One of my favorite destinations, Yucatan is a place I can visit multiple times a year. Which we did this time, returning after only a few months. We were there in the spring of 2017, and we set off for the same destination once again, on New Year’s Eve.
Air Travel on the Day of New Year’s Eve
I wasn’t sure what to expect when we set off to the airport on the morning of New Year’s Eve. It was my birthday, and it was the second year that I spent half my birthday traveling.
Last year we were driving back from a short trip, but this time we were flying away for a week. I’ve never been on a plane on a Holiday. We try to avoid it when we can. However, this time it just worked out with our “free” tickets. We travel on points many times since we do have frequent flier miles and credit cards that add flying points from purchases.
The airport was almost deserted. Getting through security was a breeze, and the flight itself was one of the most pleasant I have experienced in a long time. The plane was half empty.
Since they had no stress that comes with crowded planes, too many different people to please, the stewardesses were at their most pleasant. We could sit wherever we wanted, take a whole row if we felt like it. When we commented on how we’ve never been on a plane so empty and didn’t expect to be on one on a Holiday, the stewardess commented,
“Yes, because everyone thinks they don’t want to travel on New Year’s Eve. You should not think like everyone.”
We landed on time, got our rental car, and by dinnertime, we were in Puerto Morelos, where I did make a reservation in a hotel, knowing that it might get booked. We rarely make reservations, but this time I was glad I did. It was the only way we got a room. Though we could’ve slept on the beach, the weather was perfect, and there are no bugs by the ocean.
New Year’s Eve in Puerto Morelos
Once we got our room, we set off for dinner. Our favorite restaurant, on the beach, was more crowded than I ever saw it, and they were closing for the night.
We stopped at one of the other ones we knew from the old days. It was half-empty.
“Do you have reservations?”, asked the greeter. We didn’t, so we couldn’t stay.
The same thing happened in two other restaurants.
We finally decided that we would eat some street food or a cliff bar for New Year’s Eve dinner. But we walked around some more, off the main square. We didn’t hope for much, all the restaurants that lined the streets were full.
Still, we stopped and asked if they had a table available at another one of the smaller restaurants we ate at in the past. Yes, they did, if we gave them a minute to set it up. They moved a few chairs, and tables around then invited us to sit.
Someone at a neighboring table tried to order two different things they didn’t have. We looked at each other and smiled. “Here we go again.” When our waiter got there, we asked,
“What do you have on the menu?”
“Almost everything”, he answered. “Except coconut shrimp and any chicken.”
We still had a few choices. They did have fish, and that’s what I cared about. We were in a fishing village on the sea, after all.
The New Year’s celebration at midnight was subdued. We watched kids lined up in front of a piñata in the shape of a person with 2017 written on it. They took turns hitting it, until it opened. We weren’t close enough to see, but I think they had to break free the New Year, 2018.
A Week of Exploring Old and New Places on the Peninsula
