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Posted by l in g on 08/01/03

Condumel Condos

We took advantage of Frontier's special to Cancun so Jennifer and I drove to DIA and Heather arrived two gates over from San Francisco.  We had a reasonable flight down.  They had the small screens on the back of each seat with lots of cable channels plus a map of where the plane was at that moment.  Answered the question "Are we there, yet?" for me.  Customs had improved enormously since my last trip through the Cancun airport.  We moved through very quickly and went out to find the Riviera bus.  By asking around A LOT, we discovered that the bus was located at Terminal 2 and we were at Terminal 1.  The taxi rates just kept getting lower but not low enough so we took the free van shuttle over to the other terminal and the bus left about 20 minutes later.  We three got seats together at the front of the bus when a European couple got on and demanded the seats my friends were in saying they had those numbers on their ticket.  My friends moved, but I went out and asked the driver.  He said there were no assigned seats as did the locals in the back of the bus where my friends were moving.  .  The couple was very rude so we let them stay where they wanted to be.  We had great timing the whole trip.  When we arrived in Playa, we walked toward the ferry.  Again, lots of changes, so much more built up.  It was fortunate for us that we were aware of the second ferry as the first booth we saw had a time of 8 p.m. for the next ferry.  We kept walking and found the other booth with one leaving within 10 minutes.  So we bought our tickets and boarded.  The rain was constant all day which was o.k. as it was much easier to travel around in cooler weather.  The ferry was a bit bouncy, though and the attendants were passing out plastic puke bags which I saw some of the children using.

We arrived, gathered our DRY luggage, I had been very concerned as last time I took the ferry my luggage had been soaked.  Then off to our taxi and to the welcome of our night watchman at Condumel.  The condo was right next door to the one I had shared with Marty just a month ago and the maids had washed my beach towels and placed them in the room with my waffle pad and other things I hadn't wanted to carry home and back again.    

Jennifer chose to have some alone time, while Heather and I walked into town.  It was great, Heather walks at the same pace I do, rather quickly, so we soon arrived at Tony's place to make a delivery.  He has got to be the sweetest man I have ever met.  I am delighted to now count him as my friend.  Then off to Otate's for dinner.  It was a wonderful experience having Heather there!  She was an exchange student in Chili in high school and she ordered all sorts of stuff from the menu and it was all wonderful.  I remember gringas and posole as new to me.    It was fun to hear her converse with the waiter about the food, real conversations, not the pointing and stumbling I do.  Then we walked the back streets back to Condumel.  She read and interpreted signs for me.  One on a wall said that it was a place to rent for a party.  It really was a whole different place to me, one I was so proud to show off to her, but one she could interpret for me! 

The next morning we opened the curtains for our full wall of glass facing the ocean.  "Wow!"  They said.  I said "I'm home."  I had a migraine so I laid there watching the boats go by 'til the meds kicked in.  Heather walked into town to the bakery.  We gathered our books, beach blankets and drinks and proceeded to power lounge on the beach for the day.  Jennifer was more than a little nervous about snorkeling so we took it slow, held her hand and stayed close to the ladder at first.  Easy to do there as the water is 12 ft. deep right at the ladder so there's lots to see.  She's a great swimmer, so it didn't take long before she was just one of the ocean creatures and was making me nervous by going further away than I was really comfortable with!  She spotted an eel swimming by; I saw a really long snake.  Plus all the usual, four spotted rays at one time playing in the sea grass, a cow fish and all the others.  It was heaven.  

After all that exercise, floating around and laying around reading, we of course, needed sustenance so we all walked over to Adrian's for dinner.  We were joined by Suzanne and Sarah for Argentinean turnovers, fish with spinach and cheese, green mussels, cilantro avocado soup, garlic grouper and my all-time favorite in the world, cream cheese and  crab appetizers.  Adrian said these were created one night when the kitchen had run out of everything else and they are heavenly.   The highlight of the evening was when Adrian came over and told us the gentleman at the next table had bought our table a bottle of wine.  Ohhh, how sweet!  However, we were the only table in the place!  Turns out it was our good friend, Tony, who later roared up on his motorcycle for a few minutes of conversation.    What an entrance!  

