Dear Asher,

One thing we have enjoyed since Granny joined us on our trip are the regular foot massages. Granny is an expert foot masseuse and can almost guarantee that during a treatment, her clients will fall asleep from pure relaxation. Since you and your mom are co-sleeping, she lays with you during each of your naps. Most days, Granny would sneak into the room and massage your mom’s feet until the both of you were sleeping like angels. Though Granny loves a good foot massage, her battered feet do not get a lot of attention. Granny’s feet look like they belong to a Nepalese Sherpa from years of working outdoors at the camp and buying footwear from thrift stores. But today her feet got a lot of attention from hundreds of little fish.

We decided to return to Playa Del Carmen so we could stroll along the beach and 5^th Avenue without being rushed for time or weighed down carrying bags of groceries. Granny and Grumpy enjoyed watching the early morning sun rise over the silvery ocean and taking pictures of us walking along the shore. Granny and Grumpy also loved the atmosphere on 5^th Avenue, stopping for Starbucks, buying little gifts from the street vendors and doing a whole lot of people watching. When Granny saw the sign for a fish foot spa, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be pampered. A man who spoke broken English tried his hardest to also get Grumpy to try the spa treatment, but Grumpy held his ground insisting that his feet were already as delicate as your little bottom. Feet have to be washed before dipping them into the tank and when the man removed Granny’s sandals to give them a good wash, we saw him startle briefly as his eyes widened. He was definitely earning his money this round. When Granny stuck her feet in the tank, a flurry of activity sent water slushing everywhere. It looked as if the toothless garra rufa fish were replaced with ravenous piranha as they tackled the calloused soles and crooked nails. Granny screeched with delight as her feet have never had so much attention and we wondered if it was normal for the fish to start floating on the surface upside down.

Asher, you loved all of the action on 5^th Avenue and all of the action loved you. You brought a smile to everyone’s face as you waddled down the shady streets and a few people even asked if they could take your photo. We talked to dozens of travelers about our backpacking adventures and they were all amazed and eager to read about it online. You loved playing in the fountain and picking out the river rock and with all of the excitement, you still managed to communicate your elimination needs. Asher, you have amazed us during this entire trip and today you continued to inspire everyone we met. With stuffed fish from Granny’s pampered feet, a memory card full of great photos, and bellies topped up at Grumpy’s favorite taco stand, we jumped into the stuffed collectivo back to our apartment with hearts fully satiated from another great day.