Mini Golf, Wet Wendy’s and Diving in Cozumel
Been here 3 nights so far. Having a great time though it's a bit colder than usual here. Hostelito is a great place; Very nice clean hostel and nice little common area.
I was walking around the first night and got invited to the Aqua Safari Christmas party. It was great because I got to hang out with the dive masters and shop employees. Free alcohol and free tacos and food wasnt a bad reason either. It was a great time. Aqua Safari as I've stated previously is a great company. I was a bit tired so I ended up going home around midnight.
Next day I met up with my buddy Mark for breakfast whom I previously met when I was here in August who is also staying at the Hostelio. The port ended up being closed at 8:30am however they re-opened at 10:30am so I was still able to get some diving in. Water was pretty rough however and after 2nd dive I was freezing. I believe the water temperature was about 82 degrees however the air temperature was about 75s with lots of wind. I'm extremely glad I brought some long sleeve shirts. Not too fun but still way better than 14 inches of snow in Boston. We went to Punta Tunich for first dive and and ChanKanaab for the 2nd dive. Both dives were both about an hour. Saw 6 turtles on the first dive.
We ended up drinking at the hostel on Saturday night. Met a Norwegian guy and a Swedish girl and we started drinking vodka so I knew I was in for a rough night. We ended up playing Mini Golf where they give you a walkie talkie and you can order beers via walkie talkie while playing mini golf. It's located on Calle 1 and 15th Avenida. I think the place is just called Cozumel Mini Golf. After this I think I stumbled onto Kelly's. Went down hill from there (from what I can remember). Was an expensive 40-50USD night.
I ended up going diving the next morning and went to ChanKanaab Baloons and Las Palmas Wall. We caught two lion fish on the first dive and a third one on the 2nd dive. Hoping I wouldn't see any down here but it looks like they've arrived en masse.
I assisted Jose (DM) on catching the 2nd one. The 2nd dive ended up being about an hour and 15 minutes on AL80 tank. Almost went into deco. Not too shabby.
Didnt do too much Sunday night since I spent a lot of money on Saturday. I went to Kelly's for a few beers and ended up going to the cinema to see Avatar. It was in English but with Spanish subtitles. I think the ticket cost 65 pesos so it ended up being a cheap night. The cinema was extremely nice, all stadium seating. Definitely something cheap to do for the night Sound and picture quality was great.
Anyway, I'm currently sitting at Wet Wendy's enjoying some cervezas and catching up on some email with free wireless. Wet Wendy's is definitely the best place in Cozumel to get a margarita. Peanut butter and chocolate margarita is amazing. Food here is also great. Chad and Klara both make some mean margaritas. Not quite as cheap as some other bars on the island
but it's well worth the price.
Planning on doing a bit more diving and then leaving here on the 26th to head to Belize for a few days and then off to Guatemala to explore some Mayan Ruins in Tikal.
Back in Cozumel, Mexico for Christmas
Unfortunately, I didnt make it to Thailand or anywhere in Asia so I decided to go to my next favorite place and hit up Cozumel for Christmas. I have little over two weeks off and will probably try to go to Belize or Guatemala next week. I've already heard Feliz Navidad like ten times now. Not sure how much longer I can tolerate that, haha.
Havent really updated my blog the last three times I've been to Cozumel but I figured I would try to update it this time since i'm trying to do this trip on a semi-budget.
Arrived here around 4:00PM, breezed through customs and took t 15-20 minute walk into town. Beats paying for a taxi or shuttle bus especially if you're cheap like me. Decided to go Hostelito a try instead of staying at Suites Bahia or Safari Inn this time. Hostelito is a clean little backpacker hostel about two blocks away from main square and has rooms in the dorm for about 12USD/night. Not quite as cheap as Thailand but it will do. May eventually spurge for a double room with A/C depending on how I feel. Overall, seems like a nice place. Clean beds, nice little kitchen, free wireless, etc.
There is a nice breeze coming off the coast which feels great. Temperature is about 70 degrees right now. Much better than the 10 degree weather in Boston. Should be 80s tomorrow. Booked a dive with my old friends at Aqua Safari. Hopefully the port is open tomorrow for diving. The harbor master closed it today due to high winds.
Will try to keep updating this and see where I go..
