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Cozumel Island
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Cozumel Trip Report Toni and my first day in Oz! My daughter, Toni, and I headed out Friday morning, May 11, for a 4 day, 18th birthdaycelebration in Cozumel. I was looking forward to some great bonding time between us. She was looking forward to the first legal beer she could have in front of her Mom! Well, both of us got what we wanted! Turns out she's not much of a boozer, (thank you, God!)and Strawberry Daq's at Playa Azul were her favorite! A non-eventful flight brought us into a slightly overcast Cozumel at about noonish. As we descended, the excitement settled in! The colors of the water, the beaches, the hotels and that wonderful town were all visible and everyone in the plane was craning their necks to catch the sights! I love that part of coming into Coz! We grabbed our bags and walked the block to the road where we snagged a cab to the Sol Cabanas Del Caribe, along with a stop at Sedena for pops and cervesas, for $5. My first reaction was that it's HOT in Cozumel in May! I've been to Coz many times, but never after March. The difference in the seasons is amazing and I don't think I'd like it much in August! Toni was just excited to FINALLY be there! After years of hearing about the island, she was about to experience it. Sol Cabanas, as usual, was fabulous! The room I had requested (209) was ready, the Rum Punches were handed out as we checked in, and Ceaser, Miguel and Louis were all fawning over my beautiful blond daughter as she sucked it all in. For those of you who have been to the Sol Cabanas, you know how wonderful it is. For those of you who haven't, just imagine stepping out of your car onto a wide, deep marble and wood lobby open all the way from the front to the back, where the views are of sands so white they hurt your eyes, abundant palms, the sun shining off the waves and the breezes flowing in and around the lobby just caressing your skin. I can still feel those breezes! Finally, I could watch Toni experience what I'd been unable to put into words all these years. The beauty of Cozumel! We hurried to our room, unpacked and changed for the beach. After an hour of sun and relaxing, I decided it was time to share the wonders of the Nachos next door at the Playa Azul! IMHO, these are the absolute best anywhere! I ordered a Mamacita, Toni ordered a Strawberry Marg, and we split an order of Nachos. While we waited for our drinks and food, we took our "First Dip"! The water was SO warm and SO clear here! There were few people on the beach this day, and Toni and I were the only ones in the water. It was good to share with her the "swimming pool" description she'd take home to her friends. Our waiter thoughtfully held off on our drinks til we came out of the water. It was so hot we dried off almost immediately, and we enjoyed our drinks, and those Nachos!, in the shade of an umbrella. Just a bit later we headed back to Sol Cabanas to grab the snorkel gear.........and realized that neither of us had grabbed it off the belt at the airport! (the first of the "2 blond women in Cozumel" blunders!) Miguel at the front desk called Champion Air and they confirmed they had our gear bag. We figured this would be as good a time as any to grab our Smart Car VW T-top bug! Jose, the manager of Smart Car, was at our hotel within 1/2 hour with our white, t-top bug, complete with tinted windows and a playboy bunny logo on the front window! Toni thought this was "cute"! I was a bit embarrassed! However, with the internet coupon giving us a $21.50/per day rate, we couldn't complain, and we headed into town to complete the paperwork. Before we headed to the airport, we took a "tour" through town showing Toni the residential areas, the cemetery, HSM, etc. Toni LOVED the place and the way people would smile and wave at us as we bumped along at 5 mph, snapping photos! I thought they were just laughing at our playboy logo! Well, by the time we got to the airport, our Champion Air lady had left already and the counter guys said she'd be back at 5 for another charter arrival. So...back to the beach and another cervesa! At 5, we climbed into our playboy mobile and headed back to the airport. And again, the woman was not there! We smiled, and moaned, and complained to the counter guys, til finally they gave in, grabbed the master key, went into the Champion Air office and, after we identified it, gave us our bag! YES! Back to the beach and into the water! Toni had never been snorkeling anywhere before, and this was SO FUN! She took to snorkeling like a pro and in a minute was out past the pier, pointing out fishies, snapping pictures! I'll always remember the smile on her face as she dove deep and came up towards me, her hair flying, her eyes shining! What a ball that first snorkel was!! We spent the rest of the