Carol went walking and I set out for town on a bike to buy some postcards. As I entered Playa del Carmen, one pedal fell off. I walked through the early morning streets, asking in Spanish for a wrench or a pair of pliers, going deeper and deeper into the bowels (and we are talking lower intestine here) of the town. This is something you do not need to do. I finally found a bike repair shop with the proper llave espanico to put the pedal back. We met at the hotel and went up to Spices for breakfast overlooking the ocean. It was a buffet breakfast, so we made it a healthy one of delicious fresh fruits--pineapple, grapefruit, canteloupe...all right, so I took a little prosciutto--it was, after all, prosciutto di Palma from Italy...all right, so we took a few tiny croissants--there is a fabulous baker here. We spent the morning on the beach reading, swimming, and napping, and had a bit of lunch at the beach bar--margaritas, salsa, guacamole, chips, ceviche, calimares. Then we went up to the main building to buy some stamps at the gift shop. You can imagine the tchatchkes they sell in the shops here--Havana cigars, diamonds, Italian designer clothes and leather. We noticed how many maintenance staff were always on duty, even removing weeds with scissors.

We returned for another class in Spanish with not one, but three teachers this time: Isaac, Pepe, and Jose. A hora, hablamos espanol muy bien. We returned to the room to watch the conclusion of Dr. Strangelove, take a jacuzzi and shower, and rest before dinner.

Dinner was at Palazzo, the hotel's rooftop Italian restaurant. Each restaurant is better than the next. This one had an elegant setting and a fabulous menu. We continue to be astounded at the waiters. They are poor Mayan boys who are trained at the hotel. Here, our waiter spoke rather good Italian and was a superb waiter to boot. He could hold his own in any New York restaurant. The food was as good as anything in Providence--authentic bresaola with parmesan and spinach, endive salad with camarones and spinach, a divine portabello mushroom, spaghetti with mariscos and red sauce, and spinach canneloni with ricotta--all were superb. The wines, a Pinot Grigio and a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, were superb. Espresso and cappuccino were excellent. Desserts, a pear poached in red wine and tiramisu, were outstanding.

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