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Trip Reports : Cozumel
Posted by Trudy on 04/29/01
Trip report...Easter week
Our flight didn't leave until 7:00 at night. They told us to be at Detroit
Metro 3 hours ahead of time. So we left around 2:00...good thing...hit construction
and stop and go traffic for 20 miles. I was a nervous wreck, but we got
in line and waited and waited and waited. We were 118 and 119 on the plane
of 340. We did all right.
Got into Cozumel a bit ahead of schedule. It was 8:00 Cozumel time (two
hours earlier than home). The line moved pretty fast and we were waiting
for luggage in no time. Stood at the luggage carousel for three days...we
had two bags and one was on the very last wagon to be unloaded. God it was
hot while we waited. We had been travelling and waiting for about 8 hours
by then.
Alicia and Chuco picked us up and it was like I had just left them the week before.
It's so good to be "home" again.
We jabbered all the way to the B & B. Once there, we unloaded our gifts
and donations. Showed Alicia what I had brought for the Tuns in Eb tun.
Put our clothes in the closet and got caught up on what's been happening.
We took down a hammock and I rested a few minutes.
Then Nick wanted to go out. Well hey, I had had an hour and a half's sleep
the night before, and travelled for 8 hours...why not?
We got a taxi to Carlos and Charlie's. There was a huge line, but we stood
in line and I was amazed how quickly it moved. Few came out, but they mangaged
to stuff more in.
This was the last night of the Mexican holiday. Most people would have to
return to work for the Monday after Easter. So the place was packed with
Mexican tourists and locals. The whole tone of the crowd was exciting and
contagious.
Unlike the gringo tourist attitude of drink and get wasted (I've seen at C &
C's before), there was an attitude of singing and dancing. The floor was
full of people. People were dancing on the stools and benches. People
stood at their tables and danced in place. Couples danced, girls danced,
guys danced, people danced alone. It was wonderful. When the DJ turned
the music down, the lyrics went on because nearly everyone was singing with the
music. It was infectious and I only wished that I had been able to sing
along in Spanish. The music was great. No tired 70's and 80's American
music. This was salsa, mamba...gee, I don't know all of the names, but it
was good.
We closed the bar and moved on to Kiss My Cactus with some local guys we had met
(shared a table with). Cactus was packed front to back, side to side. I
ran into Stefano as he was leaving. We didn't have much time to talk, but
it was nice to see a familiar face.
I didn't care much for Cactus. The music was Techno...whatever that is.
It sounded great at first, but then it seemed to drone on...all the same.
Although the crowd was having a good time, I started to wear down. Finally
I told Nick that we really needed to go "home". We left at 3 am.
Sunday we got up to coffee, omelettes, guacamole...the best ever, tortillas, fruit,
and juice. It was a superb breakfast. Chuco is not one to slack on
quality food. mmmmmmmmm
We were off to Dzul Ha about 10. We didn't get an early start...I wonder
why? :O)
Dzul Ha was wonderful as expected. It's so nice with all of the new furniture
and decking. Xavier (ha-vee-air) is the bartender and he's a really nice
guy. Later in the week we met his girlfriend...quite a cutie. He says
they're getting married within the year. Congratulations Xavier.
Francisco was our waiter. He spoke very little English, but I'll bet by
the time I return he'll be talking up a storm. He was an excellent waiter.
Not pushy, but always there if we needed something.
Well, we didn't need anything since we'd just eaten, so it was into the water.
Nick had never snorkeled before but he had a mask and snorkel. He
didn't have fins and the dive shop was closed. I don't know if they're closed
every Sunday or just Easter. We were going to walk down to Fiesta Americana
to see if they had any fins to rent. Nick said he'd try it without first.
He wore his sandals since he was concerned about urchins. With his clunky
sandals on, and me with fins, he could still keep up with me. The boy's
a fish I tell you. We saw lots and lots of sea life and once again, Dzul
Ha did not let me down. Finally I told Nick I was getting cold and we needed
to get out for a while. He admitted that he was tired and somewhat cold.
I asked why he hadn't said anything and he said he had been having too much
fun. He pointed out a gorgeous golden eel on a coral head. So the
novice spots the eel...hmpf!
We spent the day there. Once in the water we got separated and by the time
I found him, we were well past the pier. We had to really fight the current
to get back to the Dzul Ha pier. We got out on the south side of the pier
instead on the usual north side. I was exhausted by the time I could stand.
