Playa del Carmen
Playa del Carmen is located about 1/3 of the way down the Mayan
Riviera from Cancun. Only 15 years before our visit, 'Playa', as it is known,
was only a tiny fishing village. As of this writing, it has a burgeoning population
of 75,000, but the city is remarkably compact, fitting within a small 10x30
block area. Playa has a regular ferry to the famous island of Cozumel, its own
airstrip right beside the streets, and a large resort community in the southern
end called Playacar. Our own resort, Caracol Village,
lay about 4km north of town. 
Playa means 'beach' in Spanish, and the beach was teaming with life when we
visited, probably because it was the week of March Break for much of Mexico.
The beach lies along Playa's vibrant tourist zone, indicated by the orange area
on the map, much of which is pedestrian-only. During the day, 5th Ave. is filled
to the brim with aggressive shopkeepers trying to hustle tourists into their
establishments to buy excursion tickets, blankets, souvenirs, and silver in
all shapes and sizes, something for which Mexico is historically famous.
The side streets of the city contain a lot less tourists, and better deals
for shoppers, where we bought our sandals. This is also where numerous VW Beetles
can be found, which are still quite common in Mexico.
We spent a couple hours on 2 different days in Playa, and found it quite worthwhile
to tour, being our only chance to see how urban Mexicans live. Also, as a driver
or pedestrian, it was interesting to experience a place where there are few
if any rules of the road. However, as a shopping district, Playa - like the
rest of the Riviera Maya - is not spectacular. Everything is priced in US dollars
at rates for American consumers, which is pricey for Canadians - and out of
the question for Mexicans. It's usually cheaper to buy at home.
