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Alicia's B&B, Dive Certification, and Other Firsts!

Comments: Sorry for the delay – I’ve been in a post-vacation funk for the past couple of days and trying to catch up at work, so my report has been percolating on the back burner.  Since this was a vacation of a different color for me, the format for this report will vary slightly from my usual Sunday through Sunday stream-of-consciousness style (at least that’s my plan but I can’t promise anything), but I hope that it will be informative and helpful for some and maybe a little entertaining for others!  I’ll spare you all the repetitive and uneventful details of the flight down and start at the beginning with:

LODGING
Those of you who have read other reports of mine over the years know that I’ve always been a big fan of beachfront hotels – the Presidente and Hotel Playa Azul in that order were always my first choices, depending on how much $$$ I had to play with at the time I booked.   My past vacations have usually consisted of traveling with one or more like-minded friends and laying around under a palapa, reading multiple books, drinking multiple margaritas, shopping in town, doing a bit of sight-seeing, and eating at all my favorite restaurants. 
This time though, due mainly to the fact that last December I FINALLY took a look at what was really under all that wet stuff by doing a resort dive course with Studio Blue, I had made up my mind to get certified, and this meant that I needed to cut down on the amount of distractions available because if there’s a distraction around, it’s probably got my name on it!   So I decided to a) go solo on this trip, and b) stay at Alicia’s Bed and Breakfast.  Thanks to all of the reviews from people who have stayed here in the past, this wasn’t a particularly painful decision to make - after all, the lure of Chuco’s guacamole was a powerful one, but I was used to the hotel zone, so I figured that this was going to be an adventure.
Alicia’s is located on 65th and 19th – about a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the Town Square (depending on how much the driver loves the gas pedal…), and surprisingly, it averaged only about $2 US or 150 Pesos per trip.  If you prefer, it’s about a 20-minute stroll to town, and I did this a couple of times – one word of caution though, don’t try to pet the dogs along the way – I had no problems personally, but I hear that they are not always as accommodating as Chavita, the resident princess dog at Alicia’s.  Upon my arrival, Alicia, Chuco and Chavita greeted me at the gate and showed me to my lovely little tower room.  My friend, and also a board regular, Local Girl CozChristi had picked me up at the airport (more about this later), so Alicia, Christi and I had a nice chat while I unpacked (I can hear you laughing Alicia!).  My room was wonderful – a ceiling fan and air conditioning, double-bed or, for the adventurous, a large hammock could be hung in the room, a small refrigerator, armoire for the summer wardrobe, tiled bath with shower – what more could you ask for?  I also had a small patio with a table and chairs, but it was more fun to hang out in front where everyone else seemed to congregate.  
Breakfast is served between 7:30 and 10:00am every morning, and it is indeed ALL that you’ve heard.  Fresh fruit, juice, The Best Guacamole On The Island (really, that’s how it should always be referred to), and a variety of mouth-watering main courses like omelets, empanadas, ham and cheese quesadillas, and my personal favorite, Mayan eggs.  The coffee is pretty darned good too!   I should add that Christi had a standing invitation to breakfast every morning and I believe that she’s in agreement with me because she showed up right on time!  Alicia’s maid Elizabeth, kept my room spotless and put fresh flowers on the nightstand every day.  And, just at a note for those of you who might be concerned about this if considering staying there, although I didn’t have a lock-box in my room, everything was always where it should be – credit cards, passport, cash and jewelry were never touched.  There are coffee pots on the patios for the early risers, jug water (I brought my own 33 oz bottle and just kept filling that up), and an honor bar of sorts (Sol and Coca Cola) available for guests.   Of course, no review of Alicia’s would be complete without mention of their resident mascot Chavita.  She serves as meeter and greeter, luggage scanner, fierce guard dog, garbage truck alerter, dispenser of dirty looks when you pack your luggage back up, and warm, fuzzy friendly, silly-at-times, goodie eater!  
Bottom line on lodging – no, Alicia’s isn’t for everyone.  However, if you’re looking for clean, comfortable, friendly and incredibly affordable accommodations, and being off the beaten track a tiny bit appeals to you, this is the place.  Be warned though, leaving Alicia’s is extremely difficult!
Wow – a page and a half just on lodging?  This report may be my Magnum Opus…  Next, the ultimate reason for the trip:

