Leave the tourist resort and take a 55-cent bus ride to savor the sizzle of the Yucatan

Mexico "Beer Barrel Polka" bobs through the moist heat with a tropical, jack-in-the-box flair. The trio at the busy, open-air restaurant is a marimba band, and two of the musicians hammer away on their wooden cousin to a xylophone.

They wear white short-sleeve shirts and matching pants, and could pass as barbers in the States. Because their featured instrument is the size of a park bench, they can't stroll among the tables. They use eyes and smiles to encourage diners to place pesos in their upturned hat.