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.
January 2nd, 2010 - 01:50
My brother got infected with H1N1 or Swine Flu in Mexico. He got a mild fever and luckily he did not die.
February 11th, 2010 - 05:32
i think that in asian countries the Swine Flu did not spread rapidly compared to those countries that are located in colder climates. we should still be very thankful that the swine flu did not cause massive infections.