Our Cozumel

We are still coasting off the good vibes from our marvelous trip, periodically brought back to reality by the demands of work, children, and running a household. Reality bites; Cozumel is heaven.

Here's me on the beach. On our first full day we rented a little VW Beetle and drove to the other side of the island. The "car" was amazing - nothing electronic on it, very primitive and creaky, but it added to the rustic ambience.
Most of the island is not at all developed, in stark contrast to the resorty little town. There is no electricity or running water on the other side, just miles and miles of mostly empty beaches. The undertow is too deep for serious swimming (except in a few coves), and there are a few bars dotting the coast. Otherwise, you can go a long ways without seeing another human. We had this beach all to ourselves. About every 5 feet it looked like an ATV came out of the ocean, dug a huge hole, and drove back in. They were sea turtle nests, and they striped the beach. We didn't see any tortugas, but was did see a couple of eggs dredged up by predators. Oh well, strength in numbers, right? BONUS: on the town side of the island it rained all day, but all we got was a nice cloud cover.











We stayed two nights in town, then three nights at the resort, which was FANTASTIC. Here's our ocean view. Next is me in the hammock on the patio, and you can just see our jacuzzi in the bottom right corner. Also nice: in room minibar, included, restocked twice a day.

Our resort was walking distance to the town. We spent one day snorkeling in the reefs off Chakanaub (a natural park), where we saw 2 small moray eels, a huge sting ray, anemones, and thousands of brilliantly colored fish. We swam with a school of yellow fin tuna, which was a little creepy. Even though we eat them and they have tiny, tiny mouths they are so muscular, with a penetrating stare and sharp fins. Floating with them for too long made me uneasy! We also snorkeled the reef just off the edge of our resort's pool, where I saw a barracuda, sea urchins, huge snails, hermit crabs, and a lobster. Thanks to Anthony, I looked a hiding octopus in the eye. I also found a conch still in its shell, and it stared at me with its little asymmetrical periscope eyes. Anthony loved snorkeling as much as I thought he would, even though one day he got sunburned. Thanks to my swimshirt from Stephanie and frequent reapplication of sunblock, I did not!


The food at the resort was decent, and the libations were plentiful. The best drink I had, though, was the mango margarita at Manati - a little restaurant/bar at the edge of town where we heard some great live music. The margarita was like a cold, pureed tree-ripened mango - not sweet and icy like you'd get here, just dense, fruity, and spiked with lime and tequila.

Toward the end of the trip, Anthony said, "We have to come back." In a few years? I asked, figuring out our future travel plans. "No, in a few months." Yeah, he loved it like I knew he would... Hasta la vista, iguana!