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Playa del Carmen Pages by Kaspian
| Page Views: 49,151 Last Visit to Playa del Carmen: March, 2007 | Playa Del Carmen by Kaspian - last update: Dec 2, 2008  |
Travel Dates: August 2002, July 10-17 2004, March 12-19 2005, March 3-10 2007, February 18-25 2008.
The first time I walked into Playa Del Carmen it was like some strange dream. There were beauties wearing Prado and Gucci, hippie kids carrying bongos, Mayan women selling fruit, Americans that looked like they were on the run from the law. There were Italians, Americans, Canadians, Europeans, Jamaicans, and Mexicans. Live bands played every corner, bluesmen, Rastafarians, rock guys, mariachis. I'd picked the place almost at random off a map of the Yucatan and couldn't help thinking "What the hell is this, some kind of crazy pirate town?" I waded out waist-high for the above shot, trying not to drop the camera. |
| Mayan Fruit Vendors (2005) |
The Most Colourful Town on the Riviera? Playa del Carmen gets my vote as the most colourful and diverse town on the Mayan Riviera. There's so much to look at it feels as though your head will spin off. The ambiance of Playa isn't strictly Mexican, it has a lot of European flair and Italian influence. It's grown from 5,000 people to over 150,000 is the last 15 years. Many people say Playa was most magical in the early 1990s and that it's already become too commercial. That's true in my opinion. So visit this town now while it's still not the same as Cancun. (Or better yet, don't visit--so I can keep it a secret.) Is Playa Del Carmen Really Mexican?"Yes," it is and "No," it isn't. Playa is international and indescribable. It is Mexican, Caribbean, European, and American. Everybody comes here, from all walks of life. Many people stay permanently. I would venture to say that there's nowhere on earth quite like it and you need several days to appreciate just what it is. If God created a perfect United Nations, this is what it would look like. I'm sorry, I'm probably rambling on and repeating myself endlessly, but this magical little place brings tears to my eyes when I think about it. ..and I'm really scared of how massive development will destroy this place. |
| Where Did All the Cool People Go? (2007) |
2008 Update! What happened to my Playa? It's now official--Playa Del Carmen has been stolen from the madmen, the musicians, the escapists and delivered into the hands of the fat, lemming-like tourist who walks with a zombie stare up and down 5th Avenue. Small, quaint, beach bars have expanded into fully blown nightclubs with velvet ropes and doormen checking ID. The streets around the Blue parrot now look like scenes from a "Gone Wild" Mardi Gras movie. The fishing boats are gone--replaced with scuba dive boats and luxury yachts. A two story Burger King obnoxiously occupies a block on the main drag. ...Baskin Robbins, the Converse Store, 7 Eleven, and the Harley Davidson Store have moved into the neighbourhood. The riff-raff are all gone--the colourful, crazy, dreadlocked people that used to inhabit the beach. But I found them. ...They've moved an hour down the coast to Tulum. I guess there's some truth in the saying, "Once you've found paradise, you can kiss it goodbye." And I guess everything has to grow up sooner or later. Too bad adulthood is so ugly. |
> Add to your Custom Travel Guide [What's This?]
| Pros: | "It used to be a quiet, hidden, gem." | | Cons: | "Chain stores, restaurants, and massive toruism have ruined it." | | In A Nutshell: | "Previously "a gift from God", hopefully it will be again someday..." |
Kaspian's Playa del Carmen Travel Tips
Kaspian's Playa del Carmen Travelogues | | | |
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Comments for Kaspian about Playa del Carmen | | | | |
Melissa-7 Tue Dec 2, 2008 19:23 UTC I liked very much your comment Kaspian. I know its been a while (3 years) since you posted it. But the only way you can know Mexico to the fullest is being part of it and its culture. | Dabs Thu Jun 26, 2008 20:43 UTC Nothing ever stays the same *sigh* Those were taken in 2003 I would guess but our 1st trip there was in the late 80s/early 90s and there was nothing there except a fishing village... | greglk Fri Mar 14, 2008 03:59 UTC just back from playa. have been there for 8 years at the costa del mar. never again. with the mold in the bathroom, the maid that stole two pairs of my girlfriends sandals and no hot water four of the eight days and music till three am on weekends. | iris2002 Mon Mar 3, 2008 20:56 UTC I think next time round you should be more "Indiana Jones" and go and have yourself and adventure in unchartered territories ;) ... hasta la vista! .SI. |
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