Thursday, October 31, 2019

Dive, Dive, Dive!


We’ve been scuba diving every day. As I was diving it occurred to me I ought to blog about it. For me it’s normal… awesome, but normal. However, for the vast majority of people it’s an unknown. Let me start at the beginning. A long, long time ago I went snorkeling in Hawaii. There were divers on the boat and I found myself watching them more than the fish. I was fascinated by their freedom. I got certified and am now an advanced diver (not a big deal in the scuba world). Let me tell you what happens when you dive at a Club Med.

We arrived Saturday, went straight to the dive team (Seafari), and signed up for the next morning. After grabbing breakfast with the other divers before most of the resort has woken up, we hustled to the scuba center. A Seafari diver (usually an instructor) handed us a BCD (an inflatable vest) and a regulator (the tubes and mouthpiece we breathe out of). It’s placed in a big bag and we shoulder it along with our fins and snorkels and headed down the dock to the scuba boat. First I handed the deck-hand my bags and then I timed my step onto the boat to not fall between the boat and the dock and make a fool of myself.
Once on board we went straight to one of the six benches lined with scuba tanks full of compressed air. What followed was about fifteen minutes of controlled chaos as beginners and super advanced divers all clank around trying to get their BCDs and regs attached to a tank. A dive master, who’s in charge of boat safety, did roll call as the giant catamaran is under way heading out the channel. Before we arrived at the site we were called together in groups to get a dive briefing from one of the instructors. They showed us a map and explained what type of sea life and topography we should see. They told us the diving laws for this country and some safety rules for the boat. Each boat has an alarm horn to alert us during our dive if they have an emergency on board and we must return as quickly as possible to the boat.

The boat arrived at the dive site and tied off to the buoy, and Captain Hemal says, “The pool is open!” Then it’s chaos again as we all shuffled to the back of the boat with at least fifty pounds worth of gear on our backs… while wearing fins! Every time a wave tilted the boat everyone shuffles sideways. Finally it was my turn to take the giant stride off the back. In my case I jumped in first (with a weighted belt on!), and they tossed my gear in to me. I put the BCD on in the water while Joe swam around me making sure it’s all done correctly (a Velcro cummerbund and 4 clips). We looked at each other through our masks and gave the “OK” sign to descend.

That’s when the world changes. The reef was below us as we slid through the silky salt water. The only sound was my Darth Vader breathing. My ears began to hurt immediately as always, so I pinched my nose and blew… pop! I continued to pop my ears as I descended to the reef-top. Joe and I felt the current and pointed the direction we should go—against the current. It’s so much easier to drift back to the boat on the way back. Then we swim out over the wall and the fun begins.

On this dive we were pretty excited because it’s one of our favorites. It’s called The Great Cut. Basically it’s a narrow canyon that drops from about 45 ft to 110 ft. The sun sent shafts of light into it making the dive surreal. Directly below, to the side, or above us, the grey reef sharks followed us curiously. I kept an eye on them in my periphery. They’re not at all dangerous, but still… they are sharks… big ones. Right away we encountered a giant barracuda blocking the entrance of the canyon. We politely swam over him while keeping an eye on those sharp teeth he kept opening his mouth to show us.
I pulled my flashlight out of my pocket and began inspecting every nook and cranny. After we exited the canyon we hooked a left and went along the outside wall, which drops off to an unknown depth. Right away I spotted the spindly legs of a lobster hiding under a coral ledge. I waved Joe over to see and it decided it had better defend its little cave and came charging out to wave its claws menacingly. We moved on before it had a heart attack. Next fun spotting was a black and white spotted eel. I don’t usually get to see anything but the head (except on night dives), but this guy had its head out pretty far, and as a bonus I could see about 6 inches of its tail peeking out of the coral several feet away.

The entire time the sharks were checking us out. Trust me, I was checking them out too. Then we saw a stingray with its fish. For some reason stingrays always have a medium sized black fish that swims directly above them. Another diver clanked a metal wand on their tank to get our attention. Looking over we saw her pointing to the reef. I swam over and stared at the spot. Looking up at her I lifted my hands questioningly. She pointed again. Just when I was ready to give up I saw the camouflaged scorpion fish right in front of me! That was a treat. Our air was getting low so we signaled to each other to head back to the boat. On the way we saw a couple more stingrays, a bat ray, and a million tiny fish going about their busy little lives.

Once we found the boat we held up three fingers and tapped our palms to communicate we agree to do our three minute safety stop. Slowly we ascended to about fifteen feet and floated for three minutes. This is always when I practice my buoyancy and keep an eye on those sharks. It’s fun to just hang there and watch the other divers all doing the same thing. Then it’s time to surface. We gave each other the signal and very slowly ascended to the noisy air breathing world. With water slapping me in the face I grabbed the ladder and removed my BCD to hand up to the dive master. Then I took my fins off while being tossed back and forth like a rag doll. Finally I climbed the ladder and the dive master asked, “How was your dive?”

