Jan 1 – 4 2014

Vincent, our trusty manager at La Petite France in Puerto Morelos, drove us to our hotel in Playa Del Carmen on New Year’s Day.  Playa del Carmen, another beach town, was much more touristy that Puerto Morelos and packed with people for the Christmas holidays, but with a friendly vibe.

Our hotel, Hul-ku, a 10 minute walk from the beach, had a friendly staff, a good breakfast and good sized rooms and somewhat over-priced high season rates. No matter. For three nights, despite continued rainy and cold days, it was worth it. We did manage one day at the long sandy beach and walks through the town in between showers. There were several good restaurants, as long as you walked a block or two North of the pedestrian mall and lots of action around the main plaza next to the ferry pier. Large sand sculptures of the nativity scene were built on the beach for the Christmas season and Voladores performed pole dance at 5PM every day. It is always a thrill to watch the Voladore performance. Five men, dressed in traditional costumes, climb to a small square platform on top of a high pole. Four have ropes tied around their waists that curl the top of the pool like a spool of thread. After a few prayers, the four men dive head first off the platform at a signal from their leader, who continues to dance and play a flute and small flute on the rotating platform. It takes 13 revolutions for the men to reach the bottom, righting themselves at the last minute and landing on their feet.