Parte Once (11) - Retorno a Mexico

We left Yo Creek on March 14th with bittersweet feelings.  Obviously Brian and I were missing our boys, Ben and Sam,  but we were also not quite ready to say goodbye to the new family we had in Belize.  I was ready to say goodbye to the dry, dusty roads of the village and say hello to the white sand beaches in Playa del Carmen.  But leaving Belize meant one big thing....reality.  And that wasn't somewhere any of us were quite ready to visit  inhabit. 

After a final breakfast from Lorena and plates of leftover barbecue chicken packed for lunch we loaded up the rest of our things, said goodbye to Gordo (the baby gecko in the shower), hugged Lorena, Aldomere, Lily, and Pedro and set off north to Mexico. 

With only four of us in the van on the way back it seemed like things really were coming to an end.  The hour and a half to the Belize-Mexico border seemed to take no time at all and we got through immigration with no issues.  The remaining drive to Playa del Carmen and the Playa Palms Beachfront Hotel was uneventful.  By this point we all felt like old pros crossing borders, driving in foreign countries, and navigating the one-way streets in Playa.  We were all happy to return to the lovely little hotel where we had started our trip and we kicked off our afternoon of relaxing with the last of Lorena's food on our balcony overlooking the sea.

We spent the rest of the afternoon beachcombing, swimming, reading and resting.  We then headed out to Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue) which is known for all of its shops, restaurants, and nightclubs.  We did a little window shopping and sat in an open-air restaurant for drinks and appetizers then wandered a little farther for some tacos for dinner.  Another day came to an end and again the weight of reality began to press on us.

We spent the next morning relaxing a bit more before driving the rest of the way north to the airport in Cancun. Brian and my flight back to the states was scheduled for the afternoon of the 15th and Dave and Sarah were checking into one of the Cancun resort hotels for the night before their own flight back to the states on the 16th. 

We arrived in Cancun with enough time to go to the hotel and drop off Dave and Sarah's bags with the idea that then they could simply return our rental van and be free of that duty the next day before their own flight.  When we arrived at the Cancun hotel it felt like we had been transported into an entirely different world!  From thatched roofs, dusty roads and mosquitos to pure opulence....it was hard to take in.  After seeing so many people in the lesser-populated areas of the Yucatan and in the villages of Belize who have so little compared to most Americans and then being surrounded by the grandeur of the Cancun hotel zone... it was unsettling.  I realized that so many people who travel to Mexico never really visit the true Mexico.  The resorts provide a vacation that lacks the culture that we experienced and all I could think looking down that the throngs of people on the beaches below was, "Look at all they're missing by staying here."  At that moment I knew that not only was our trip amazing, unbelievable, memorable, and magical it was so much more. So many other people will never get to or choose to experience what we experienced.  And in that moment I knew that I would return to Belize and the Yucatan as soon as possible.