Welcome to Playa del Carmen, Mexico!

WOW.  What a whirl-wind.  It's been a short six weeks since our arrival.


We've been busy with the basics: setting up our new home; learning how and where to pay the bills (rent, gas, water, internet); learning how to set up our drinking water delivery service (you can certainly go and buy your own drinking water from the local OXXO store (it's like 7-11) but who can lift and carry a 5 gallon container?); learning the best time of month to withdraw money from the ATM machines (avoid long lines on the 1st and the 15th of every month); learning our way around to the local grocery stores and open markets; learning where and how to use the local laundromat (called lavanderia); learning where the local church is and  finding out when they have English speaking services; learning appropriate tipping skills (almost everyone gets a tip for something); learning how to communicate with the locals in spite of the fact that we don't speak Spanish...yet; learning how to deal with bank personal when the bank eats our ATM card (can laugh about it now, but not when it happened); learning how to cross the street (Federal Highway 307) without getting hit (it's more challenging than you think);  learning how to take a bus from Playa del Carmen to Cancun and back without getting lost (went to Costco); learning how to count and use pesos; learning how to use a taxi and negotiating the price before we get in; learning how to explain to the barber how to cut my hair; learning how to communicate with the nail technician when I went for my first manicure and pedicure; learning how to say "no gracias", with a smile as we walk up and down the infamous 5th Avenue (it's hard to continue to smile when you've said "no gracias" a hundred times within a short time-frame); going to some of the great restaurants we read about on the different forums; and last but not least, going to the beach and enjoying the Caribbean Sea!

So now that we have the basics under control (or maybe it's the other way around), it's time for us to really be mindful of our transition to our new country.

Things are certainly different.  Not good. Not bad.  Just different.  With open minds and open hearts, we welcome and embrace the challenge!

Saludos from the beach!


HERE ARE A FEW PHOTOS WE'D LIKE TO SHARE:

This is our laundromat.  It's about a 2 minute walk from where we live.  They wash, dry, fold and shrink - wrap your clothes.  It's less expensive than doing your own laundry. And it's easy to get spoiled.

This is our church.  The Catholic Chapel on 5th Avenue and 1st Street South.  English speaking services are every Sunday at 10:00 a.m.

I'm still getting accustomed to using pesos.  Husband's got it down pat!

Caribbean Blue polish seems so appropriate.

The infamous 5th Avenue.

 

More 5th Avenue.

5th Avenue at night.

This is a fun little restaurant that offers healthy choices and yummy fruit juices.  We love this restaurant.  The name of the restaurant says it all!

This is another one of our favorite restaurants.  In fact, we ate here the most during our May renewal/research trip!

Ah....relaxing on the beach with our Tommy Bahama chairs and umbrella.  It just doesn't get any better than that!