COZUMEL 10 APRIL

PHOTOS : Marketing tools to get you into the shops! Luc swimming!

We sleep late today and have a slow morning on the beach. Reading, swimming and getting a tan! Luc is very frustrated as the only kids on the beach speak French and cannot understand him! Luc forces us to cool off in the very cold Jacuzzi at the hotel. We take a long walk down the main street. Much less crowed today. End up having a late lunch at La Cueva del Chango (Monkey restaurant – all art creations!). Really good. In funky garden setting with really good funky food. As I said a very slow day – so we take a slow walk back and do some curio shopping. Luc finally gets his Mexico soccer shirt – after massive bargaining between Callie and the shop owner – with Mexico scoring the goal (and the best deal!). We go for sunset drinks at the backpackers joint on the beach. Luc plays soccer with a young boy and a backpacker. He runs back and asks if he could put on his soccer shirt – good for you my son, if you can’t play the game, at least you are good with the window dressing!! Cannot believe that we are nearly at the end of our 2 months in Mexico!

CHICHEN ITZA 9 APRIL

PHOTOS : Chichen Itza (we are in awe!). Luc the photographer. And one of his photos! Swimming in the cenote.

We leave very early on our guided tour to Chichen Itza – the most famous and best restored of Mayan Cities in Mexico (and one of the spots I wanted to visit). It is a long ride and we end up sitting in the back of the combi (not good for my “engtevrees”!). We have to drive all the way down to Tulum, from there through Coba and then to Valladolid. Here we stop to look at the different styles of architecture. We finally get to Chichen Itza at 11.30. There are millions of tourists, and groups, but it is so massive that you can actually deal with it. Our tour guide is very arrogant, but also very knowledgeable. We are astounded by the thought that has gone in behind the design and building of the city. At the vernal and autumnal equinoxes in March and September the morning and afternoon sun produces a light-and shadow illusion of a serpent ascending or descending the side of the El Castillos’s staircase. The Mayans are famous for discovering the number Zero, and also for a much more accurate calendar than what we are using now. Another famous discovery was that of penicillin – hundreds of years before it was “discovered”! To me, the most fascinating is still the ball game they use to play (see our visit to XCaret earlier on). Two teams played this game with a rubber ball they had to hit with all their body parts, except their hands and feet (mostly with their hips). They were also not allowed to kick the ball. They played this game in a massive arena and the game lasted for 2 solid days, during which they could not stop. The aim of the game was to get the ball through a ring on the two sides of the arena, 18 feet up in the air! What makes this game unusual was that it was played by priests and the purpose of this game was to win and then one of the members of the winning team could offer themselves to be sacrificed. This was a great honour, as the Mayans believed that we live 3 lives and this was a step to the next life! We get an hour on our own in the ruins, which is barely enough. From there we go off to a very touristy restaurant, with hundreds of tourists and buffet food. The highlight here is the Mayan dancers. We laugh when we realise that the description of our tour guide of Mayans are so true. They are short people, with triangular heads, slanted eyes, hooked noses and square bodies – no sexy curves for the women, hence the square traditional dresses! We are however amazed by their embroidery skills!
Our last stop is at a Cenote for a swim – the temperature was about 40C and we were very hot and looking forward to this swim. The cenote turns out to be a big surprise and awesome. We have to go down very steep stairs to a massive underground cave with a small opening high up above us and a fresh water pool. Even more steps to get to the pool and the water is freezing, but so welcome! We really did not want to get out when the time is up! We eventually get home at about 7 (just in time for the evening yoga class!! HA HA – we are too lazy!!). Stroll out for dinner at 100% Natural - a healthy chain group, but good food. We are bushed and Luc practically falls asleep on Callie’s neck! Must say, not too bothered by the noise of the hundreds of party goers!

COZUMEL 8 APRIL

PHOTOS : Ready to go! The cruise ships and ferry at Cozumel. Playa Del Carmen. Alambra Hotel (white one on beach!)

Today is our last day on Cozumel – we are very sad to go! What a stunning place to stay and dive! It is Easter Sunday morning and we decide to go to church. About 20 blocks of walking, and we get there just in time. It is an English service and a local choir performs – beautiful! Back home we finish packing up and then go to Caribe Blu to pay for the diving and have breakfast with Pedro and Eyal. Both of them compliments us on Luc (and the highlight is when Luc says to Pedro “It was a pleasure meeting you” and Pedro who cannot believe that such a sentence comes from a 5year old!). Sad when we finally have to go - Pedro and Eyal really made us feek at home and like VIP´s! Now we have a travel with all our luggage and my backpack feels 20 time heavier than it did when we left! We get the ferry to Playa and then walk the 5 blocks to our new hotel – Hotel Alambra. The hotel is situated on the beach just off the boardwalk and we feel immediately home after the warm welcome from Angel. We go for a long walk down the boardwalk – the closed off cobblestone main street, lined with touristy shops and restaurants (and millions of people!). Seems that the party never stops here! We eventually have a great dinner at a Moroccan Restaurant, Matubs, and Luc gets to have Lassi and interesting food!

