Playa del Carmen is a lovely Resort town in between Cancun and Tulum.
We're here on the Riviera Maya. As the name suggests,
unlike in Mexico City where you find the Aztec culture,
here you'll find a lot of Mayan influence.
Playa del Carmen is a charming resort town in Mexico.
It's located on the Yucatan Peninsula among other world famous destinations.
Keep an eye on the upcoming videos
as these are some of the places we're showing next,
so you'll be able to compare.
[laughs]
But back to Playa.
This place is popular for the various tours and ecoparks,
but let me show you how you can also have a great time on your own.
Good morning. [in Spanish]
Very interesting how you find a lot of foreigners here.
- Yeah. there's lots.
- But not only Americans.
I expected to only find Americans.
- No, there are some snowbirds...
-- From Canada. -- ...Germans [in Spanish]
and Croatians, even Croatians.
- Yeah, you hear all kinds of languages on the street.
This park here is called Los Fundadores or the Founders Park.
It's very centrally located. Impossible to miss it.
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This Monument here celebrates the mix of the Mayan culture
with the Mexican culture of today.
But it has another interesting meaning, too.
- Tequila. - No, no.
That the world didn't end.
According to the Mayan calendar, the world was supposed to end in 2012.
Remember that story? - Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- December 2012? - Okay.
- Well, it didn't. - It didn't.
It didn't. [laughs]
More precisely, December 21st, 2012.
And when you come to this square,
you're very likely to see this group
performing an ancient tradition.
Danza de los Voladores, literally, Dance of the Flyers.
It originated centuries ago in Central Mexico
and spread throughout Mesoamerica.
According to one myth, this ritual was created to ask the gods
to end a severe drought here.
This ritual was named an Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
And today, in order to preserve it,
it's performed in various cities and tourist destinations in Mexico.
There's a beach already right here, very close to the center.
Go ahead, Gordon.
- Warm? - Cabo Frio, Cabo Frio warm.
- Which means cold? [laughs]
- No, it's not cold. It's refreshing.
Cabo Frio is my favorite beach in Brazil.
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Here there are a lot of oceanfront bars.
It is free for you to use their beach chairs
as long as you consume something
The minimum consumption in this one over here
is 400 pesos per person.
Here is a nickname for Playa del Carmen:
Playa. - Playa.
- Playa. You can just say Playa.
- Play en la Playa.
- Easier for you? - Is it easy, yeah [in Portuguese]
- I never really understood the name Playa del Carmen
because Carmen is a woman's name in Spanish,
so it should be like Playa de la Carmen,
you know, in my thoughts.
So I had to do some research, I was so curious about it,
and I discovered the reason.
Playa Del Carmen is actually a homage
to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
According to the Catholic religion,
Virgin Mary appeared on Mount Carmel in Israel.
When you translate all that to Spanish, you use the male form, not the female.
So Playa del Carmen is actually a homage to Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
And right here on the square, you'll find the chapel.
This is the chapel of Our Lady of Carmel.
Here, it says that the chapel was built around 1960
by the first families here in Playa del Carmen.
So it shows how young this city, as we know it, is today.
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A couple blocks from the square, ta-da...
There's also a nice indoor-outdoor style mall over here.
Perfect for those rainy days.
Remember the line to buy tickets at the bus terminal in the first video?
Well, it is still here.
Every day like this.
There is one main avenue here in Playa del Carmen.
It's called Quinta Avenida,
translating, Fifth Avenue.
And what do you find here, Gordon?
- Is it like New York? Fifth Avenue?
- Well... - Trump...
- Exactly the opposite. - It's Fifth Avenue like New York.
- Very expensive. [in Portuguese]
- Well, in that, you're right.
Prices here are obviously more expensive
than in the rest of the town because it's the tourist area.
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You find a lot of shops... - Restaurants.
- ...restaurants, cafes, bars, souvenirs everywhere.
It is really fun to walk here.
It is charming. I love it.
- Yeah, it's charming, all the energy you need.
You find your wallet empty here.
- [laughs]
Do you see all these bars?
Yes, this is also the center of nightlife.
This avenue is huge.
It extends for several blocks, and it runs in parallel to the beach.
The beach is right over here. Look at the beach.
You just get into any street and you arrive right there.
And what's best about Quinta Avenida?
This is a pedestrian-only avenue.
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Two things you'll find everywhere here.
Hats... - Hats [in Portuguese]
- [laughs] And I'd say swimming shoes.
Everywhere. Every single shop has them.
This is a paradise for me.
