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Cozumel Island
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Cozumel Trip Report Cozumel 2000It seemed at first like a doomed idea. The two of us have been to many interesting and beautiful places since we were married nine years ago. These trips were often therapeutic in nature as they gave us an escape from the pressures of managing a mixed family household. Co parenting and stepfamilies are not always delightful Brady Bunch experiences and the brief getaway was just what we needed. But this time we decided to take all the kids who wanted to go. Of all those invited two of Carolyn's (Michael and Jason) and three of Ken's (Celeste, Camille, and Emily) took us up on the offer. We chose Cozumel because of the water (warm, turquoise, and caribbean), Suntrips, and the fact that we went there on our honeymoon back in '91 and just loved it.This plan was made possible by an adjustment on out W-2 withholding, i.e.. we got a big tax refund this past spring. We worked directly with Suntrips and ended up paying in the neighborhood of $540 per person. We then went searching on the internet for a place to stay. A hotel wouldn't do, we needed a house. We ended up with the Casa Caribena which was offered through At Home in Cozumel. We were there in the off season so it cost us $2156 for seven nights. We left San Francisco Intl. at midnight on Sunday, July 10. After flying for 5 1/2 hours of cramped torture we arrived at Cancun about 7am. After clearing immigration and customs we only had to wait another hour or so to grab the small twin-engine Fokker to Cozumel. A couple of notes of interest here. With the cheap fares of Suntrips you also get the cramped quarters of sold-out flights. But the trade off is a fair one. Also, if you are taking your step-kids with you make sure you have the documentation. That is a real birth certificate and a notarized statement from the parent at home that is okay to take the kid out of the country with you. We had these just in case and were asked for them several times. If you don't have it you don't go. Monday After flying all night and getting little sleep everybody just crashed for the best part of the day. While the kids slept Carolyn and I went into town to get some money from the ATM and buy some groceries. ATM's are a great way of handling your money. The rate is very good, you can withdraw up to 3,000 pesos and the fee is nominal. I've found out in the past that no one wants travelers checks, and they are in US dollars. So you still have to convert them to pesos and wait in the line at the bank or take a bite on the exchange rate at the casas de . After getting pesos downtown (all the banks are on the east side of the plaza) we walked to the market. This was a mistake. Chedruai is across the street from Plaza las Glorias and that is a good 10 or 12 blocks from downtown. Chedruai is a big new market that has just about everything you could want (except pinatas) and at a good price. We bought all of our groceries here. Also, if you want to buy vanilla or tequilla to take home get it here as you will save alot over buying it downtown. Taxi fare from downtown was usually about 30 pesos. When we got home everybody was still crashed. It was going to be a lazy day. So we just did what came to be a favorite activity while there; we sat under the palapa in the backyard and watched life go by on the ocean. When everybody began stirring we started dinner and then went swimming in the sea right in our backyard. There is a ladder and a cement platform for access into and out of the sea. We used this a lot. We did not opt for the homecooked meals plan. With 8 of us it would have cost much more than buying groceries and using the kitchen ourselves. Not to mention we knew we'd be eating out a bunch of times. As it turns out you are not alone in the house. Javier and Rosi (the caretakers and people who would have been doing the cooking) live right there also, but not really in the house. They are kinda in the back, separate. If we were homeymooners and running around naked most of the time, and having sex in interesting places this would not have been a good arrangement, but since we were there with the entire family it did not matter. Tuesday Around noon we all loaded into two taxis and went into town. We wanted to look around some and make our obligatory visit to the Hard Rock. Prices, quality and noise were about the same as in the states. After lunch we walked around downtown. While on the pier checking out the ferry schedule for wed. I talked to a guy who had a glass-bottom boat and arranged a snorkeling trip for thursday. It was only $25 per person and he would come out to our house to pick us all up at the little dock in our backyard. Wednesday We all got up early today and went to catch the 7am ferry to Playa del Carmen. Our intent was to rent a van so all of us could go to Chichen itza. After a lot of looking there were no vans to be had so we rented two Chevy Monzas ( don't ask what kind of car that is here) and after two hours of waiting and delaying and getting gas at the local Pemex station we were off. We headed north on the main road (307) and just past Puerto Morelos we took the turnoff that led us to the new toll road that goes all the way to Merida. This new road is kind of expensive but it is sooooooo much better than the old highway. We saw few other cars and got there in a couple hours. Carolyn and I were the only ones to have seen this before so needless to say everyone was inspired. We climbed as many buildings as we could (alot were roped off) and went to the cenote to see where they threw the virgins. On the way back from the cenote it started to rain, than pour, and then thunder and lightning too. We were drenched in less than a minute and beat it back to the visitors center for shelter. After about a half hour wait it stopped enough to continue. But now we were wet, the ground was wet and the sun came out. In less than an hour the heat and humidity was killer and we headed to the parking lot. We ate at one of the buffet places back in Piste where all the tour busses go. Nothing to write home about. We hurried to get back to catch the 7pm ferry but were a little late and the next one was at 9pm so we killed some time in Playa del Carmen. Its amazing to see this place. Ten years ago there was practically nothing here. We watched a guy do a painting with cans of spray paint and found a McDonalds while we waited. When we finally got home we were bushed. Thursday At 9am our snorkel guy was waiting for us at our back dock. We