India and Sri Lanka 2015 - 2016

We have a new website for our current blog which commenced in December 2015

 

 

It's been a long time since our last posting in April 2015 when we left Mexico to return to the US and then back to the UK for a few months.

 

Since December 2015 we have been travelling again.  This time to India and Sri Lanka where we plan to journey around until late March 2016.

 

If you want to know what we are up to please click on the link below and follow our travels.

 

www.williamfrances2.blogspot.com

  

The new blogsite is similarly named to the old one so if you are entering it manually don't forget to add in the '2' after our names.

 

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ISLA MUJERES our favourite place!

 

Cancun - Isla Mujeres

It was a simple no hassle journey from our apartment in  Cancun to the hotel on Isla Mujeres.  

We were just a mile from the ferry dock at Puerta Juarez, Cancun and the crossing to Mujeres takes only 40 minutes so we were installed in our hotel on the Isla just about 90 minutes after checking out of the apartment.

We'd previously left Mujeres in the middle of January -seems like yesterday - is it me or is time speeding up?      As a child, the 6 week school summer holidays seemed to go on forever but these last five months in Mexico have passed in the blink of an eye.   10 years since hurricane Katrina? 29 years since Chernobyl?...feels like I've just put down the newspaper after reading the first reports. 

Hopefully, I'm not alone.....h...e...l...p....

Our Hotel - the Francis Arlene

We are staying at this hotel again as everything about it is right for us.  A neat little hotel of 26 rooms.   The rooms are spacious with aircon, good views, decent beds and kitchen.  It is also tucked away from the main hustle and bustle but just a few minutes walk from the town centre, the seafront walkway, beaches, shops and restaurants.  A good spot.






Exterior of the Francis Arlene Hotel

                                  

Nothing like a bit of home cooking....

Our first night back on Mujeres we decide to eat in and sit on the balcony watching the sunset.  Just a few supplies were needed.   Yum! the fresh meat in the local store looked really good - especially the ribeye which seemed plump and juicy as William prodded it with his finger through the clingfilmed outer, nodding enthusiastically when the assistant asked 'Este senor??'.

Back at base, wrapping removed, we decided that a serious accident must have befallen this ribeye on its way to market as its scrawny length unraveled before us. 

...but it was tasty once we'd managed to separate the meat from the sinew and gristle!!

Meeting some old friends

In our time here we've got to know some of the locals more on a nodding aquaintence level than anything else. It's a small place and it doesn't take long before you find yourself bumping into familiar faces along the street.

Nice teeth, Senora........ 

A waistline to die for..... 

......habia dos hombres.....  Not sure if this is the Cisco Kid or Pancho - but was worth the photograph. 

OK - my turn

Out and about..........................



One of our walks takes us down the eastern edge of the island where several marinas  and a large anchorage are home to locals and visiting yachtsman alike. It's a large anchorage protected on three sides but if the wind is from the north it can become very umcomfortable.  William posing nonchalantly by the tree.....

At the top end of the anchorage sits this cement replica of an old fishing boat - a great photo stop for tourists.

Along the malecon....

The paved walkway runs just a few steps behind our hotel and along the waterfront for about a mile.  It's been landscaped with new plantings, eco-solar street lamps and is a great gathering place.  We usually take a walk just before sunset as the day starts to cool down, sit on the wall for a while and watch the world go by..    

The sun is just about to set clipping the top of the far buildings.  The tide is falling and often there will be people down on the beach hunting in the nooks and crannies for stray lobsters.

Sometimes you catch a glimpse of the local 'jardinero' at work

There are several of these planted beds along the malecon but unfortunately all the plants are in desperate need of water!!   There is no automatic irrigation system and it has only rained 3 times in the last four months.

William has taken pity on Bed No. 4 and every day, morning and evening, we attend to its needs by giving it several litre bottles of fresh water to help it survive.  
  

....plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions.  They thrive because someone expended effort on them  Liberty Hyde Bailey   
 

I sit, watch and wait patiently with the bottle carrier ready for the empties.

Then this guy from Missouri stops buy - tells us a joke about mad dogs and Englishman and takes our photograph!  He also took several shots of William in gardening mode for his blogsite!

Around Town the colours are just amazing.......

The town is as colourful as ever - no expense is spared when it comes to painting the buildings or decorating empty walls .

The Hotel Palmas is just a short walk from where we are staying.




This wall at the edge of a building site was a showstopper - my camera doesn't really present it in its full glory.

