We have two winners!

Gil and MD in Texas...Puerto Morelos it is! I will be sending you both $1,000 when I get back home. Well, maybe in Monopoly money! Haha! One of the reasons I chose it is because it's only a half hour away from Cancun so it doesn't involve a lot of travel time once you land at the airport. And Gil was right on another count...I am staying at the Posada el Moro. It's a great little hotel and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's going to Puerto Morelos.

This is the junior suite...

There's a TV in that cabinet above the fridge...

Bathroom...

Toilet/shower area. No hi-tech shower jets to blast me, but it had great water pressure and heated up much faster than any hotel I've ever stayed at in Mexico.

Walk-in closet...

I'm on the third floor...

The free continental breakfast (which included toast)...

This is right across the street which comes highly recommended, so I will be trying it before I leave...

I did try this place on Sunday for lunch...

They must know I like to watch old black and white Mexican movies which I can't understand a word of...

I got the tostadas. Pretty bland...not much flavor at all. An no cervesas for cryin' out loud!!!!

Caught this license plate as I was walking around. And I thought I was a long way from home!

They have some pretty strange vehicles around here...

And a whole lot of dive shops...

I think they're trying to dress up the town a little and have this new market area across from the town square. Some of the little shops are actually very nice and have some different things that I haven't seen on Isla or even Playa del Carmen.

Here's the town square. They have a really nice playground for little kids on the other side of the square.

And the main church across the street...

Inside...I could have moved the bucket and mop, but thought it made a statement. Haha!

And here's what the circular stained glass looks like from the inside...a lot more impressive than from the outside!

Crooked pier...

Sign over crooked pier...

And more shore pics...

Pretty flowers...

I tried a new place that was run by Europeans...don't know the nationality. I think they were trying to make the place seem real gourmet, but it just didn't cut it...especially for the price. They didn't take the shells off the shrimp when they cooked them on the skewers, so it was hard to take them off after the fact. They could have left the tails on, but it was a real mess. And the salad was nothing impressive, either. They only have a few things on the menu so I don't think I'll try them again.

So I stopped by this place on the way home later that evening because dinner just didn't fill me up. The guy who owned this was French.

It was okay...a little on the doughy side.

So, if you've ever been to Puerto Morelos, you'll know this is their landmark...

I will save my official "review" of Puerto Morelos until the end of my trip...or when I get back. I like to give a place a few days to feel comfortable, so I'm adding up the pros and cons as the week goes by. I did, however, take a day trip to Tulum today, so I will post more on that in the next couple of days. Tomorrow will be taken up by another reason I opted for Puerto Morelos...something muy different which should make a fun post.

On another note, this is the only time I've been to Mexico where I haven't broken a sweat...even traipsing around at the ruins in Tulum. I spent some time in the sun yesterday and overdid it because it didn't feel hot...stupid me!! And the evenings are VERY cool...so much so that you can't sit out in open-air restaurants because it's too breezy and you get cold very quickly. I've been getting a lot of use out of the hoodie I bought on the first day!

Where's Deb now...

I had originally planned to go to Merida on this trip, but I decided the travel time would have been too long for just one week. Two of those days would have been totally taken up with plane and bus time, so I opted for something different. And although I love Isla, I want to start exploring other destinations. I'll start with my flight this time.

Whenever I have a layover in Mexico City, it never ceases to amaze me how big that city is. It seems like you fly over it forever before landing…it just goes on and on. I got some interesting pictures from the plane window this time.

I like seeing the mountains in the distance. They remind me of the Rockies with the snow on top.

This was an interesting shot. You see little remote villages throughout the mountains. I would love to take a drive through these areas, but I think I might be taking my life in my hands. I can’t even imagine what it would be like.

I was sandwiched in the middle seat on my flight to Mexico City, but was lucky to have a row to myself on the connecting flight out. The plane was full, except for the two seats next to me. Sweet! That book I'm reading is about Mayan history. I'll give a review after I get more into it.

My first cerveza in Mexico. Interesting…a Sol with lime and salt already mixed in. It was okay, but I think it tastes better when it’s real lime and real salt. Mexicana is one of the few airlines that still serves food on short flights.

Just a few introductory shots this morning. This is the little pool at my hotel.

It was definitely not swimming weather, however, and I had to buy one of these because it was overcast and cool and I didn’t have a jacket. It’s okay, ‘cause it was only ten bucks and I know I’ll get a lot of wear out of it.

A few more first day shots...

I even found a sink that is similar to the one I have in my house…

This is Abraham, who talked me into watching him paint tiles. I actually thought these were pretty nice and he does them very quickly. Something different that I haven’t seen before. He does it all with his fingers...no brushes.

And the final product. I thought he was very talented…and quite the salesman.

My first dinner here. The pico de gallo was very good…

And grilled fish with garlic butter. It was pretty good but WAY too much. I only ate one of the filets you see on the plate.

There are no restaurants here that sit right on the beach where you can put your toes in the sand. Today, I will be checking out the little mom & pop places to get the real feel of Mexico.

Anybody know where I am yet?

Where is Deb going?

I'm sitting at the airport waiting for my flight. My laptop is just about to die, so I'm quickly posting this before it does. Where am I going? I'm not telling just yet. Just another door I'm opening.

To be continued...