I have a couple friends who go to Playa del Carmen multiple times a year. Like the Masters, it's a tradition unlike any other for them. PDC is their spot to unwind - less calm than the spring break menagerie in Cancun, but still plenty lively and scenic. The dudes are seemingly a fixture in the local bar/club scene. When someone leaves a spot, promoters will occasionally update us on their whereabouts. Hanging with these dudes is like the Copacabana scene in "Goodfellas." Life is good when you're Ray Liotta at the Copa.
The dudes have invited me to join before, but my interest waned because I've been to Mexico and there are so many other places I'd like to visit. As you probably know by now, when I travel - I have to DO something - the more unique or crazy - the better. I get antsy if I'm just laying out, sightseeing, or clubbing. I enjoy all those things, but it's not enough. Unless you give me Ritalin.
But then I realized all the amazing sites to see along the Riveria Maya, the Caribbean coastline of Mexico's northeastern Yucatan Peninsula, and realized I had to go. I'd be out there for 6 days to visit Tulum (where I've been longing to go ever since missing out on a friend's wedding there), Chichen Itza, cenotes (sinkholes or caves to swim or dive in), and peep this - whale shark diving. Yes, I'd kick off the whole trip snorkeling and free diving with whale sharks off the coast of Cancun. I don't care if I just laid out on the beach the rest of the trip, if I was going to be able to swim with some mother f'n whale sharks - the trip would be worth it already.
Now let's go to Playa:
Condo kitchen and living room right on the beach.
Hallway view of beach.
Sunrise view from our patio.
After coming back early on my first night out (around 430am), our whale shark/deep sea fishing tour was set to pick us up at 6am. Ugh. Why so early? Let me explain how this went down. Whale shark viewing season doesn't actually begin until May 15, but I reached out to a tour operator who said hundreds of whale sharks were already in the area and he guaranteed we'd see some. The catch is, because it's technically not the season, we'd have to go on a deep sea fishing tour as an excuse to be out searching. The operator mentioned to me there's an unlikely - but still a chance - that the Coast Guard would stop us if we were out searching for whale sharks! This did add a bit of intrigue to the tour. We rode out around 20 miles off the coast, which took forever and was rougher than watching Austin Rivers play basketball. I rarely get motion sickness, but around 4 hours at sea, I started feeling nauseous, maybe it had something to do with the hour of sleep? The entire tour with transportation lasted almost 12 hours. It included deep sea fishing - we caught several wahoo and tuna, snorkeled the reef near Isla Che, but you know what we didn't see on our whale shark tour? F'n whale sharks. Forget the verbal guarantee that we'd see them. The company sent a second boat out to help search, but to no avail. You know what a whale shark tour without whale sharks is? A boat ride. A long ass boat ride.
Tuna. Not whale shark.
Blue wahoo. Also not whale shark.
Fresh ceviche on our boat with Isla Mujeres in the backdrop. This along with a Kloster, the cheapest beer I've heard of outside of the generic Beer that Albertson's used to have. Isla Mujeres is a quiet, gorgeous island, much in line with Caye Caulker in Belize. Slower-pace, an oasis from the ruckus of Cancun and Playa del Carmen.
Another shot of Isla Mujeres, which lives up to its name.
You a lie. This diploma said we swam with whale sharks. Don't mock me, faux-certificate.
Cutting up the tuna. Totally professional and clean.
Fresh guacamole and fresh tuna burgers. Get your tuna! We had so much damn fish our fridge smelled like a sushi restaurant with a C kitchen rating.
We rented a cabana/mattress at Mamitas resort. Very popular area. Much needed R&R.
Playa del Carmen statue off 5th Avenue, the tourist hub.
No filter. Sunset was crazy pink. Locals playing futbol.
Playa scenics.
Tequila hombre. Waiting for his amigo.
Maybe it could be him? There were so many dudes trying to sell flowers at the club. Leave us alone!
Mexico's Wal-Mart, outside of Wal-Mart, which they obviously have, too. This place was enormous. Trippiest thing: Coronas are cheaper than Tecate there. Huh??
Food:
Solid breakfast spot on 5th Ave: 100% Natural. It's a healthier, organic spot to eat, which is very helpful after late evenings and adult beverage consumption. I ordered some tofu rice which was fine, but that juice was the money maker. Forgot what it was, but included banana, papaya, pineapple, and a bunch more.
Republica Taco is just another of a long-line of taco spots. Solid late eating. They were tasty but I preferred Don Sirloin, another late night taco spot. Just be wary that their salsa verde is extremely spicy and not the same as an avocado salsa.
Shrimp burrito at Casa Adela. Nothing spectacular. It's on touristy 5th. They did have nice bathrooms though. Be careful not to have any ice with your beverage. I did and Montezuma's Revenge followed me back to the states. A solid food suggestion - although massively touristy - is Tequila Barrel, also on 5th. Their Mahi tacos are legit.
We met some new local friends who took us to a pasta spot called Cheester. Homemade pastas, huge portions and menu. The place is away from the tourist zone and seemingly in the middle of nowhere.
We ordered some sort of seafood pasta, and a creamy chipotle pasta, as well. All tasty.
More late night street food. Gonna be honest, don't recall feeling tip top the next morning!
Viva Margaritas right off 5th Ave has delicious and large margaritas. This is watermelon. Might I also recommend mango and strawberry. No losers on this menu.
Clubs:
Mandala. We spent a lot of time here. Seems to be among the more popular spots.
La Santanera: late night spot. Rooftop bar.
La Vaquita: Nothing like hanging with gigantic cartoon cows.