 

The convention centre off the main square

 

Two small cafes vie for attention at this street corner

No two houses are the same colour.




The unnamed cemetery on Isla Mujeres is probably the most colourful cemetery you will ever visit.   The walkways through the cemetery are now almost non existent, graves are just inches apart and most of the wooden crosses and statues seem to be homemade.



Spaghetti junction - overhead power lines criss cross the streets



This is the Shell House.  A rental property of an unusual type. 

Around the beach.....

Sometimes its just easier going under a dock than over it


Life isn't all about enjoying yourself - sometimes you have to take time out to do a bit of thinking and planning without interruption......

A lucky find!!  We had left all our snorkeling kit with Alexia but Isla Mujeres is snorkellers' paradise and it didn't take long before these treasures were spotted embedded in the shallows.

Palms heavy with ripening coconuts were found all along the beaches

 

A photo shoot of a photo shoot.....

Relaxing after our swim this morning a team of photographers approach us with cameras.....

We just weren't ready for this - we squirmed, we posed, we pouted and smiled trying to look our best but to our surprise they walked on by ........it wasn't us they wanted to photograph at all!  This was a magazine shoot for new swimwear.  The models looked stunning.


Palm fronds have been cut and laid on the beach, the models are having the final touches to hair and makeup and for the next 30 minutes we watch the action.

Can't be a better place for a photo shoot than here

Hopefully, our beach chairs will remember us when we return.

So, goodbye Isla Mujeres - next stop Washington DC.......see you there in the next blog post!

...and the winner IS ?

Well it was lovely to have so many responses to my quiz and  great to know that at least someone is reading the blog and thank you for taking part.

The first to reply correctly, and the winner, is our friend BRENDA from the wilds of Essex, UK...who connected the photo of William strolling out of the water with that of Ursula Andress in Dr. NO....she has a really wild imagination!.

As a reminder here is a picture from over 50 years ago when the film was made and a few chords of the song played on a ukulele....

Congratulations Brenda!  

 

Jamish Bondish...

'I'll have to get Q to repair this snorkel kit'  
                 
  .....Barry Nelson,  Bob Simmons,  Sean Connery,  Roger Moore,  David Niven,  George Lazenby,  Christopher Cazenove,Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, Daniel Craig, William Spouse.....



CANCUN - our apartment

A room with a view

Unfortunately my usual pictures of the interior of our accommodation are  missing.  I inadvertently deleted them whilst downloading.  Despite a search on line none were available so it's down to imagination.   

 

An enormous room split into two equal parts by a  wooden-slatted divider.  On one side a generous living area with sofas, tables and a small kitchen.  Beyond was the bedroom, with aircon, storage and shower unit.

  

From the balcony, which ran the length of the apartment on the 4th floor, we had a good view of our surroundings.  Excellent value at $420 a week (283gbp/week)

 

A great location being so close to the beach and the facilities of the resort and yet very quiet.  Transport to anywhere was readily available by cab at the going rate  or by  'colectivo' - basically a minibus that you can flag down anywhere you see one - for a basic fee of 8 pesos (about 35p). 

 

The pool area

This private pool for the apartments was a real bonus and we spent several relaxing hours here.  It was a very social spot and we met some great people.  Many from Europe escaping the biting cold.   The after-breakfast siesta was our most popular time - we always took with us our books or magazines but page turning wasn't high on the list of priorities - before long the  zzzzz's overtook us.

The smaller pool was really shallow but a great 'wallowing' hole.

The Gymnasium

The gym was fitted out with some really good top of the range equipment - most of it needing a degree in computer programming to personalize the settings, but it was good fun each day.

You might well ask where are the pictures of these two pensioners working out.   I have to tell you that, sadly, they also became deleted as I transferred them to my picture files.    In a way, that's probably a good thing, embarrassment saved all round.  Nothing worse than images of ill fitting lycra gym wear trying to hold everything in place!

The good news is that after a week of morning workouts we were certainly feeling a lot healthier.  William's latest claim to fame is running a mile in 15 minutes!!  He said he's up for the challenge when he gets back.

I'll spare you the detail of our huffing, puffing, lifting, pedalling, scrunching and wheezing and on to something a lot more elegant....

Frigate birds

From the balcony we had a great view of  frigate birds, morning and evening, which came in to take advantage of the thermals around the buildings.  Hardly ever moving their wings they just soared and circled for hours.


