Babymoon - Cozumel, Mexico, March 16, 2008
BUSTED! Somehow the hotel found out that their Internet access wasn't locked down and I awoke to no more free Internet access. Oh well. I knew better than to think they wouldn't charge for it and at some point I'll break down and pay the charge, but for now I'll put my thoughts into notepad and then paste them up after the fact.
Today was our day to rent a Jeep and brave the Island's road system. We asked for early morning coffee and it arrived at 6:15 AM. That didn't manage to keep us from going right back to sleep, however, and we weren't up until almost 8 AM when I discovered the Internet had been taken back. That meant our early morning coffee was lukewarm. We managed to drink it anyway. Mexican coffee is still stronger than more American coffee and it tastes pretty good. We went down to have breakfast and then finish up the details on the car.
Once again, this town proves that cash is king and even using a card to avoid carrying cash is not preferred. The car rental company charged a 10% "tax" on rentals that could be avoided by paying cash. So, once again, I ran down to the ATM to take out the 1110 pesos it was going to cost. That included the rental, the extra insurance (I feared that something would happen to the Jeep on the road and was more than willing to pay the extra cost) as well as the tank refill charge so that we didn't have to pay for any gas. Probably a bit more than I should have paid to rent a car for a single day considering I likely could have hassled the vacation sales company into picking up the charge, but we wanted to do it.
We hit the road to San Gervaiso. It is a Mayan ruin here on the Island and there aren't any specific tours that cover it, so we thought we'd find out what it was about. The drive itself wasn't too bad, though the road into the dig itself obviously wasn't well maintained. We arrive and discover that we have to pay two fees. The first of 22 pesos per person covers only the use of the toilets and the access to parking and the shops. We had to pay an additional 37 pesos per person to get into the dig itself. Not like they explained that at all. Anyway, into the ruin we went. It was very interesting, and while we didn't hire a guide, we still got quite a bit out of the ruin. It was crawling with Iguana, and I took a couple of pictures of some of the larger ones.
Out and back onto the road. That's not only a statement of the journey, but one of the island itself. There is one road that crosses from the West side to the East side of Cozumel and one major road that loops around the lower half of the island itself. Of course, exiting the park the view was blocked and I almost got side swiped by a speeding car going the opposite direction, but fortunately, I was able to stop in time.
We drove a bit and I talked Colleen into stopping at a tequila factory. It turns out good tequila is actually only made from Agave cactus, and Agave is really only used to create the sugar component that makes the alcohol. We were unable to get a decent tour as that service isn't available on Sunday, but I was able to get to the store and to sample a new variety of flavored tequilas. In the end, we bought a string of bottles that was one of every flavor they offered and a small bottle of almond tequila, which I chose to keep to drink the remainder of my stay here at the resort. OH IT IS TASTY!
We drove literally until we reached the end of the island on the East Coast and were forced to turn right. There was no other direction. We drove along the road for a bit and saw the signs for Coconuts. This is a spot Colleen found on the Internet at the top of a hill overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The East side of the Island is an anachronism and a real indication of just how third world Mexico can still be. Most of it has no access to telephones, no access to even electricity. This spot had some degree of electricity, but it had no access to any telephone lines and that meant it could not accept credit cards of any kind. We had a fair amount of cash, fortunately, so I wasn't terribly concerned. We had lunch and I had a couple of drinks. We got some good pictures of a very rough ocean and some of the local color and were on our way once again. Their bar is covered with business cards, shirts, hats, and underwear from visitors, but neither of us had anything we were willing to donate in exchange for a coconuts shirt. In the end, we bought a T-shirt and cap for us to remember the visit.
We drove slowly through a large chunk of beach that was quite evidently where the locals hung out. Cars lined both sides of what is a barely two lane road and we had to deal with traffic coming toward us as well. We got through and back onto a decent stretch of the road. We found Punta Sur, which is a beach right at the tip of the island so part of it faces the Eastern sea and part faces into the Yucutan Peninsula. The Eastern portion is rough waves and very rocky, while the Western side is calm because there are no real incoming tides that can create the kind of waves the open sea produces. On the beach was a bar supposedly frequented by Bob Marley during his heyday and now named Rasta's Bar. This location definitely had no electricity, and they even shipped in ice daily to provide refrigeration. We stopped long enough to have a couple of drinks and to buy a T-shirt. They also provided us a pen to write on their bar itself (most of the surfaces are written on) and I took the opportunity to write "Derek, Colleen and Haylie Botti 16-03-2008" as a reminder that the three of us were there.
Our last stop was Chankanaab. It is supposedly an ecological park but I am not really convinced. Since we couldn't participate in the Dolphin Experience, and neither of us wanted to snorkel, we just settled for a walk around the garden and the simulated archaeological dig. It wound up being pretty over priced for those bits, but we did manage a couple of decent photos.
Back on the road and to the hotel. We are both seriously burnt in a couple of spots and we wanted to call it an early evening. Showers and down to the lobby for a quick drink before the dinner buffet was served. We learned that getting there right at 6 is well worth it as the food selection is much fresher and the chances of getting cut off in line are nonexistent.
Popped into the gift shop to buy some Aloe Vera and then back to the room. Colleen is still up reading as I finish this entry and I am just about out of my Almond Tequila. Tomorrow is back to the sales pitch to find out exactly how expensive a premise the vacation would be and then to the spa for some needed pampering.
