Sunday's are special in Merida, known for neighborhood markets and a carnival atmosphere. We had been looking forward to seeing the festivities for ourselves but we still couldn't get out of bed before 10. When we finally rolled out the front door the heat hit us like a wall. It's that humid, sweltering type of hot that sends you running for shade. We had a twenty minute walk to the plaza, and we hugged the walls along the road as closely as we could just to avoid the sun. There are several different plazas (parks) downtown and each of them had something different going on. The biggest one had dozens of stalls for food and handicrafts, and our first purchase of the day was a big bag of sugary churros. Anytime we get those back home they look like a big stick, but here they come on circles. Still deep fried dough though so...yum. We walked past all the stalls but they weren't anywhere near as interesting as what we'd seen in Peru or Guatemala. It kind of felt like they were all selling the same thing, which made it a lot easier to not buy anything. After we made our rounds at the market we walked to another nearby plaza. We chose it because it had a restaurant we were dying to try, and we had no idea that we would find a six-person band playing salsa music for a crowd of seniors. There was a big stage in the square, surrounded by bleachers and chairs. Women in beautiful dresses served up fresh salsa and panuchos while we watched some old folk get down. I was a sweating pig sitting still in the shade, and there were people over 80 up on stage shaking it like there was no tomorrow (easier done when there might not be a tomorrow I suppose). Some of them were REALLY going to town and we ended up watching for over an hour. They were pretty much all drenched in sweat and visibly treasured every second of rest between songs, but when everybody stinks nobody does. The music was fantastic and you can't help but laugh when you see a seventy year old man get slapped by his partner for coppin' a feel on the dance floor! The restaurant we wanted to try, Apoala, didn't open until 2, so we were starving by the time that glorious hour came around. This was one of the ritziest restaurants in the city, but I really wanted to try something amazing so we went for it. I had Picana Tacos that were out of this world, and we couldn't get enough of the incredible cocktails on the menu. Most of the ones we tried were made with Mezcal, which I've never had before and now know is amazing. The drinks were so cool and refreshing that we just kept them coming while we sat outside, listening to the Mexican Big Band. One of the cocktails came out with flaming Rosemary in it! I had never heard of lighting it on fire, but it acted like a stick of incense. I think I will have to try that at home, what could possibly go wrong? :) After completely stuffing ourselves we went home to sleep, only to wake up and do it all again. The market stalls were still scattered everywhere (and Witnesses too!) but now there was traditional dancing and singing. We watched for a little while but we couldn't stay too long; our dinner reservation at Apoala was calling! We again drank the best cocktails we've ever tasted, and I nearly cried as I held the glass of wine paired perfectly with my flank steak. We went ALL OUT with food, drinks, and dessert, and the service was absolutely the best I've ever experienced. At the end of the night it all added up to fifty bucks, tip included! Now THAT was a good deal. I really expected prices here to be the same as at home, but just about everything is considerably less. You could easily get by with $3-5 per meal. With that kind of budget, we might be going back to Mexico sooner rather than later! Walking home in the heat was tough enough, but add a full stomach and every step was painful. To top it off, I missed a turn and added about 15 minutes to our commute. Oops! Brittany had complimented me on how well I knew the city earlier that afternoon, so I was clearly jinxed. Finally back at the house, we took one last swim in the pool before climbing the stairs to bed (I think that pool is now 80% water, 20% sweat). TMI? Check-out this morning went smoothly, and all that stood between us and the turquoise waters of Tulum was a mind-numbingly monotonous three and a half hour drive. My iPad filled with music came in handy (Brittany thoroughly enjoyed my faithful rendition of Aqua's greatest hits) and the drive went by quick enough. As soon as we arrived at Villa Pescadores, I could tell from Brittany's beaming face that we'd hit a home run. We have a private bungalow just steps from the water, and the sand is finer than anything I've ever walked on. When we stand on the beach we can actually see the ruins of Tulum, and we're told they're just an eight minute walk away! We didn't roll in until after 3pm, so the first order of business was getting some tacos and beers. We munched away and then spent the better part of the afternoon pointing out/making fun of the disturbingly obese people that insist on wearing speedos and g-strings. Unfortunately, that group accounted for 9 out of every 10 people we saw, so we had plenty to keep us entertained. What in the world makes ANYONE, let alone a chubster, think a speedo is a good idea??? Oh well, the mental scars and images will eventually fade. A couple of hours on the beach put us in the mood for more food, so we ate right here at the resort's restaurant. I think we'll try to venture out a little more tomorrow. I'd like to see the ruins first thing in the morning (we'll see how early Brittany can be forced out of bed) and maybe head into town after that. A disturbing and ultimately depressing game of Scrabble capped off the day; we both thought we would be a lot better at this game. But seriously, what words can you make with a Q and a Z?