ISLA COZUMEL

Cozumel is Mexico's largest island measuring  28m long x 10m wide and 10+ miles off the coast of the Peninsular from Playa del Carmen.  There's only ten degree difference in the weather all year round - 95 degs in summer/85 degs in winter, it really is a great place to spend the winter.  We met several people aboard the ferry who were doing just that.

We were excited to be here, having heard so much about it,  and had this dreamy vision of a beautiful tropical paradise,  peaceful,  serene, clear blue waters,  waving palm trees, soft winds, not a tourist in sight but us - and it is lovely - but we had overlooked  the fact that Cozumel has grown to be one of the top cruise line destinations in the Caribbean.  There are THREE International cruise ship piers, one freight pier and two ferry piers all within a few miles of each other.

YIKES!!  reality has just kicked - this place is absolutely jam packed with visitors.  The Ships arrive at something like 8am, passengers disembark for the day ashore, reboard at 7pm and off into the sunset.  The system runs like clockwork.  There's much business for shops, restaurants and tour operators.

From our vantage point we can see only see the Punta Langosta International pier and take note of the two behemoths that sit there dreaming in the sunshine.  I look up their dimensions  :  Disney Magic (965ft long, 106ft wide, 11 decks, 2700 passengers, 950 crew) and Norwegian Epic (1080ft long, 133ft wide,  15 decks, 4100 passengers, 1738 crew).  There are four more ships alongside at the other piers.

The map below shows that most of the action is on the west coast, where outlying reefs are safe and easily accessed and 99% of all the islands hotels, shops and restaurants are crusted along this short section of the coastline. 

The east coast, known locally as just 'the other side' probably has the better beaches but is unfriendly - windswept, with high surf and dangerous rip currents.   There are no hotels but one or two beach bars open during the day.


 

Once you head out of downtown the roads are limited.  The north section of the island is almost inaccessible - there is a dirt road on the east side going up to the lighthouse on the northern tip and a shorter dirt road going to the lighthouse on the southern tip.

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Going south, there is just one road that accesses the lower hotel zone, crosses the island and loops back north again.   Within the borders of this road is the Parque Nacional Chankanaab which consists of a saltwater lagoon, an archaeological park, botanical gardens, ,Mayan ruins and much more.  Accessible only by foot, jeep or tour operator it is a wonderful day out.

The Isle of Man (UK) (irrelevant add-in)

As I wrote the above I couldn't help but see a similarity between the shape and size of Cozumel and that of the Isle of Man (UK)  - flip one of them over lengthways and they are definitely cut from the same mould.  Isle of Man dimensions 33 miles x 13 miles wide.

 

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POLE DANCING on the way to ISLA COZUMEL !

Leaving Playa del Carmen today for the island of Cozumel, 10 miles offshore but only 30 minutes by Ultramar high speed ferry.   It looks a bit lumpy out to sea but we'll grin and bear it for the short time we're aboard.    It's on these occasions when you just know it would be a smoother ride if you were a sailboat!

We've taken  a cab to the Playa ferry port but the roads immediately around the port are pedestrian-only and we have to unload our bags about 300yds from where we need to be and book a pedicab and driver.

Alejandro with a robust looking, luggage carrying trike, comes to the rescue - loaded up we walk alongside him as he slowly cycles and weaves his way through the Saturday morning crowds. 

His first question rather threw us as he came to a halt and asked   : "You like pole dancing?".... before we had a chance to reply, there were loud cheers from the immediate crowd around us and hundreds of cameras clicked.

We were looking at a pole, over 150 high, at the top of which were five men  adjusting lines in readiness for their launch off the top.  Once airborne, they slowly circled the pole on ever lengthening lines.  The single man remaining at the top played the flute and drum throughout the process.   This was Danza de los Voladores (Dance of the Flyer) - an ancient Mayan ritual created to ask the Gods to end send rain - but please, not today, tomorrow will be fine with us....



It started with them sorting out their long lines for descent ....



they then eased  themselves into mid air, attached to their line by one ankle,  and began circling
the pole upside down.  They have it well timed as they can only circle 52 times before reaching the ground.

Smart, modern ferries depart every 30 minutes for the island and they are nearly always full.  Today the exposed upper deck will be too hot and windy and we opt to travel inside where the air conditioning is running at full pelt.  There's also a tourist info film which runs on a loop and focuses on the eco aspects of the island which has many easily accessible reefs for snorkeling and diving.

 

PLAYA DEL CARMEN - our 'aparthotel' - Casa Ejido

Thanks to the internet we found another great place to stay.   The Casa Ejido has three locations within walking distance of each other.  - all different depending on what you want.   - there is a very attractive looking B&B complex, or small studios for two set around an enclosed garden area, and then a gated apartment block which is where we  stayed for ten days.  There was full maid service every day - floors were mopped, fresh towels and linens.   Wonderful value @ $60 per day (39GBP).


First impressions - not bad.  Tall, decorative wrought iron access gates lead into the private pool area and stairways to the upper floors.  Well kept shrubbery and potted plants add to the ambiance.

 

 This is the balcony leading off our dining area.  There was another balcony leading off the bedroom.



Our kitchen/diner was large with comfy armchairs and equipped with all the pots, pans, utensils, crockery, glassware etc - everything you needed except for the food but we enjoyed our daily walk to the supermarket for fresh items.



Bedrooms were large and airy with King beds and, through the curtain, a balcony with small table and chairs overlooking the garden. A nice quiet place to sit and relax.

PLAYA del CARMEN - a walk around

Almost everyone thinks about the Caribbean as an endless, white, sandy beach with clear waters and lots of palm trees.  A great spot to spend your vacation and relax.  And that is TRUE!!

