We were in Playa del Carmen because Ronnie’s parents were going to visit us there. For them that meant 2 weeks in an all-inclusive resort and for us 1 week in that same resort and the rest of the time in a normal hotel in the center of the town. With a suitcase full with new bike parts (chains, innertubes, tires, spokes and other smaller things) and nice clothes for us, they arrived in Mexico. We were able to wear something else than always the same shorts and shirt. And we could get rid of the things we didn’t need and/or use anymore. We changed our warm sleepingbags for summer sleepingbags which saves a lot of space and weight.

We had read that the town wasn’t very nice, but we really like it despite the tourism and everything that comes with it. It was very busy, but in a nice way. There are many restaurants and souvenir shops and in the beach bars they had live music every day which made it nice to be on the beach. The sand is beautiful white, the color of the ocean is beautiful  and the temperature of the water is very nice.

After a few days in a hotel in the center of town, we moved to the all-inclusive 5-star hotel in a resort park just outside the center. That meant being lazy and eat for a week; a huge buffet 3 times a day and snacks in between (as if we were able to eat anything in between). We could choose whatever and eat as much as we could/wanted. In between we could choose where we wanted to be; at one of the pools at the hotel or take a bus to the beach to lie on the beach or at the pool over there.

We went on a tour to the Maya ruins of Tulum and Cobá. Other than the ruins of Tikal, the ruins of Tulum are situated next to the ocean. Because they’re a little high up, you have a great view over the white beach and the beautiful blue ocean. The area is much smaller than Tikal, so you don’t need a lot of time to see it all. It was interesting to see that the shape of the buildings in Tikal was different from the ones in Tulum; the temples in Tikal are pyramid shaped and the ones in Tulum are square with flat roofs. Cobá is in the jungle and therefor looks a lot like Tikal.

We also went on a trip to the island Isla Mujeres. We were taken to Cancun in a van and there we boarded a catamaran which took us to the island. On our way over we anchored to go snorkeling. Not very spectacular, but nice to be swimming. Then we continued to the island where we had some time to look around. Lunch and all drinks, on board also, were included so we didn’t lack anything. Because of all these free drinks, the return to Cancun was a fun one. It was a very nice day and the weather was good.

After a week of luxury it was time for us to go back to our normal life; in a normal hotel and taking care of our own food. The new wheel had arrived, so we picked that up.

Another few days to get everything back in place and sorted out and now it’s time to hit the road again. Today was our last day on the beach over here. It’s hard to leave this great place, but it’s time to go. The relaxed life we’ve lead for a while because of the problems with the spokes, is over. We’ll go back to (lighter) cycling with a new wheel and renewed trust for the long trip (about 5000 kms/ 3000 miles) through the huge country of Mexico. When we left the 5-star hotel we crossed the 15.000 kms (9.000 miles) line, so that’s a nice marker to start again.