MEXICO: Playa Del Carmen

It was a piece of cake getting to Playa del Carmen especially with a ride to JFK from my brother, Craig. Everything was going fine until I bought a cool cordless charger for my Apple watch/peripherals from a Best Buy vending machine. Just as I took possession of the item, my flight started to board, and distracted I abandoned my credit card. Fortunately my card did not become the catalyst for some would be criminal’s airport shopping spree!

As usual, it was nice to go to my familiar Airbnb which has served as a simulated home in my five year journey. I was welcomed by a new red leather sofa, and of course the A/C which is so essential this time of year due to the challenging heat and humidity. I’ll definitely get some diving in during my visit. Crowds are non existent and treatment is good except for aggressive shopkeepers and vendors on the Quinta (the main pedestrian shopping street). I get so weary of the hundreds of ethically challenged individuals peddling fake cuban cigars.

I’m looking forward to getting caught up on the blog, travel planning and taking care of dental cleaning and medical check ups which are much cheaper here.

As usual, living alone here in Playa in an Airbnb, boredom ensues, but not without hatching productive plans and realizations. Yesterday I decided to begin the process of applying for French citizenship. One of the benefits is that I don’t have to give up my U.S. passport but can retain dual-citizenship. This is a nice feature should the United States ever become smart again, and regain it’s grasp of ethics, dignity and reality. I’m not holding my breath on that one which is why I am moving forward with this plan.

Needless to say, I do not want to live in a country where the majority of my white brethren have lost all sense of decency. I will not live in an America where over half of white women voted for a man who admitted to criminal sexual behavior. I also will not live in a country where two out of three white men supported the same lying degenerate. Life’s too short. I’ll fight “Tweetler” from the sidelines.

It seems evil has reared it’s ugly head in North America this time. Looks like Canada will be playing Switzerland, as well as a sanctuary for freedom loving people in the region and other populations at risk. Of course I’ll spend my yearly six weeks in the States visiting friends and family, but if it weren’t for them the only time I would spend in country would be during connecting flights to other locations. I could even do without that given the only problem I had with an airport arrival during my 30+ months of travel was this year in the United States, and I was only passing through.

It was a pointless, aggravating exercise where they found a large quantity of non-narcotic prescription medication, and proceeded to bust my chops over it. I told them that I was traveling for ten months, and that I didn’t want to run out. They finally let me go without confiscating my meds, but the experience didn’t warm my heart for my country of origin.

This year will be my last year, for a while at least, of excessive dashing around the planet. That is not to say I’ll be stopping my world travels by any means. I’ll just be slowing down a bit, and spending more time in various locales in 2019, and hanging out for at least four months in France for the unforeseeable future.

A Vegas wannabe venue across the street from my serious lunch experience.

BOVINOS Brazilian Steakhouse – Four-hour lunch with Elisa and her daughter. This was pretty much my best experience in Playa del Carmen in my three-week visit. The rest of the time was spent watching movies strung out on Monster, and recovering from a bad case of bronchitis.

I met Elisa four years ago on a scuba holiday on the island of Cozumel. We had a lovely dinner of lobster crepes at the time, and have stayed in touch. This was our first rendezvous since then. She is also traveling the world and was preparing to go on a cruise with her daughter who is seated in the middle.

How she manages to travel with such a nice wardrobe is a mystery to me. She is a Spanish teacher, and told my that my Spanish had improved considerably. That’s what happens when you visit Mexico and Spain multiple times in four years.

I bid farewell to my little studio apartment. I have tired of this town full of Gringos and people constantly hawking merchandise on the Quinta. The heat and humidity can be brutal, and it is no longer a place in which I want to spend time. I’d rather hang out in Guadeloupe or other parts of the Caribbean.

I sold my Malibu Beach cruiser which is the only vehicle I have owned in the last three years.

ADIOS PLAYA…