The one thing I didn’t see when I went to Puerto Morelos in November 2023 was the botanical garden (Jardín Botanico Dr. Alfredo Barrera Marín). I decided to do that on my way to Cancún even though I knew that there wouldn’t be much more than greenery to see this time of year. I’ll have to go back in summer when the garden is in bloom. But what I really wanted was the two-hour nature walk!

Speaking of two hours, OMG, the driving to PM. It should have been quick, but there was a section in construction where we were crawling along at maybe an average of 5KPH. What a nightmare! I was so glad to be able to stop halfway to Cancún.

This structure was several stories tall and quite rickety, but it was worth climbing for the view. Speaking of climbing, thanks to my having access to healthcare now, I’m in the best shape of my life. Turns out I wasn’t out of shape these past few years when I would breathe hard and have chest pain at the slightest bit of cardiovascular effort. Rather, that was a symptom of my very advanced thyroid disease combined with the insulin resistance I got from it. A Canadian doctor would have never caught that. I remain grateful for my life here!

These are the only flowers I saw on the whole hike, right at the very end.

It was getting late and I wanted to have dinner with my friends in Cancún, but I knew exactly where to go for lunch in Puerto Morelos, so I still detoured for a refreshing passionfruit juice and some creamy pasta with shrimp at La Choza. While I waited for my lunch, I texted the hotel to let them know I was going to be late.