afternoon in the water and didn't head up til showers before sunset were inevitable. We filmed and snapped and enjoyed the sunset from our hammocked balcony with a couple beers and some good girl time. Our goal for the evening was to dine at El Moro! Since I had come home in February, I'd been reading everyone's trip reports and every time I heard "Shrimp on Wire" I'd drool! So, I was ready for El Moro again tonite! We hopped in the playboy mobile and headed out, map in lap, to find El Moro! We only had to ask for directions once, and found out we were only 2 blocks away. The place was hoppin with tables of obvious divers. We eavesdropped on the conversations going on next to us and chatted about diving, snorkeling, and Coz in general. I had Garlic Shrimps instead of Shrimp on Wire, Toni had Chicken Fahitas. A drink, then a complimentary slammer after dinner, and we were stuffed, happy and tired. I'd have been happy going home, but Toni HAD to check out Carlos and Charlies, so off we went. We took seats by the window, met some great and fun people there, had our pic taken in a $40 frame (!), and headed out. Neither Toni nor I danced there, we just watched and talked to the people around us! During our drive home, we saw the people we had met at C&C's going into Viva Mexico and decided to hang with them a bit longer. So we parked and headed up. Our table was the first one at the top of the stairs, our newly found friends made room for us and we settled in for a drink. I HAD to open my big mouth and announce that it was my dtr's 18th birthday and the waiters wisked her off to the the middle of the dance floor, sat her on a chair and the dancers, one by one, gave her and another birthday girl their "B-day dance". I stood up and walked a few steps to snap a few photos until one guy started stripping! That was enough, Toni agreed, and I wisked her back OFF the dance floor! (Hindsight tells me that was when someone reached into my purse and took my wallet!) We got home about 12-ish. I headed up to read in the hammock for a while, Toni stayed down in the lobby with Ceasar (a staff member), who took Toni for a walk along the beach, told her all about his life in Coz, where he lived, how long he had been working, how much money he made. They made good friends with each other that night, and Toni really enjoyed learning about life in Coz. She woke me when she came in with a kiss and a smile and a thank you for bringing me here. That was our first day in Paradise! I'm trying to send photos from my sisters computer to Photopoint so I can add them here. I'm not having much luck. If anyone has any pointers, please e-mail me! Day 2 - Krissy and Toni Oz - Day 2 (Saturday, May 12)Even on vacation (or perhaps especially on vacation!) I wake up early. Toni could sleep til noon every day if allowed, so I spared her the 7:00 wake up call, slipped into shorts and headed down for coffee. The morning was beautiful and sunny. The staff were all in their usual GOOD mood, and I was welcomed to the day, both at the front desk and the restaurant, with "Buenos Dias, Ms. Kristine!". After 15 minute "chat" stops at both places, I headed back to my hammock, my book, and my coffee! It was TO HARD to sit on the balcony when the beach was just steps away, so the book and coffee and me headed to the beach for the morning read. A groggy Toni called to me from our balcony at 9ish. I didn't realize so much time had gone by! NOTHING could be better for me than a good book and looking up every once in a while to just stare at the water and relax. Well, Toni was downstairs 10 minutes later and we headed into the restaurant for breakfast. The food here is very good, especially breakfasts. $3 omelets come with anything you want on them, potatoes and bacon. A basket of sweet bread is always served. A glass of fresh pineapple juice, a bit more coffee and we were set! Back to the room to pack up the cooler and our beach bags for a day exploring the other side! "Toni, grab my wallet out of my purse for me, please." Minutes later..."Mom, it's not in your purse." "Yes, it is." "No, it's not!" "Yes, it is!!!" NO, It's NOT!" And, sure sh**, it wasn't! We tore that room apart and it wasn't anywhere! We tore our car apart and it wasn't anywhere! On the plane ride in, we had talked about $$ and cards. I told Toni I would give her my cash card to carry, I would keep the credit card with me, and we'd split the cash I already had. Well, we never did. EVERYTHING was in my wallet! My credit card, my cash card, my drivers license and my cash! I know better than to keep everything all together, I know better than to NOT use the safety deposit boxes at hotels, and I know I should keep the #'s of my cards written down in a separate place. Everything I know, I didn't do this trip. We lost a day of vacation to this mess. We headed into town to retrace steps. I knew we had paid for the