Welcome to Playa!

For once I had pretty smooth flights and the time went by much faster than I anticipated. Maybe I'm getting used to this flying thing and finally just don't mind if I die. Landing in Cancun was a trip. There were some big enough air pockets dropping the plane that everyone on board collectively "oooh'd" and "aaah'd". Me? I sat in my chair, lounging, reading a book without a care in the world.

I assumed the plane would fly over the Cancun resort area and land near it. Instead, it descended into jungle. A few feet from the top of the trees I was thinking, "Ok....there IS a landing strip here, right?" The guy next to me even expressed some concern about the existence of an airport. Then suddenly right when I figured we were jungle bait, boom. There's the strip.

I then spent about 45 minutes in line to pass through customs, then another 30 minutes waiting on ground transport to Playa. Another 30-40 minutes for the drive to Playa and then surprise...more time waiting in line for the hotel check-in. I deplaned around 3:30 and finally walked into my room at 6.

The room is crazy huge. I swear it might be bigger than my condo. I have a partial ocean view, and it's really nice. I spent the evening strolling around Quinta Avenida trying to speak and understand Spanish. The atmosphere is very fun and energetic and everyone is trying to get your attention. I do wish I spoke more Spanish, I think it would make the trip much more enjoyable. I had some great enchiladas and Dos Equis for dinner and made friends with a couple from Vancouver, BC who are also staying in my hotel. We met this local guy, Miguel, who promises to hook us up with a cheap car to drive to Tulum later in the week. We'll see how that goes.

I'd love to check out the nightlife tonight, but the 30 minutes of sleep I got last night are killing me, so I'm checking out way early and getting some sleep. Tomorrow I'm hitting the beach.

More pics here!