"Just Playa-ing Around on the Beach " a Playa del Carmen Travel Page by Conspirator

An hour or so South of Cancun, I found Playa del Carmen is a great getaway destination for a week or so. Agent 78 picked the location largely due to its proximity to the Mayan ruins, but we discovered the place has many other charms.

I rate Playa above many other Carribbean locations I've been to on a number of fronts. Unless you're under 21 or have never left the USA, you will appreciate that Playa lacks almost all of the tackiness found in Cancun. Sure, 5th Avenue in particular is full of shops selling tourist crap and there is certainly a good time to be had at night, but the tequila quaffing frat boys have been left up North.

Another aspect I appreciated about Playa was that, while Mexico is hardly a rich country, the lifestyle the locals lead is sufficiently close to our own that you can relate to each other. Unlike some other parts of the Carribbean (places in the DR come to mind), you can venture into the "real" Playa del Carmen away from 5th Avenue, sit down at a local restaurant or go to a local store without being harrassed, hustled, robbed, looted, raped, burned or pillaged. In fact, the Mexicans typically won't bat an eyelid. They may have got word that The Conspirator had to take down a gang of pushy Dominicans a year or so ago (using nothing but a cocktail shaker and half a dozen lime quarters, I might add), but if so they disguised their fear well.

I took this photo of a local gym I spotted on an evening expedition. Think that stairmaster machines are only for overweight first world professional types? Apparently not.