He said he had freaked when he saw some brown jellyfish and some clear ones
about the size of a tube from a roll of toilet paper. I guess he only saw
a handful, but he was afraid of getting stung. He managed to avoid them,
but that's how he drifted past the pier.
We had a wonderful lunch at Dzul Ha...nachos de res, and quesadilla's con pollo.
The pico de gallo was not hot, and very tasty. We couldn't eat all
we got. Neither entre was more than 60 pesos. I'm thinking either
45 or 55.
We went to Los Moros del Morrito after cleaning up. I ordered breaded shrimp
and Nick ordered breaded grouper. We were planning to share the meals. Well,
we should have order just one. There was far more food than we could eat.
The waiter Julio, and the waitress Mari, helped us with our Spanish and
we had a great time talking. Abelardo was another waiter, but he took care
of other tables. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone who
wants a nice dinner Mexican style. It wasn't our cheapest meal, but it was
definitely worth what we paid.
After dinner it was off to the plaza for Sunday night fiesta. There were
lots of locals and it was a great time. The kid of course wanted to go to
the bar. So we were off to Viva Mexico. Not too many people there,
but boy could our waiter dance. He was hot. He'd get out on the floor
and put on a show for us. We had a good time even though the crowd was small.
We had to get home earlier than the previous night as we were off to the mainland
in the morning.
Trip report...Monday
Chuco had another great breakfast ready for us when we got up. We got ready,
ate, and were at the ferry for the 8:00 crossing. We each had a backpack
with our stuff and we had one extra bag of gifts for the Tun family.
Crossing was comfortable, second class bus was nicer than usual with assigned
seats. We paid 54 pesos each for a trip to Valladolid. No bus breakdown
like at Christmas. The ride was 3 hours and comfortable.
At Valladolid we got off the bus with other tourists, mostly European. Hotel
Meson de Marques was asking 400 pesos. Hotle Zaci was asking 241 pesos w/ceiling
fan, 300 pesos w/ac. Maria de la Luz was asking 245 pesos w/ac. That's
where we settled. We got the room two doors down from where Al and I stayed
at Christmas. This time the pool was filled and operating.
Nick and I settled in and went looking for David. Once again we could not
find him. We talked to Santiago and told him we needed to get some lunch
and change for pesos. Then we wanted to go to Ek Balam. He asked for
250 pesos for the trip. I told him that in August David only asked for 200
pesos. He said fine.
We ate lunch at the "food court". Nick tried some caldo de puerco.
He thought someone else's soup looked good, so he said he wanted some of
that. lol Well he was pleased. Don't remember what I ate, as I didn't
keep much of a journal this trip. Anyway, it was good.
Waited forever in line at the bank to change money. Found Santiago and off
we went. First we went to the bus station to buy our return ticket for Wednesday.
Then it was off to Ek Balam.
At Ek Balam we got Manuel for our guide again. Only now he was 10...birthday
in October. I didn't get as much info out of him since my Spanish is so
weak and I didn't have Alicia to tell me what he said. :o) The tour was
good. I didn't climb the main pyramid, but Nick did. He was up it
in no time. I remembered how long it had taken me. Oh well...he's only 21.
Back to the hotel for dinner...very good. Nick had steak (very thin) for
45 pesos and I had breaded chicken (too American) for 45 pesos. Next time
I won't order anything but Yucatecan food. I just had to try...the chicken
was good, but tasted too much like a restaurant at home.
Then we were off to Pancho's Grill to see if Casimiros was tending bar again.
He was not. It had changed hands and was now La Prosperidad de Valladolid.
Talked quite a while to a guy who was coincidentally, Pancho. He had
been born in LA and lived there til he was 7. His English was superb and
we hated to pull ourselves away... but...Nick wanted some action.
Next stop was Chispas. That's where the music was coming from at Christmas.
As it turned out, there was nothing more than background music going. No
party. I was tired and went back to the room. Nick followed not too
much later.
In the morning after a nice breakfast buffet(34 pesos) at our hotel, we met Santiago
out front. He had agreed to drive us for the day for 400 pesos. First
we went to Chichen Itza. We took Santiago in with us. He and Nick
climbed El Castillo, while I wandered around for a bit. Nick took my camera
up with him and got some great pictures from there.