DIVE CERTIFICATION
 As you may recall, I had an enlightening experience (Ladies, stop that laughing!) in December when I decided to do a resort course – sort of an intro to scuba that takes about 4 hours, this includes a couple of hours of instruction both in and out of the water and then a shore-dive to 20-30 feet.  After doing this, how could I say that I didn’t want to see more?  Although my experience with Studio Blue Dive Studio was excellent, my friend Christi has worked very hard and is now an official dive instructor so it was a no-brainer  decision to ask her to do my certification.   Note for those of you considering certification:  please don’t under-estimate the time and work that goes into doing this.  If you can get the book beforehand and read it, by all means do so – many instructors are happy to send it to you before your trip so that you can shave some time off of your course.    Having said that, you probably have figured out that I neglected to do my homework!  I had this vision of the certification course being a sort-of extended version of the resort course and so I just didn’t get around to it.  Soooo, I got to read chapters and do knowledge review tests, I watched videos and took quizzes, and in between all this I got to do confined water work of shore at Paradise.  If you get certified in the states, the confined water sections are usually done in a pool – lucky me!  We had lots of fun, but that doesn’t mean that I got by with anything – Christi was a wonderful instructor and she made sure that I was comfortable with every step before moving on to the next, even when I didn’t particularly care for that particular lesson!  She really took her time with me and as a result I felt very comfortable with what I was learning and never felt not ready for the next step.  The things that I thought I would have trouble with actually turned out to be easier than I expected.  I wear contact lenses, so flooding the mask and removing/replacing it were concerns of mine – these turned out to be non-issues, in fact, I think
eyes closed!  ;7D  I had a somewhat temperamental mask  - just when I was so frustrated with clearing it that I was ready to turn it in, it would work perfectly, but I still got lots and lots of practice, practice, practice!. 
One thing that I hadn’t really considered was just how physically demanding diving is – after a day spent in the water, my head was nodding by 9pm.  I was a little sore after the first day, had the requisite bumps and bruises that accompany learning any new sport, and did very little but eat, learn, swim and sleep for the first couple of days.  Each day we got to do a little more, and the day that I got to swim along the bottom and wave at everyone in the submarine (poor uninitiated folk) felt like quite an accomplishment!  I quickly became the unofficial SCUBA representative below all of the snorkel tours and glass-bottomed boats in the vicinity, waving like some crazy beauty contestant and laughing out my regulator at all the flashbulbs – imagine, me in other people’s home movies!  What a scream!
My final open-water dive was done at Palancar Horseshoe – we went out on Deep Blue’s fast boat with a group of divers and of course, we had a great time.  No sooner had we rolled off the side and started our decent (by the way, I’ve gotten much better at this - I now fall off the boat like a not-quite-pro and yes, I do it for Jacques!), than a couple of turtles swam close by and settled close by on the bottom.  I’m totally captivated, pointing at the turtles, but my cruel and unusual instructor insists that we finish the lesson before chasing the wild-life around.  Okay, okay, off comes the mask, back on it goes, neutral buoyancy for 30 seconds – done, one more thing that I can’t remember, then TA DA!  I’m a diver!  Wheee!  Hand shake and now can we go see that darned turtle please?  The larger turtle that had initially stuck around, probably just to make sure that I knew what I was doing before being turned loose in his home, then took off and leisurely swam away.  Timing is everything!  We catch up with the rest of the divers from our boat and I spend the rest of the dive google-eyed at the beautiful scenery around me.   Back on the boat, I’m congratulated and cheered by the crew and other divers and I feel a tiny bit proud of myself for deciding to spend my mid-life crisis learning something that allows me to experience such beauty.  We then speed off to my first dive as a non-student!  Of all five (wow – that many?) places I’ve gotten to dive now, the next stop was probably my favorite so far – Tormentos.  With all the white sand and the colorful coral and fish, this was just a beautiful site.  Christi got to take her camera on this dive because she was no longer officially instructing, and given the quality of some of her other photos, I’m sure she got some beautiful shots.  I include this dive in this chapter only because it was in some ways the ‘carrot’ at the end of the certification course stick – and it was worth every minute!
I’ve still quite obviously got a lot to learn and new skills to hone - it will be many moons before I am comfortable with the idea of considering myself a competent diver.  However, I don’t think I could have possibly gotten off to a better start.  I’ve got my next courses already picked out, and I definitely know whom I’ll select to instruct me (if she’s willing to go through that again…)!  This was an absolutely wonderful experience – I’m so glad that I decided to take the plunge.  I had encouraging, skillful people taking care of me and guiding me every step of the way and like I said before I left the island, it’s something I’ll never forget – I don’t think anyone ever forgets something that changes their outlook on their world and their place in it like this does.

