We had made the decision early in the week not to discuss how much time was left in our vacation at any point, so I won’t mention it here either, save to say that we were all probably feeling it pretty keenly today.

We were all down at the breakfast table by 8:30am this morning and had another great buffet meal. Many of the staff have clearly gotten to know us and their banter is fun. The prep staff has been on their game all week and we’ve enjoyed everything we’ve had so far.

We all came downstairs with our gear for the day, which mostly consisted of towels and swimsuits, sunscreen (we’ve had to purchase, having been through all three bottles of spray we brought with us), cameras, etc. We then hiked out the road and were about to be descended upon by taxi drivers when a collectivo arrived, happily with enough room for all of us. We were whisked down the highway toward Playa del Carment again, stopping as we approached Xcaret park.

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Today we decided to venture “into town” which around here means a trip to Playa del Carmen, about half an hour away.

We started the day at the breakfast buffet where we were glad to see everyone back at the table – Ross is feeling about 80% again and though his appetite is diminished today, he fully participated in the day’s activities.

Omnipresent iguana, on the way to the collectivo.

One of the “specials” that our Air Transat rep was able to provide us was a coupon for a free trip into town, with the small provision that we pop in for a visit at a jewelry factory along the way. So after we’d eaten, we sun-screened and made our way to the pick-up loop and waited for our ride. Our driver arrived just a few minutes late and we were off to the next hotel to pick up others who were sharing the trip. Unfortunately, they were not waiting for their ride, so our drive spent some time driving around the hotel entrances looking for them.

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Today we didn’t go anywhere! And it was wonderful.

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This morning Sharon was up first and sat for awhile on our balcony watching the sun come up. I woke a little later at 7:40 and joined her. The sky was partly overcast and even trying to rain a bit, but that seemed to have no effect on the local birds (you can watch pelicans fishing for a long time) or the early staff who remove the night’s flotsam of seaweed from the white sandy beaches.

We dressed and went downstairs to the lobby bar for cappuccinos, and then in to the buffet breakfast. A while later we were joined by Scott and Lynn. We chatted about what we might do that day, and possibilities for the rest of the week. Leading options now are more snorkelling and possibly paddle-boarding, Xcaret, and a visit in to Playa del Carmen.

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Big tour day! The ruins of Chichen Itza are not “close” to Akumal – travelling with a tour company will take up most of your day. So we got up before 7am this morning to be packed and fed before our anticipated departure time of 8:10.

We met up with our kids and with Scott and Lynn and had another wonderful breakfast at the buffet, then it was out to the lobby to find our tour group.

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This morning I slept waaaay in until past 9am – but that’s Akumal time, which means my internal clock still had me up shortly after 7. Nonetheless, I was rewarded for my (relatively) early rise with a spectacular sunrise, and a view of the Caribbean that basically confirms all of the paradise movies you’ve seen

After tinkering around with some photo editing and ensuring all my gear was charged back up, I settled into my book in the balcony  Adirondack chair until Sharon got up about a half hour later. The temperature was already into the mid-twenties, and I’m just coming to terms with what has been called “a tropical breeze.” It’s not just a rustling through palms; there’s actually a quality to it that is quite unique, combining the salt air, the increased humidity, and the mangrove trees. It almost has a flavour, and it’s quite nice.

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And as travel days go, this was a boring one – and therefore very good one!

We left the house at about 6am while a newly shorn Molly despaired that she was being abandoned. The six of us and all of our gear piled into a mini-van and had an uneventful (if somewhat bleary eyed) trip to the airport. It was rainy and cool but traffic was light and we arrived around 6:30.

Next, check-in. Happily we were fairly close to the beginning of the line which allowed Lynn to achieve her first goal – getting us all seated together at the emergency row, where more leg room was available. All our bags were well within restricted limits, so we had no issues.

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