picture at C&C's, so we started our search there. No luck....Viva Mexico, No luck. We kinda dropped to the steps at Viva Mexico and just looked at each other. I smoked............. Toni looked around................no one spoke. I was feeling mad at myself for such stupidity, Toni was feeling as though I'd fix it somehow! I was pretty sure that this was NOT th time to voice to my daughter the actual penniless predicament we were in. And I was REALLY sure this wasn't the time to ask if she had any thoughts as to how I'd get back home without a passport or ID! So, I did what any of us Travelnotes members would do. I headed to HSM! I really needed another adult to discuss this with! And, I had Clam Chowder and Reeses to deliver! (the world wasn't all bad!) Nicole was in the office, no Stephanie and no Angela. While telling my story to Nicole I realized that we had our tickets in an envelope at the hotel, I had put our Birth Certificates in with the tickets, AND I had stuffed $100 into the same envelope! Things were looking up! Nicole was wonderfully helpful. She jumped on the phone and called the airlines. After explaining the situation to the airlines guys, in perfect, fluent and FAST spanish (I understood maybe 1/2 of that conversation!), she presented the name of an official guy I needed to see on the day of departure. She assured me that with my ticket and B.C., and some help from the man she told me about, I would have no problems leaving. It was getting back into the US that might be a problem! Well, we concluded that I was traveling with my daughter, who had all her documents with her, I certainly look like a US citizen, and things SHOULD be OK! Anyway, I felt MUCH better after that! So, after HUGE thanks to Nicole, it was off the the calling station to holler HELP to my husband! Poor Dan! He and my son were at our cabin enjoying a "guy" weekend. They had only arrived Friday nite, here it is Saturday morning and he had to go home again. We decided to cancel my debit card, then inform the credit card company of the dilemma, which was that I still had to pay for our hotel and our car! He assured me that he'd take care of everything, I was just to go back to the hotel, get a small cash advance from the card (which turned out to be yet another 5 hours worth of juggling!) and enjoy the rest of the trip! Dear Man! Toni and I didn't much feel like the other side anymore. We headed back to the hotel and hit the beach. We figured we had a bit of cash, the hotel had an imprint of our card so we could pay for our room, restaurant and bar bill, the sun was still shining................things were pretty darn good! The only thing we couldn't do were 1) fill up the gas tank when we returned the car. (Smart Car had the card imprint, so car was paid for) 2) eat at Prima (or anywhere else, really)!! 3) Shop We spent the rest of the day on the beach at the hotel, snorkeling, swimming, drinking, talking, and meeting several people who were staying at our hotel. Christine and Steve, and Paula and Buck. Wonderful people! There happened to be a wedding on our beach that day, complete with mariachi band, champagne, the works! It was great fun to watch and it turns out Christine and Steve had been married on the same beach just 3 months ago in a very romantic, spur-of-the-moment ceremony! Anyway, I shared our story of the stolen wallet with these people over several beers. I also shared the feelings that Toni and I had, which were "Things are Still Pretty Darn Good!" The waters are blue, the sun is shining, we have a room, a car, food and drink! All we're missing is the town, the restaurants and the shopping! Big Deal! This is where a beautiful story comes in. The next morning I ran into Steve in the lobby. He mentioned he wanted to give us something. He handed me his business card with money tucked beneath it. I was completely overwhelmed! I told him we had a bit of cash, and we were set, really! But he told me "He and Christine wanted me to take Toni shopping. Not to spoil our vacation and that I could send him a check when we got home!" Amazing behavior from a stranger. Doesn't that just warm your heart!! Toni and I were so touched by that gesture and we talked about being grateful and excited for the next time someone we meet needs a kindness, and we could reciprocate. That gesture made up for all the crap we had gone through the day before! Anyway, Saturday evening we went into town, ate at the place next door to Casa Dennis, were the only ones there, had a great long talk with our waiter. He showed pic's of his kids, we showed pic's of the rest of our family. Toni got her hair partially braided, we watched the spray can artists, shopped a bit and headed home. I headed to bed pretty early, Toni stayed behind to mingle with Ceasar and the rest of the Sol Cabanas bunch. I was exhausted and sleeping by 10, Toni wasn't to far behind