I knew nothing about frigate birds and their lifestyle but researched on line to discover that  they do not swim and with their short legs cannot walk well.  They are 'pelagic piscivores'  obtaining most of their food on the wing snatched from the oceans surface and a small amount of their diet is obtained by robbing other seabirds of their fresh catch and grabbing seabird chicks. Research has indicated they can stay aloft for at least 12 days and the oldest recorded tagged frigate bird was over 44 years old.  (See Frigatebird-Wikipaedia).

CANCUN checking out the beach

Morning walks

We're only here for a week and probably wont move far from our apartment location.  It's been a busy time travelling around over recent weeks and doing a tour of Cancun? well, I think we can miss that and just relax. 

There's a lot to do in the immediate area and with the beach  less than a two minute walk away on the other side of the road - great for our morning walks and William's swim.

Crossing the road was not an issue -  it was usually empty - just one or two cabs passing but very little traffic.  However, probably with children in mind, the hotel have built a pedestrian underpass and we generally took this route going via the swimming pools, through the gardens, the childrens water park and around by the tennis courts.



Our apartment was on the top floor and overlooked the pools.

The pathways through the garden were lined with colourful foliage and flowers in bloom.

The children's water park was a riot of colour and action but it didn't open until 10 am which meant we could use it as a short cut through to the tennis courts.

 

It seemed to be safe and secure with lots of staff and a high hedge screened off the area

 

The tennis courts were rarely in use.  Beyond the hedging you can see the outline of  the All Ritmo Resort and Waterpark on the other side of the road..

Iguanas were everywhere and we stepped carefully around them as they lay in the sun warming their bodies.  They seemed to be quite tame but we resisted getting over friendly.

 

The pedestrian underpass surfaced at this entrance arch which led down to the beach 

 

The beaches were narrow and each morning staff were out early with rakes and wheelbarrows clearing the Sargasso weed which had accumulated along its length overnight.

 

WOW!!!  William's morning swim.
       ' Underneath the mango tree my Honey'.......anyone who gets the connection between those words and this picture please email me.  Closing date for entries is 18 April and I will list the winner/s in a special blog posting on 19th April.....GO!.

 

Toward the end of the complex we visited the marina and walked along the dock to view the boats.  There was no-one around.  Shallow water meant that mostly they were local fishing boats with limited draft although there were one or two  large charter motor yachts in the deeper water at the far end.
 

 

ISLA COZUMEL to CANCUN

Up early and packed before breakfast? - must be a dream.. it's amazing what you can achieve under pressure.  We're booked on the 11am ferry from Cozumel to Cancun.    It'll be a bitty day - not so much the length of the journey but the number of times we have to change transport :  taxi - ferry - taxi - bus - taxi - before we reach our lodgings.

So far, so good but we haven't left the hotel yet and I try not to remind myself that it's April Fool's Day :  Double check everything, Keep looking over your shoulder, Believe nothing, Trust no-one .....!

Exit room.   Commence "SS".   The Systematic Search -  usually triggered by the question "Are you sure you've got everything........Dear?". What follows next should be filmed and posted on You Tube - as the tracker dog is let loose and commences a frantic opening and closing of drawers, cupboards, fridge, under the bed, in the bed, behind the bathroom door, out on the balcony.....

 A professional forensic team could not do a better job and you know what?  there's always something that misses the main packing session.

Travelling Light?  

I think not - add in our two rather heavy laptops that we carry on our shoulders and it is definitely OTT.


 

When leaving the US in November we were wearing our winter woollies, packing a few more for good measure, in anticipation of our return to the UK.  However, Mexico had us hooked and we never made it.  Now we seriously need to dispose of at least two bags and a lot of gear that, sadly, will cost us more in excess baggage charges on our next flight than it will to replace them with new.



Easter Buzz...

The port at Cozumel is really busy - Easter is just a few days away and everyone is on the move.  The Ultramar ferries seat 250 persons on three decks - as one arrives, another departs and they are all full.  We settle in and enjoy the trip.

A lumpy departure soon smooths out to gentle swells and an hour later we arrive at the ferry dock in Playa del Carmen and make our  way to the bus station for the 75 minute coach journey  to Cancun centro.   From there a short 15 minute cab ride to our final destination

Laguna Nichupte

Our apartment is located just a few miles north of the top end of the Laguna Nichupte, a thriving ecological park about 12km long and 5 6km wide.  Rich with waterfowl, fish, crocodiles, shellfish and mangrove vegetation. A huge tourist attraction which contributes to the eco-park funds. 