Next we headed to Chedraui as while changing for dinner I discovered I had forgotten to pack certain undergarments.  (Had plenty of the "uppers" which of course I didn't really

NEED!)  Well, that was entertaining!  I knew the girls would enjoy seeing Chedraui and they bought fruit and Kalua while Sarah and I browsed the panty department.  Slim pickin's, I must say, but I found several that would be better than nothing for a few days.

(I know, I know, some of you find underwear optional.  But "nice" girls raised Southern Baptist in Texas just can't live that way!)   We drove around a bit, saw the ruins that Suzanne had spoke of on the board.  It was frightening to see the destruction while Suzanne talked about watching the taxi drivers with sledge hammers destroy the buildings that Sand Dollar had just erected.  Suzanne dropped us off at "home" with plans to meet at Tony's for dinner the following night.  Our fridge had been stocked with the sparking water I requested and we all snuggled into our beds with our books.  Vacations are the BEST!

Tuesday, awoke in paradise.  Heather brings coffee to Jennifer and me every morning as we awaken and opens the curtains on our most spectacular view.  Fishing boats are seen early then the cruise ships start to pass by.  I am so lucky to be in this room looking out at all of this!  My next thought was about Chas and wondering if I'll have to go hunt him down and I swear there was a knock at the door!  Yep, my psychic friend, the Chas man looking just as buff as I left him last month.  'Course I might "firm up" if I rode a bike all over Golden and Denver as he does around the island.  So I threw on some clothes and went down to the beach for a good visit.  Later, the girls wanted to go to Cinco Soles to check it out so we took a taxi down and Chas took his bike.  As we were getting out of the taxi, I could not find my $ so I ask the driver to drive me back and we could check the ground in front of Condumel.  Not even half a block passed before I found it and told him to let me out.  He insisted on turning the cab around to drop me back right where my friends got out,  I thought, well, that's nice!  Until I asked him how much, (to be polite, thinking a dollar would be o.k., but thought he would say Nada.  THREE DOLLARS!  What a _______ rip-off!   Then, I managed to not find the girls, but Chas did and so eventually I went to Loncheria and there they all were, thank goodness! Was delicious, two dollar plates of enchiladas and smoothies for dessert. 

The girls went back to lounge (Heather to finish Harry Potter's latest so I can start it) and Chas and I took a walk.  We went by the San Francisco Market to use the cash machine so I checked in there for more undies.  I now know what all those Mexican women are wearing under their clothes and it ain't the modest little panties I wear!  But, with Chas' noble assistance, I found a few more to get me through the week. 

(My friend Ericka that went Christmas before last with us to Coz was just here yesterday, visiting from New Orleans.  I gave her some of the underwear as a present.  Hey, some people bring their friends T-Shirts; some get lucky and are brought racy Mexican panties!  Not to mention, they looked a hell of a lot better on her skinny little butt!)

  We also bought some yummy pastries there to take back to the room.  They were much more appetizing to me due to the fans they kept blowing over the baked goods.  All their frustrated flies must have migrated over to Chedraui. 

 I also located the Kinder Sopressas, a hollow chocolate egg with a toy inside that needs assembling.  This is the coolest thing!  I always buy bunches of them.  If you make your own "poppers", the party favors for holidays that include a paper crown, etc. then these are the very best things to include in them.  Not the chocolate part, but the capsule with the toy in it.   

I told Chas to meet us at Tony's for dinner and went back to do some snorkeling to cool off.  I really hate the temperature change entering the water even though it feels perfect once I'm in.  So I get my mask and fins on and JUMP in instead of entering slowly.  The other girls group staying there said I scream before I even hit the water.  Oh well, TOLD you I was sensitive and delicate! 