COZUMEL 7 APRIL

PHOTOS : Courtyard at Villas Las Anclas & the diver fountain in Cozumel.

This is our last day of diving and looking at the rough seas we knew that our planned deep dive was not going to happen. The dive site is the Devils Throat (Punta Sur). The dive starts at 30 meters on the reef and then goes deeper into a deep blue (and this is the one I really wanted to do!). Luc is in tears when he sees the rough seas and I decide to stay on shore with him – so Callie goes off on the dive. We go for pastry and juice and to update internet and once again lunch at Rock ‘n Java. Callie is not back when we get to Caribe Blue and we chill out next to the pool. I decide to do the afternoon dive – this will be the last dives of the holiday!! How sad!!! When Callie gets back, we hear that they managed to do the Devils Throat!! But he only did the first half of the caves – so I don’t feel too bad. But they saw some other stunning things – splendid toadfish, snapping shrimp and a minute sea slug. He however says that he enjoyed the Santa Rosa Wall (2nd dive more). Our dive master is great and also takes us to Santa Rosa Wall. I decide to do a deep dive – all on my own as the rest where much shallower and I did not have a dive buddy. What a stunning dive! Lots of caves and stunning wall with beautiful formations. We see a massive turtle which swims up to me as I exit a cave. I stay most of the dive on 30 meters and eventually have to do a 6 minute deco stop. Which was not too bad, but then the dive master had to go up (this was his 5th dive of the day) and all the other divers decide to abandon me. On 3 minutes my tank came loose and I ended up doing the last 3 minutes with my tank under my arm!! The second dive is on Palancar Shallow, and we see lots of drum fish, I spots a Scorpion fish (the find of the day) and a massive lobster who goes for a stroll out in the open! By the time we get out we are freezing. Callie immediately orders a Cuba Libre and another one for me, and then Victor (the manager) gets us going on two massive strawberry Daquiries! By the time we get home I am wasted – deep dives and too many cocktails! I go to sleep and the men decide to hit the town. They end up eating at a very local restaurant, but Luc hates the food and thanks to him, I get Chinese take-aways when I finally wake up.

COZUMEL 6 APRIL

PHOTOS : Callie and Luc´s day full of adventure!

The weather has not cleared up, but I decide to honour my dive booking (Callie, of course arrives at the dive shop and starts making excuses about his ear – everyone just bursts out laughing!). But the sea is very rough, and we cannot take Luc on the boat. We have to take a taxi to the protected harbour as the sea is too rough to launch from the jetty. It is cold and I have no expectations for the diving. We do not go out far, but much better under the water than uptop. Turns out to be a stunning dive. Great viz and good sea life – highlight was the small pipefish. We go back to the harbour to rest – it is freezing and we seek the sun. Second dive on paradise reef and the mission to find the seahorses. Once again a beautiful dive. First small little reefs and then we venture into the sandy area where we finally find a little seahorse – amazing. Opal (the divemaster) also finds a dragon pipefish – it is so small, don’t know how she spotted it! We are just on shore waiting for the taxi when it starts to pour down! I am freezing by the time I get home! In the mean time Callie and Luc uses the scooter to go down south. They went to the Punta Sur National Park right at the bottom end of the island (where the weather was calm). African Luc was happy to see the massive crocodiles – he must be missing home! He turns out to be even braver when he climbs the light house (134 steps – no wonder his mother went diving!). Apparently he was a bit weary when looking down and opted not to stay on top too long. The Mariners and Navigation Museum next on the list and Callie cannot get Luc away from the big steering wheel. Whilst the divers are freezing their butts off, the two adventurers got all the sunshine! A boat trip up the Columbia lagoon for some bird watching (this lagoon opens up during the rainy season and this is the time when a lot of the sea fish come in to have their babies). The day at the park is ended off with a snorkelling session between the millions of cruise passengers in their life jackets! Luc then meets Bob Marley at a Rasta Bar!!! One the way back they get soaking wet in the rain, but the boys are not too bothered. I only hear later that Callie had a tough time stopping Luc to open the throttle of the scooter! Dinner at Rock ‘n Java - we are now locals here as well!

