cancun to Los Angeles

I decided to walk around Cancun this morning.  The front desk pointed out where the craft market was.  I stopped for breakfast at a Mexican restaurant.  I ordered a large OJ which came in a fishbowl.  Not usually what I have in a fishbowl.  I ordered a Mexican breakfast special that also included OJ.  I think I might have just OD on OJ.

Walk for around for a bit until I found the craft market.  I think it was the old craft market.  Only about 10% of the booths were open.  Of course you get invited to go visit all of them.  Fun especially when you are not looking for anything.  You get all the typical lines to get you to check them out.  Almost free, Hey amigo come and see, no charge, what are you looking for T-Shirts, ceramic ..., Etc... 

Found my way to new market where all the stalls were full of vendors, must have been at least 500 of them and a bunch of restaurant.  I wished I had waited for my breakfast as there was some more interesting food than scramble eggs with sausages and re-fried beans.  I walked back to the hotel.  This area around the ADO bus station is very much small businesses.  All kind just as in any other cities, just no big stores, most of them family own. 

Back at the hotel around 11AM. I had noticed someone last night trying to sell ticket for an express shuttle for $4 to the Playa (Beach).  I figured I would go to the Cancun beach and spend an hour or so to see what and get back and catch the airport ADO bus. I get on the bus and we start heading out.  We are going further and further away from the downtown core.  I can see all the big Cancun beach hotel on the far left and we are not getting any closer.  Some of you at this point probably know what I am going to say next.  I look at the front of the bus and the sign says Cancun.  The back of the sign which I can see the reflection in the mirror says Playa Del Carmen.  I guess I am going for a bus drive to Playa Del Carmen.  When they say express is that it does not stop for any long period of time but it does not mean non-stop.  So the driver stops to pick up people and drop people off along the way.  The trips takes about 1 hour and an a bit.  As I was hoping to take the 2PM shuttle to the airport, I get off one shuttle and get on the next.  Just what I wanted to do was to go for a 2+ hours ride to nowhere.  The good news is that I now know there is a shuttle for $4 to Playa Del Carmen which I will never forget. 

It is time to find something for lunch, buy a bottle of Tequila, get my luggage at the hotel and buy my ticket for the 2PM for the bus to the airport all in about 40 minutes.  My plan was to run to the place I had supper last night and get them to make 3 quesadillas to take out.. As I walk I noticed what is kinda a sandwich stop and there no lines.  I order a ham baguette, which turn out to be about a foot long grilled sandwich on a French loaf.  It also comes with a small container of jalapenos peppers for the gran sum of $2.75.  That works for me.  Next stop is Tequila.  Same place and same tequila as I took with me to Belize, it took about 2 minutes to do this.  Pick up my luggage and run across the street to the bus station.  The 1:30 bus is about 10 minutes late so I get a ticket for that one.  It took me about 20 minutes from the time I got off the shuttle and the time I got on the bus to the Cancun airport.

At the Cancun airport, I change into cleaner and cooler clothes. There is not line up for anything, check-in took a few minutes as the lady could not find my reservation but some man helped her out and I was thru security in no time.  Checked out the tequila selection at the Duty Free and get to sample a bunch of them.  After about 8 sample, I make way out.  Since there is no free internet at the airport and I am too cheap to pay $8 for 2 hour, I decide to go have a $4 coke at Bubba Gumps restaurant instead.  I chat with Wendy and Joey for a while, until Jill comes on and Wendy mom want to talk to her before she leaves.  We give Joey our Facebook password and she also log on as me. So 4 of us are chatting together and it is very funny. 

The flight to Los Angeles feels like a spring break.  There a group of about 20-25 people in their early 20s. The plane is half full, so I am going to ask the flight attendant if I can move up.  There are even seat in emergency open.  I forgot to ask when I checked in since they could not find my reservation.  Wendy usually does this for me. Anyway somebody beats me to ask the flight attendant.  She answer that we are in economy and we can move up or down anywhere but the first 12 rows.  We can also upgrade for $60. I am also debating to do this as the 20s years old are all talking to each other’s over the top of the seat. Once we take off a bunch of them fall asleep and with headphones and it turns out to be a good flight after all. We get off the plane and will need to take a bus since we landed in the domestic terminal.  The bus is not there and we have to wait about 30 minutes before it gets there.  US immigration is a breeze as we are the only plane there.  I get on the hotel shuttle in no time and at the hotel in a few more minutes. Get a wakeup call for 6 AM as I get to see my honey tomorrow.  I fall asleep almost as soon as my head hits the pillows.