 These girls were a fun group, many from Texas but from other states as well.  They brought floaties of all types and tied them together then to the dock and lounged in the water as well as on the beach.  Was rather tricky getting onto the floats with their cigarettes but we girls enjoy a challenge, even on vacation. 

I usually like to watch the sunset from my balcony and then walk into town for dinner.  But my friend Suzanne says SHE has to work for a living and get up at some ungodly hour, SO, I walked over to Tony's Sandcastles around 6, leaving Heather and Jenny Jo to monitor the sunset as they were pooped from all their activity earlier in the day.  Arrived there to find Christine from Galveston with her sweetie.  That was a nice treat to get to meet her in person.  And some others that I didn't write down their names but they were fun and I liked them and would recognize them again as I skipped the marguerites this time!  At least I saw Jim even though he couldn't stay long, ah, his loss.  

We learned of the death earlier that day and it was so hard to hear.  We were overwhelmed with sadness for Susan and Greg and all the friends he left behind.  

I really can't remember what we ate, it must have been good, we WERE at Tony's, of course.  Sorry about that,  Tony.  But moods lifted when Tony began to sing.  Wow, what's an incredible talent like him doing in a place like Cozumel?  Being exactly where he wants and loving his life, I hope, but what a loss for the rest of the world.  His singing seems so effortless and SO romantic!!!

I asked Chas to dance with me - he looks at me and says "I'm eating!" O.K., fine, finish your food, THEN be a gentleman!  He did and of course, I don't know how to dance, I was just inspired by the music, so I stepped all over his sandaled feet.  Sorry, my friend!

I remember someone talking about avocado pie so Tony got a piece for Suzanne.  She took a bite and wrinkled up her nose and just looked at Tony.  He said "you don't like it?" with wonder in his voice.  She just shook her head like he was crazy, so he had the waiter bring her a different kind of pie whereupon she pronounced it good!  Oh well, different tastes for different people.   After hugs all around, I walked back to my home away from home, Condumel, (dodging the crab families!) said goodnight to the night watchman and went inside for some girl talk 'til the wee hours.     

Will try to finish the rest in the next installment, I don't mean to be so long winded!  It's just that once I get started!!!! 

(It will probably have to wait a week; I'm off to see Mickey and Minnie come Saturday morning.) 

 Wednesday, (July 9) many cruise ships in town so lots of people out on the sidewalk trying to make a living.  We ran into some women from a ship who left the "How to buy a Diamond" lesson that the boat people were delivered to at the big new shop on the north end of town.  She asked us where to shop for other items as she didn't go on a cruise to buy a diamond.  We gave her a few ideas then started to suggest some great lunch places.  "Oh no" she exclaimed, "I'm going back to the ship for lunch, it's included!"  Her loss… 

So Heather and I took a taxi back of 65th somewhere.  How interesting to see people at work and kids at play, to see the different dwellings and businesses.  I want to stop at every tienda and there's almost one on every block.  I bought a pretty sleeveless embroidered blouse at one where a man was sewing curtains.  They were kind enough to turn on an extra fan while I was browsing, it was so very hot.  We walked around drenched.  At the next one we found some cute little pink jellies with wooden soles for Heather's six year old.  At the next one we bought a newspaper (for Heather to read in Spanish) and some little candies for her kids.  Then we came to the tortilla shop and grocery.  Yum, fresh tortillas and bubbly water for cooling off.  We were melting after awhile so we headed back towards the west side.  One group of children was playing in the shade of a tree and they came out to wave at us as we walked down their block.  We wandered past Suzanne's office, we stopped by but  what a beehive of activity so we got out of their way and I managed to find the San Francisco market again.  We checked our packages with the girl up front got our token and went in to use the restrooms. (Luckily, I remembered, never go into a public restroom without your own paper supply, but there weren't even trash cans inside the stalls.)  Heather found some oilcloth yardage she had not been able to find at home, and then we picked up some black bean soup, some red beans and veges and some pastries to take back for lunch with the tortillas.  The young children were bagging the groceries. They looked their very best, all brushed and combed and wearing their school uniforms.  Chas told me last time to tip them; I had not known to do so.  Then we headed down to Miro on the main drag.  Marty bought a pair of pants last trip on Chas's recommendation and liked them so I bought two for me this time.    We ate lunch under the palapa covered picnic table behind Condumel, perfect!  Don't you wish you had one in your back yard?  The iguanas looked very interested in our lunch so Heather went back in to get the leftovers we had been saving for them.  (At home, I compost, so it wasn't much different to save food for critters.)     I hear a frantic "LINDA!" come from the side of the building a few minutes later!  I run around and see the iguanas rushing to meet Heather!  I chase them off, laughing at them and Heather.  (I was startled by them my first trip, then I was told they were vegetarian.)  I take the food out to them and we watch them eat.  Sarah said they must be really hungry to eat during the heat of the day; usually they only eat when it's cool.      They ate everything, even the pineapple peel.  