Okay everyone, if you’ve gotten this far without yawning yourself into a coma then you’ve earned a bit of a rest for your eyes.  Next installment is Food, Friends and everything else I had the time, energy and inclination to do!

Good morning!  Did everyone get a good night sleep?  I know that you’re ready to read about:
FOOD
This is going to be a short chapter because I’ve already cover the most important meal of the day under LODGING – that being a hearty rib-stickin’ breakfast!   It’s probably not necessary to wax poetic about Chuco’s culinary expertise again (I know some of you are trying to work…), so suffice to say that although I never made it to the Museum for Divorced Eggs, I didn’t really miss them this time!  I did stop by the Coffee Bean once or twice for a slice of quiche and some of their cookies and baked goods to go – nothing like a big fudgy brownie from the cooler after a couple of hours of swallowing salt water!  They also have some good fancy coffee drinks for those who can’t go a week without their latte’s.
The day I arrived we headed over to Coconuts and snacked on some of their beach food while taking in the view and the Pina Colada’s.  Talk about decompression  - I don’t think it’s possible to find a place that makes you feel like you’re finally in Cozumel as fast as Coconuts on a beautiful spring afternoon!
The French Quarter still has the best Blue Cheese Salad on the island – and this time around I have to add their new chicken dish to the list of must-try’s.  It’s chicken breast rolled up with spinach and cheese and it’s positively yummy.  They also have the best filet mignon around – tender and juicy, and twice baked potatoes with a decidedly Cajun flair. 
We celebrated Christi’s belated B-day at La Cocay – good food, good wine, good company.  With all that, you’d think that good food would be overkill – guess again!  Along with great presentation, they have some unusual dishes, some with a slightly Asian bent – too bad Chas, Christi and Lazaro were too stuffed to even consider dessert ;7D
La Choza is for me the quintessential Cozumel restaurant and they delivered yet again with a great plate of sizzling fajitas – I could eat here every night, but if I did that, what would I write about?
I considered not even writing about our final meal because I think it fell a bit short of our expectations, but the location, ambiance and once again, company, helped where the food left off.  Christi, Chas and I really tried to go to Manati but, it being Sunday, they were closed, so we ended up at Casa Denis.  Seated on the edge of the town square, we got a great view of everyone headed toward the kick-of party for the Festival of El Cedral, so there were lots of people in traditional native costumes and musicians everywhere.  My mole enchiladas were fine, but Chas had some trouble hacking off pieces of his steak (I believe that Chavita was somehow behind this as she benefited directly from his inability to digest the beef flavored shoe leather he was served), and Christi had the Snapper with Shrimp Sauce that came complete with a good case of the yarks later on.   Poor Christi had to pass on you-know-who’s breakfast the next day because she still wasn’t feeling up to eating anything quite yet.
I managed to squeeze in a few quite bites at Mr. Sanchos and Playa Azul (the post and pre-flight obligatory beach club visits), I believe that on both occasions we had shrimp fajitas and although Mr. Sanchos came out ahead just a tad, both are well worth looking into.
And now, the survey results that you have all be patiently waiting for!  After liberally (well, as liberally as my Dive Instructor would allow) sampling several different Sangria’s offered, my vote once again goes to Minigolf Sally’s outstanding recipe – cool, refreshingly fruity, slightly sweet and not too tart, this is the perfect beverage for playing a few rounds or, as we did, sitting on our duffs and blabbing!  Cheers!

