All roads lead to the beach.

Although it was hard to leave Tulum, we had no choice, as our suitcasing adventure rolled into Playa del Carmen. Arriving in Playa via the ADO bus, we headed out onto the main road, Quinta Avenida (5th Avenue). This cobblestone road is pedestrian only and has a very relaxed beach side resort vibe about it – shops, restaurants, and bars dot the sides of the road, which is full of tourists sporting Hawaiian shirts, flip-flops, and cold cervesas. A short stroll up the road lead us to our hostel, the Rio Playa. Located just one block from the beach and half a block off 5th Avenue, the location was ideal; the accommodations, however, were nothing to write home about. Our windowless private room featured one of the most uncomfortable beds I’ve ever slept on, and the bars downstairs blared loud music until the wee hours of the morning. At least this encouraged us to go out and enjoy the nightlife scene; after all, sleep is always possible after enough shots of tequila. For those looking to party, this hostel does feature a rooftop bar that offers up free drinks to guests on a nightly basis, so it’s a great place to meet fellow travelers, kick back, and have a good time.

Small rooftop pool at Rio Playa.

Mariachi bands abound.

For our first night in town, we hit the streets in search of food, drink, and music. Luckily, all three things were easy to find – from street food, to mariachi bands serenading tourists, to street side bars serving up ice cold margaritas, the hardest part was choosing what to eat and drink. As a major tourist destination with plenty of options, the local bars and restaurants all do their best to reel customers in with nightly deals and live entertainment. Unable to choose between the endless restaurants, we eventually settled on massive piña coladas from one street vendor and even bigger pizza slices from another. After wandering the streets for a while, we found a bar that had a decent band and kicked up our feet to enjoy the tunes and a few more adult beverages.

Amazing street food - a great way to start the day.

Having spent the previously week running around like crazy, bouncing from Mayan ruin to Mayan ruin, we opted to spend our only full day in Playa relaxing on the beach. Before hitting the beach, we grabbed some incredible pork tacos in the road for a late breakfast. We paid a few pesos to rent some nice beach chairs and umbrellas, and simply laid back with good books and a few rather strong margaritas. Not much for sitting on a beach chair all day, I eventually got up to go for a dip. On my way into the water I spotted a fishing boat pulling in, and I moved closer to take a look. Local fishermen were unloading the day’s catch – massive fish, some of which must have clocked in at over 100 pounds. Thanks, guys – I sure appreciated your hard-work, especially when I was enjoying a fantastic seafood dinner later that evening.

Rachel enjoying the beach of Playa.

After beach-bumming for a few hours, we headed back to the hostel to clean up and enjoy some rooftop drinks. From there we finally got around to doing a little souvenir shopping – something we had been putting off all trip. Massive shops on 5th Avenue ensure that tourists don’t leave Playa without a bag full of useless trinkets, so one stop was all we needed to grab some small gifts for friends. I even managed to find something for myself, as I spotted an awesome Rey Mysterio Jr. lucha-libre mask. A long-time fan of wrestling, it was a must-have addition to my collection.

Walking around drinking street beers sure helped to work up an appetite, so we chose a restaurant on the main drag with some nice rooftop seating and ordered up some fresh ceviche. This dish, made from raw fish marinated in citrus juices and spiced with a variety of peppers, is incredibly popular in Mexico, and for good reason. If I lived on the beach like the people of Playa do, I’d probably eat it at least a few times a week.

Soaking up the nightlife at Blue Parrot.

It being our last night of the suitcasing portion of our trip, we decided to go big. While Playa’s nightlife scene is not quite as crazy as Cancun’s, it is pretty bumping, to say the least. We started out classy with a few martinis in a small local bar, and then we headed to one of the huge beach side bars called the Blue Parrot. Rope swings surround the bar, and a DJ spins a mix of dance and electronic music to revelers grooving in the sand. There’s also a nightly fire-dancing show, which was quite impressive and made it worth the price of admission (cover charge is for dudes only… ladies get in free).

Bar swings > Bar stools

Showing my love for Chac Mool and Mexico in general.

Before heading back to the hostel, we took one last stroll on the beach and settled into a local joint for a few cheap quesadillas to soak up all of the booze. It had been a jam-packed week traveling around the Mayan Riviera, and just like that it was over. Although we stayed in Mexico for another week, the “traveling” portion of the trip had come to an end, as we headed to the Mayan Holidaze music festival at the Now Sapphire resort in Puerto Morelos. It was an incredible experience, during which we got to visit awe-inspiring places like the ruins at Chichen Itza, Ek Balam, and Tulum. We encountered so many friendly and helpful people on our trip, and felt right at home everywhere we stayed. We relaxed on the beautiful beaches, swam in the sacred cenotes, enjoyed countless delicious meals, and just had an amazing time all around. To all the people of Mexico, everyone we met on our trip, and the readers of this blog, all I can say is muchos gracias. Hopefully next time I’ll pick up a little more Spanish…