Bill and Cathy McArthur on the Road 2004: 9

    Wednesday, February 18 was an "off" day with no activities planned for the group. After breakfast, Bill put the computer on his back at about 7:45 AM and we walked to the post office. Unfortunately, they had no boxes or padded envelopes for sale, so we walked to Carrefour to get on the Internet. As the guard at the door was trying to confiscate the backpack, we tried to explain that we wanted to connect the laptop to the Internet. They said that security concerns made that impossible, but that there is a Cyber-cafe near Sam's Club which allows laptops to connect. So we walked to Sam's Club and found the Cyber-cafe. Bill spent 3 hours connected to the Internet ($4.50) and got caught up with email and uploaded trip report #8. After finishing with our online chores, we walked to Office Max and bought a few padded envelopes. Then we walked back to the post office and mailed Stacey's gift to her. We arrived back at the campground around 1:00 PM. We ate lunch and then drove to Grease Monkey to get an oil change. The next stop was a Pemex station for gas. Finally, we stopped at Comercial Mexicano to buy latex gloves, car washing materials, and a few other items. We arrived back at the campground around 3:00 PM, whence Bill washed the XTerra. It was a much needed day of relaxation and taking care of much needed items. It was sunny all day, but cool with a strong north wind. We cooked vegetarian chili for dinner.  

    It was Cathy's turn to feel a bit ill on Thursday. There has been a touch of flu or some other viral or bacterial malady that has been circulating around the group. The group got on the road at a bit after 9:00 AM, heading for Chichen Itza. Our Tail Gunner left camp at 6:45 AM in order to secure our campground for our arrival. We drove for less than 100 miles, but went through some charming villages en route. After we arrived in Piste, the village adjoining the ruins at Chichen Itza, Jim and Duane spent some time fitting us into the campground like a jigsaw puzzle. The merchants' shops lined the main and side streets of town and the merchants were eager to sell their goods. Bill bought a serape (poncho) for $13 after some hard bargaining. We had a pool get-together with snacks during late afternoon. Bill took a swim in lieu of a shower. At 6:00 PM, we car-pooled to the ruins for a light show. The stars shone brightly on a beautiful night as we enjoyed the show. 

    Friday was a beautiful day. We ate breakfast and walked to the Chichen Itza ruins. The group had a tour of the ruins, guided by Felipe, a Mayan with blue eyes. Although this is the most visited archeological site in the world, we didn't feel overwhelmed by numbers of tourists because we got an early start. We stayed with our guide from 8:30 AM to 10:30 AM and then climbed the "Castillo", the most dramatic building, shaped like a pyramid. We walked back to the camper for lunch. After lunch we went to the shop of Gabriel, a carver, across the street from our campground. Gabriel took us on a tour of his home and showed us his carved wooden doors. We bought a few items from him without bargaining. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. Bill took another swim, but felt that he couldn't count it as a shower for two days in a row. We played a card game called "Golf" with Rick and Blanche and Joe and Kathy while we sat at poolside. After Bill got a real shower, we ate dinner at the restaurant for the Piramide Motel. The dinner cost us $20 and was good enough. The evening was quite warm in comparison to the night before. 

    Saturday was a travel day. The weather cooperated as we broke camp and got on the road around 8:30 AM. Five rigs took the libre (free) road to Cancun and the rest of us took the cuota (toll) road. We paid tolls that varied from $25 to $46 to ride the cuota road. It was an easy drive until we hit a lot of traffic and topes for the last 10 miles or so in Puerto Juarez. We arrived at the Meco Loco trailer park across the road from the Caribbean at around 1:45 PM. It was sunny and hot and felt quite tropical. A few of us spent a couple of hours at the beach during the late afternoon. Our host, Alex, offered to use his vehicle as a taxi ($30 round trip) to take two shifts of people to a good restaurant in Cancun. The first group of 5 left at 5:40 PM and our group of 6 left at 6:40 PM. We ate at Restaurante Lorenzillos Lobster House on the back deck, right by the water. Since lobster is a specialty of the house we all ate either lobster tail or grouper with chili peppers. A highlight of the meal was a Caesar Salad for 6 prepared at the table. The food and the ambiance were excellent. With tip, each couple paid $109 for the meal. Alex picked us up at 9:15 PM.

    On Sunday, several in the group opted to take a "party boat" to Isla de Mujeres for a day of fun in the sun. We car-pooled to a hotel in Cancun and boarded a boat full of revelers at about 9:30 AM. An open bar was available for the hour's ride over to the island. Most people took good advantage of the situation. There was also a light breakfast available. On the island, there were optional tours. A few of us decided to take a golf cart tour of the island. With 4 per cart, we were in a familiar caravan, but unfamiliar vehicles. The day was sunny and hot, so that the breeze from the ride was most welcome. We saw quite a bit of the small island during the hour and 45 minute tour. Our "wagon master" and "tail gunner" were both on motor scooters. When we returned to the outing beach, we decided to take a small boat tour up the coast of the island. This tour visited a few spots along the beach, including a duplication of a spot that the golf carts had visited. A bonus this time was the performance of a group of young girls, dancing in costumes to celebrate Carnivale. By the time the boat got back to the outing beach, it was time for the included lunch. The food was surprisingly good and enjoyed by everyone. We boarded the boat again at 3:45 PM for the ride back to Cancun. The crew entertained us with some games on the way back. By the time we had returned to the trailer park and showered, we were too tired to go out to eat, so we cooked some red beans and rice in the camper while the voracious mosquitoes circled the camper and tried to force their way in.

        Bill and Cathy