Cancun

The flight to Cancun from Guatemala City was fewer than 2 hours and it was relatively easy going through the immigration process. Fran and I said our goodbyes after spending the past month together as she is heading in a different direction. I chose to spend one night in Cancun so I didn't have to fly to Toronto and arive there late at night. I chose an AirBnb close to the airport. It looked like it would be easy and convenient to get to. But first I had to get a taxi. You'd think I'd know better than allow myself to be scammed. . . I actually paid $70 Canadian to be driven to a place 15 minutes away! I wonder sometimes what happens to my brain and my ability to think when I'm in a stressful situation - pushy taxi companies, strange environment, no easy access to Uber, a new currency. . . Whatever! It's only money.

I was a little surprised when I saw the access road to my accommodation - it took the driver a couple of tries to make it up through the gate! But the gardens and house made up for the difficult access. The AirBnb is actually a family home, built by the hostess, Eva, and her husband 30 years ago. They raised their two daughters there and after the daughters left home, a friend suggested that she rent out her rooms (with private bathrooms) on AirBnb.

The location is a little remote - no coffee shops nearby. I wanted to find a restaurant to eat a late lunch and since Eva was going into town to do some errands, she gave me a lift to a nearby seafood restaurant. I had an amazing seafood-filled chili poblano. I had to walk back about a kilometer along a path beside a busy highway. At first I was thinking I had made a mistake in chosing this place, but the gardens and the quiet seduced me. Lying in bed at night with only the sound of a breeze rustling the palm branches. . . is this Mexico?? No dogs? No roaring trucks or motorcycles? No loud music? No obnoxious fireworks? I may even come back next year for a week. I'm sure it wouldn't be difficult to catch a bus or an Uber into Cancun if I wanted a little noise and distraction.

The only glimpse I had of the beaches in Cancun!