When we could no longer take the heat of Chichen Itza, we went back, stopped at
the bathrooms, got ice cream and headed out.
Next stop was the Balamkanche Caverns. We got there about 20 to 12. At
11 there had been an English speaking tour...and again at 1:00. But 12:00
was the Spanish speaking tour. We waited for the Spanish since Nick and
I were more interested in the natural beauty than the historical significance.
Down in the caverns the paths are easy to follow and there are lots of steps.
Before we had gotten to the greatest depth, I was breathing like I had been
in the Boston Marathon. I attributed it to my lack of physical fitness and
being overweight. Later I found out that Nick, who is very thin...and relatively
fit, was panting as well. There must have been thinner air down there. It
was very hot and humid.
Just the same it was an awesome experience. The caverns were very interesting
and the pottery used for offerings by the ancient Maya was captivating. It
was well worth the 47 pesos/person. Come to think of it, I don't remember
Santiago panting like Nick and I were.
When we got back to the surface, it was so nice and cool. The forecast had
been for high in the mid to high 90's. Don't know what the weather actually
was. The forecast ranged 10 degrees higher in Valladolid than in Cozumel
for our week.
We aired out the car...it had been sitting in the hot sun. Then we went
to Eb tun. Santiago waited in the car while we went in to visit with family.
Chuco's family. We were greeted with hugs and kisses.
When we entered, Zoila was cooking tortillas. She was sitting on a very
low stool by a very low table. On the table was a piece of plastic wrap.
She would take a handful of masa out of the bowl, pat it out on the plastic
wrap and place it on the "stove". Her stove was a piece of metal
that had once been the lid of a 55 gal. drum. It was placed across rocks
over a wood fire.
We shared our pictures from the Christmas and August trip. I had brought
some as gifts. They loved the pictures. We brought candy for the kids
and a few clothes. There was an inflatable globe and some drawings from
my third grade class. I had other odds and ends for the kids.
As we shared the pictures, Zoila forgot the tortilla she had just placed on the
fire and it burned. We all laughed as she scraped the burned tortilla off
the metal lid.
Then we took some pictures and I shared my National Geographic about the Maya
Ruta. In that issue is a picture of regional animals, ruins, and a great
one of Dzitnup. The kids helped me correct my pronunciation of Dzitnup.
I gave Efren a copy of a National Geographic classroom magazine that had
come to me the week before. I asked if he liked that sort of thing and would
want more when I return. He said yes. He's quite shy, but the eyes
really told me he'd love them. So I'll be looking for editions in Spanish.
I have plenty in English that I can take if I can't find any Spanish editions.
It was time to bid our farewells for a year or so. It was hard to leave.
Back to the taxi and off to Dzitnup. Santiago didn't wish to swim
or even go down, so Nick and I were on our own. We swam in the cenote and
really loved it. We found a spot where we could get behind the stalagtites
into a little room. We felt the tree roots hanging down into the water.
We swam for probably half/three quarters of an hour.
Then back to the surface, picked up a couple of really inexpensive souvenirs and
headed back to Valladolid.
I asked Santiago if he knew a good restaurant other than the Cenote Restaurant
(there's an old story there). He asked if seafood was okay. We said
sure. So we went to Caribe. Nick had a nice sized lobster tail for
180 pesos. Santiago had a shrimp and octopus cocktail for 75 pesos and I
had breaded shrimp for 65 pesos. All of us loved our meal. The guys
had a couple of beers and I had my horchata. We ate al fresco and it was
very nice.
Then it was back to the hotel and I got Santiago's information so I wouldn't lose
him like I lost David from August. We were gone from 8 am until about 5
pm. We gave Santiago his 400 pesos and a tip...I think all both thought
we got a heck of a deal. :o)
We got back to our room and crashed...didn't wake up until nearly 10. By
the time we got to La Prosperidad de Valladolid for dinner...as we told Pancho,
it was closed. Back to the good ole food court. I felt bad that we
missed Pancho since we were leaving in the morning.
We took a first class bus to Cancun. Nick had that on his list of "must-do's".
We were ready with a beach towel for the "freeze you out" air
conditioning. I noticed a couple of local women with towels too. :o) Felt
like a real veteran.
