Thursday January 16, day 8 of my trip, was my first run this year South to the next town, Puerto Morelos. It is very different from Cancun and Playa dol Carmen. A man I met yesterday described it as a drinking town with a fishing problem. That is just cute. It is possible that the “Town Fathers” who were fishermen, saw what happened to the towns around and resided to exercise some control. There are lots of tourist trinket shops, there are all inclusive resorts. There are no high-rises. The town square is grass with the shops and restaurants on 4 sides and the fishing boats moored just off the beach. There is a fairly active suba diving operation. The waves break on the outer bearer reef so the actual beech water is pretty calm. The tourists on the streets are older and more infirm. Clearly the place a more laid back visitor would want to be.
An integral part of my adventure is the Colectivo ride down. I have little idea what it costs as just as I am leaving the vehicle, I hand the drive 100 peso bill and he gives me change and I jump out and never really have the chance to count it but the change is probably about 20 or 30 pscos, a couple dollars.
After my morning ride, I have to backsolve for when to leave the apartment. My restaurant does not open until 1 so I will leave the brewery about 12:30. Should get to the brewery at 11:30 so that means leave Cancun at 11:00 and the apartment at 10:30. Of course that means tompears.com posting, laundry, shower etc all have to be done by then.
I was close enough to the above schedule. The walk North to the only place I have found to board a colectivo for Poerto Morelos is too long and too much burning in the sun. I always forget to hop a bus for this leg. I do however have the name of the brewery, Casa Cerveza Pescadores all primed on my phone. Even if there is no service, which there always is, I have the name and the map all ready to show. There is a man who loads the vans and there is always some discussion about exactly where I am going and other bystanders chip in.
First lesson of the day, don’t accept the jump seat in the front row next to the driver. There is no harness seat belt and the ride is death defying. I even find myself almost falling asleep to avoid the terror, which is a strange reaction. Once we get to the discharge point for Puerto, I get my google maps going. In fact, it is unnecessary. In a couple K we seen a sign warning of brewery. I have said to the driver that I think it is close and he pulls into the correct destination. Then ensues the comic routine I hinted at above. I give the driver the 100 and he gives me change. The man next to me has to be awakened and for a moment I think he expects me to do the acrobatic performance of climbing over him but he thinks better of it and gets out. It now turns out the driver is trying to give me more change, a bill this time. I have forgotten to unbuckle my seat belt and in fact the passenger who has exited has to reach back in to help me. I am totally concentrated on holding onto my wallet, change, phone, hat, sunglasses and back back. I lurch out onto the gravel, colective pulls away and it seems I have arrived intact.
I have been to the brewery on at least 2 other years so I know what comes next. There is no one present except the mother and daughter? who will serve the beer. I am able to communicate that I want the sampler and she is able to explain that I get 5 beers for 150 and she has a nice flip displays that tells me the order of the beers, which is of course different from the order displayed on the chalk board. The IPA is very good and the Ambor is surprisingly interesting. I read Portrait of a Lady and play Hex n my phone, my normal “sitting alone” activities. There are 3 more beers but they are not offered in the sampler so I buy a pint of the stout. Again, very good.
A older couple has entered and take a seat down at the door end of the bar. I leave my drink, (seems less intrusive to me) walk over and say that I am always interest to hear what other tourists are doing etc. The man is probably under 60 and almost morbidly overweight with world class jowls. The woman looks 70 and withered but probably is much younger and just a smoker. He communicates with a fire hose. I don’t have enough space here to report his life story.
They give me a ride into Puerto and show me a restaurant that he likes, John Gray. Looks like they serve breakfast lunch and dinner! I hope I can try it on a subsequent trip to Puerto next week. Today I went to my standard, Punt Corcho. I think this is the third year and I image it was someone at Pescadores who originally sent me here. It is on the second floor, right on the square and one has a wonderful view over the square and the area leading up to the beach.
I have my normal margarita, glass of white wine and beer. The beer selection is first rate. I don’t remember what I have had other times. I have a vague memory of a soup but today I LOVED Octopus cheviche. I hope I can remember to order it next time. I also tried a baked pumpkin and hope I will remember not to order that. After lunch I walked out and sat on the pier. Great tourist activity. I wished I had someone to share my observations with so I moved over to another 30? year old man sitting on a near by bench. He said he was a burned out dentist spending time mooching off a friend working in a local restaurant.
That is really the end of the story. Walked around the block took the 8 Pesos public bus back to the main road and garbed a colectivo that drops me at the Mall Americana near my Plaza de Toro home. One stop in the super market to stock up on breakfast yogurt and night time salt. I had to head off very soon for sushi dinner at Tora Mexico out on the Hotel Road. I wanted to be sure and get their early to avoid needing a reservation.
I have been trying other Cancun Sushi after being a little disappointed with my normal which is Hanaichi. Tora was terrible. No warm saki. Very overpriced for very small items. Umami restaurant was better but I think Samura Japanese Cuisine & Bar will be my new first choice. I only had the Poke bowl there so I have to return for a real run at the Sushi but the rest of the operation was first rate. I should know about places like Tora and their trip advisor reviews. Everything is always wonderful, especially the chief and waiter, presented by name. Who goes to a restaurant and wants to know the name of the waiter? I guess a lot of people who write Trip Advisor reviews, Now a bar tender, that is a different story {:-}