Playa del Carmen for the day.

This would be a long day with a lot of walking, so we rented Maggie a scooter, which worked out perfectly! She can really manuever that thing....!















Ingrid found a Buddha she liked at the Blue Parrot....











We stopped several times - this was for lunch at a place called FAH - the only place we have had a very poor meal and lousy service ever in Playa. Nice spot, tho, with good people watching..........









We had dessert at a lovely beachfront hotel called the Mosquito Beach.....great fruit drinks and 2 little complimentary plates of tiny cookies!!! We then went for appies to the Petit Paris, owned by an excentric Belgian called Jimmy, and finally to Bip Bip for the best meal of the day. For all the pics, click on this link  - or copy and paste into your browser:
picasaweb.google.com/daphneandmiki/PlayadelCarmenwithIngridandMaggie

local cemetary

En route to the Jungle Spa, we went through the local Mayan cemetary. Each gravesite has a little casa and special plants and figures symbolizing the person who died.














They are each very different and unique....














All are carefully tended on a regular basis......















A recent burial site. The ground is solid limestone, so actually burying someone is too difficult, so the house is built around the coffin. On Nov. 2nd, the Day of the Dead, all the graves are covered with the person's favourite foods, drink, trinkets and flowers, so that when their spirit appears at midnight, they will be welcomed and know they are loved.

The Jungle Market...

One of the most fun things to do in Puerto Morelos is go the Jungle Market. The market itself has wonderful food, crafts, jewellry, clothing and hand made things for sale. Then there is a performance by the Mayan women which demonstrates the life of the Mayans.


The women dance several dances....all significant in the culture. This is the goddess Ixchel - goddess of the moon.









The dances are very beautiful, and the women dancing are also the very talented Mayan massage healers, and having a massage at the Jungle Spa is not to be missed.











Some of the dances have some very amazing footwork, all carried out in white high heels, beautifully decorated.














During the final pole dance, the audience is encouraged to join in, so Ingrid joined the group and participated in what is a very spiritual, moving dance.

more entertaining.......

We all went for lunch at La Panza Es Primera - a great local beachfront place!!!!

We had Stan, Lety, Ingrid and Maggie over for a big burgers and caesar salad barby!

In Cancun the other day we ate lunch at a seafood restaurant in Market 28 and had great meals!

Ingrid had a seafood soup that had a whole crab in it and whole shrimp, as well as several other kinds of very fresh fish!