Mexico 2014-Part 5

We woke up early the next day excited for our adventure. We were going to Playa del Carmen! We invited Bobby and Mandy to come with us, but they decided that they would spend the day with their girls and then join us in the evening. But we were determined to spend a full day there!

Decided on an "up" hairstyle....that dang humidity was melting me!

The first thing we did when we got into town was head to the Walmart. I remember walking through those streets and loving everything I saw. It was exactly the what I had made up Mexico to be in my head, before I had arrived to the country. When we got to Walmart, the blast of air conditioning almost made me cry. I swear it was heaven-sent.

We bought some medicine and food, and headed on our way. Walking out of the Walmart and being hit by the humidity was a surprise! I had almost forgot that we were in Mexico when we were strolling around the store. But in spite of the hot weather, we started finding our way to Fifth Avenue. I found it really funny that this little Mexican town had a "Fifth Avenue," since everything seemed so quaint and old.

But as we approached the street, I understood why it was the "Fifth Avenue" of Playa del Carmen. It was bustling with people, and shops lined the street in both directions. We stepped into the nearest shop, which was covered in tinkling ceramic objects. As we gingerly picked things up and made our way through the store, I swung around with our big green backpack in tow, and BAM! I broke a little ceramic dish located on the desk of the cashier. We exchanged looks in that split second, hers was sassy and mine was full of horror. I hadn't broken something in a store since I was 8 or 9 years old. {It was a glass picture frame, and I was with my Nana. Luckily the kid working told my Nana that he had a brother that could fix it. As I am typing this I realize that yes, I was a gullible little girl. There is no way he had a brother that could fix it... Anyways, Erron spoke to her in Spanish and she started to laugh, and then I pulled out the cash and we paid for it and left. Luckily it was only an $8 mistake.

The rest of the day was spent ducking in and out of little shops, looking at everything they had to offer. I didn't want to commit to anything too soon, so when we found things we liked we just practiced our haggling. Erron and I got really good at this. It was probably my favorite experience. I love talking down a "stiff price." We got an $100 sterling silver bracelet down to $20! {That was our toughest bargain, but we did it!} Of course I didn't commit that soon. Since we are on a tight budget, I didn't want to make sure that I didn't go crazy. I mean, I didn't need a souvenier. I mean, I was there in person. I had pictures. But I finally fell in love with this beautiful opal ring. It is a pink fire opal, and looks exactly like it sounds. Opals are one of my favorite gems, so I'm very happy with my little find!

As it hit dinner time, Mandy and Bobby joined up with us and we found a little place to dine. We got a great deal on tacos and drinks. I got 2 pork tacos, and 1 fish one. Erron got the same, except they failed to tell us what the green sauce was, and he dumped a monsterous amount on all 3 of his tacos. Much to his {and his stomachs} dismay, it was habanero sauce! Next thing we knew he was at the counter jumping up and down asking them if they had any honey. Poor guy...

Erron got a wonderful horchata. It was probably the best I will ever have in my life.

Lovely Mandy, posing for her, little did we know at the time, $10 picture.

 As the night neared it's close I decided that I wanted a good Mexican churro. I love them at Costco, so they should be even better in Mexico--right?? Wrong. I think the first thing that turned me off, and may have been a warning, is the time we spent hunting for the dang thing! We walked the city 3 times over looking for them! Then, once we finally found the booth, we stood in line for 10 minutes before discovering they were nearly $4 a piece! Deciding it was worth it, we proceeded to order one filled with dulce de leche. {yuuuuuuum!}

It was short, like half the size of a Costco one. It wasn't as deep fried, and the filling was kind of strange. Not what I was craving, but it definitely was something I was glad I tried. Plus, now I know.

Mmm, churro! *But first, lemme take a selfie!*

The rest of the gang decided to stop for burritos from a food cart before we hopped on the collectivo home. As we neared the cart the man from the cart across the way started shouting at us to choose his burritos. It turned into this hilarious war between the two carts, including samples and trash talk of the opposing carts. In the end, the verdict was to stick with our original choice.

We came home around 10 at night, feet sore, and dead tired from our all day adventure in Playa.

We would definitely be going back!