This is going to be one fun chapter – it covers new and old and a mingling of the two, it’s my favorite thing about Cozumel these days, can you guess what it’s titled?
FRIENDS
By now you’ve all figured out that CozChristi and I are slightly more than passing acquaintances.  What some of you might not know is that we initially met only a year ago and, with all of the monumental changes that have taken place in her life since then she has still somehow found the time to cultivate new friendships by being her gracious, warm and incredibly generous self.  Christi met me at the airport with a rental car because, in her exact words, she wanted to be able to do my course comfortably and conveniently while I was there.  No mention was made of my paying any or all of the costs, nor would she listen when I tried to argue this point.  She spent every single day either instructing, diving or playing with me – not a big deal if you’re not working on a bazillion projects, starting a business, lining up new clients, building a house, engaged in a new and flourishing relationship, etc., etc., etc.   I wish there was a way to properly communicate how much I enjoyed and appreciated Christi’s company – she’s a wonderfully talented, intelligent person who is about as rock-solid as they come.  As Alicia so aptly put it, “Christi is a feel-good person, isn’t she!”
Meeting Alicia and Chuco was exactly how everyone else described it.  I feel like I’ve got family on the island now!  This was one prime example of how time just slipped through my fingers on this trip and how I didn’t get to spend time with people that I would have loved to get to know more.  Alicia mentioned going to the East Side one day and I was so tempted, but duty called and I needed to finish my course before I could go play.  I think I could probably get a rain check if I asked, right Alicia?
Nobody knows just how excited I was about the prospect of finally meeting Chas!   About two years ago when I was on Cozumel, it seemed like everywhere I went people would say “Oh, you just missed Chas!”   During successive trips, it seemed like he was going when I got back or vise-versa.  I grit my teeth and figured that the odds were in my favor – sooner or later I was going to be at the right place at the right time!  Chas was exactly how I pictured him, and he is exactly like his postings – he says what he thinks, holds nothing back and is at the same time a consummate gentleman.   Now I know what I was missing!  Chas – it was delightful to be your neighbor for a few days, hope to see you again in the future!
I got the grand tour of the new home that Stephanie and Felipe are building – it’s going to be lovely and I don’t blame them for being so very excited.  They were a part of the welcoming party at Coconuts and even though Felipe wasn’t completely enamored of the selected topics of conversation that arise when more than 2 girls get together, it was wonderful to see them again!  We were scheduled to go on Felipe’s sunset cruise and unfortunately by that time we were just too exhausted to roust ourselves for it.  I didn’t get to see Steph as much as I thought I would, but next time I won’t be in ‘grade school’ so she’ll have to work hard to hide from me! 
Thursday night’s Golfito party was jumping – not with Travel Noters mind you, but with lots and lots of golfers!  Sally and Scott were jumping, and the Sangria was flowing, so we didn’t get a lot of quality chatting done, but we did get to meet Tom H. – actually, he had spotted Christi putting me through my paces at Paradise earlier in the day.  We were getting out of the water while he and his friends were going in and he looked over and said “You’re not Christi Courtney are you?”  Small world!  We got to do a little more chatting with Sally the next night when Chas, Christi and I stopped by Café Salsa to see if we could catch Achu in action.  She was tucked away in the back with Sally and we initially walked right past them and then sat around complaining about how there was no one there!  We finally found one another and I had the pleasure of finally meeting Angela – my previous frame of reference consisted of knees, legs and feet, so at last I got to see the rest of her!  We chatted for a while, and then she had to take care of something for one of her H.S.M. flock, so off we went into another warm Cozumel night.  Oh yeah, Angela – Chas really did show up on Saturday for Salsa lessons, so I think you owe him one!
Unfortunately, meeting Janie was all too brief – we had originally planned to meet her for dinner, but directions got mixed up a little, so we went to Joe’s and tracked her down.  There was a lot going on in the square because of the festival, and it was my last night on the island so I was a little bit maudlin, so after chatting for a few minutes we left her to the reggae band and continued on to join in the festivities.
It was fun to introduce Alicia and Christi to my friend Heidi – I’ve known Heidi from her work with the Cozumel Humane Society and Alicia knew of her because she and her husband Dr. Picolo work at the clinic and Chamber on the island and he’s made house calls in the past.  We spent some time together the day before I left at Playa Azul and did a little catching up.  I think everyone liked everyone else and it sounds like they’ll all have Chrysalis in common in the future now, so at least THEY can see one another (yes that was a petulant comment –sniff-)!

Almost done now, all I have left is
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS NEW BREED OF VACATION
Like I said when I started this report pages and pages ago, this was a vacation of a different color for me.   Someday I might decide to go somewhere and lie around on a beach and read and drink and snorkel, eat and drink and do nothing much else, but I don’t think it’s going to be next year or the even year after.  I confess that I’m a tiny bit proud of myself for this little baby step I’ve taken towards exploring the eye-popping new world that I’ve been introduced to, and I want to learn more and see more and understand more.  I won’t bore you all with my new-found philosophy (do all new divers think that they’ve experienced an epiphany?  In between chasing hermit crabs and pointing frantically at all the new little baby fish on the reefs, I think I heard the voice of God whispering in my ear…), but I’m completely enamored of this new thing I’ve finally done, and I will never forget my introduction to this fascinating side of this big blue marble we call home.  
I left knowing that there were people I hadn’t gotten to spend as much time with as I would have liked, things that I would have liked to do that went undone, places to see, new faces to meet, and lots of fish to tickle, and believe it or not, it was okay because I know I’ll be back. 
X,O,X,O  

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