2011 Mexico: Playa Del Carmen Resort

-THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10TH, 2011-

AMERICAN AIRLINE FLIGHTS TO DALLAS AND CANCUN

MEETING AT DALLAS-FORT WORTH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

SHUTTLE FROM CANCUN AIRPORT TO RESORT IN PLAYA DEL CARMEN

REGISTRATION DESK AT ALLEGRO PLAYACAR RESORT

A SCENIC WALK TO OUR ROOM

WE PASSED CIRCLE 9 (FOUNTAIN) TO REACH BUILDINGS SQUARE 13 (WULFFS) SQUARE 14 (SCHENKS) AND SQUARE 22 (GEBERTS AND VILLWOCK),

OUR ROOMS HAD THATCHED ROOFS

TOWEL ARRANGEMENT GREETED US (LIKE ON A CRUISE SHIP)

OUR KING SIZED BED

UNIQUE BATHROOM SINK

OUR FAVORITE TABLE FOR OUR BREAKFASTS AND DINNERS

NOT ONLY WERE OUR MEALS INCLUDED IN PRICE, BUT ALL DRINKS AS WELL,

SERVED BY FRIENDLY MAYAN STAFF.

NO LIMITS

ALL OF THE BUILDINGS HAD THATCHED ROOFS

 -FRIDAY-

AFTER BREAKFAST JULIO GAVE US USEFUL INFORMATION AND ARRANGED 

OUR TOUR FOR THE NEXT DAY

IMMEDIATELY AFTERWARDS A RESORT AGENT PRESENTED US WITH FREE MAYAN CALENDARS AS A COME-ON TO PURCHASE  RESORT MEMBERSHIPS.

AT LUNCHTIME WE WALKED DOWN TO THE BEACH VIA THE SWIMMING POOLS.

AFTER LUNCH WE TOOK IT EASY

AND POSED FOR PICTURES

LATER WE WATCHED BEACH ACTIVITIES

EVENING DINNERS HAD THEMES. TONIGHT WAS MEXICAN NIGHT AND TABLES WERE SET OUTSIDE FOR A ROMANTIC ATMOSPHERE

CHEERFUL SERVERS

PLENTY OF VARIETY

DRINKS WERE RUSHED OUT TO THE TABLES

SEVEN HAPPY CAMPERS

EVERY EVENING AT 9:30 PM, SHOWTIME TOOK PLACE AT THE THEATRE.

WE  WERE ALWAYS TREATED TO QUALITY ENTERTAINMENT.

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: MIMIC THE ACTION

PHOTO SESSION AFTERWARDS

-SATURDAY-

CUSTOM OMELETTES FOR BREAKFAST

THE BUS ARRIVED FOR OUR ALL DAY TOUR OF CHICHEN ITZA

OUR MULTILINGUAL GUIDE ON THE BUS

THE UBIQUITOUS TOURIST SHOP STOP, BUT A NEEDED REST-ROOM BREAK.

NOTE THE MAYAN TRADITIONAL FLORAL PATTERN ON LADY'S BLOUSE.

ANOTHER SALE

CHICHEN ITZA

WE STARTED WALKING ALONG A TRAIL (WHITE LINE LOWER CENTER OF MAP)

THAT LED TO KUKULCAN TEMPLE (OR CASTILLO). WE CONTINUED TO THE 

GREAT BALL COURT, THEN TO THE TZOMPANTLI AND THE VENUS PLATFORM. ON OUR OWN WE WENT TO THE SACRED WELL OF SACRIFICE (SAGRADO CENOTE).

IN A SHADED AREA, OUR GUIDE EXPLAINED ABOUT THE PRIESTS

HERE AT THE GREAT BALL COURT HE EXPLAINED ABOUT THE SPORT THAT TOOK PLACE INSIDE AND HOW THE WINNING TEAM WAS DECAPITATED BECAUSE TO PLEASE GOD YOU CARED ENOUGH TO SEND THE VERY BEST. HE NOTED THAT SINS

REQUIRED THE ULTIMATE SACRIFICE. 

WE COULD NOT ENTER BECAUSE THE AREA WAS TEMPORARILY CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC. HENCE WE HAD TO SETTLE WITH THE OUTSIDE VIEW.

I DID MANAGE TO STAND ON MY TOES AND CATCH THE RING USED IN THE SPORT.

THE STONE RING IN WHICH THE BALL WAS TO PASS WAS 30 FEET ABOVE THE FLOOR LEVEL.

