Isla Cozumel, Mexico – 1/23/2017

January 23, 2017 (Thursday)

Woke up pretty early and got the car from Rodrigo ($40.00 US for the day). Liked it because it was more friendly and no paperwork involved. He just asked for the gas tank to have the same amount as when we got it.

We decided to get the car today because Alex (our host) had told us it was going to be windy in San Miguel, Cozumel and that the other side of the island is normally calm. He said the snorkeling would be better for the next day as the winds should calm down. We listened to him because he’s been on the island for a long time and knows what to expect.

We drove around and enjoyed all the beaches, resorts, small little shopping stands set up alongside the road. Very cute little island. Lots of scooter type motorcycles everywhere, and lots of taxis. We drove to several beaches and stopped to walk them. We were surprised at the amount of garbage washed up on the shore. At one beach we asked one of the workers there picking up the garbage, why so much trash. He said it was from Cuba! Wow. Sad that Cuba is doing that as it is really bad on Cozumel and very distracting from the natural beauty of the beaches.

There are side roads that are for bicycles only.
Little shops were on the beaches with lounge chairs.
The said they felt like dancing.
They broke out dancing.
The wind was blowing pretty good.
Very beautiful here.

We stopped at “The Coconut Bar,” and walked up the small hill. We were told by Alex that this is the highest peak on the island so we wanted to see the view. The bar was fun in that it had all sorts of animals out and about – chickens, birds, iguanas, monkeys – just all kinds of critters all over the place. We decided to get a little something to eat and enjoy the view. Fun place. Reminded me a little of New Orleans with all the bras and panties around. Didn’t see many beads though.

Stairs to Coconuts.
We are going up.
View from a side path is lovely.
We were enjoying the big view and then spotted this giant iguana below us.
Edie tells me that the more orange on the iguana, the older it is. This guy was huge and we think old.
Hats, bras, undies, t-shirts, all manor of clothing put up with funny signs mixed in the decor.
Birds.
Cat, not photographed: dog, chickens, odd birds.
Chips and guacamole.
Pretty woman’s coke.
A lizard of some sort.
Aaron wants to be friends with every living thing.

We drove back into San Miguel and went to the Mega Store (their large grocery type store). After that we went back home and took a nap.

The giant conch shell is a landmark on the Island of Cozumel.
We know we are in the tourist section when we see the horse and carriage.
The Mexican Walmart. If they don’t have it, you don’t need it.
At Mega, oranges without coloring.

When we woke up we wanted to go to a beach. The first beach we went to was like a club and you had to pay. The second one was free and had peacocks all over the place. Too fun. Michael and I sat down and had a drink (water) while Aaron and Arla went swimming and exploring. Very enjoyable. On the way back into town we stopped to put gas into the tank before we turned the car back in.

Our parking spot at the free beach.
They love shopping and getting things as absolutely cheap as possible.
Little ad hoc shops everywhere.

We were getting hungry so we went back to the burrito place that the kids had wanted to go to. When we got there, we all looked at the menu and then we all decided we so enjoyed “The Pub” meal, that we wanted to go back there and eat. We left and walked across the street and had a wonderful dinner.

Drinks at the pub.

That was our day. Hope yours was great!