Life's a Beach | Expat Life in Playa del Carmen : 2009, Events, Travel

"Women in Wellness" Retreat Planned in Akumal

Rob Kinnon — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:36:00 GMT

Just Imagine Vacations, Inc., of Mt. Pleasant, SC, and Hotel Akumal Caribe, of Akumal, Mexico, are hosting a “Women in Wellness Retreat”, a whole mind and body fitness trip in Akumal, Mexico on October 24 – November 4, 2009. The purpose of the trip is to provide opportunities for women to experience whole mind and body fitness in one of the most beautiful vacation villages on Mexico's Caribbean Coast.

Wellness activities and programs will include: Water Fitness certification and continuing education classes, offered by WaterARTS International of Canada, Yoga classes offered by top international yoga instructors at Yoga Akumal, Blanca Sanchez-Navarro, LPC, LCDC of Texas will be leading workshops on De-stress for Success and Salsa Lessons.

In addition to these programs, there will be fashion shows, cooking demonstrations, snorkeling, scuba-diving, kayaking and much more available. Trip goers will also celebrate Halloween and the Day of Dead – Mexican style! Side tours are also available to eco-parks and Mayan ruins.

Akumal, Mexico is located on the Mayan Riviera about an hour and a half south of Cancun and just north of Tulum. We will be staying at a lovely family-owned boutique resort, Hotel Akumal Caribe. Rooms are available from as low at $45 usd/night double occupancy. Other accommodations, villas and condos are available for large groups and families. Total package cost will vary based on accommodations and workshops attended.

Just Imagine Vacations arranges custom tours for schools, infinity groups and special events to Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

To learn more please visit our website www.rivieramayavacation.net OR contact Lydia L. Pontius at lydia@justimagine.net

Back to Belize - The Road Home

Rob Kinnon — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 03:16:00 GMT

Our departure day was an uncharacteristically busy one for me. Laurie had arranged a fabulous breakfast at Changes in Latitude with 50% of the proceeds going to support Holy Cross School. The Direct Abundance girls were there too, on the way to the airport, dropping of the last of their tremendous donations. Their help selling drink beads at the lobsterfest booth and the items they managed to ship down from the US will go along way to improving the lives of needy island children. We all enjoyed the delicious french toast with hot maple syrup. Later, we relaxed in the garden, looked at all the new tropical cuttings being cultivated and enjoyed a game of "Blue Hole".

True. Didn't we just get here?

Tacogirl

Carbunkle Trumpet and friends

Paul and Collette play a few rounds of "Blue Hole".

Words of wisdom.

After breakfast, Laurie and I headed over the San Pedro Fitness Club for an Aquafit class with Maureen and pot luck lunch. After all the good food we had consumed over the weekend, I was feeling a bit guilty about missing yoga class. Maureen' s challenging Aquafit routine was just what I needed to get the blood pumping. Ann, longtime San Pedro resident and owner of the fitness club had just recently converted their enormous free form pools from a standard chlorination program to a saline system with great success. The difference in the water quality was remarkable, so much softer and less harsh on both skin and hair. I'd like to see more of these systems installed in the many residential pools in Playa del Carmen. The technology does not quite seem to have reached us yet.

The San Pedro Fitness Club with what is reported to be Belize's largest pool.

Laurie and I enjoy a Pina Colada before Aqufit class. So healthy!

I had intended to stay for a potluck lunch at the pool but Rob turned up with other plans. Somehow, we had managed 4 days in Belize without a dish of our favorite meal, stew chicken with coconut rice and beans. Clearly, this HAD to be rectified and El Fogon was just the place to go. El Fogon is one of our favorite spots on the island and one we recommend to anyone in search of authentic Belizean flavors and cuisine.

El Fogon

Conch Stew. Mmmmm.

After our delicious lunch, we wrangled the rest of our crew, returned our carts and caught our transfer to the airstrip. This was the first sunny day we had enjoyed during this trip, making it even more difficult to leave. I could have easily spent another 5 days just chilling out with all of our San Pedro pals.

Leaving San Pedro

It seemed our attempts to find food on the way home were going to fall a bit short. Our usual restaurant on the shores of Lake Bacalar was closed, much to the dismay of my kids who love digging in the silty mud for snail shells and diving off the long pier. In a stroke of genius, Rob suddenly remembered the tamale guy by the Pemex north of Bacalar. Of course we had to stop and introduce everyone to these great cheap eats. This guy serves up both yellow and white corn tamales, loaded with shredded spiced chicken and drizzled with a spicy tomato sauce. They are tasty and filling and the perfect snack to hold us for the long drive back home to Playa.

Well, it may not be very glamorous, but I wouldn't trade our life for anything.

Thanks to Jill, Kristie and Dave for sharing our adventure with us and thanks to all of our friends in Belize who welcome us time and time again and make sure we had a great time at Lobsterfest 2009. I look forward to playing host for you all when you come up in September for Taste of Playa. I hope you have a much fun as we did!