COZUMEL 5 APRIL

No diving today - we were both beginning to feel the effects of all the long, deep, repetitive diving. We stroll through the shops (alongside the many cruise ship tourists!). Go for a pastry at one of the popular local pastry shops. The museum is a highlight (used to be one of the first hotels on the island). Very interesting the Mayan history and how they also fought to keep independence. Each young Mayan girl had to make a pilgrimage to Cozumel (The Island of Swallows) to pay tribute to Ixchel, the goddess of fertility and the moon. Small pox (introduced by the Spanish) killed half of the 8000 Mayans on the island and then only 200 survived the attacks by conquistadors. In the late 17th it became a sanctuary for pirates and then at the beginning of the 20th century the economy exploded because of the craze for chewing gum!!! (Chicle grew on the island!). Then it became a US military base for WWII, and when the military departed fell into an economic slump (need I say more!). It was Jacques Cousteau’s documentary on the fantastic sea life that brought tourists overnight! (We now heard that Bill Gates and Donald Trump is busy buying up most of Cozumel – for mega resort developments, and it is already ruining the reefs!). We struggle to get Luc away from the model of the Spanish galleon – he is completely fascinated by it! We decide to be adventurous and to go for lunch at one of the local food stalls in the Municipal Market. The market is an interesting place, selling fruit, veg, fresh meat and fish to cheap Chinese junk! Cannot understand any of the menus and decide to sit at the restaurant that looks the busiest (well trained by Uri!). Our waiter, who also becomes the chef (small family business!) helps us out and we end up with two delicious fried fish (lots of garlic!) and Callie finally gets to eat Camerones (prawns). It turns out to be the cheapest meal we have had here and one of the best tasting! The boys decide that they still have enough energy for more exploring and once again the set off on their scooter. I sleep the rest of the afternoon (OH – all those deep dives!!). This time they go snorkelling at Chankanaab Park, national park with dolphins and good reef. Luc cannot stop talking about the afternoon there, when they eventually get home. We decide to cook in and end up talking with the neighbour (who’s daughter made friends with Luc), swopping out food and wine! She is also from Atlanta (Decatur – where Liz lives and we will be next month!!!) and is not happy with her husband who when on a diving course last week because he knew he was coming to Cozumel!!! The long predicated rain finally arrives and it pours down (with lightning!!!)

COZUMEL 4 APRIL

Even more diving!!!! Not often that we have such stunning viz and great diving. Today we take the scooter to the dive shop. I am very nervous, especially after hearing that Luc is allowed to help drive the scooter. So with Luc in front, Callie in the middle and myself at the back, we set off – very slowly, as requested by scared Monique! It is not that I do not trust Callies driving, it is the other drivers that I am worried about! Today we managed to book one of the best sites - Marachiabo. It is the last dive site, right at the bottom of the island and very deep. This is what we have come to do. We are with a really nice dive master (Pemba) and other good divers. We fall in and go straight down. The reef starts at 30 meters and then it is a wall straight down. Callie decides to go for it and levels off at 50 meters! 45 meters was good enough for me. The rest of the group is high above and suddenly we see them all go crazy and pointing upwards. I start to fin up and then also see the dolphin right above us. It is playing and swimming in circles! This is about the 5th time in my 400 dives that I have seen a dolphin under water. I stay below it as it swims out over the reef and as I look down, I see the distinct shape of a shark below me. I look around to show the others, but none of them look at me. Eventually I get Callies attention, but then it is too late. We are all on a high when we come out of the dive. Luc is not feeling well – did not want to stay on the boat, and I was really worried that something was wrong with him. He is asleep when we fall over for the second dive. One of the divers run into trouble and abort the dive, with her husband following suit. We finish the dive – really nice relaxed dive with lots of coral bommies. Eventually we both end up in a long deco stop (Callie 12 minutes), but he still spots a ray going up! More time next to the pool to keep Luc happy. He also goes snorkelling with Callie and they have a massive fall out in the water! So loud that the whole hotel hears it. Luc comes running out of the sea crying and refuses to speak to his dad, until he realises that there is a scooter and he needs to be friends with daddy again!!! We chill out at home and have a long chat with Joel (Pedro’s business partner) before going to dinner. We are not sure where to go, but Luc was keen to “get the partying going” (his new line from “Car’s”), so we end up in the most touristy, loudest restaurants of all! Food not too bad, but Luc is tired so we manage to escape the loud tourists!