That afternoon the girls took me to Cinco Soles as there was a 15% off sale AND 50% off the kid t-shirts.  Oh dear.  I liked way too much in there!  I bought t-shirts for kids, a way cool bracelet, a necklace with a painted mermaid and a very cool piece of art made of tin and bottle caps.  

Thursday, we called the 800 number and found our flight canceled.  YEA!!!  Sarah got a car delivered for us in 15 minutes and we set off for the ruins. Before we got there, we stopped to buy some hammocks for Heather and I found some cool batik tank tops for 2 for $8.00.  The stitching was lousy but the pictures were neat.  We entered the treed area at the ruins and the mosquitoes attacked us as soon as the car stopped moving. We used an old bottle of Off Skintastic (no deet) and rubbed it all over skin and then rubbed our damp hands over our clothing.  Worked great.  Heather says her favorite is Nutribiotic Dschunget Juice (citronella in it).  We only were going to be there less than an hour, so we tried to see if we could use a guide for less than the 17. for two hours.  No go, but there was no way Jen could stand very long so we just poked around and I shared the very little I remembered from a tour several years ago.  I do believe the guides are worth it, it just didn't work for us that day.    We then drove to the east side and it was pouring hard so we turned around and drove back to the northwest side to tour a few hotels for when Heather might bring her children to use a kid's club.  The more we looked, though, the better Condumel looked to her.   Then the rain let up a bit so we drove down toward Punta Sur.  I say TOWARD, because Heather slowed for every frickin' crab that was in the road!  At this rate, I thought, it would take us two days to get there!  We even slowed down for a vulture having a fresh crab cake lunch in the road.  We were going so slow, it didn't disturb him at all.  Then every time a gust of rain would come, Jen would want to turn around.  (Wimp!  She didn't grow up on the Texas coast with hurricanes as I did.)   We finally made it to the Punta Sur road and saw hundreds of crabs moving across the road there, it was amazing, I've never seen anything like it.  By this time I was very ready to stop and powder my nose.  Well, of course, the restrooms at the end of the road there (across from the Bob Marley bar) were locked.  So I ran around behind the building.  While powdering my nose, I looked over to see the sign "Naked Pictures Only".  Well, it was spitting rain, blowing great gusts and I guess you had to be there…  I laughed so hard I stepped on my only pair of glasses!  Jen's in the car and WON'T get out, yelling "there's a CAR coming!" but of course, the wind's blowing so hard, that I can't hear her.  Needless to say, the experience was much better than the actual photo so the picture was deleted upon my return.  So much for my thought that I would NEVER do anything like THAT!  Seems whenever I think that about anything, I always end up being proven wrong.    On the way back we stopped at Chedraui and everyone in town had gotten there before us.  We picked up a few things for dinner and started to stand in the huge lines at the back of the store checkout.  We took a look up front and there were NO lines so we got right out.  The road along the ocean was blocked off when we got closer to town.  We were going to stop at Tony's to see what was happening there, but we ended up going back to the street with the big shell that looks like a giant nose to get back to Condumel.   One of my favorite things was the "toppes watch".  You know, where you have to keep an eye out for the bumps and yell "toppes" to avoid flying up off your seat.  When we got back, the storm shutters were mostly closed.  Bill Horn, the owner, showed us how to close the last one before we retired for the night.  We heated up our leftovers, opened the wine stocked in our room (as well as my frou-frou white zin I picked up at Chedraui) and played cards.   Wonderful company, great fun. 

