There is always something exciting about arriving in a new country at night. The heavy tropical air that fills your lungs and the chaos of drivers holding passenger signs as you exit the airport combine to create the feel of being somewhere different. Palm trees sweep past us as we ride into the dark. The Federales are stopping cars tonight but we get waved through. Signs in Spanish flash by - Tulum, Playa del Carmen, Rio Secreto - then the thrill of seeing a Puma Crossing sign, the possibilities are wonderful. We find our hotel then hit the streets. The main avenue reminds of us of a sedate version of Khao San Road. The feet-eating fish have made it across the ocean from Thailand. Our main entertainment is a salsa singer who balances ever-more improbable objects on his chin according the dares of the drunken patrons. Then it's time for some sleep. We try to navigate back to our hotel in the dark but the hotel has locked the gate near our room so we look for another way in. We are lost again.