Once upon a time in Mexico
Trip Start
Sep 01, 2005
1
46
163
Trip End
Dec 04, 2006
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Playa Del Carmen, Cozumel and Cancun, Mexico
Sunday, December 18, 2005
I really should stop all this complaining....after all I am in Mexico....Bubby is here....we are experiencing adventures on different levels....and I have my.....health. OK Lets move on to the positives; this way please....
Section A
1. Food can be cheap
1.1 The usual flare of pollo milanesa (chicken schnitzel), sopa de veduras (vege soup and refresco de tamarindo (Tamarind drink) will set you back about $4 usd and is scrumptious enough to have 3 nights in a row.
1.2 Tortas and Tacos are always under $1usd (Found this great place that dished out the Tacos day in and day out for 40 cents, we ate there for breakfast 3 days in a row again!)
1.3 Churros! So Fresh! So Good! So bad for you!.
2. The Diving is good
2.1 Whilst in Playa Del Carmen I went to do some diving in a couple of places the first dive site called "Jardin" (Garden) was alright in terms of range of fish but the reef was not so colorful, I guess it never is when you compare it to the one back home as they don´t call it GREAT for nothing! The other however named "Tortugas" is famed for, you guessed it Turtles and these turtles just blew me away, I had seen them before in Nicaragua laying their eggs. But to see these majestic creatures in the sea was a totally different experience altogether. A total 5 turtles were spotted throughout the 50 minute dive, some were munching on the sponges on the reef aware but not alerted by our presence 1/2 a metre away, some swimming around ever so eloquently and all of whom were at peace; and alone. The biggest turtle I had ever encountered before lay beneath us with a domed shell which had a length of 1.7 metres and a width of a metre. It was one for a better word.....GI(gantic)-(e)NORMOUS! Speechless by the sight and the fact that we were 18 metres underwater, we returned to the surface and was informed that Bubba who the turtle will be forever remembered is one of, if not, the largest the divemaster had ever seen before in the 6 years he has been diving in these waters and should be well over 150 years old....WOW!
2.2 Also in the area I was priviledged to dive in a Cenote called Dos Ojos (Two Eyes) which was the site for the IMAX film "Hidden Worlds" and the up and coming movies "Caves". With stalactmites and interesting formations it was abit scary to be diving in these Cenotes as sometimes you would be admiring what was beneath you and you would be inches from crashing your head into the rocks above. After awhile it got abit much and to be honest abit boring...wheres the fish? the coral? oh its fresh water right......I don´t think I´ll be in a hurry to do that again. All caved out over cenotes.......
2.3 Cozumel Island made famous by Jacques Yves Cousteau was also another treat, the reefs in Palancar and Santa Rosa are big reefs with abundant sea life. The wall at Santa Rosa starting at a depth of 25 metres drops off like a cliff face into the dark abyss and is an awesome site. Filled with eels, rays, fish 6 times the size of your computer tower next to you and my personal favourite....LOBSTERS by the dozen! ( On another note a friend who I had met in Granada, Nicaragua happened to be in the same dive shop I was in and we ended up diving together the next day on Cozumel Island.....HOW RANDOMN IS THAT!? He is also the guy you have to thank for the underwater photos)
3. Wilma did not destroy everything.
3.1 Although construction work is still very evident in most places stretching from Playa Del Carmen up to Cancun. There seems to be pockets of beaches and hotels that had not been hit. Or maybe these hotels actually had the money and resources to clean it all up very quickly. Its funny to see though, well not really but anyway, that the palm trees have still got its roots firmly intertwined into the ground but all its branches and leaves have been ripped off. Some of the trees have now got a permanent 30 degree plus slant away from the coast. Other places were not so lucky with alot of establishments that have been permanantly closed down and even large scale hotels 30 storeys high with all its windows broken and sides of the building which have collapsed.
3.2 Our lovely hotel was discounted because of maintenance work being done which didn´t phase us as we were never there during the day anyway. We did have a lovely neighbour that obviously was hard of hearing and had symptoms of obsessive compulsive behaviour towards Savage Garden.
3.3 The airport is up and running and we are able to fly out of here.....YAY!
Brief Notes
Cozumel Island - Nice place but no one ever stays as 90% of the tourists return back to their grand cruise ships that light up the night skies from the seas
Playa Del Carmen - The coast stretches 5 klms and is lined with hotel after hotel after hotel, kind of like the Gold Coast.
Cancun - The zona del hoteleria is much the same except it stretches for 12 klms plus is grander! However back in Cancun city it just seems like most of the other big cities we have seen.
I feel like there should be alot more to this entry seeing that alot of time has passed but to be honest not much else has been going on. We were more or less just biding our time before Cuba and now the day has come. It is now T - 6 hours and E.T.A is 8 hours to the land of the not so free and home of the Mojito, Cigars and Salsa. Ready or not here we come . . .
Comments
Merry christmas!!!
Just wanted to send a quick merry christmas from the land of bangers & mash, Robbie Williams look alike & lagers!!! Have a fab time (but also safe time)in Cuba.
Hope everything is going well with Amber - and if not, just keeping being postive. Remember you are the bloke so you should be more considerate.
oh and can you remind me when you are arriving to London again. I'm in the process of organising my next year's holidays. ps I've got contacts to get us Wimbledon tickets. Go Roddick GO!!!
Miss you loads and loads - can't wait to see you next year!!!