OUR NEXT POINT OF INTEREST WAS THE TZOMPANTLI WITH A WALL CARVED

DEPICTING HUMAN SKULLS

THE SOCIETY HERE REACHED ITS PEAK BEFORE 1000 AD, BUT THEN TO 1200 AD COLLAPSED. WHEN THE SPANISH ARRIVED MAYANS STILL LIVED HERE, 

BUT IT WAS DIFFERENT SOCIETY.

OUR GUIDE WAS PARTICULARLY INTERESTED  IN THE PLATFORM OF VENUS, WHICH HAD BEEN DEDICATED TO THE PLANET VENUS.

CLOSE-UP OF PLATFORM OF VENUS

TO ILLUSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF VENUS IN RELATION TO ITS LOCATION

TO THE SUN. HE HAD ONE MAN (CHECKERED BLUE SHIRT) BE THE SUN AND THE YOUNG LADY IN THE PICTURE TO BE VENUS GOING AROUND THE SUN. HE HIMSELF WOULD BE THE EARTH AND WOULD SPIN (ROTATE) AS HE WENT AROUND THE SUN.

HE THEN POINTED OUT THE LOCATION OF THE VENUS PLATFORM IN RELATION TO THE CASTILLO

 EL CASTILLO, OR THE TEMPLE OF KUKULKAN, WAS BUILT IN RELATION TO THE CALENDAR AS TO THE NUMBER OF STEPS AND LOCATION TO COINCIDE WITH THE EQUINOX. AT A PRECISE TIME IN MARCH THE SUN CREATED AN EFFECT THAT APPEARS LIKE A SERPENT DESCENDING THE STEPS.

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE STEPS WERE STONE FEATHERED SERPENTS.

THE FACT THAT OUR GUIDE USED TEACHING AIDS, MADE HIS PRESENTATION MUCH EASIER TO FOLLOW. HERE HE IS EXPLAINING HOW THE CASTILLO WAS ACTUALLY BUILT ON TOP OF A SMALLER ONE THAT PREVIOUSLY STOOD THERE. 

OUR ATTENTION WAS THEN DRAWN TO THE TEMPLE OF TABLES.  OUR GUIDE SHOWED US PHOTOGRAPHS HE HIMSELF HAD TAKEN OF THE SUN AT SIGNIFICANT TIMES TO SHOW THAT THIS STRUCTURE TOO WAS ALLIGNED WITH THE SAME PRECISION AS OTHER MONUMENTS.

NOTE BETWEEN THE TWO UPRIGHT PILLARS IS A STONE CHAC MOOL THAT WAS USED FOR SACRIFICES. 

TO THE RIGHT OF THE TEMPLE OF TABLES WAS THE TEMPLE OF A THOUSAND WARRIORS WITH ITS MASSIVE NUMBER OF COLUMNS.

THE GUIDED PORTION OF OUR TOUR WAS OVER AND WE WERE GIVEN FREE TIME TO EXPLORE. NATURALLY WE HEADED FOR THE WELL OF SACRIFICE. TO REACH IT WE WALKED ALONG A NARROW WHITE ROAD THAT HAD BEEN USED FOR CEREMONIES. BOTH SIDES WERE LINED WITH BOOTHS SELLING TOURISTY STUFF

THE SACRIFICIAL PLATFORM WAS STILL THERE, ALTHOUGH SHOWING AGE. 

MORE RECENTLY THE WELL AND PLATFORM HAD BEEN CORDONED OFF.

OUR EXPLORATION COMPLETE WE WALKED OVER TO BUFFET SERVING AREA. THE MEAL WAS PART OF THE PACKAGE. AS TWENTY YEARS BEFORE, WOMEN DANCERS WALKED AMONG THE CUSTOMERS BALANCING BOTTLES ON THEIR HEADS. 

TIP COLLECTORS WAITED AT THE EXITS.

IT WAS LATE WHEN WE RETURNED TO OUR RESORT, 

BUT NOT TOO LATE FOR DINNER AND DRINKS.

WHILE WAITING FOR SHOWTIME TO BEGIN, I WALKED OVER TO WATCH AN ARTIST WHO PAINTED WITH SPRAY CANS. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THE BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTIONS HE CREATED WITH SUCH SIMPLE SUPPLIES.

AT 9:30 SHOWTIME BEGAN.

IT WAS AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION NIGHT. THE VOLUNTEERS PUT ON A GOOD SHOW.

IT WAS MEN VS THE WOMEN

EACH CONTESTANT HAD TO GARGLE A MELODY.

WHEN THE CONTESTANTS DID A SNAKE DANCE THROUGH THE AUDIENCE

MARGE AND DON BOTH JOINED IN THE LINES.

