Photographs of Mexico and Fodor Recommendations + Free Mayan Coffee (maybe)

52 Anniversary Dinner at
La Habichuela Sunset

Writing about life where the rubber meets the road does not make you an expert! Travel in this world is all about the discovery and surprise. I like that a lot. I really don't want to know what is around the next corner or where I should be looking.

HOWEVER when it comes to food, I don't want any surprises...none at all.  That is why I depend on our Fordor's Travel Guide. While they list more than you would want to read through, I always just go to the red Fordor's Recommends in the margins and choose the one that I can afford, make reservations and trust that we will be happy.  We have never gone wrong.

Artwork: Rocking Horses

Courtyard Sanctuary

Mayan  Pole Dancers (sunset)

Mayan Coffee Preparation

Our  beloved resort shuttle!

On our last full day of freedom in Mexico we decided to take the shuttle into Cancun and have dinner.  We ate at a place called La Habichuela Sunset located on Hotel road. The restaurant featured Caribbean food and is located on the interior lagoon.  We were not disappointed in anyway. The manager said mention his name (Miguel) and that I sent you...you will get a free Mayan Coffee (maybe). That is what I had and you will not be disappointed.

So it is good-bye to Mexico, back to Oregon where Christmas and family is waiting. I am a very happy woman.

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Riviera Maya, Mexico: Look at that view!

We face east in the condo we are staying in.  Our patio includes a glass barrier so we don't fall into the jungle swamp that borders the land here.  The reception area is open air and the bugs will not outdoor sleeping or we would do that too.  Island time is the vacationers schedule but the employees are punctual and very helpful.

The view...oh the view! We have been here since last Saturday and are finally beginning to see what is going on around us. It is only when we sit very still and begin to watch that it all comes into focus.

Yesterday we were on the shuttle when the driver exclaimed and pointed to the right.  Sitting in the jungle tree were orange iguanas...many orange iguana. Then he began talking about all the creatures that share this beautiful spot with us. A lone monkey appears at night.  A jaguar is seen near the lobby. My husband spotted a crocodile laying by the lake.

It has occurred to me that we would never see these things unless we were very still. The beautiful birds that flit from tree to tree outside our bedroom window are invisible until I sit long enough. Then they will appear as if by magic.

So I suppose that the view is only visible to me when I focus very carefully. I do not have the ability to pick out the green iguana on the wall or the crocodile laying in the bushes.

Be well and have a wonderful day.

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Mexico: What do YOU know about vacation "timeshares"? Sound off PLEASE!

A ride on a resort shuttle bus can be very educational. At least that has been my experience. We rode from our Grand Mayan resort here on the Mayan Riviera into Playa Riviera yesterday and the conversation turned to timeshares.

Timeshares and drinking before noon!

The man sitting behind me had been a timeshare salesman for Marriott in Hawaii in a former life. He talked about the timeshare salesman's life. He had worked for Wyndham before getting the job in Hawaii. He talked about beginning his job.

Marriott would not let me do any sales until they had "de-sleazed" me. They would send me around with other salesmen. If I even opened my mouth they would kick me under the table. Marriott prides themselves in being the gentlemen of the timeshare industry.

Is that true? I know that when we bought our Grand Mayan week (not a Marriott property), the sales staff began at the front desk and continued unrelenting until we made the purchase. I think we were lied to but I guess the experience is seen in the eyes of the beholder. In Puerta Vallarta the woman at the front desk is famous around the timeshare holders world. Word of mouth is spreading about her. She actually refused to give us our key until we agreed to attend a presentation. The man on the bus said she needed an attitude adjustment.

But here is a story one of our bus companions related that just blew me away.

My friend agreed to take a timeshare tour in a resort here in Mexico. A limousine picked him up at the door of his resort and he was given the royal treatment. However, when he refused to buy after a lengthy presentation, the condo people told him to walk back to his resort. The limo did not make return trips for people that did not buy.

Seriously people, this is either very funny or the scariest thing I have ever heard. Some of these timeshare resorts are a long way from anywhere!

So what do you know that I don't know? Is it true that if you don't own more than one registered week with the Grand Mayan Vida Vacation group, you will never get an ocean view? Are the update presentation really not a sales pitch? Here is your chance to sound off.

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