Your Best Day Ever

 Hearing the sounds of the lock of my previously violated room being tampered with, I bolted to the still hopefully bolted door, where, poised at its side, I was ready to trounce whoever the unauthorized visitor may be this time. The door cracked open . . . I readied for the kill . . . then a poor maid got the scare of her life as she came face-to-face with some guy with fire in his eyes and only *chonis* on his body.

 8 AM's a little early for maid service. At least she wasn't wearing my watch.

 I called Jorge Diaz of the Best Day travel agency, the fine folks who put me up at this theft-ridden hotel. Jorge didn't want to refund my VISA charge for the stay and instead offered to put me up at the Costa Real hotel and launch an "investigation." Note: the police never seem to get involved in such "investigations" as their honesty level is purported to rank up there with the Condominios Cancun Plaza staff.

 According to Jorge, the Costa Real was a nicer and more expensive hotel, but he'd magnanimously would pick up the difference in cost. Later I found that Best Day owns a chunk of the Costa Real . . . Hmmmm...

 So while I was checking out in the hotel lobby and having words with the desk manager (first time I got to use the term "Chupacabra" in conversational Spanish and in an insulting manner), a Canadian woman entered, claiming that things had been stolen from *her* room also.

 Once again, everyone, the place is called Condominios Cancun Plaza.

  I met Jorge at his Costa Real office (signs proclaiming "Your Best Day Ever!"). The Costa Real turned out to be a great hotel with exceptionally friendly staff and spotless grounds, but its beach is on the entrance to Laguna Nizuc and not on the Caribbean, so no sparkling turquoise water was to be found here. The Costa Real's restaurants were really good and very inexpensive, including room service. The people staying there were mainly Canadian, with some British and American. My Costa Real room was good size, although noise echoed from the adjacent room and I could tell everything that was going on (there were kids there, not what you're thinking.) There also was the sound of constant construction, amplified by the tiled floors of the halls and rooms. As a saving grace, though, I only heard "Macarena" played once.
Photo: Costa Real view from room

 Jorge also promised to credit my VISA for one night's stay. When I returned from my trip, though, I found that Best Day had actually *charged* extra for one nights stay instead of issuing the credit. Jorge has promised to straighten this out, but now the dispute lies with my credit-card issuing bank. More on that later.

 Once again, everyone, the agency is called Best Day Tours (a.k.a. BD Promotours, SA de CV).
 

Hell on Wheels, Mexico Style

 I had reserved a Geo Tracker at the Cancun airport on my arrival. The Budget reservation agent had promised a 4WD vehicle; instead, I received a reasonable 2WD facsimile that appeared to have been the victim of a number of 4WD attempts. I had plans to keep it for a few days to explore out-of-the-way beaches and ruins, go on downtown shopping expeditions, etc. I was not prepared for some fraud on the part of the Budget office when returning the car . . . more on that later.

  I've driven around Mexico before (and I live in Southern California) so the driving conditions and road behavior I was to encounter wasn't to be too much of a shock. However, there are a few things our friends from the land of the smooth road and lane divider should realize before undertaking a Mexico expedition, from my observations betwixt Cancun, Tulum, and Coba:

1. Vehicles in Mexico travel at 2 speeds: Tortoise and Hare. In the former group are trucks laden with gravel and rusty Volkswagen-like vehicles. In the latter group are buses, taxis, and trucks laden with 50 people. Watch for buses passing on your side of the road as you round a corner.
2. Topes: These are curb-like projections across the highway, sometimes marked by a sign, but more frequently marked by someone selling something next to them. You do almost have to come to a stop, or risk loss of your suspension / teeth / passengers. This also gives you a wonderful opportunity to purchase flowers, onions, or farm animals.
3. Turn Signals: In front of you is a truck with its left turn signal on. Does this mean: a) He's turning left, b) He's passing someone, c) It's safe for you to pass . . .? Your guess is as good as mine, all of the above.

 

4. Police: The police are behind you with flashing lights on. Do you a) Pull over so he can pass, b) Pull over to discuss an imaginary infraction, c) Keep on moving, cause he's just showing off his snazzy new Dodge Neon. . .? Likewise...

  The view from the top of Noch Mul, highest pyramid in the Yucatan, courtesy of a couple of nice German visitors. Ten cuidado con el escalon!

I had visited Tulum and Chichen-Itza on my last Cancun visit and wanted to check out something a little more off the beaten path. Coba is the jungle explorer's type of Mayan ruins and not as restored or crowded as the popular Tulum and Chichen ruins. There were only about 10 cars and 1 bus in the parking lot when I arrived. That was a welcome departure from the mass infusion of humanity typical of the other ruin sites.

 The Coba visitor seemed to be the serious archaeologist type -- everyone I spoke with knew the Mayan world and its history like a guidebook. There were also a few Indiana Jones types with the jungle-explorer gear on. And with some of the pretty ruined ruins merely cleared of vegetation -- not rebuilt, as in Chichen -- it kind of looked like a huge ball might have rolled from a cave and on through the Pok-ta-Pok court.

 The centerpiece of Coba is the Noch Mul pyramid, the highest in the Yucatan, and a bit more treacherous to climb that El Castillo at Chichen. Expect broken and crumbling rock on the 110-odd feet to the summit of it. No, I don't think this is the pyramid on which the Nike commercial was filmed; try the meticulously planed and groomed and laser-lit El Castillo. The view from the top was incredible: the green carpet of the jungle spread off into the distance with occasional uncleared pyramids poking upwards from it. Rain fell from dark clouds miles in the distance.

 Except for perhaps the pyramids of the Hotel Melia Cancun, Noch Mul may likely be the highest vantage point on the Yucatan peninsula.

 The capability of the jungle to absorb the sounds of human activity was amazing. Down any of the jungle paths from the ruins and around the next bend, all traces of New York tawk were absorbed in the dense vegetation. Just the occasional screech of a bird or monkey pierced the faint buzz of insects.
 

The Chicken back from the Dead

 Why did the chicken cross the road? Well, it was to late to ask at that point. On the route between Coba and Nuevo X-Can, the bird decided to make a break for it. I came to a screeching stop after seeing feathers fly, but the presumably flat bird in the road suddenly got up and hastily completed the crossing, albeit with a bit of a limp. The apparent chicken-owners at the nearby house waved me on with a smile (thankfully...I wasn't looking forward to being run out of town). I think somebody was looking forward to a little El Pollo Loco that night.

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