DON JOINED IN ON THE FUN WHEN THEY RETURNED TO THE STAGE.

 WHEN WE RETURNED TO OUR ROOM -- MORE TOWEL CREATIONS!

-SUNDAY-

WE EACH READ A DEVOTION AND THEN DISCUSSED THE TOPICS PRESENTED.

AS LONG AS WE WERE IN THE STAGE AREA WE ARRANGED TABLES FOR PLAYING CARDS. AS ALWAYS, OUR FAITHFULL RECORDER MARGE KEPT SCORE.

THIS TIME WE PLAYED THE GREAT GAME OF GOLF. EASY FOR SEVEN TO PLAY.

WE ATE LUNCH AT THE BUFFET DOWN BY THE BEACH, SOME CHOOSE PIZZA.

WE SET UP TABLES FOR CARDS, BUT THE ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTORS PERSUADED US TO PLAY BINGO. WHEN THEY READ OFF NUMBERS, 

WE PLACED BEANS ON OUR CARDS TO COVER THEM.

FRED WON THE FIRST GAME AND WAS AWARDED A TEE SHIRT 

WHICH HE  GAVE ANNETTE

AND SHE WAS PLEASED

MARGE GEBERT WON THE SECOND GAME AND WAS AWARDED A BLANKET.

IT RAINED BRIEFLY,  PROMPTING FRED TO PHOTO DROPS ON THE FLOWERS.

AFTER DINNER WE GRAVITATED TO THE SHOWTIME THEATRE.

-MONDAY-

TODAY WAS BEACH DAY.

WE SAW A NUMBER OF IGUANA WHO WERE NOT CAMERA SHY.

AN ENTERTAINMENT STAFF MEMBER PROVIDED OPPORTUNITIES FOR DARTING.

SHE EVEN TAUGHT HOW TO THROW DARTS IN UNORTHODOX WAYS.

THE MORE AMBITIOUS TOOK TO THE AIR.

BACK IN THE ROOM OUR TOWEL CREATION GREETED US.

SHOWTIME HAD KAROKE NIGHT. MANY GOOD SINGERS TRIED THEIR VOICES.

ALL OF US IN THE AUDIENCE COULD FOLLOW THE WORDS ON THE BIG SCREEN.

THIS COUPLE SANG AS  A TWO-SOME

-TUESDAY-

AFTER BREAKFAST WE SET UP FOR PLAYING CRIBBAGE IN THE THEATRE.

WE ATE LUNCH AT THE BEACH RESTAURANT AND JUST PLAIN RELAXED.

WATCHING WATER VOLLEYBALL ENTERTAINED SOME.

I CAUGHT THIS COUPLE COMPETING FOR THE BALL.

THE TEAMS WERE EVENLY MATCHED,

BIRDS LIKE TO CONGREGATE AROUND THE LUNCH AREA. GOOD PHOTO SUBJECTS.

DON LOOKED COMFORTABLE.

AT DINNER, ONE OF OUR FAVORITES WAS CHICKEN WINGS. 

ALTHOUGH SPARE RIBS WERE IN FIRST PLACE.

MARGARITAS WERE READILY AVAILABLE, 

BUT NOT AS GOOD AS THOSE IN NEW ULM

BEFORE DINNER I WATCHED THE ARTIST OF THE NIGHT. THIS GENTLEMAN DID NOT USE A BRUSH, BUT APPLIED PAINT WITH HIS FINGERS, 

PRODUCING BEAUTIFUL SEASCAPES.

SHOWTIME WAS LIKE A VARIETY SHOW.
TONIGHT FEATURED THE BEATTLES.

COMEDY: TRYING TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF THIS LADY, TO NO AVAIL.

ONLY TO LEARN THAT SHE WAS BLIND.

THE VILLAGE PEOPLE WERE ON NEXT.

BOYS IMPERSONATED DANCING GIRLS

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION & SLAPSTICK.

-WEDNESDAY-

AT BREAKFAST WE WERE GREETED BY OUR MAYAN CHEF. 

OUR FRIENDS ON THE ENTERTAINMENT STAFF CAME OVER TO SAY GOODBYE.

OUR TABLE WAITERS HAD BECOME LIKE FAMILY.

WE WILL MISS THEM1

THE SHUTTLE VAN TOOK US TO THE CANCUN AIRPORT

AT TRAFFIC STOPS, VENDORS PLIED THEIR WARES.

AT THE DALLAS AIRPORT WE PARTED WAYS AND SAID GOOD-BYES.

TILL WE MEET AGAIN.