Playa del Carmen is part of the Mexican Riviera – hotels abound – upscale resorts,  vacation rentals,  downtown hostels, homely B&Bs – there is definitely something to suit everyone.  However, it is extremely touristy and being only an hour from Cancun airport, where the majority of people arrive,  it  could be mistaken for a scaled down version of Cancun.

Also, it’s very commercial - McDonalds, TGI Fridays, Burger King, Walmart, even Starbucks –  they are all here.  The once small town of Playa is pushing out its boundaries but from the centro  everything is still within walking distance. 

On a short stop  you might never get beyond the thickly populated tourist area but on this sector of our journey we have opted to do just that and booked an apartment about 30 mins walk from the beach.

Where hotels are concentrated the beach can be very crowded in high season and is best avoided!   This is the Riviera Maya Beach Resort.   Beaches aren't the only places to hang out and there's a lot to do here from kayaking, swimming with dolphins, snorkeling, historic tours....don't let this picture give you the wrong impression, the beaches of Playa del Carmen stretch a long way and in some places become almost deserted.

 

This is the traffic-free main road - Quinta Avenida (5th Ave) - it is a wonderful place to be, narrow streets off the main road take you into the recesses of Playa de Carmen - there are tourists shops, fruit markets,  cafes, clothing and fashion outlets,  restaurants - almost anything you would want to buy can be found here. At this time of year the trees and flowers are in full bloom.  It is quite lovely.

 

The barber's shop - I left William in here getting a short back and sides!

 


WATCH YOUR STEP!*! 
It is not unusual to find manhole covers missing - even on busy streets - no warnings, no signage......and probably no-one to sue if you fall in.

  Pavements everywhere are full of holes large and small, broken bits stick up at angles or the pavement suddenly stops and starts again a few feet further on, there are so many trip hazards - enough to keep an Environmental Health department busy for years.   So be warned, if you're out for a walk don't take your eyes off the road ahead.  PS my foot is the one with the fancy shoe!

 

What a great idea - we often see trash bags suspended from trees -  a good way to reduce attack by animals.



?..holy moly!!

Every supermarket and grocery stores sells packaged mole ready to serve.  I know what you're thinking..."NO WAY, this is the last straw, I will never, not ever, eat a Mole no matter how it's packaged!'...........pronounced MOH-lay, this dark brown Mexican sauce or gravy, is made from dry chilis, spices, vegetables, chocolate, tomato + other seasonings.  It's often served over chicken but can be used for any meat dish - we are yet to try it.......

Mexicans just love music - and these strolling musicians are about as far as you can get from those terrible TV images of  droopy moustaches, big sombreros and aye-yi-yi music.  We have never yet eaten at a restaurant in any town without the pleasure of some live music.  Sometimes, just a single resident guitarist or a passing band, such as these guys. 

 

 

 

 

COBA to PLAYA DEL CARMEN a smooth bus ride

There is only one bus a day which goes from Coba to Playa del Carmen, it arrived at 8.30am this morning next to the entrance to ruins, passengers disembarked and the driver relocated to a quiet street where he will stay until his return journey at 3.10 pm to Cancun, stopping off at Tulum and Playa del Carmen en route.

We got to the bus terminal (a small restaurant selling tacos) quite early as we couldn't be sure if there would be any seats.  However, several passengers were staying in Coba which freed up space and we bought our tickets.

The journey is just over two hours - our reserved seats were just behind the driver with masses of leg room and we fell asleep as the monster movie played out on the screen above us..

Oh my! these buses are so comfortable - head back, plump up the cushion and zizz!  It made a change from our recent taxi transports from town to town.

We got to Playa del Carmen at 5.30pm - the bus station was busy. We worked our way through the crowds to the cab line and loaded our luggage into a cab for the short journey to our 'aparthotel'.

OK! OK! this is not the cab we took to the hotel, although the volume of luggage looks about the same -  but it's not unusual to see modest trucks overloaded to this degree with people hanging on the sides as 'extras.

Mexican Fosa Septica - Septic Tank

William has asked me to remove this particular posting as totally irrelevant and of no interest to anyone.   

However, I disagree (first time in 34 years!).  It gives insight to the local drainage systems and  it's an interesting article to be read, quietly with your feet up,  a large cup of tea and a chocolate chip cookie.

I also have this belief that you are clicking onto this blog when blank moments crop up during the day and you're looking to fill in time - this is the perfect article!!


Double click on this link :.

Yucatan Living » Yucatan Survivor » Mexican Fosa Septica





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COBA - our 'hotelita'

The Hotelita Sac-Be was clean, comfortable with basic rooms - 2 beds, a small table, tv,
aircon unit, bathroom and excellent value @ 26GBP/ per night.  It was on the main road and within easy walk of the Coba Lagoon and the archaeological site.

The chickens in the next door farmstead were a bit noisy in the morning but we always had fresh eggs on hand!

Never judge a hotel by its exterior - in Mexico there's always a surprise on the inside!



The small restaurant upstairs which overlooked the road.  Food was good.



Nice clean rooms with windows overlooking the farmstead.  TV reception was good and wifi signal worked well.



All of the hotels we've stayed at have requested no paper to be put down the toilet.  Having lived on a boat for 8 years this was not an issue with us but it certainly worried other people, as we found out one night when a fellow guest said 'I just can't handle it - they actually want me to put 'my paper, in the bin!!'  We thought it was because the sanitation systems might clog up - but far from it.    SEE NEXT BLOG AND BE UPDATED ON MEXICAN POLITENESS.