It’s now the 24 November and Emma has completed her scuba course so we can all have a bit of a lie in and a family snuggle! Alex and I have enjoyed some relaxed pool time at the hotel. We head back to Mucuy for breakfast, their food is so good and the fresh fruit smoothies are inspired. We had planned to tour Cozumel island on scooters but instead opt for a VW Beetle in outrageous green. The car is open topped and goes so that’s a bonus.
We head towards the ‘Monkey Bar’, which is further round the island from where Emma had been diving, but more importantly has a free section of beach. Most beach frontage belongs to hotels or beach clubs for which you have to pay for access - boo! En route we spot coati, a small monkey and a rather squashed and dead snake - just to remind us this is a tropical island.
The ‘beach’ is rather small and rocky but has palm trees for shade plus the ubiquitous Mexican music in the background. The water is crystal clear and there are buoys offshore to protect swimmers and snorkellers. Emma and Alex have snorkelling kit and head off to check what’s there. As soon as Alex spotted fish he was very confident swimming and swam quite far out with Emma with both spotting quite large fish and loads of Parrotfish, which Alex adored. After a reasonable time both head back to shore for a breather - which Alex forgoes to explore the rock pools. Then the two of them are back out for another snorkelling stint.
Once finished in the water we all jump back in the Beetle to head a little further south along the coast to the ‘Reef Beach Club, where we have a discount voucher for some Margaritias! After tacos to accompany the drinks we continue to head south along the coast towards the souther tip of the island.
We are on the West side of the island which is less windy with lower waves and gentler currents than the East side and therefore more popular with tourists. At the southern tip we stop beside a reggae / Rasta themed hut and check out the eco park that’s there - but we discover it’s really expensive to get in and the attractions don’t warrant the charge!
Moving up the east coast we come across an area with lovely sand and a few shallow pools ideal for children and with small fish in them fascinating for Alex. We continue up the Caribbean coast with lovely views then head inland back towards Cozumel itself. We pass the ruins at El Gervasio but they are closed. So back into Cozumel with stops at a supermarket for chocolate and beer and then an opticians to get Emma some monthly contact lenses (daily lenses are just not available in the Yucatan!).
Back at the hotel, having navigated the strange Cozumel one way system and parked right outside on the road, Alex gets some pool time and we chat to some lovely Dutch people.
For our evening meal we try for Guidos again but it’s so busy we eventually come across another place called Le Pepe and consume pizza (guess who?) and lovely shrimp pasta accompanied by margarita, sangria and beer. Celebrating Emma achieving her open water diving certificate is hard upon the liver!
It’s our last full day on Cozumel so we drop off some washing and then head to the same snorkelling spot beside the Monkey Bar.
En route we try to pick up Emma’s diving log and pay for the course - but they want 5% on top for using a credit card so we need to get some cash out later. After a good snorkel with lots of fishes it’s time to return the Beetle. We head to Mucuy for a late breakfast, their Valladolid hash and Eggs Benedict are for the grown ups and Alex has enchiladas. Then it’s back into the town centre for cash and onto Deep Blue dive school to pay for the course and get the t-shirt and some new sunglasses, admiring the amazing street art so prevalent in Mexico as we go.
Luckily Cozumel is not too large so we stroll back to the hotel for Alex to get in some pool time with me whilst Emma has a snooze. Tomorrow we leave Cozumel to continue our adventures but tonight it’s pack up and early to bed.
Guy
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