of the people in the Yucatan peninsula? Mayan? Mayan/Spanish?
Most yucatecos are mestizos, which means that they are a mix of Spanish and indigenous descent. The rest are of Mayan descent. I have been incredibly surprised by the amount of Mayan people that still reside in Yucatan, as I assumed that most had been exterminated by the arrival of the Spanish and the surge of modernity.

It seem the socio-economic level is much higher than Honduras - what is the main source of income? Tourism and agriculture.

What did your "Father" do for a living? Do the women work outside of the home? My papa in Merida worked at a public university where he led the chemical engineering department, and my mama worked at home. Most women who are older than 30 work in the home, and the rest have been Americanized. Hehe.

What does the main diet consist of - besides chicken. hehe. What fruits and vegetables are native to the area - are they like our tropical foods. Lots of meat. Lots of condiments. Few vegetables. Lots of Coke. As the saying goes in Mexico, a meal isn't a meal without a bottle of Coca-Cola. Even worse, many poor families would rather have a bottle of Coke on the table than clothes on their backs.

Ok, this is getting long. I will answer the other questions on a more personal basis.

Monday: We said our final goodbyes and took our trusty tour bus to Playa del Carmen. It was raining when we arrived, so we skipped the beach and decided to explore the main strip, which reminds me of Myrtle Beach: every few blocks the stores and restaurants repeat (hence more than one Starbucks). We went out for dinner and drinks on the beach on Monday night and called it a night soon afterwards

Tuesday: We visited the largest and most visited "park" in Mexico, Xcaret. Let me be as forward as possible: Xcaret is a green Disneyworld. It is as large and thematic as Mickey Mouse's hometown, but instead of roller coasters you find multiple zoos/aquariums/exhibits, shows of every kind (we saw a real live performance of the Mayan juego de pelota (ballgame); no sacrifices though...), a replicate Mayan village, 10 buffet-style restaurants, underground rivers (for snorkeling), and beautiful beaches in every direction. I was in heaven (because my interpretation of heaven includes manatees, wild mushrooms, Mexican dancers, and pina coladas...hehe). Although I could say a whole lot more, I will stop there and conclude with my plans for today: nada. Hehe.

Es el tiempo para relajarme!!!

Thanks for your interest! I will write one more post upon returning to the United States.

Tyler