Missing my flight is always a good way to end a trip
I figured I could wake up at 9am and catch the 10am ferry to Playa Del Carmen. Big mistake. There was no 10am ferry only a 11am and 9am which I had already missed. Usually these ferries run every hour and I unfortunately incorrectly assumed they would still be running every hour. Sadly, the swine flu changed this. With little tourists the ferries were only running every 2 hours so I had no choice but to take the 11am. I got to Playa Del Carmen around 11:40 just in time to catch the 12pm Ado bus to Cancun which takes about an hour.
I got to Cancun airport around 1:05pm and rushed to make it to the Delta terminal to catch my 1:45pm. Sadly I knew my efforts were futile. I ended up missing the gate closing by about 10 minutes.
I know had two choices. Reschedule with Delta for the first flight tomorrow morning for a change fee of 175usd or find another airline home. I offered to take the latter and booked a one way flight from Cancun to Boston on American Airlines for 140USD. Cheaper than my change fee would have been on Delta but an extra 140 dollar added expense. Oh well, it still makes my entire flight only around 215USD which is still a good deal. I am not really complaining.
That's pretty much it. Hope to return again to Cozumel either in June or July for another weekend trip. This trip to Cozumel was well overdue and only reminded me again how much I love Cozumel.
Bottom line, please don't buy into the whole media frenzy about the swine flu. Go to Cozumel; You won't regret it. Local businesses are hurting right now and I would hate to see any place have to close. On the plus side, there is no better time to head to Cozumel. Airfare and hotels are cheaper than ever and most dive operators would love to see you. With no cruise ships until June they say it is like stepping back in time to 1970s Cozumel before it became a major port of call for all the cruise ships.
Cozumel, Mexico – Swine flu free
I woke at 7AM and went to a little coffee place next door to my hotel called Coffee Bean. I asked coffee con hielo (coffee with ice). Not quite sure if my Spanish was right but they understood me fine. The coffee only came to 20 pesos (about 1.5USD) They also offer espressos and cappuccinos for good prices too. Increasingly enough there is also now a Starbucks on the island which was never here before. I didn't go in but you can bet the prices were not that cheap.
Got to the Aqua Safari pier and boarded the boat. Mostly the same people except for a guy named Greg from Missouri I believe. Greg was in the restaurant business but retired early and says he comes to Cozumel almost every month. Must be a hard life.. Dove with him as a dive buddy. All and all a nice guy and good diver.
We dove Colombia Reef for the first dive at 85ft for 45 minutes and Punta Tunish for the 2nd dive at 44ft for 57 minutes Colombia Reef is always a favorite of mine since it has tons of swim-thrus. Both dives were fantastic. I am in opinion that you can never have a bad dive in Cozumel. On this dive a nice Italian girl (dont remember her name) that had gone local and worked as a video and photographer was filming us on both dives. Unfortunately I didn't buy the video since I am trying to budget but she showed it to us later on in the afternoon and it came out fantastic.
I agreed to meet the two retired guys in Florida and John from Holland at Costa Brava for dinner. The nice thing about divers is that they're all usually a friendly bunch and like to get to together to talk about diving. Costa Brava did not disappoint an will be added my favorite restaurants list in Cozumel.
After dinner the two retired guys from Florida decided to head to bed while me and John decided to check out the local scene on the island. I took him on a local tour from what I knew of the island. A new addition to the island is a superstore called Mega which can be best described as a Walmart super center on steroids. Originally there were no large stores or supermarkets on the island. Prior to Mega most specialty item needed to be purchased in Playa Del Carmen or Cancun and then brought over on the ferry. While I can't say if having Mega store changes the island feel. It is definitely a well received addition to the island with a selection better than most stores and supermarkets back home. While I am guessing Mega has brought many jobs to the island one has to wonder what will happen to all the little stores and markets on the island.
We ended up at Kelley's Sports Bar again where I was immediately recognized by the owner and bartender. Had a few beers here and paid the bill. John had commented on the bill being cheap and also be ripped off at Fat Tuesdays yesterday. Ended up venturing into the main square and stumbling upon a bar called Woody's owned by an American named Greg. The place was hopping with what seemed like a mixture of locals and tourists. The bar also had a good music selection being supplied by satellite radio. There were also a bunch if girls here which is also a plus. Didn't stay out too late and ended up leaving around midnight. Surprisingly even with Woody's Bar being in the main square the beer was cheaper than Kelley's. A great little hang out spot.
