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An Island for Saturday: Sunsets, Sailing & Rum

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The weekends have been good around these parts. The sun is almost a guarantee, the rum is a sure bet and the ocean is only a few steps away. This weekend we went for a sail off the coast of Cozumel with a few good friends.

A trip off the coast has its predictable stages

There is always excitement when departing the marina and the following calmness when the idea has settled as you coast into deeper waters. Then there's acclimatization, which is founded by rum punch and cold beer while you keep your eyes on the horizon. Bet on a cigar.

With good visitors and the right amount of drink, the dependable few will hang from the bow over the sea below. Then the diving begins. Swimming as deep as you can, eyes open, seeing as far as you can under the clear water with the reef all around. The salt burns your eyes, but not in such a bad way. Afterward you float on your back, staring at the sky, forgetting for a short while that there is land nearby with its weekdays and its work.

On the return to Puerto Abrigo is the sunset where the calmness begins again and everyone winds down after the sun has done its job.

We should all thank the ocean, our friends and most importantly, the rum.

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Birds, Beers & Earles

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Just a little guy flyin' by and some photos from Club de la Cerveza here in Playa.

Club de la Cerveza, or The Beer Club, is where you can find me if I've gone missing. A dear friend, Miguel, owns the bar with his lovely wife Susana. They provide a large selection, excellent beer knowledge, good music and better company. All kinds of adjectives!

When you go to a certain bar so many times it becomes as comfortable as a friend's living room. When you go to Club de la Cerveza for the first time, it will already feel like that because of the staff and service. They are always there to chat, educate and above all help you drink lots of fine beer.

If you're visiting Playa del Carmen, this should be the first place you stop for refreshments as soon as you put your bags down. Or just bring your luggage. Club de la Cerveza has a Facebook page where you can get the latest updates.

Now get back to work or grab a beer. I might do both. Oh, and below the photos is a Steve Earle song for your afternoon.

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The Fall in Mexico

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A few photos from the fall here in Mexico. Nothing much going on lately other than the piling up of work on weekdays and the emptying out of some bottles on weekends. Some sailing coming up which will involve some more bottles, sunsets, sea and air.

A few of these are from Mexico City, a few are from our beach. You can do the math.

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A Trip to Mexico City: Plane, Bus, Taxi and Foot

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Mexico City is big. 8,857,188 big if you're only counting the centre (Distrito Federal). If you look out to Greater Mexico City, we're talking about 21,163,188 people. 

 As you fly in, the view is of buildings and neighbourhoods stretching as far as you can see until they become silhouettes in the distance and meet a landscape of larger silhouettes. Mountains and volcanoes surround the valley which rests in the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The peaks reach up to 16,400ft in elevation while Mexico City itself sits at 7,350ft.

Let's wrap that up: 21 million people, 7,350ft above sea level compacted into a valley surrounded by volcanoes.

Note: Walking and talking with a cheeseburger in your mouth causes panting. Because of the altitude!

We stayed just over a week. It was a damned fine time and I've written a bit about arriving, walking, drinking, dancing. We were married in some fake ceremony in a dive while standing on broken peanut shells by the bartender with a giant sombrero and fake moustache. We met some new friends, checked out history, shopped at markets and did some more drinking to close it off. I'll wait for the lady to also summarize some of the pieces of the trip so if you're interested in heading to Mexico City, you'll have a head start on pricing, neighbourhoods, museums and markets.

For now, take a look at some of the photos we took. All images should be clickable to enlarge.

In both the left and right above, this woman was in the Zócalo (pictured below) selling hats and traditional garbs, but mostly sleeping. When taking the few pictures we have of some unique, senior nationals who looked a bit down and out, we gave them some pesos first and asked if it would be okay to take their picture before wishing them well.

These shots are all in or near the Zócalo. That brass dome you see is the Palacio de Bellas Artes It was hard to find a horizon for that shot. That thing is sinking.

"Why is Mexico City Sinking? One bad decision after another." — Ian Sample, The Guardian

Picture of pictures. They were mostly divided into sections. Movie stars, musicians, political rebels, pioneers and builders.

There are more pictures for another post. Maybe one about prices, specific places to see and where to eat. I highly recommend Mexico City for a visit. Hell of a time.

 
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Mexico City, Markets, Skulls & Strawberries

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​We've been hanging in Mexico City for the week and with almost a week left, we're are already planning on coming back again. It's a huge fuck-off city and we've barely explored La Condesa, where we're staying.

When we're back to Playa, I'll get up a bunch of photos and info about the areas we've explored. Until then, check out these skulls for sale at the outdoor market next to our spot. I will not put these on my nightstand.