Mahahual to Chetumal, Mexico: An Otherworldly Lake, a Time Machine, and Great Presents for Everyone
Almost on cue, just minutes after my wife Jet was finished with her massage on the beach in Mahahual, the wind picked up, and we and everyone else could notice that the squalls that earlier were further out and more separated were now consolidating and moving closer. Evidently not strangers to what would happen next, everyone but us folded up and headed for nearby shelter. Having a full itinerary, we got in our van, retraced the road back to the main highway, and made a left...
When you envision someone in December packing their van in the middle of a driving rain, what pops into your mind? Do you see a person in swimming trunks and sandals? Probably not, unless you had 
If you want to travel by any vehicle in the Riviera Maya (Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Akumal, Tulum and everything in between), you’ll have to take the main highway. As in every other place in Mexico we’ve been, this means driving amongst Mexicans who drive way too fast to be safe, and lots of ill-advised passing. In addition, there are “returnos.” 
To paraphrase, add to, modernize (and a little bit botch) Robert Burns: “The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry… so it is great to have the Internet for quick research and decision-making.”
My new Mayan friend had a beautific smile. Most likely in her 50s, I met her as she and her family were making and selling sandwiches from the very small porch in front of her home with the half wall she used as a built-in shelf. On the street was a solitary plastic table covered by a plastic tablecloth, with two plastic chairs.
At each of the stops on