all hopped in and he took us to four sites where the reef was not so deep we couldn't dive to get a closer look. It was a fun few hours for the kids but the best snorkeling trip we've ever been on was in the BVI on Peter Is. He even took us by the sunken plane just off the International Pier. Today was Michael's birthday so in the afternoon we all went to the plaza for dinner and shopping. We ended up at Pizza Rolandi. The meal was okay but the entertainment was better. There was a little turtle scooting around the floor under all tables. My wife decided to take a walk on the wild side and ordered a lemonade with her meal. Coincidentally she was sick the next day. We took a bunch of Cipro with us just in case and it came in handy. After dinner we all went to the plaza and bought recuerdos. BTW the farther you get from the plaza the cheaper the prices get on identical items. Friday Friday morning we called Alamo and arranged to rent a couple Trackers for a day. They came out to get us and we went to the office downtown to get them. The Trackers were around $60 each. Taxis are numerous and relatively cheap but having a car is much better. We went back home and picked everyone up and headed north to the end of the road. We found a guy there renting horses. Rancho Los Laureles. It was $25 per person for an hour or so. We went through the jungle and along the beach. It looked more fun in the pictures than it was in person. A note of interest here. Don't do this with shorts on. For dinner this afternoon we went to Palmeras right there in front of the ferry pier. It was okay but not necessarily mexican food. The sodas were like a buck and a quarter each. Afterwards we loaded into the Trackers and headed south to circle the island. The windward side is still the prettiest. We stopped and played in the waves and were totally alone. It was getting dark so we had to leave. Incredible sunset. Saturday Saturday morning we woke up to the sound of torrential rain. We made a mad dash out to the front of the house in an attempt to get the tops up on the Trackers. Too late. We had wet butts the rest of the day whenever we got out of the cars. After breakfast we loaded up and went to see the ruins at San Gervasio. They were bigger than I had imagined. After a brief tour we headed back to town to turn in the cars. Once on food we walked around a little and had lunch at Comida Casera Tonita. this place was very reasonable, had somewhat authentic food, and to boot it had impressively clean bathrooms. I recommend this place. Sunday This was it. The last day. After breakfast we went into town only to find most everything closed. The deal was there were no cruise ships in town today. That being the case most everything was closed. Every day we were there (except sunday) there were anywhere from one to five cruise ships in town. They wouldn't arrive in the morning only either. But the funny thing was with no cruise ships the place closed down. We went back home and returned in the late afternoon for dinner. This time we ate at Casa Denis. Its mentioned in most the books. I also very much liked this place. Prices were a half to a third of the other restaurants and the food was equal or better. For fun I paid a couple street musicians 30 pesos to serenade my wife. After dinner we wandered around the plaza waiting for the Sunday night social event. Every Sunday night lots of the locals dress all up and come down to the Plaza to watch people, socialize, and listen to music played by the band in the little round stage in the center of the plaza. Unfortunately the band never showed that night so everyone just stood around sort of waiting. But ten years ago it was different. It was the social event of the week. Campesinos would dress up in their best clothes (fancy shirts, big sombreros, and silver tipped boots) and check each other out while the women would talk and the kids would run around playing games. Now days its fancy Nikes and baggy skater pants. So much for old Mexico. Monday Finding two taxis at 6AM on a Monday morning is a difficult task. We found one taxi and he made two trips to the airport and back to get us all there. The flight back to San Francisco was uneventful except for two things. Cozumel has this little shakedown number they do to all people who go through there. They charge you a $13 departure tax that somehow is not paid with your tickets. We were warned about this so we had the money available but I can't help thinking if this were a legitimate fee it would be included in all the other numerous taxes you already pay in your tickets. Bogus. The other thing was our plane was late in arriving from San Francisco. Late by about 5 hours. No explanations were given we just waited. Unfortunately this put us home right in the middle of rush hour going over the Bay Bridge. Not a pretty sight. Oh well, these things happen. And after all it was a fun trip for all. Observations: My wife and I honeymooned in Cozumel back in 1991 and loved it for it's laid back old Mexico charm. Not like Cancun to the north. The plaza on Sunday night was the highlight of the trip. Now in 2000 I could not believe how much had changed. The town of San Miguel was MUCH bigger. Traffic was much worse and a lot of the charm was gone. As a Caribbean location it was still spectacular but not as quaint. The only thing the same was the windward side of the island. Basically I attribute this to the cruise ships. Back in '91 they docked at Playa del Carmen and you took a ferry over and then met up with the ship later docked in Cancun. Now there are anywhere from 1 to 5 ships a day in dock. Nine years ago it seemed that most people spoke quite a bit of English. This trip was different. Were it not for the fact that I could speak Spanish we would not have been able to do many of the things we did. We always use pesos. As I said before I recommend the ATM's. You get a good rate and its relatively cheap. If you let the merchants convert your dollars to pesos for your purchases, they come out ahead. Taxis are relatively cheap but if you are there for a while rent a car for at least a day or two. There is much to see by just wandering. I'm sorry to say we did no diving . Next time we're here this will be mandatory. Take the inexpensive charters that offer air/room deals. Like Suntrips from the west coast . The flight is 5 hours of hell but it's worth it for the week of relaxation. And you just can't beat the price. We have so many pictures we put them on another page. So go to Cozumel Pictures. Lodging Reviews
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