Cheers!
Today was our day to rent a Jeep and brave the Island's road system. We asked for early morning coffee and it arrived at 6:15 AM. That didn't manage to keep us from going right back to sleep, however, and we weren't up until almost 8 AM when I discovered the Internet had been taken back. That meant our early morning coffee was lukewarm. We managed to drink it anyway. Mexican coffee is still stronger than more American coffee and it tastes pretty good. We went down to have breakfast and then finish up the details on the car.
Once again, this town proves that cash is king and even using a card to avoid carrying cash is not preferred. The car rental company charged a 10% "tax" on rentals that could be avoided by paying cash. So, once again, I ran down to the ATM to take out the 1110 pesos it was going to cost. That included the rental, the extra insurance (I feared that something would happen to the Jeep on the road and was more than willing to pay the extra cost) as well as the tank refill charge so that we didn't have to pay for any gas. Probably a bit more than I should have paid to rent a car for a single day considering I likely could have hassled the vacation sales company into picking up the charge, but we wanted to do it.
We hit the road to San Gervaiso. It is a Mayan ruin here on the Island and there aren't any specific tours that cover it, so we thought we'd find out what it was about. The drive itself wasn't too bad, though the road into the dig itself obviously wasn't well maintained. We arrive and discover that we have to pay two fees. The first of 22 pesos per person covers only the use of the toilets and the access to parking and the shops. We had to pay an additional 37 pesos per person to get into the dig itself. Not like they explained that at all. Anyway, into the ruin we went. It was very interesting, and while we didn't hire a guide, we still got quite a bit out of the ruin. It was crawling with Iguana, and I took a couple of pictures of some of the larger ones.
Out and back onto the road. That's not only a statement of the journey, but one of the island itself. There is one road that crosses from the West side to the East side of Cozumel and one major road that loops around the lower half of the island itself. Of course, exiting the park the view was blocked and I almost got side swiped by a speeding car going the opposite direction, but fortunately, I was able to stop in time.
We drove a bit and I talked Colleen into stopping at a tequila factory. It turns out good tequila is actually only made from Agave cactus, and Agave is really only used to create the sugar component that makes the alcohol. We were unable to get a decent tour as that service isn't available on Sunday, but I was able to get to the store and to sample a new variety of flavored tequilas. In the end, we bought a string of bottles that was one of every flavor they offered and a small bottle of almond tequila, which I chose to keep to drink the remainder of my stay here at the resort. OH IT IS TASTY!
We drove literally until we reached the end of the island on the East Coast and were forced to turn right. There was no other direction. We drove along the road for a bit and saw the signs for Coconuts. This is a spot Colleen found on the Internet at the top of a hill overlooking the Caribbean Sea. The East side of the Island is an anachronism and a real indication of just how third world Mexico can still be. Most of it has no access to telephones, no access to even electricity. This spot had some degree of electricity, but it had no access to any telephone lines and that meant it could not accept credit cards of any kind. We had a fair amount of cash, fortunately, so I wasn't terribly concerned. We had lunch and I had a couple of drinks. We got some good pictures of a very rough ocean and some of the local color and were on our way once again. Their bar is covered with business cards, shirts, hats, and underwear from visitors, but neither of us had anything we were willing to donate in exchange for a coconuts shirt. In the end, we bought a T-shirt and cap for us to remember the visit.
We drove slowly through a large chunk of beach that was quite evidently where the locals hung out. Cars lined both sides of what is a barely two lane road and we had to deal with traffic coming toward us as well. We got through and back onto a decent stretch of the road. We found Punta Sur, which is a beach right at the tip of the island so part of it faces the Eastern sea and part faces into the Yucutan Peninsula. The Eastern portion is rough waves and very rocky, while the Western side is calm because there are no real incoming tides that can create the kind of waves the open sea produces. On the beach was a bar supposedly frequented by Bob Marley during his heyday and now named Rasta's Bar. This location definitely had no electricity, and they even shipped in ice daily to provide refrigeration. We stopped long enough to have a couple of drinks and to buy a T-shirt. They also provided us a pen to write on their bar itself (most of the surfaces are written on) and I took the opportunity to write "Derek, Colleen and Haylie Botti 16-03-2008" as a reminder that the three of us were there.
Our last stop was Chankanaab. It is supposedly an ecological park but I am not really convinced. Since we couldn't participate in the Dolphin Experience, and neither of us wanted to snorkel, we just settled for a walk around the garden and the simulated archaeological dig. It wound up being pretty over priced for those bits, but we did manage a couple of decent photos.
Back on the road and to the hotel. We are both seriously burnt in a couple of spots and we wanted to call it an early evening. Showers and down to the lobby for a quick drink before the dinner buffet was served. We learned that getting there right at 6 is well worth it as the food selection is much fresher and the chances of getting cut off in line are nonexistent.
Popped into the gift shop to buy some Aloe Vera and then back to the room. Colleen is still up reading as I finish this entry and I am just about out of my Almond Tequila. Tomorrow is back to the sales pitch to find out exactly how expensive a premise the vacation would be and then to the spa for some needed pampering.
Cheers!
posted by Derek Botti at
5:57 PM
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