Day 1 in Playa Del Carmen (3/3/22):

-My first impression of Playa del Carmen is I love it. The combination of city and nature while being dog and expat friendly are big pros for me.
-This guy was randomly selling crickets and peanuts on the street. I was happy to oblige him. In fact, it brought me back to my Southeast Asia days.
-I had the luck of being green lit by the drug search dog while waiting for my bus. I explained to the officers that I am working at an animal rescue in Chetumal and transporting supplies for them, so everything on me either smells like dog or is pet food. They thought it was a cover story so they searched me, my jacket, my wallet, checked my documentation, and questioned me for a few minutes. I laughed a bit because I had nothing to hide and had an answer for every question despite their certainty I was up to no good. In the end, they had nothing and had to let me go.
-I linked up with a girl who was also an animal rescuer and could put down temazcal. I had to laugh at how fate loves irony.
-Chilaquiles are a revelation.

What was different about me for PDC (Playa del Carmen)? It just had a vibe of a lot to see and do, nature, and blending modern yet local living. I wasn’t in PDC long enough to get a fair assessment of if I could for sure live there or not, but I would definitely visit again and enjoyed my short time there.