Upon picking up Jill and Sara at the airport (their plane was about an hour late getting in), we headed back to the hotel so that the girls could get settled in.  They needed to do some shopping for beachwear and what better way than to start out their trip to the Roo with a walk down Quinta Avenida? After more than a few shops in, we decided to eat at Yaxche – it is one of our favorite places to eat. A little spendy but a very nice atmosphere and great food. It was quiet that evening, perfect for Jill and Sara’s arrival after such a difficult time in their lives. After dinner we continued on down 5th and were finally successful in finding a bathing suit for Jill and flip flops for Sara. They were ready for the beach now and we were ready for a cold beer, so we stopped in at La B del M where they had some nice tropical sounds playing. When the band took a break, we head some other live music playing just a few doors down. I’d never given this little mall at the end of the avenue much thought but it proved to be a nice beverage stop twice so far. We were tired and headed back to the Fiesta Banana so that we could kick back and relax. Mark headed off to bed with a book and we girls sat out on the patio balcony and surfed the internet and listened to the never-ending techno beats coming from next door. Still it was good to wind down and reconnect in a new environment and look forward to this healing time without Steve on this trip and in our lives.  I can only imagine how daunting this was for Jill. She needed this time to decompress from all of the difficult duties that awaited her at home and seek a new perspective to this tragedy.

Next morning we are up early and on the road again. We were excited to get Jill and Sara out and about showing them everything we’d experienced before and in the coming days new things we’d all experience together. We spent the first part of the morning shopping in Playa del Carmen before heading out to Akumal Bay….and of all places, at both Sam’s Club and Walmart.  Aye, aye, aye…..I must say it worked out well though. I have never seen such an amazing selection of good yogurt! I will miss that at home. After stocking up on beer, lunchmeats, bread, chips for our lunch…..oh, and don’t forget the ice for it is a beautiful hot day.

After a drive through the subdivision again (do you see a pattern beginning?) we head over to Akumal Bay and stake out a nice shady spot under a palm on the beach. We enjoyed our picnic lunch and showed Jill and Sara how to snorkel. Just as I’d hoped and secretly knew, they were hooked.

Akumal

It was so much fun to get out there again, even though the water was a bit rough for snorkeling if you stayed in close you enjoyed some nice large schools and some colorful little guys here and there. This made us really look forward to moving into the condo at Half Moon Bay. Just one more day and we’re there!

We end our day in Akumal and head back to Playa del Carmen for our last evening. Being the case, we had to go into the colosio and eat at El Fogon.  Wow!  We were so pleased that we didn’t miss out on this “must do” on the list. The food and service were fabulous! The atmosphere was great sitting right in the middle of the “real” Mexico eating dinner with the locals. This restaurant is located north of Constituyentes. I will make a special trip to stop in and eat at El Fogon next time I’m in town.  (I’m not sure but they may only be open in the evenings.)

Back to the hotel after a fun and busy day and a good night’s sleep before we check out in the morning.