Day 4- Calica/ Cancun/ Playa del Carmen

We docked at Calica which is not anything but a port. We rented a car and drove an hour to Cancun and then back to Playa del Carmen. It was nice to see a lot of Mexico that we would not have seen without a car, but next time we will get a map! We ended up doing more driving trying to figure out where we were and where to go. We went in a real Mexican grocery store where no one spoke English. We found a few shops along the road to go into. We saw what looked like working class areas of Mexico where there would be a store and you could tell the family lived above it and their laundry would be hanging on the roof. All along the coast up to Cancun it was nothing but resort after resort. Each had a huge entry way and guard to enter. You could tell they were beautiful resorts.
This photo if of the topiary birds in the median. They were shaped like chickens, birds and stuff. I was really surprised by all the American stores in Mexico. Of coarse, McDonalds and Burger King, but we saw Office Depot, Sams Club, Walmart Supercenter, John Deere, and many other businesses. I found that my idea of Mexico has been so different than what I saw. I know we were in a resort area and it is more developed than other areas of Mexico, but we felt safe and just as if we were in America. Beautiful beaches and places to visit. I would love to fly there some day and stay to see more.

This is the center round a bout in Cancun downtown area. We saw this many times as we went round and round. Along this area there were shops. Nothing is air conditioned. It almost looks like storage buildings along the street. They pull open the front door and open their shop, then close it down at night.
This was an area between Cancun and Playa del Carmen. There were alot of condos and there was a lot of new construction going on.
It was different to see thatched awnings and little huts on the roof. It would just be an occasional condo with one. The next would have tile shingles.
Two ladies on a scooter holding a new etagere she just bought.
I wanted pottery from Mexico. I was so excited when we drove up to this shop. Most of the bowls on the wall are sinks. I wanted one so bad, but it would require a huge remodel cost of the bath. The platters and dishes were really expensive- like $70 for a platter. I was so disappointed. This was in that area that had a lot of construction building condos and shopping centers. I think it was a resort area and the prices were inflated like our beach shops. We went in a few furniture stores and it was like $3000 for an armoire and really high prices. I was hoping to find some well priced pieces but not this time. I did find a shop where I got an oval platter for $15.00. I will have to take a photo for later.