The only other non-Spanish speaking people on the bus were from France. I
know...I asked. So when the movie came on...in French...with Spanish sub-titles...well
MOST everyone was pleased. lol I tried to write in my journal and Nick tried
to follow the movie.
On the outskirts of Cancun, the bus dropped it's transmission. We heard
this big clunk and then you could hear that the driver couldn't get it in gear
any longer. Everyone just got up, got their stuff and got off the bus. There
was no grumbling, whining, swearing, or even heavy sighs. It was so nice
to be freed of that level of negativism. We walked a block, asked a guy
where the action was and how much we should expect to pay a taxi. He said
Fat Tuesday's and expect $7 or $8.
We hailed a taxi and he charged us $6. Fat Tuesday's was deserted so we
walked through and to the beach. On the beach it was unbelievably windy
and few braved it. So we headed toward the music and ended up in a bar where
the waiter's shirts said, "Ay Caray!" Is that the name?
Anyway, we had lunch, Nick played some volleyball, talked to some girls, and we
hung out there until about 8. Then we went looking for a taxi to take us
to the bus station.
There were a few in front of Fat Tuesday's. The one who spoke the best English
cut a deal for us with the next taxi in line. He tried to tell us how long
it would take us and how much it would cost us to take the bus. Well, I
knew the truth, so I wasn't buying the 450 pesos taxi trip. When he finally
got down to 350 pesos, I knew the bus would be cheaper, but I was just too tired
to argue and 350 pesos is a good price for Playa del Carmen to the Cancun airport.
Since I'd heard that it was a $65 trip from the airport to Playa del Carmen,
I felt like we had a good deal...and it was soooooooo much easier this way.
The lady drove us to Playa del Carmen and dropped us a block from the Senor Frog's.
We got a bite to eat while we waited for the last ferry to Cozumel. Spent
a little time at Senor Frog's.
Ferry ride was a little rough, but we didn't puke. lol Took a taxi back
to Alicia's and crashed. Never had my hammock felt so good. Home at
last. :o)
Arrecifes tour and the bar scene...Trip report
Alicia had left us a note that she had been able to book the Arrecifes tour for
us on Thursday. I hadn't booked from home since I didn't know when we were
going to the mainland.
Chuco served us some awesome potato pancakes. It was new for me and I was
thoroughly captivated. I also ate watermelon at every breakfast the entire
week. Watermelon will forever be Cozumel to me.
We caught a taxi to the Prodive Pier downtown. Eduardo was on the Arrecifes
and I was happy to see him. Pedro was our captain again. Valentine
was helping. He was new to me. I asked Eduardo if he had a book like
mine...a skinny fish id book by Paul Humann. He said no. That ticked
me off cuz I gave some people a book to deliver to him at Christmas. They
were from Alaska, staying at Alicia's and I thought they seemed nice. Well,
Eduardo would have no reason to lie to me...and the look on his face was one of
confusion. So I guess I'll just have to bring him another one on my next
trip. The dive shop didn't have any when I went in to pick one up for this
last trip. So I bought some of those water coated cards. They aren't
as nice as the book, but it's something. I gave one to Eduardo. I
gave one to Xavier at Dzul Ha. I gave one to Popis on the Palapa Marina...the
half day trip with Kuzamil Snorkeling Center. So if you're at any of those
places, you can identify what you see...maybe. lol
We only had 8 people on the snorkel tour. It was great. Two of the
people were on the same charter out of Detroit. The other four were from
Canada...Toronto I think. Eduardo asked us if we would like to go to Punta
Sur instead of Dzul Ha. Since I have snorkeled so often at Dzul Ha...love
that place...I was all for seeing a new reef.
So we snorkeled the Sky...lots more fish around the coral than the last time I
was there. Then we went to Columbia Shallows, snorkeled, swam to Palancar
Gardens, snorkeled and returned to the boat. Nick found snorkeling with
fins easier than with sandals. lol Then we were off to Punta Sur. They
have some awesome staghorn coral there. It was a truly beautiful reef. It
is amazing how different each of the reefs can be. We saw two tortugas.
I was excited. They weren't all that big, but in all of my snorkeling
before I've only seen one...total. So I tripled my score.
Eduardo took some pictures for us. He free dove really deep and long. He
found great sea life for us to see. It was a breathtaking trip.