Blue Parrot: outdoor spot with beach access. More spacious. Not as smoky.
Next: Beaches, cenotes, and ruins in Tulum & Chichen Itza.
Who needs words when pictures can tell a story? The conclusion of my Iceland trip - surfing, spas, trying outlandish Icelandic cuisine - told via photo captions #AndHashtags! #ImLazy
Practically private parts.
This is þorlákshöfn. As is the photo above. Don´t ask me how that´s pronounced. Although the þ is sounded out like "th." This was in the southwestern part of the Island. The water was definitely cold, but our wetsuits were super thick and included gloves, booties, and full head cap. There really was no place for water to seep in.
Entrance. The paddle out took forever. There were long, rolling waves - we're talking 4-6 footers for the most part. It certainly picked up at times, even started to drizzle for a little while, but was cool to say we surfed in Iceland. It was also expensive as hell because gas is so costly. We went with a group called Arctic Surfers, the guides were awesome, super chill dudes that you wouldn't mind just hanging out with. Talking with some locals about surfing, they said that was a total tourist thing to do - as no Icelanders would consider jumping into the freezing ocean. I don't know how cold the water was, but if I were to guess - 40-50 degrees? One of the benefits of not knowing, is that you can trick yourself into thinking it's warmer (or colder) than it actually is. #Placebo
This is at þingvellir, also known as the Continental Divide. It´s a major tourist destination along the country´s famous Golden Circle tour that features waterfalls, river, and off in the distance, Iceland´s largest natural lake, þingvallavatn.
This is the actual fault line at the Continental Divide. Every year, these rocks actually separate a few centimeters.
This is a restroom that we had to pay about $2 to use. It does have a nice view. #Stupid
We climbed over a rope to get this picture. Such rebels. We´re living on the edge like Aerosmith in 1993.
I don´t know how I passed on this deal.
This is Strokkur, a geyser in the appropriately titled town called Geysir. It erupted every 5-10 minutes, which was cool because I´m a lazy photographer and didm´t want to sit around forever. Probably shoots around 50 feet in the air. Geysir is also part of the Golden Circle. #NotAsCoolAsOldFaithfulAtYellowstone #Murica
Pretty sure this is a shrine to Steelers' defensive end Brett Keisel.
This is Gullfoss. Another stop on the Golden Circle. It´s an impressive series of waterfalls.
I'm impressed with how close we could get to the falls. The area isn't monitored by anyone. I'm not impressed with this pose, however. #Tool
More Gullfoss.
Dinner at the Linden House, which came highly recommended by Lonely Planet… or did it? The guide book called it the best restaurant in the area "for miles" - but if there aren't any other places to eat for miles - what does that really mean? The head chef spent some time in NY, sounded impressive. They made an amazing lobster bisque. You're looking at a terrible picture of grilled lamb, which was spectacular. Among other native foods tried: arctic char - a local fish, tasted kind of like a whitefish; some weird bird that I've already forgotten the name; reindeer; and ahem, horse. Yes, we tried horse. To be honest, it's not as bad as you might think, it's just the concept of eating horse that's unfortunate. That said, I won't be trying it again.
Viking ship sculpture in Reykjavik. This boat probably wouldn't float very well.
Outskirts of downtown Reykjavik.
Harpa Music Hall in Reykjavik. Only the finest performers get invitations to play here - like Insane Clown Posse.
I liked this mural of fake Iceland landmark stamps: there's volcanos, vikings, geysers, waterfalls, flag, horse, and Bjork. #TheresNoBjork
Tjörnin - a small lake in downtown Reykjavik. Lot of swans up in that lake. I had to tell them to stop looking at me. #BillyMadison
Hallgrímskirkja - a church in downtown Reykjavik.
Chuck Norris Grill. There are Chuck Norris facts written on the windows. Here's a classic: Chuck Norris has a grizzly bear carpet in his room. The bear isn't dead, it's just afraid to move.
That's smoked whale from Sjavargrillid (Seafood Grill). There was also puffin somewhere on this sampler. A lot of restaurants in downtown Reykjavik offer a puffin and whale menu. I don't remember what they taste like specifically, but I was not a fan. Whale is supposedly like red meat, with an ever-so slight fish taste, but I could clearly taste the sea. In case you're concerned about eating whale and puffin out there, the whale population in Iceland is enormous and are not even remotely close to endangered species. I still wouldn't try either again. Was craving a McDonalds' Filet O' Fish though.
This is a bar called B5. I think. The nightlife in Reykjavik starts around midnight and goes until about 4-5a. According to locals, everyone's cooped up during the week then go all Amanda Bynes on the weekend - meaning Friday and Saturday. We went out briefly on Sunday night, as well. #GhostTown Drinks are expensive, people are nice. Women are gorgeous, and on average, around 6-feet tall! Among the bars/clubs we went to: Austur, Kaffi Barinn, Bar 11, Celtic Cross, The English Pub, Harlem - I would make recommendations, but I don't know which one was which.
Meandering the streets of Reykjavik at 4am, you stumble upon a lot of strange sights. Sorry to say we didn't make it inside. No pun intended there. Icelanders, grow up!
The famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spas. Probably the country's biggest tourist attraction, Iceland is known for great hot springs, the plus about the Blue Lagoon, is that there's no sulphur smell. The water is surreally blue because of the algae, silica, and minerals.
When we got to the Blue Lagoon the weather was awful, but the water itself was about 90 degrees, depending on the spot. In addition to the giant lagoon, there were saunas, steam rooms, and some weird facial mud mask that allegedly does wonder for your skin. We smothered it on our faces, but I don't know if it did anything, except poop on our masculinity.