Back to Belize - More Island Time

Rob Kinnon — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 14:11:00 GMT

The day following lobsterfest was another dreary windy day. Tacogirl had a whole list of fun events planned for the day, some of which were contingent on the weather. At this point, the parasailing trip and the Seaduced Sunset Cruise were both in jeopardy. After a relaxing breakfast at George's Kitchen with fellow bloggers and friends, we attemped to rendezvous for a snorkeling trip on the Chel Belle to a nearby wreck. I don't know how we messed that up, but we missed the boat and ended up spending the afternoon chilling in the hot tub and enjoying a mouthwatering BBQ at Caribbean Villas. In keeping with the season, lobster tails were added to the usual line up of ribs, pork chops, chicken, burgers and dogs. Laurie, Paul and Ciny joined us and we actually spent the entire afternoon, sipping Belikins and staring out at the sea, the perfect way to recover from the lobsterfest shenanigans.

Kicking back on island time.

The locals may be sick to death of it but we LOVE Belikin.

Molly the Timeshare Dog and Paul

Birdie and her new friend Lucy.

Taco soup!

Our new pal Alexis came by to say hello.

Cindy proving that hot tubs and cocktails DO mix.

Rob and his Dirty Monkey.

That drink made the rounds. Yummo!

After a thorough soaking and plenty of cold beers, we watched the sun set behind the palms and headed into town to shower up and reconvene for dinner at El Patio. The full crew turned up for our final evening together before Glen and the boys went back to Playa and everyone returned to their normal island schedules. Everyone was feeling pretty dopey from the hot tub but still managed to whip up a pretty good appetite. It was our fist visit to El Patio and they were quite accomodating to our large group, particularly the kids.

Caribbean Villas by night.

Group dinner at El Patio.

Tomorrow, our last day on the island and the road home. :(

Back to Belize - San Pedro Lobsterfest 2009

Rob Kinnon — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:41:00 GMT

Blissfully hangover free, I met up with the Tacos, Cindy and other assorted bloggers for another hearty breakfast at Estel's. My brother in law, Dave, another early riser, joined our group as we soaked up some sun and made plans for the remainder of the day. Lobsterfest booth preparations have been in the works for months now, with many AmbergrisCaye.com message boarders and other frequent fliers bringing down trinkets and decorations galore in their suitcases. This year, a flashy casino bar has been planned, complete with mardi gras beads, devil ducks, glitter glasses, lobster hats and all manner of fun prizes for the players. Proceeds from this year's booth will go to support Holy Cross School in the San Matteo district, just north of the toll bridge. Good news! Cindy would be manning the bar, serving up several of her trademark toxins including watermelon jello shots. There's always room for jello!!

Early arrivals for breakfast on the beach enjoy the only sun of the day.

Stage preparations taking shape. Check out the ominous clouds overhead!

Tents and tables ready to go.

After breakfast, Laurie took several of us over to Middle Street to check out the Rum, Cigar and Coffee Shop. Here we were treated to free samples of their homemade brews all made with local rums. We sampled the "Jankunu Rum Cream" which is made with eggs and cream and tastes much like the "Rompopo" we found in Guatemala. Another favorite was the "Campesino Coffee Liqueur" which blows away Kahlua both in flavor and potency. Starting off the day with a "Panti Rippa" brought back horrible flash backs of my last trip to Caye Caulker but the guys at the shop were super nice and their concoctions were delicious. I particularly appreciated that all of the products they offer are packaged in recycled plastic bottles and coffee containers. If you are planning a visit to San Pedro, do make a point of stopping in the shop for a cup of coffee and tasting the products. I passed on the cigars but they do have a nice temperature controlled vault for you afficionados.

The clouds let loose late in the afternoon, about a half an hour before the event was scheduled to begin, with the wind whipping the rain into and around the booths and generally slowing the progress of our crew. I braved the weather to take some pictures of set up time and tried to take up as little space as possible under the tent and keep my camera dry. There were a few folks wandering among the stalls getting an early, albeit wet, start on the festivities, but for the most part the festival grounds were quiet until almost 7pm. Slowly, the wind abated, the rain stopped and the fairgrounds were set upon my a deluge of hungry

The main attraction: a Caribbean lobster.

Laurie and her organized chaos!

Place yer bets ladies!!

A break in the rain.

Sunset Grill getting a late start on an ambitious booth.

The girls from Lime setting up the S.A.G.A. booth. "Slime Cocktails" anyone?

Walter setting up for Pirate (Pedro's) Pizza.

Tacoboy, Rob and Pedro....early in the evening.

More cocktails please!!

San Pedro visitors enjoy a couple of grilled lobsters.

See? Respectable and well-behaved.

Glen Harris and new friend Judy.

Rob with the Carbunkle Trumpets, Shauna and John.

Tacoboy helps out behind the bar.

Damn sexy in those lobster hats and glasses!

The Direct Abundance girls and Alexis.

Island kids.

