Mexico Day 1

Ahhhh… We’ve always had great luck at the airport outside of Moncton.  Now known as the Greater Moncton Roméo LeBlanc International Airport, we got parked (looks as though that’ll be an $80-90 charge), checked a bag or two, and had a relaxed and quiet entry through security in a span of about 20 mins. Eileen is with us… Her new hip made the loudest noise going through security.  Customs guy said, “Can’t very well take that off”! I’m sure that when the weather deteriorates here things are brutal… But today saw nothing but sun (although it’s -17°C freeze your arse cold outdoors). Love the little upper deck that looks out over the runways… However, not much moving this morning. We did get a chance to extend best wishes to a couple of friends on staff at DrJHG (who were on the same flight) headed to Cancun to get married. Congrats Trina and Mike!

So… WestJet! Pre-boarding was very smooth. Our departure time of 9:45 AM was darn close… Turbulence not a factor. I actually nodded off for an early portion of the flight. Time in the air was a little more than 5 hrs, and Cancun was only 1 hr in time difference from home. We landed safely at Cancun International Airport (CUN) about 10 minutes early and ran the gauntlet of immigration and baggage claim, then a final customs declaration. When flying into Mexico travellers are required to complete an entry card and actually keep the bottom portion until departure. Only hitch for us was a brief hold up as we’d completed some of our forms in pencil. Quick redo… Then on our way.

Holy adventures in pick up outside… Man it was hopping there. Languages from all over the globe, dudes hustling taxis and drives, and vendors pushing cold Coronas (hmmm). Our shuttle was arranged by the condo owner and I’m guessing the driver was about 20 minutes late (the traffic around that loop was nuts). We were getting a little nervous that our booking might have been missed, but also knew we had landed a bit early. Janie finally saw her name on a sign board and our new friend Carlos transported us outta the fray! Although a feast for the senses down in the arrivals area, all were glad to be collected and on the move.

Part of our shuttle hire included a solid stop at a nearby grocery store… A Mexican chain known as Chedraui. Voila! We had wandered into a Mexican SuperStore. I kicked myself for not taking some pictures while shopping. The price labels freaked me out at first… But you divide everything by 15 if you’re looking for the cost in Canadian dollars. Great fun… We got back there on Day 2 and I made sure there were pictures of different foods, as well as some of the promotions that were ongoing. Some Mexicana for the Lumsdens.

Next stop… Casa Tykel. Our little beachside palace for the week. Carlos manoeuvred the ol’ van as close as he could (after a call or two for directions) and cozied up alongside the back door to help us schlep in the bags and groceries. There we met Vero, our multi-lingual, chat up a storm landlady. She was awesome and quickly made us all feel incredibly at ease. She rolled us through the idiosyncrasies of our ground floor space, led us past the condo “do’s and dont’s”, and collected the balance of the fee. No sooner did she make our acquaintance than disappear out the back door. And here we are!

Cu4tro Soles (Mexican Red Wine), Corona’s, charcuterie, and the lap of the waves at the beach rounded out the evening. The temperature was warm, but not oppressive as the ocean breeze kept the air moving. Monica and I had an excellent swim in the pool out front while Janie and Eileen held session overlooking the waters breaking beyond the reef that fronts this area of the coast. We had thought about heading into town, but in the end settled on making peace with the present surroundings (an easy task). In short, a trouble free first day with travel/transport, purchasing and accommodation arrangements all put to rest.

… Mexico Day 2