Groups of  kayakers are out in full force as we cross over the top end of the lagoon, where a series of small canals take you into the jungle..

The laguna is protected from the sea by a long strip of land with a bridge at each end connecting it to the mainland   This strip of land is known as the  'hotel zone' and is where most of the hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping malls, marinas, golf courses, entertainment venues and more are located.
 

Seeing is believing and it was worth our extra cab fare to take the longer route via the strip to see what it was all about.
 

This map will give you an overview - seems they couldn't cram in another hotel if they tried.



There are hundreds of hotels to choose from along the strip but, if you don't want a beach based location, there are hundreds more to choose from within the City.  The Laguna Nichupte is freshwater fed from underground sources but also has two outlets to the ocean which makes its waters brackish.

 

There are hundreds of hotels to choose from along the strip but, if you don't want a beach based location, there are hundreds more to choose from within the City.  The Laguna Nichupte is freshwater fed from underground sources but also has two outlets to the ocean which makes its waters brackish.

 

 Location, location, location - our apartment
 

Away from the hustle and bustle of the strip the road here becomes quiet with little passing traffic.

Borrowing this picture from Trip Advisor our apartment is within the complex  shown on the right hand side.  Although it looks like a solid block from this angle there are about 8 separate buildings each with perhaps 10 apartments surrounded by rich green vegetation.. 

 It's a pretty setting, very quiet, beautifully landscaped, private swimming pool.   Across the road and directly opposite sits the All Ritmo Cancun Resort and Waterpark (we find out later that they own most of the apartments as well).  

This is good for us as we can access all the facilities with little or no charge.  

The Resort and Waterpark has hundreds of rooms, endless pools, restaurants, outdoor entertainments, a childrens water playground and more, and although it was obviously full, being so spread out it was surprisingly quiet. Its consideration for children's events and entertainment make it one of Cancun's top resorts for families.

 

ISLA COZUMEL - our hotel....correction...our hotels

After three weeks in Cozumel it's time to say goodbye and  here is the  overview of our accommodation on the island. 

We ended up staying at three hotels  : Suites Colonial (2 weeks),  Casa Mexicana (3  nights)  and Suites Bahia (4 nights),  all perfectly situated in downtown, where it all happens. They are part of a small, well run, family owned chain on the Island.

You might wonder why we didn't stay at the Colonial for the whole time and save the hassle.  Well, that was our intention but in extending on line with Expedia and paying for another week at the Colonial, it seems a glitch in the system had not upgraded the fact that the hotel was full for the coming seven days.

We searched on line for a room in hotels nearby but without success. Everything was booked - a hint of panic was setting in but Roberto, the Reservations Manager,  took things in hand and managed to fit us in between guest movements at his other hotels and maintained our modest room rate of $60 per night (40GBP) at all hotels,  even though the booking error had not been his fault.

1.   Suites Colonial

Just off the bustling main square a cool vine covered walkway leads to the hotel entrance



Rooms were simple basic but spacious with good air-conditioning which worked non-stop tho' a bit noisy.   TV, strong wifi signal, a small cocina (kitchenette) with fridge, microwave, 2-burner stove top, crockery and cutlery etc.  Maid service was excellent and by the time we returned from breakfast each day our room was ready to go.

2.   The Casa Mexicana

 Their 'flagship' hotel and where breakfast is provided for guests from all three locations. 


The first floor is wide open to the warm sea breezes and houses the reception desk, a comfortable lounge area with library, lots of potted plants/greenery, comfy rocking chairs and settees and finally the pool which overlooks the ocean.



The room staff were adept at making animals out of the towels, adding little stick-on eyes and mouths for effect.  Each day a different 'animal' greeted us, this one was reading a magazine to pass the time.

3.  Suites Bahia

Great room - balcony with ocean view,. fridge & microwave and really good air-con.  As we were on the top floor the heat of the day would have been overpowering without its cooling effect.

The room was more like an apartment and  much larger than we had expected - for some reason we had been given one of the best room in the hotel!!  The bedroom led on to a long balcony overlooking the sea, we had a separate dining room/lounge, a kitchenette, a walk-in wardrobe, and a large bathroom with  Jacuzzi, although this temporarily out of service.  Four nights here was just not long enough but we had to leave........

From this angle four floors up it looks as if we could almost jump off the ledge and land on the beach!  this pic is taken at about 7 am and all the little boats anchored off will soon fill with passengers most of whom will be heading for the offshore reefs for snorkeling.

GOODBYE COZUMEL .................