Photos from the past few days around Cancun

The main thing this grouping of photos has in common is that I took them. I like them and just wanted to post them, they were all taken during the last 5 days here in Cancun, but if I have a style I don't know what it is :-) Just things I like...

St Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals, so he has my vote.

A real bird flew onto this sculpture and there I was with my camera, sometimes you just get lucky.

 Working mens boots on the bus.

 Lunch time at a natural foods restaurant.

 Modern art.

 Back to the beach theme.

Night shot looking towards downtown Cancun.

 The windiest day we've had here, white caps on the ocean.

An Old Plaza with a Patisserie

Looking for something interesting to photograph? Take a walk. The last two mornings Joe and I have headed out at 6:30am for a look around our new environment, and I found the best old plaza with great bones. There are some offices inside, a couple of 'guards' at a desk that were fine with me taking pictures and a Patisserie, with the smell of baked goods permeating the premises. Perfect!

Yes, we're still in Mexico, but this bakery had a definite French feel. I bought a bag of muffins and chocolate croissants, meant to take a photograph but ate them on the way home. Maybe tomorrow...

 Not sure Cancun has been here since 1952, just a bit older than I am.

 I'll be back, it's only 1 1/2 kilometers from Casa Maya, where we're staying.

 This is the other part of this fairly abandoned plaza, great lines and textures.

 Looking down a hallway...

 I found this.

An interior courtyard.

The other images were with my Canon, this one and the next are with my iPhone. 

 This bird flew right into the frame at just the moment I clicked the shutter!

This plaza is next to the main road, and here's the bus we take to get into town. R2.

Hello Cancun, Casa Maya.

Imperial Fiesta Club at Casa Maya is our new place for 3 weeks before we fly back to our real home in Boston. We traded into this condo using our timeshare weeks with Interval International, something we do every year with the weeks we own in Orlando. 1 bedroom, open space living room, dining and kitchen. Completely different from the other places we've stayed at here in the Yucatan, we're on the 8th floor, an elevator is needed, there's a lobby, gift shop and all the amenities of a resort. Including white wrist bands we have to wear at all times. Tomorrow morning I'll join in on the stretching and water exercises that I just found out about today. There are activities, along with 80's music, all day for young and old.

Huge beach area with lots of room for all the guests, great palapas, lounge chairs and a towel bar, as well as other drinking bars and restaurants, the complete package.

 The view from our balcony on the 8th floor. There are much fancier places along hotel row here in Cancun, but this is one of the better swimming beaches.

 Welcome to Casa Maya. 

  Everything very nice and clean, and the wifi works well. Small extra charge for wifi.

This great old boat is at our beach, more photos coming on this. 

 Down the beach from us, in a more developed area. Beautiful beaches all along the coast with warm water!

 Dinner on the beach at Casa Maya.

Playing with my iPhone, waiting for the food to arrive.

Classic beach shot, lots of hanging out in the sun. I'm under my palapa in the shade, enjoying the mix of languages from all over, I think these people were from Romania? 

All the above photos were taken with my iPhone and processed in either iPhoto or Snapseed. My iPhone has a lower profile so people don't notice me getting shots like they do when I carry my Canon Rebel.

Goodbye Villas del Mar, Puerto Aventuras.

The experiment failed. I was hoping to stay here for too long, so that I would be ready to leave. We've been here for 4 weeks, and I could stay longer, maybe next time it be will enough...

I think Villas Del Mar is the best place to stay in Puerto Aventuras, best beach, best pool, location is right next to all the shops and restaurants, yet private and never crowded. Having our own 2 bed, 3 bath condo made it easy to have guests, cook our own food and have plenty of room to spread out, it was our home away from home, and a very nice one at that.
Joe took some great panoramas around our area, you can see them
HERE.

 View from our condo.

 Our condo is the one between the 2 palm trees, second floor, dark window with balcony to the left.

 Zero entry pool, a big hit with children and the Grackles bathe here at the end of every day.

Great-tailed Grackles, loved watching them in the water.

 Our part of the beach, where someone was always there to get you a lounge chair. 

Sitting under a palapa with a good book, priceless!

 Our unit is managed by Blue Caribbean rentals and they were very responsive to any requests, couldn't have asked for better.

 We always had the screen door open, and never any bugs.

The sofas are really straight, distortion is from making a panorama. Very comfortable. 

The Omni Pool bar, heated to make it easier to eat and drink while in water....

The Omni Hotel, with it's amenities, is next door to Villas del Mar.

 After lunch at the Omni we walk back to our condo next door, along the beach.

Farewell Puerto Aventuras, we're going to miss this lovely place.