In all, there were about 15 booths representing San Pedro restaurants, bars and local non-profits. Despite the early rain, island residents and tourists came out in droves to enjoy the various lobster dishes, live music and clever themed cocktails! Rob and I did our best to sample as much as we could before most of booths ran out of food. Fido's lobster rangoon was delish as was the lobster stew from posh Red Ginger. The biggest surprise for us was the simple grilled lobster tail offered by the legendary Elvi's Kitchen. To b honest, we were not thrilled with the lobster we were served at the Lobsterfest in Placencia last season. I had resigned myself to believing that Caribbean lobster was dry, rather tasteless and almost chalky, not at all comparable to the succulent Maine lobster we are used to from the northeastern United States. Well, Elvi's absolutely proved us wrong serving up good sized, juicy tails, grilled in foil with butter. Oh my lord, they were good! Elvi's had so many tempting crustaceous creations, I was disappointed to have filled up before trying them all! I guess that just means a trip back next season. Yippee!!

Homemade tortillas in Elvi's booth.

The girls from Fido's did a brisk business all night.

The ladies from Sweet Basil served up a chilled shrimp cocktail, something for the lobster-averse.

Clever cocktails served up at the swank Rojo Lounge, winner of the "Best Booth" category.

It's not GAMBLING Mom. It's late night math tutoring...right?

Red Ginger's lobsterman with Rob and what's left of the menu.

Despite the rain and the apparent lack of involvement from the local government, San Pedro's 3rd annual Lobsterfest was a huge success. The organizers, the San Pedro Business Association and all the participants and supporters deserve a lot of credit for successfully pulling off an event of this scope in such a small village. In just three short years, this community based festival has grown into one of the world's most anticipated events.

The funds raised by all this running around and craziness will go a long way to continuing the efforts of the administrators and educators who dedicate so much of their time and energy to the children at Holy Cross School. Our friends, Laurie, Paul and Cindy all wrapped up the night vowing "Never again!". Yet, somehow, I think after a long hot shower, a good night's sleep and a thorough accounting of the proceeds from the bar/casino, they will rethink this decision. You can bet we will be there again next year!

San Pedro, consider yourself warned.

Back to Belize - On Island Time

Rob Kinnon — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 22:02:00 GMT

Not surprisingly, our first full day on the island was a lazy one. The kids were sent off on a fishing excursion and the grownups recovered from the night before. Breakfast and Bloody Mary's at Estel's, our favorite place in San Pedro, brought us back to life somewhat and we filled the rest of the day puttering around the island on golf carts, looking for crocodiles in the lagoon, checking out the new homes and condo developments being built, taking note of interesting properties "For Sale" and noting all the new businesses that have opened since our last visit.

After the children returned from a day on the water, we enjoyed cocktail time by the pool and geared up for our first official Lobster/Blogfest activity, a Meet and Greet at Pedro's Backpackers Inn. Pedro (Peter) is a San Pedro legend, an infamous character who in all of our trips to the island, has somehow eluded us. I went into this party with some trepidation as I had been warned that I would either love him or hate him. There is apparently a reason you will see "Deport Pedro" t-shirts here and there on the backs of island residents. Granted, he prints up the shirts himself and it is all meant to be very tongue in cheek, but is is true that Peter's reputation precedes him and he knows it! Luckily, I got the introduction through Paul (Tacoboy), a good friend and one of the island's brighter minds, so I had a slight advantage and we got on just fine.

Tacoboy (Paul) and Rob...just getting started.

Walter and the Direct Abundance girls!

With Cindy behind the bar, our merry crew was served up stiff cocktails and mountains of all-you-can-eat lobster pizza. We attempted to play White Elephant, a spirited game in which participants are distributed gifts (mostly worthless junk) which they then exchange (take forcibly) with other players in attempt to the end the game holding the best (least crappy) prize. Well. we made it through the gift unveiling and distribution but there were so many people and we were all having so much fun talking and getting to know one another, that we forgot about trading (absconding with) any of the prizes. Fortunately, I came away with two sets of sake glasses imported from Japan (San Francisco). Yeah me!

Winner of the very popular, much coveted lobster hat!

Walter handing out some lobsterfest "bling".

Chris demonstrates his nifty new Lobster Claw Harmonica.

Lara shows off her new Coconut Bikini Top!

And a nice matching set for Tim!!

While I was meeting and greeting and getting to know my fellow bloggers, my family, with the assistance of Glen Harris, was deteriorating in the corner. A special "Thank you" to Cindy for serving up gallons of One Barrel and innumerable shots of Jagermeister to my usually well behaved and respectable sisters in law, rendering them unintelligible and unruly. Well done. Thank you also for substituting Rob's shots for less potent potions. He was called into service on the ride home!

The family that drinks Jager together......

....falls out of golf carts together on the way back home!

It was a great night and an excellent introduction to both the San Pedro Lobsterfest and the Blogfest painstakingly organized by Tacogirl. If this is the level of entertainment we can expect for the rest of the weekend, I'm going to need to contact Betty Ford for some support! Tomorrow, the big event: the Lobsterfest Blockparty! Stay tuned......