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Cozumel Island
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Mayan Ruins
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Cozumel Trip Report Getting out of the car, I realized that my purse containing most of our travel cash and my driver's license was at home on the counter. (Think I was a little anxious to get on the road?) So my loving husband said..."Stay here, I'll be back in 45 min!" Suddenly, Susie realizes that when she was cleaning out her wallet, she accidentally put HER license in the "leave at home" pile. She and I told Tim "Stay here, wait for Mark, we'll meet you at the hotel!" I know, I know, this doesn't sound like a good start, right? Believe me, it does get better!!! Friday morning, up at 4, shuttle to HHH at 4:30, get through check-in and board the plane and we're really on our way to Coz. Smooth flights and a few "warm-up" cocktails on the way and before we knew it, we were landing at CZM. Alicia and Chuco were there to meet us with smiles and warm Holas. Got to the B&B and got settled in, visited a bit. Called Alamo and Freddie came to pick us up to get our car. We had reserved a Bug, but they only had a Tracker at the time. Freddie said he'd call us when they got a Bug, but we ended up with the Tracker for the entire week, which was just fine with us! Same price, and with Tim being 6'2", climbing over the back of the Tracker was easier than into the back of a Bug I'm sure. The B&B is lovely, and Alicia and Chuco soon become like family. Of course, Chavita, the Princess of Cozumel had to inspect our bags and find the one with the MilkBones! Alicia gave us directions to El Moro, and off we went to enjoy a wonderful first dinner in Coz. The raves I've read about the shrimp-on-a-wire are all true!!After dinner, we drove downtown, wandered around the square a while, before heading back for a good night's rest. Tomorrow, the lighthouse and a taste of the East side... Day 2 in Paradise (2/24) Woke up to the smell of fresh
coffee drifting in from the patio and aromas of our first of Chuco's marvelous
breakfasts coming from the kitchen. Who could stay in bed?? There
was a shower during the night, but the sun is shining now! Day 3 - Snorkeling and being lazy (2/25) We're up again at 7:30 (which for all four of us is sleeping in!) After a cup of coffee on the patio, we join Don and Valerie from breakfast and discuss our plans for the day. This morning Chuco has made eggs over easy on fried tortillas, topped with his "secret sauce." More fresh fruit and guac...delicious!Off to San Francisco market to stock up our cooler with cervesas, water and ice. Then we drove out to Dzul Ha, stake a claim on a palapa and get ready to put our faces in the water! It's the first time snorkeling for Tim and Susie, and it took the usual 30 seconds to make them addicts! We stayed out for a while, seeing quite a few fish, then took a break. Had a snack and rested up for round two. While we were eating we met a great couple, Keith and Beverly, from Wisconsin. They had just come in on Saturday and filled us in on the "lovely" weather we had just missed back home. They had almost a two hour delay getting out of Mpls just 24 hours after we left there. Oh, it's good to be in Mexico!! Spent a couple hours visiting with Keith and Beverly and just relaxing. Then, back in the water for more snorkeling! Headed N this time and let the current take us back S. Saw more fish this time, angels, flounder and a HUGE parrotfish. (Hope that pic turns out) About 4:30 we all decide a siesta would be nice, so it's back to Alicia's. After a nice nap and a shower, we jump back in the Tracker and go downtown. It's Sunday, and Carnival, so the square is especially busy. What great people watching!! Tonite it's the French Quarter for dinner. My husband is a BBQ ribs lover, so he's anxious to try the famous baby backs. I had Mahi Mahi, Susie tried the crabmeat au gratin, and Tim had the seafood platter. Everything, including the service, was wonderful and I guarantee none of us left hungry!! I think the snorkeling and sun are catching up with all of us, as I notice a few yawns and sleepy looks. Time to call it a night... Fishing tomorrow!! We say goodbye to Don and Val who are leaving today for a week on the mainland. And we meet the four new guests who arrived from MN last night. Turns out that Jim, Dawn, Kyle and Chrissy don't live too far from Tim and Susie! When Mark mentions to Jim and Kyle that we're going fishing their eyes light up and it's set...they'll go with us!! Because we just have the Tracker, Mark makes two trips to get us all to the caleta. We're all there, find Memo and his mate Cesar, board the boat and away we go! We trolled south a long ways and end up just out from the Punta Sur beach we enjoyed on Sat. No luck trolling. We did have one hit, but missed the fish. Now we settled in to bottom fish with heavy line, a weight and a baited hook. Cesar dropped my line in, showing me how to let it out hand over hand. All of a sudden he gives it a jerk, hands me the line and says "Pull it up!" I landed the first fish...a 'banana fish' which soon turned into bait, lol! For the next several hours we drifted out, moved back in to shallower water, drifted back out, catching quite a nice assortment of fish - beautiful bright orange groupers, another variety of grouper, a few grunts, and some very impressive trigger fish!! Everyone on the boat caught fish, and if someone wasn't having any luck, Cesar jumped in to help. We decided that he was truly the master angler of the party! We caught more than enough fish to take back to the B&B, where Chuco had promised to prepare our catch for dinner. We also sent plenty home with Memo and Cesar, who seemed to have as much fun as we did! Mark was beginning to feel (and look) a bit "green around the gills," and we had plenty of fish, so we headed back. We trolled on the way back, but again no luck. Our captain and first mate prepared us a lunch of sandwiches, offered cold drinks, etc. on the return trip. Once the lunch was over, they took turns operating the boat and cleaning the fish. By the time we were back to the caleta, the filets were bagged and ready to go. Mark got to feeling better and by the time we docked in the caleta, he was fine. We settled up with Memo and Cesar, and Mark started the Tracker shuttle back to the B&B. Chuco worked his culinary magic and by the time we were showered and dressed, dinner was ready! And what a treat it