Day 4 - February 4th

Time is flying by! I didn't want to get up this morning, but I had an appointment (up at 7:30 a.m. again).

Reef Playacar
I went to meet Marja for a Site visit of The Reef Playacar. She accidentally thought it was for tomorrow. Sure glad it was her mistake and not mine. I said I would come back, but she still met with me.

It's a very nice, authentic Mexican style resort (owned by Mexican families from Merida who are in the construction business). It's in Playacar, which is so convenient to Playa Del Carmen. As you know, because I walked there.

Their beach is very nice again and we had breakfast together at the buffet, which was also very nice. I really like this property. It's not all fancy, but they still offer canopy beds by the pool and beach and the Spa is very nice too.

Marja also takes great care of my clients. Right, Ken?

When I was leaving, Marja gave me a little gift and a bottle of water for my walk back. She's very sweet. She's from Belgium just like Annemarie.

5th Avenue
I walked around 5th Avenue again. I saw a dress that I liked the Mayan store, but it was too much money. If it goes on sale before I leave, than maybe I will get it.

I also found a hand painted horse for Sydney's birthday. It was only $400. I could not believe it. That was NOT pesos.

MEGA Store
I wanted to check out the other grocery store in the area called Mega. I wouldn't waste my time again. Wal-Mart and Chedraui are the best. It's only a couple blocks past the Wal-Mart.

I asked if they had Leche Light (which is Light Milk) and the Manager told me that it was "for old people"....."68 and older!" LOL At least he didn't say 40 or I would have had to slug him! He then showed me unrefrigerated milk in a box. No wonder I couldn't find it anywhere. I originally bought whole organic refrigerated milk.

I also spotted cartons of eggs in a center aisle and they were not refrigerated either. That's scary!

Pan Playa Del Carmen
So, I didn't like the pastry choices at MEGA and I couldn't take my bags into Wal-Mart, so I stopped at he bakery and got a piece of Flan for lunch.

I brought it back to the condo and ate it while I cooled off and worked.

Relaxation
I thought that my feet were going to fall off, so I went to the rooftop again to read my book, but I didn't really read. I enjoyed the sun, except everytime the clouds covered it, I would freeze. I got a little more color though.

Dinner
My plan was to eat in, but I decided to have my ham/cheese for lunch again tomorrow instead because they didn't have any Guacamole, which I wanted. I got a dessert (similar to a small pineaple upsidedown cake) at Chedraui and ate it while I worked before I went to dinner. Then, the Internet went down again (and I was having a good day with it) so, I left.

New Tenants
When I was leaving for dinner, 2 young guys were coming in. Perhaps they arrived today because I haven't seen them before. Guess I can't go topless anymore on the rooftop. LOL I do go up there in my P.J. bottoms and bikini top though. Yikes!

El Faisan y El Venado Hotel & Restaurant
The restaurant that I ate at was on Highway 307 near the Office Max. Last time I was here, the Tour Operator mentioned that it was good, and since I am so close, I thought I would check it out. Only locals were in there and it wasn't crowded. It was super cheap too. Dinner for $6.00.

I ordered the Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce and it came with Chips, Hot Sauce, and Frijoles.

I think they thought that I was Rachael Ray because I was taking pictures (even of my food). I think every waiter in the place waited on me. Not a bad place.

Walk
I decided to walk off my food some more. It's a bit chilly, so I wore pants and put on my gym shoes because my feet are blistered on top.

I found a very cute khaki green scarf at a shop on 10th street and only paid $4.00 for it. I know that my mom will want to borrow it.

Mom's Hotel
As I passed Mom's Hotel, I decided to bop in because they are friends with the people who run the Peanuts Animal Shelter. They told me that they were having a Poker Party at 7:00 p.m. to benefit the Shelter and to come back when Andy was there. I can't play Poker!

I walked around 5th Avenue a little more and then went back to Mom's. I had a Diet Coke while I waited for Andy to arrive. The Bartenders, Jenna and Paloma are very nice.

Some people at the bar were from Iowa and told me about Holy Name Cathedral. They didn't know the name, but said it was a landmark, so I figured as much. When I got back at 8:30, I looked it up. Geez! I need to start checking the news more frequently.

Back at Urban Suites
Just doing more work and blogging. It's pretty noisy/busy around here. It doesn't bother me though because I used to live on a busy street and there was a junk yard across the alley from us. There's an auto repair shop (that has to be 24 hours) and today there were the garbage trucks and I hear kids crying and dogs barking often. I guess that's why it's named "Urban Suites." I like it better than feeling isolated. I guess they don't have noise restrictions!

Did I mention that Urban Suites has no phones? I think that is strange.

Just when I thought that I was caught up, I got bombarded with trip requests. It's 12:30 p.m. and I only got halfway through them. My pen ran out of ink, so I guess I'll have to finish up tomorrow.

Movie
There was a good movie on T.V., but I could not stay up to watch it. It was produced by Dino De Laurentis.