me! And, that was our second day in Paradise! I know it was kinda lengthy, but I had to tell the story of the wallet just so I could tell the story of Steve and Christine! BTW, Miguel at Sol Cabanas also went WAY out of his way to help out in the car/hotel/cash issue. These guys were wonderful. Also, unable to work on pic's today. I promise, they're coming! Toni and Krissy's 3rd Day. (Don't worry, there are only 4 days total!) Oz - Our 3rd DayThis day, money or no money, we were going to the other side! We woke up early and had breakfast again at the restaurant. Today being Sunday, they had a buffet to end all buffet's set up! Fruits, Vegies, eggs, omelets to order, chicken dishes, beef dishes, juices, breads, Everything! I have no idea of the cost (signed for everything, conserving $$, ya know!), but I think it may have been a bit expensive. And, well worth it! First stop today, Hacienda San Miguel. Toni from the board) and her husband Keven were 'sposed to be in today and we were planning dinner/drinks/ snorkel/something! Yesterday (Saturday) evening, I forgot to tell you, we had stopped at HSM again and visited with Angela (Achu). She's a beautiful girl who is really loving the island! Angela also offered a loan of money yesterday! Seems everyone associated with this board, or with Cozumel, is so caring and thoughtful! We had a great visit, and she shared a lot about her dives and life (and a little bit about Ron Lee!). Anyway, Toni and Kevin had just arrived from their "adventure" from Cancun to Coz. They looked a bit worn out, but were anxiously planning Kevin's dives and Toni's beach time! It is always so fun to meet people from the board! These guys are great, and we planned a snorkel trip coinciding with Kevin's dive trip, for Monday. After plans were made to meet in the plaza that evening, Toni and I were off again. Next stop, Chedrui grocery. Toni got a kick out of this place, specially the breads! She loved the way you take a platter and a tongs, pick up what you'd like and the girl bags it up for you. Everything looked so good and fresh here! We picked up some sweet breads, some ham and cheese breads, some pop and beer and then kinda meandered about the place checking it all out. Then we headed out! The beaches that day were gorgeous. The skies were partly cloudy and when the sun shines on the breakers, the white is just as snow! The blowholes were blowing, the waves were crashing, the sand was SO soft, and there was that "other side of the island" smell! There is something that grows over there with the strongest, sweetest scent! The whole day sort of blurs together for me now. I know we spent lots of time playing in the waves, made lots of stops for pictures and "gazing". I also know that this was a Highlight for Toni. She loved the miles of deserted beaches! I remember our first glimpse of the Metzcalitos beach, and how I exclaimed to Toni, "Here We Are!! This is the other side I've told you so much about!!!" She loved the cliff at Coconuts and we had a good talk with some Texan's we met there. The highlights of this day, for me, were the comments Toni made as we crossed back through the island and got glimpses of some homes in the jungle. She is sure aware of how fortunate we are, and of how so many Americans are so unhappy with "everything" and of the islanders we met were so happy with "nothing"! A few changes to note: El Cedral has undergone HUGE changes since I was there 2, maybe 3 years ago! I hardly recognized the place! They have built a big waterslide that was filled up with locals, there are shops and shops and shops! It used to be just the stable area, the church, and a few little shops! Now you can drive all around the "town"! I was amazed! The old road has now been officially closed. Minigolf Sally cleared up the "No Cars" issue for me, and from what I understand, you may only drive on the old road heading south. Watch for the Chankanaab sign to get onto the old road! It's easily missed. And, I think us dumb Americans should write and ask that the signs be changed to a recognizable sign. The sign now shows 2 cars side by side with a line through them. This means No Passing! I thought it meant No Cars! Duuuh! Back to the day, we got back to the hotel just in time to share sunset and beers with some hotel guests and staff, then up to shower and change. We were at the clock tower by 7:30 to meet up with Toni and Kevin. Before we spotted Toni and Kevin, we watched 2 clowns putting on a show by the tower. Everyone seemed to think them pretty funny,however, we didn't understand a word of it, and just laughed along with everyone else laughing! There were also several tables set up in the square selling all sorts of foods, ham and cheese loafs, flans, spinach and cheese "thingies", tons of stuff I'd never seen before! We didn't try anything, call us chicken! Toni and Kevin were spotted after a bit and we