was - incredible doesn't begin to describe it! Tonite we go downtown, walk off a bit of our dinner and decide to brave the crowd at Carlos & Charlie's! We got a table up front overlooking the street, so we had fresh air and a prime location for people watching inside and out. A few rounds of cocktails later, we've had enough, so while we can still safely drive we head back home and to sleep...very soundly! lol Oh, a personal side note...before C&C's, we went back to a jewelry store where we'd spotted a ring a few days earlier. My darling husband bought it for me as an early gift in celebration of our 20th anniversary this June. Guess I'll keep him! :-) Day 5 - Fat Tuesday! (2/27) Starting everyday waking up to bright sunshine, coffee outdoors followed by Chuco's cooking is getting to be a habit that all of us can live with!! This morning its seasoned fried potato patties topped with more of the mystery sauce! (I don't think Susie ever did get the recipe...lol!)Today we are going to torture our co-workers, friends and family back home in the land of ice and snow. We had given them instructions to check the webcam at high noon! So Mark and I make a quick run to San Francisco market to buy a magic marker and see if we can talk them out of a couple pieces of cardboard. Then it's back to Alicia's to start making signs. We spend some time visiting at the B&B and thanking Chuco again for last night's dinner! Armed with signs that say "HOLA MN" and "SNOW MUCH?" we head downtown, find a parking place and walk to the Calling Station. After a few minutes to figure out where we have to stand to be "on camera" we position ourselves, hold up the signs, and create quite the curiosity for the next ten min or so!! There are at least 5 cruise ships in port today and with Carnaval going on, the sidewalks are nearly impassable! Back on the side streets, various dance groups are cruising around, music playing, stopping occasionally to dance in the middle of the street. It's crazy! and wonderful!! We all agree that some lunch is in order, so we head to Las Palmas, a little place we discovered last year. Just a small family operated loncheria where you can get a huge plate of fajitas for about $3 US. Wouldn't you know it, they are closed today because of the festivities...rats!! (Never did make it this trip, but you can bet we will next time!) We decide on La Choza a couple block away instead. After a good lunch, it's time for siesta. Want to get rested up to brave the crowds and enjoy the big parade tonite. Wow, did we crash! It was almost 6 when we woke up, so it was quick showers, dress and head back downtown by 7. The parade was well underway and we caught the first floats on their way back south along Melgar. The costumes and floats are beautiful beyond belief. We are amazed at the time and effort that has gone into the preparation. I did get some great pics and will try to post some soon!! After some time people watching on the plaza, we enjoy a late dinner at Villa Blanca near the southeast corner of the square. The food was good, including the Mantaray tacos Tim tried. And they make a mean banana daquiri, right Susie? We're trekking to Tulum in the morning, so we don't stay out too late. Back to Alicia's for another restful night. Boy, our days are slipping away too quickly... Day 6 - Tulum (2/28) Our plan was to catch the 8 am ferry, but hey, we're on vacation...we'll just
take the 9 o'clock instead! Another cup of coffee on the patio and another
of Chuco's breakfasts and we're out the door. We awake again to another perfect, beautiful Cozumel morning. Breakfast this
morning is Mayan scrambled eggs and fresh tortillas, with fruit and more of
Chuco's guacamole (how am I going to survive without this stuff?). Day 8 - Time to go home (3/2) Chuco has made empanadas this morning...tortillas stuffed with potatoes, sausage, or cheese and fried just right..mmm-mmm! I start to wonder if he'd fit in my suitcase? (Just kidding Alicia!!) We just know we'll have to come back here again...the sooner, the better!Lots of scurrying around, packing our bags, checking under the beds, etc... and a kind of sad quiet. Chavita comes in for her morning treat and then retreats to her chair on the front patio so she doesn't have to watch us pack. We have to return the Tracker to Alamo, so we go downtown, Freddie checks it over, we pay in cash and get our credit card slips back. Smooth sailing! Tim has had his eye on a pair of boots all week, so they head to the leather shop to see if they can make a deal. Seems they are successful and end up getting two beautiful alpaca teddy bears in a package deal with the boots! (That Susie is a tough bargainer...lol!) There are lots of cruisers in town again today; shops are busy, sidewalks are crowded. We do some other last minute shopping and then catch a cab to the B&B to say our goodbyes. Time to write a note in Alicia's guest book, lots of hugs and and handshakes, and some tears. We have a 1:30 flight, and it's 11:45, so we go out to 65th to try to catch a cab. With four of us and quite a bit of luggage, this took a while! lol. Finally, a cabbie stops and we squeeze our bags in the back, jump in and in about 5 min, we're at the airport. Check-in goes smoothly and we just wait for them to give us the boarding call. The flight to Dallas-Fort Worth is smooth and uneventful, but unfortunately we have to sit on the plane on the ground for an hour and forty minutes before we can get up to a gate to go through customs!! Once we get to the gate, they really hustle us through customs and in about 30 min we're boarding again and off to Mpls. Our flight was scheduled to get in at 7:15 and ended up getting in at 8:15. All things considered, not too bad! Time to say goodbye to Tim and Susie and head home to see our kids. It's been a wonderful week and it's hard to see it end...but we all agree that it won't be our last trip to Cozumel, the island Paradise! Please bear with me for a moment to share a special personal note? Last May, we were at Tim and Susie's for their daughter, Jessi's Confirmation. Susie's mom was there and we were talking about taking this trip together. The last thing her mom said to me when she gave me a hug goodbye was..."make sure they do this." Two months later, Marylou suffered a heart attack and Susie lost her mom. I kept my promise, and it was a time that will always be extra special for all of us. Peace to all... and happy travels! Lodging Reviews
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