When we first got on the boat, he told us it would be an hour and twenty minutes
to the first reef. I wasn't aware that it took that long. I always
enjoy the talking or just feeling the wind in my hair surrounded by this gorgeous
ocean. But I have heard some people complain about the long ride. But
hey, when you don't own a boat, call it a free boat ride. Relax...it's vacation.
When our snorkeling was done, we went to Nachi Cocom for a buffet lunch. The
place is beautiful, the food is good...and there was a nice surprise there for
me. I noticed this one waiter who looked like Joseph. Joseph was a
waiter from Al's and my first trip in April of '99. I thought maybe it was
Joseph's brother...he was a bit chunkier than Joseph. Well I asked and it
WAS Joseph...a few pounds heavier. I was so thrilled to see him. We
talked a bit, but he was working...hard...so we made plans to meet for dinner
at La Mission on 30th on Friday at 8:30. I was eager to meet his wife. It
was impossible to get the smile off my face on the way back.
When they dropped us off at the pier, there was Jose from my August trip. He
used to work at Dzul Ha with Stefano and Angelo before it changed hands. He
is now taking underwater pictures for people who are snorkeling. It was
real good to see him.
The day couldn't be beat. We had a fantastic snorkel trip with good people,
small crowd, lots of sea life, good food. Throw into that mix Joseph and
Jose...well it'll be a long time before I can top that trip.
Once again, I highly recommend the Arrecifes tour. My thanks to Alicia and
Lisa for seeing that it was all possible.
After cleaning up, Nick and I walked south down 65. They were having some
sort of circus behind San Francisco de Assis. We walked back there, but
the line was too long to wait and find out what was going on. No one seemed
to speak English...it was all locals. So we asked the traffic cop and he
said there was a "circe" (sp?) Sounded like circus to me. So
we walked back to 65 and past San Francisco. Across the street from Moby
Dick there is a small restaurant. It's open air with plastic tables and
chairs. Very "local". They seemed to have mostly just taco's
and coke. So Nick ordered a beef and a chicken. I ordered a pork.
We tasted all three. Then we both ordered one more chicken one.
We each had a coke. Our fine dining came to 52 pesos. I gave him 70
and felt like a big tipper. lol What a cheap meal. Not the prettiest
place, but the food really was good. It's called El Morrito. Talk
about similar names. lol My favorite is Los Moro del Morrito. Then
there's El Moro. Now let's add El Morrito. Of course, El Morrito is
not as nice a restaurant as the other two. Much more scaled down. But
hey, less than $6 for dinner for two...what a deal.
We walked a ways until a taxi pulled over to drop someone off for the circus.
We then hopped in and went to el centro. We walked around and stopped
in for a drink at Joe's Reggae Bar. It was very slow...early. The
band was good. But Nick was "honey hunting" so we left.
Next was Viva Mexico. It too had few people...but more than Joe's. The
music was good and the waiter...ooooooh the waiter was HOT. He would grab
a girl and dance. If none were near...he just danced. Nick found a
girl to talk to and dance with. He was happy. She was from Texas.
She ended up being the only American girl he talked with much. Mostly
he talked to Mexican locals or tourists.
We left around midnight since we were doing our resort dive the next day. Lisa
had booked us with Fernando, aka Monstro, aka Chewbaca, since he would guarantee
that we would be the only people on that particular dive. Lisa wanted to
be sure that we had his undivided attention. No other dive shop would promise
not to add cruisers who might come along. We were scheduled to dive the
reef in front of Lorena Hotel.
Nick decided to sleep in one of the beds, but I kept to my hammock. I swear
I'm gonna find a way to hang one in my bedroom here at home.
Just a note about Alicia's. Those who have been there know how sparkling
clean the place is. Chuco and Alicia are warm people who will help you in
any way they can. The bougainvillea, hibiscus and other plants that Alicia
has planted around the house make it a tropical paradise. She has pothos
growing over the archway...with a little hummingbird nest hanging at the peak.
I have a great silhouette of mama on the nest. If you are interested
in a nice place to stay with very reasonable prices and delicious breakfasts,
this is the place. It's away from the ocean but is close to lots. It's
a very "local" experience and culturally enriching.
Well, I'm tired of typing. I'll have to finish later. Only two more
days to go. Whew! Man, I wish I was there experiencing instead of
here telling. *sigh*
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