The Place: Playa del Carmen – first cup was at Coffee Stop and second cup was at Titi Panini.

The Cups: Cup 50 was an Americano enjoyed at Coffee Stop and Cup 51 was a lovely, refreshing Lemon-Cranberry Iced Tea at Titi Panini.

Background: I headed to Mexico for my first solo trip, ever. Part of the reason for the trip was to decide if I have what it takes to write a book. Yes, big news! Coffee With a Stranger has gotten the interest of a few folks in the book world who believe the project is interesting enough to turn into a book. I wanted to take some time to determine if I was ready to go from writing 2,500 word blog posts to writing an 80,000 word book. The answer – yes I am!

I decided to make time each day of the trip to talk with strangers. While I didn’t do so in my typical interview fashion, I did manage to meet some fascinating people with really incredible stories. Four of those people I will highlight here.

Paul is first up. He is the owner of a coffee shop I discovered based on many positive reviews on TripAdvisor, called Coffee Stop. As I sat and enjoyed a lovely Americano, I decided to visit with Paul a bit. He’s from England, so my total ineptitude with the Spanish language was, for once on the trip, not a hindrance.

I was curious how he found himself across the pond and running a business in Mexico. Interesting story!

Paul’s brother had come to Playa del Carmen in 2005. While in Mexico, another not so welcome visitor came – Hurricane Wilma. He was staying in a house with friends and many people were there riding out the storm together. The house guests all worked in pairs and took shifts pushing the water that was blowing into the home back out. Paul’s brother worked a shift with a young lady and in the hours they spent working to keep the water out, a little spark found it’s way in – to their hearts. They began a relationship that eventually turned into a wedding – which is how Paul found himself in Playa.

Now apparently Paul and his brother share this romantic tendency toward love at first sight, because on the trip, Paul was introduced to a young lady and they fell for one another. Paul had to go back to England, so they did the long distance for a while. Eventually, they couldn’t stand to be a part, so she moved to England. They had a nice life, but something about Playa kept calling to them so three years ago, they moved to Mexico. A few months into his new life, Paul decided he’d follow through on a dream he’d had for many years – to open a coffee shop.

I asked how business was going and Paul’s answer was very similar to the stories of entrepreneurs everywhere. It’s a lot of work and success comes much slower than you expect it to. But he keeps working and knows the dedication will pay off. Business in a town who’s economy is solely dependent upon tourism is a tricky thing. Playa has grown considerably over the last several years and Paul now has to compete not only with the other local coffee shops, now he’s also competing with Starbucks. {I just have to say, as much as I love me some Starbucks, I think it’s a shame to be in an exotic place and choose the same freakin’ coffee shop you overspend at every day back home! Try something new and support the local people!}

As Paul and I sat visiting, a man came in, greeted Paul in a way that suggested they were friends and sat down for coffee. I had expressed to Paul that hubby Dave and I have plans to semi-retire in a few years somewhere in Central America – Costa Rica most likely, but we’re open to Mexico, Belize or Panama. This got us talking about real estate and investing. So Paul introduced me to his friend, Bruno de Almeida – owner of GBR Property Service. He sells real estate and manages properties in the area and is a wealth of information. After two hours, Bruno and I (with Paul kindly serving as our translator) had talked all about the real estate market in Playa del Carmen and the surrounding areas. Not only that, but Bruno offered to show me a few apartments for sale close by so I could get an idea of what was available at various price ranges. Paul offered to walk with us and turned the shop over to his assistant while we headed out on our field trip.

How about that for the kindness of strangers?!? I was so touched by these two strangers taking time out of their busy days to show me around and explain the intricacies of doing business in Mexico. It was so delightful to meet both Paul and Bruno.

As I was about to leave, Paul asked what restaurants I’d eaten at while I was there. He then told me about one of his favorite spots and then, because it was just three doors down, he walked me over and introduced me to Mariana, the chef and co-owner of Titi Panini. Later that night, I decided I’d head back and give Mariana’s place a try and wow, I’m so glad I did!

Mariana Bustamante and her husband Arturo Valenzuela opened up Titi Panini three years ago and they report the same thing Paul reported – it hasn’t been easy. As Playa continues to grow, big businesses see the opportunity to take advantage of the increase in tourists, which makes it harder for the small businesses to keep going.

Mariana is a wonderful chef and the restaurant serves up fare that might be called Italian/Mexican fusion. The menu is full of interesting sandwiches and pasta dishes. One unique aspect of the place that I really enjoyed was their salad bar – which is not common in restaurants in Playa.

My meal began with a lovely salad of my own creation. As I sat in the 90+ degree heat, I decided warm pasta might just make me hotter, so I chose the Pollo Supremo Panini – chicken breast, bacon, blue cheese, avocado and lettuce. YUM! It was served on THE most incredible bread I’ve ever had! When Arturo brought the sandwich I thought it looked gorgeous and huge! But when I picked it up, I was surprised by how light the fluffy the bread was. It was incredible!

I enjoyed a refreshing Lemon-Cranberry Iced Tea with my meal and then, decided since it was the last night of my trip, I’d better order some dessert. I was torn between the Tiramisu and the Warm Apple Strudel. The cold scoop of vanilla ice cream served atop the strudel is what made the decision. I did not regret it! It was as delicious as it looked and worth the stuffed feeling I had to walk back to my hotel with.

Overall, I was touched by how friendly everyone I encountered on my trip was. I realized that this year of coffees with strangers has made me much more open to talking with the people around me. Striking up a conversation is easy for some people, but others of us aren’t as excited about the idea. I’ve found that even though it’s a little uncomfortable at first and that I’ve often felt a tad self-conscious at the start, people are open and are happy to have a little chat. And here’s the thing – I’ve never wished I hadn’t talk to someone. Never. On the other hand, I have wondered how many interesting and amazing people I’ve passed by and missed out on interacting with because I was too scared to say something.

Not anymore. As I get ready to embark on year two of this Coffee With A Stranger journey, one thing is for sure! I won’t end year two wondering how many people I could have talked to but didn’t. Instead, I will be reflecting on the countless incredible people I’ve met because I had the courage to get uncomfortable and meet the people all around me. I hope the project inspires you to do the same thing. Talk to a stranger and see where the experience takes you.

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