Now one thing that is a little shocking for me to see
is that prices are in dollars.
Look at this. And very, very tiny in pesos.
This is really for tourists.
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If Fifth Avenue was busy during the day,
imagine at night.
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-Tequila, my friends?
- No, thank you. Later, later.
- What is it that you've been offered the most here?
- Tequila. - Tequila everywhere.
[laughs]
- They even offer some free ones.
- Yeah, just to get you in.
The cheap stuff. It's water.
- Hello! - Hello.
No, thank you.
Money exchange during the day and in the evening.
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One of the main reasons why I love being in Mexico is the food.
I really love Mexican food.
But the food here is very different
from the Tex-Mex that we have everywhere
in the United States,
especially here in the Riviera Maya.
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There are so many restaurants and bars here along Fifth Avenue,
and probably for all tastes, for all prices also.
So you basically just walk around and see what you like most.
We chose one here that has a nice view from the second floor.
[music]
Menu in Spanish, huh? - Yes [in Spanish]
- How easy is it for you to understand?
- Everything. [in Portuguese]
- Yeah, Mexican food is not that difficult, huh?
- No. - Very familiar with.
- Not at all.
- Pineapple juice. How beautiful!
Look at Gordon's face.
[laughs]
- Cheers! [in Spanish] - Cheers!
It's make your own tacos.
- Yeah, let's see how good you are with tacos now.
- Make them. - Make them, yeah.
Tacos alambre.
- And what comes with that?
- Beef, onions, cheese.
- Bacon? Chorizo?
- Does it? - Yeah.
- I guess. - [laughs]
- I don't know.
What about mushrooms, is that a surprise?
- Yeah. I've never seen mushrooms.
- It was not on the menu.
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Mine came ready because it's a quesadilla,
meat quesadilla.
[music]
Very, very good.
The cheese that they use here is different from the cheese
that they use in the Mexican restaurants in the U.S.,
like Tex-Mex, you know.
I think here, this is Oaxaca cheese,
which is cheese from the region of Oaxaca.
It is delicious. I love it.
Thanks. [in Spanish]
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The only disadvantage of being centrally located...
is when you're trying to sleep.
The beach is very inviting, but we got different plans for today.
Today should be an adventure.
We're going to a cenote near Playa,
and we're doing it the local way.
We're going by shuttle. [in Spanish]
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That was really, really easy.
You just tell the driver where you want to go, and he drops you.
We're coming to Cenote Azul which is right by the freeway
between Playa and Tulum.
So easy.
MX$ 120 to get in here,
and there is an additional fee if you have a professional camera.
So because of that,
we're gonna do everything with the GoPro.
To use the GoPro and cell phones it's totally free
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Smile.
The water is a little bit cold.
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- There's fish here.
They want to...
- You were bit. [laughs]
- Yeah. It bit my toe.
[music]
If you stand still for a long time, the fish start biting you.
[music]
- One, two, go.
- No words to describe how beautiful this place is.
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Cenotes are freshwater sinkholes that you can come and swim.
They are all over the Yucatan Peninsula.
Some of them are open to the public, some are not.
For some, you need a tour to go visit.
We chose this one here exactly because it's open.
Anyone can just come, just walk,
pay the entrance fee, and enjoy.
The access, as you saw, is really, really easy,
both from Playa de Carmen or Tulum.
We're right in between, Playa and Tulum.
We got here in 20 minutes from the location we got the van.
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After some time, you get used to the water,
and it is so refreshing, right?
- Yes, as you get eaten alive.
- [laughs]
The water is crystal clear because it's rainwater
filtered through limestone rocks.
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Visiting a cenote is definitely a unique experience here
when you come to the Riviera Maya.
And if you do it on your own, it's actually really cheap
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Very important, you should not wear sunscreen, lotion,
sunblock, mosquito repellent, any of that.
That's why we're wearing these shirts like this.
You look good in blue.
- Blue for blue [in Spanish]. - Yeah, yeah.
Blue cenote - blue shirt
There are hundreds of miles
of this underground river system here.
So one cenote probably connects to the other.
If you're a diver, you may even be able to go from one to the next.
[music]
Lunchtime the local way.
What did you get?
- Chorizo. - Tacos.
You got tacos with chorizo. - Yeah.
[music]
And for me, probably my favorite dish in Mexico,
quesadilla.
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There are so many more things to do in Playa del Carmen
that you could come here and have a totally different experience.
But for now, we're moving on,
and this time, by boat.
Whoo-hoo.