The next morning we woke to find the storm had missed us so we had our free day!  First we went to the Clinic as I was concerned about running out of my headache medicine.  We had checked several times earlier at Chedraui and no codeine without a prescription.  So, I showed the doctor my prescription bottle and paid him $30. then back to the pharmacy to pay 22. for the prescription.  They did not have Fiorinol with codeine but substituted Tylenol with codeine which wasn't as effective but certainly was better than nothing it I needed it.   We saw everyone slowly taking the boards off the shop windows, no rush as all the cruise ships had been diverted for that day.  

We met Suzanne for lunch at Rockin'Java.  Good, of course and I always get two smoothies there as they will make them the way I asked.  We saw Lisa, who I hadn't seen in a few years.  She spoke of how the day before she had been moving the animals from the shelter in her car due to the storm.  She has allergies so was laughing about driving with her head out the window.  The cages were being cleaned today while the animals were all out.  Suzanne generously offered her drivers and vehicles to return the animals to the shelter. 

That afternoon we had one last snorkel.  I told all my fishy friends goodbye for this time.  Then I headed into town to get some more money out of the machine for our return trip and also to buy a hammock from the guy across from Zermotts.  Well, somehow, when I got back, I managed to be short about seventy dollars, which isn't the end of the world, but I was pretty bummed about it.  I don't believe it was lost as I had it in a very safe bag.  I believe it was my own stupidity about trusting people I don't know to count my pesos for me.  I think it happened because they were counting by fives in Spanish.  I got confused.  It made me very sad.  So we managed to pull together enough to settle up and pay our tips for the week.   Bless Bill Horn for comp-ing us the extra night we had to stay (rather, were lucky enough to stay!).  I went back into town to say goodbye and pick up the bottle caps Tony saved for me.   Lucky for me, he was singing Elvis songs and Minn Don was there with his lovely wife.  So I had ONE marguerita, one dance with Tony, a bit of conversation with Don and ran up the street to put a goodbye note on Chas' door.  I was pleasantly surprised to find him lying in his hammock so I was able to ask him why he didn't call me for parasailing.  He said I was supposed to call HIM!  Hmmm, maybe I knew that subconsciously!  Gave him a big hug and ran all the way home, (no money for a taxi!) very carefully dodging the crabs, of course.  

The next morning, Bill Horn was there to help us get our stuff into the taxi to get to the ferry.  I asked him to check with the taxi driver about the fare to make sure I had enough money to get there (due to my shortage the night before).   Instead, he paid our driver to take us to the ferry.  It was very kind; I guess he was really ready to get rid of us!  It's a good thing he did as the money machines were not on line when we got into town.  We had to get our luggage to the bus station from the ferry by ourselves, I thought my wrists would fall off with my carpal tunnel, but there was nothing to be done but to keep stopping to rest them, we didn't have any money to spare for such luxuries! 

My favorite refrain from the trip:  "Oh Marguerite!"  She was our maid and we loved her, my last trip it was Ginny and she was a sweetheart, as well.  What a treat to be able to put a dish in the sink and never think about it again!   I do love Condumel condos; the rooms are perfect and spacious.  Sarah is a secretary, nurse, friend and guide all in one.  She really makes it have all the comforts of home without any of the bother.  What a great vacation. 

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