Cozumel 2022: Part Two

[jedimentat]

The pool was a huge double pool, immaculately lit up at night, with a swim up bar and a kickin' beach volleyball game every day; the beach was white sands abutting a coral-filled ocean, and a 20 foot wide area of large palm trees and beach chairs in gentle shade, with some hammocks mixed in. The snorkeling was top-notch; indeed, that was why I selected this hotel...it was near Palancar Reef, one of the best reefs in the world (except for the Great Barrier Reef, which, our Mexican snorkeling guide snarkily reminded us, was filled with things that wanted to kill you, whereas this one was not!) We took a snorkeling tour one day to see more of the local reefs, but we could swim right off of the hotel dock and feed parrotfish and other tropical friends from our hands. Many people were at the hotel to scuba, and there were like ten scuba excursion opportunities each day.












(all underwater pics by Kingfox, bc I still feel that it is a really bad idea to take your phone into saltwater)





























The kids loved it, and we had a perfect time. Most of the days were filled with buffet breakfast (this was a surprisingly big deal with kids who haven't eaten inside a restaurant for two years), snorkeling in the ocean, sunning, and swimming in the pool. One day we went on a snorkeling cruise, and hit three snorkeling spots on the open ocean. The first was El Cielo, a sandy spot filled with sea stars. The water was very choppy that day, so it was a bit nerve-wracking at first to see how the kids would do, jumping off the boat and swimming along, but they did great, and the guide had a life preserver with a rope that they could sort of grab onto as we all went along. The second site was Columbia Reef, and it was outstanding...towering colorful corals, and so much marine life. The third was part of Palancar Reef, and by this time the kids were too tired and stayed on the boat while the adults snorkeled.

























































We took a day trip with a local guide, riding all around the island in a Jeep. He taught us how to recognize a cenote, and about special trees that grow near them and the legends behind them. He brought us to San Gervasio, an ancient Mayan site, and we wandered through the ancient temples. We passed through the obligatory Tequila factory, and sampled some local tequila. We drove to the east side of the island, which is largely undeveloped with only one hotel, and waded at the picturesque and pristine Chen Rio, with a coral sandbar full of tidepools and sea urchins. We rode to the tip of the island to Punte Sur, where we climbed the lighthouse and looked through the lighthouse exhibit. That portion of the island is a sea turtle preserve, and our guide talked about how he volunteered during spawning season to help the wee turtles make it to the ocean.










































Chen Rio




















Lighthouse Museum













Fresnel at the lighthouse


















Every evening at the hotel, there was some kind of entertainment. Mostly we skipped it, but the last night was Mariachis in the lobby, then classical Mexican folk dancing on the stage, and the kids really enjoyed it. Here is a brief video of the trippy Diego Rivera/Frieda Kahlo graphic that they used between sets (you have to click on the pic to click through to the vid)



"we're the pre-show!"








All in all, it was fantastic and we created so many memories, and no one wanted to leave. We were happy, grateful, engaged, and had so much fun.



Here are pics of a moment I'll go back to in my mind during tough moments; Liberty and I are reading books next to each other at sunset on the beach; she's in a hammock and I'm in a beachchair, and the birds are trilling in the palm trees above, and everything is tranquil and beautiful and happy.





















Barely made our connecting flight in Charlotte, NC and had to jog through the airport, but made it back with no other issues. Here is a locally made coconut candle that got Kingfox's luggage flagged, and a new skull souvenir.