Liz: Day Four: Lessons Learned

Today was wonderful, then tough, then tougher, then back to wonderful.  We learned several lessons today.
1.   Tip stands for To Insure Prompt service.   It can make a world of difference in Mexico where many people in the service industry are paid only with tips.  It made a huge difference for us today.  I'm so glad we learned this lesson early into our trip.
2.  It is very cheap and convenient to take the bus in Cancun. At  $8.50 pesos each, it cost just over two dollars to get from our hotel to the beach.
3.  There are several public access entrances to the beach and they are free.  You just have to pay 5 pesos to use the bathroom.
4.  The ocean is warm, warmer than the swimming pools. It feels amazing.
5.  When bargaining, it is important to be able to easily convert dollars to pesos in your head or you could end up paying $25 for a beach towel.
6.  There are some really beautiful beach towels for sale at the flea market in Cancun.
7.  When I'm walking out with Patrick and the kids in Cancun, he gets all the offers for sales and nobody bothers me.  When I walk by myself I get about twenty times more offers with more pressure and more suggestions.
8.  You should always know exactly where you are going on the bus by name so that the bus driver won't think you're on the wrong bus and make you get off so that you have to walk the rest of the way with two tired kids. 
9.  When you find yourself walking unexpectedly through a part of town you are obviously not from, you may recieve helpful tips from expatriates, like "You're visiting aren't you?  Don't walk two blocks in that direction, especially at night."
10.  When you arrive back at your hotel after a challenging day, it is wonderful to receive exceptional service, like drinks brought to the hot tub for you, special food prepared for your kids just because, and your room cleaned with extra special care.