headed to Casa Dennis. Toni and Kevin had already eaten, so drinks for them. The food is a blur to me, I'm sure it was good, but we were so busy talking and enjoying the company, I just don't remember what we had. We shared a lot about our home lives and families. Toni and I had to beg off the snorkel trip due to funds shortage, but invited Toni to share our beach tomorrow while Kevin dove. After our visit, Toni and I walked over the the gazebo and watched the band and the dancers for a while. The band that night were really good! Some silly tourists, who obviously had taken dance lessons, danced the same dance over and over and over all night. Toni, myself and several locals giggled a bit about that! The woman even had on one of those "dance skirts" with the matching twirlly undies! Mostly people had a ball there that night. When the band was over, we shopped a little, shared a beer with some hotel people we had spotted, then headed back to the car. I desperately wanted to visit the mini- golf, but somehow that got skipped on Sunday nite. Back at Sol Cabanas. I was bushed, went to bed and Toni got in her nightly visit with Ceaser! What a great, fun, beautiful day in Coz! And tomorrow, Monday, we go home :( Our last day in Paradise :( Home from Coz day :(We woke this morning to clouds and POURING rain! I let Toni sleep til 10 while I read and drank coffee on the balcony. Knowing this was Coz, I figured the rain would end soon, and by the time we headed off, the sun had come out again! Our plane didn't take off til 9:30 pm, so Toni and I had the whole day to hang! The car needed to be returned, we had to check out of our room by 1:00 (and into a comp. room where we could shower and store our stuff until we left.) , and there was some last minute gift shopping we needed to do. First things first, we headed into town and Smart Car. I hadn't planned on paying for the car with the Visa, but we did. 6% added "credit card" charge! $120 pesos for the 1/4 tank of gas we used!!, but we were OK with that. Rules are rules and we had no other option. Jose is a sweetheart and I'd recommend Smart Car to everyone. We had missed a day of "planned" activities, so over waffles at Jeanies, we talked a bit about heading to Playa Del Carmen for the day. That talk took all of 5 minutes and we decided neither of us wanted to leave the island! We just finished up our t-shirt buying, meandered around town a bit, stopped for beers at Casa Dennis and headed back to Sol Cabanas at 2. Our new friends were sitting at the palapa bar and we promptly changed into suits and joined them. I don't know where the next 4 hours went! Toni exchanged fax numbers and e-mail address with Ceasar, I read on the beach, drank with the gang, chatted with the hotel staff. At 5:00, suddenly a barage of photographers show up on the beach! Huge lamps, umbrella like thingies, cameras, thousands of dollars worth of "stuff"! We figured they were shooting a soap opera episode or commercial or something. NO!!!! It was only a chickie from the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders shooting her Calender photos! "Ooooh, La La", said the Men! "Those aren't real!", said the Women! Then, we did what any group of vacationers would do after sitting in the sun drinking beers for 3 hours. We picked up chairs and plopped down on the beach right next to the golden thonged buxom beauty! Us girls did our catty woman deal, and the guys were strangely silent, goobs of drool hanging from their open mouths! It actually really was an interesting process to watch, tons of work for a few good shots! Well, evening finally came that night. Toni and I showered and changed into "plane" clothes and hit Las Gaviotas (Sol Cabanas restaurant) for dinner one last time. The lights came on in the water, the food was excellent, the night was absolutely georgeous! We spent a couple hours just sitting there next to the wall, watching the water, talking about our trip, sharing the wonderful evening. Then we went home.....................the end. Toni absolutely loved Cozumel....the people, the sights, the town. She's vowed to return and I hope we can do it again, together, sometime. I really enjoyed the island this time of year. It's so quiet and peaceful. The townspeople seem to be friendlier, as though they have more time to spend, and are just as eager to talk to us as we were to talk to them. In those 4 short days Toni and I shared a lot together. She really is a fabulous daughter and I think we had our first "adult" conversations in Coz! I told her the pains of watching your kids grow up so fast and leave. I think she realizes even more now, how much I love her. She shared with me stuff I never knew about, and a lot about her friends and their views on life. So, now I just look forward to January, when I can visit again! Lodging Reviews
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