Coming back to the resort we heard Captain Hemal shout, “Dolphins!” This caused a mad dash to the edge of the boat to watch our dolphins escort us to dock. There were two large ones and suddenly a small one swam into view. The dive team was ecstatic at this first sighting of the season. Dolphins tend to stay in the same area their entire lives. They were thrilled to see their pair had had a baby. The babfy will most likely move away at adulthood to find its own humans to play with. As soon as we reached the dock, tied off, unloaded our gear, and hauled it up to the dive shop, we raced back to the dock and jumped in. This was my very first swimming with dolphin experience, and boy did it deliver! They came right up to us and swam figure 8s around Joe and I for ten minutes. Occasionally they’d arch out of the water in mock battle. Wow, what a thrill! It took all my self-control to not touch them.

Monday, October 28, 2019

Club Med with Clay




I’m completely relaxed, as I sit here with the laptop on my lap… almost lethargic. The island music is softly playing behind me where I can hear the bartender dumping a bucket of ice into the ice-bin. The ocean is softly lapping against the rocks in front of me and a gentle breeze is fluttering my hair. The scent of salty air is mixed with the wine I’m sipping. It’s about 6:30 and the sun has slipped behind the clouds on the horizon leaving a pale apricot hue to the sky. Paradise.

To my left is Clay Boyce. He’s dozing with his shoes off in an Adirondack chair. He’s had an exciting three days, especially yesterday when he turned ninety years old (I wrote this last week but haven’t had strong enough WiFi to post it). We are at Club Med—Columbus Isle. They did a fantastic job of fussing over him and making his birthday a big deal, which it was. Club Med has a shirt that is standard issue at every Club Med… it has a 45 on it. No one knows why this is the most popular shirt for the company, but it is. As you know two 45s equals 90, therefore the management made the executive decision to have two of their female employees (GOs) guide him to his birthday party, one on each arm. Of course they had their 45 shirts on and Clay wore his shirt that said; It Took Me 90 Years to Look This Good.

We were all surprised when he was escorted to the theater after dinner, and they placed us in the front row. Well, okay I wasn’t surprised because they told me ahead of time, but Clay was very surprised when one of the top management guys at the resort dedicated a song to him, “Fly me to the Moon.”
He preceded his song by explaining to the audience who Clay was. Are you curious who Clay is yet? He came with Joe, me, and our buddy Bill to Club Med. I met him two years ago at Il Forno Classico in Gold River, California. I was sitting next to him at the bar and struck up a conversation with him… shocker huh? He had an iPad open and was perusing his collection of photos. The one that got my interest was a picture of the Saturn launch vehicle for the Apollo Program—I asked him about it. That was two years ago and now I’ve almost completed his biography. Someday you’ll be notified by me that his book is published.

Anyway his big day was definitely a big day! My present to him was a bottle of Oban Scotch. I knew the scotch at Club Med was probably going to be a disappointment to him, so I brought it from home. It was a good thing because he disliked their scotch so much he switched to light beer! He was very, very happy to have his Oban!  :)

Joe’s birthday was three days later and definitely low key compared to Clay. But it was fun because it was on White Night when everyone dresses in white and the restaurant is moved outdoors by the pool. Because it’s an elegant, romantic night several of the Bahamian waitresses softly sang happy birthday to him.

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Isla Mujeres; A Rundown on Hotels and Unicorns


No trip is complete without a near-death experience! This time we got to watch it unfold. Seven teenage American girls dragged a giant unicorn floaty to the beach. Based on their pale skin, it was their first day on the beach. Four of the girls climbed on the unicorn and assumed the sun-tanning position. We were standing out in the shallow water near the bouys. They floated past us and over the top of the bout line. We noted they were talking, therefore they were awake. The two moms were also talking and not paying attention to the girls who were now about 100ft past the bouys. The wind started picking up and like a sailboat, was taking them out to sea, they started futilely paddling with their hands. The moms were still oblivious. Now they’re just a speck on the horizon near the shipping channel… next stop—Cuba. A tour boat finally took pity on them and threw a rope to them, which they seemed to have a difficult time hanging onto for some reason. After several attempts they drag the girls to the shallower water and left them there. The unicorn turned its horn to the horizon once again… the girls were still unable to paddle in. Joe took pity on them and swam out to push them in until their feet touched the ground. Moms? Still chatting and oblivious.
Next year we are bring 10-12 friends and family back here. The search for the best hotel has been interesting. I’ll share my findings with you. I’m not going to give the prices to you because those fluctuate with the seasons. All of these are air-conditioned.
Playa Arena is on the beach and includes the use of their beach chairs. They do have a tiny pool on the terrace, but the water gets way too warm to be of any use. The garden is lush and well maintained. It’s a small two-story hotel with a restaurant on the beach. This is where we usually stay because of the location and the excellent service.
Cabanas Maria Del Mar is also located beachside. A street runs between its buildings with Bujo’s restaurant and the “Castle” on one side, and the “Cabanas” and “Tower” with the garden and pool on the other. The Cabanas are older with a gorgeous fragrant garden. The pool is in the garden. The entries to most of the rooms are shaded. The rooms are small and have traditional tile floors and doubles beds. Some rooms have king-size. 
The Castle is nothing like a castle whatsoever… It’s more like a modern hotel with an enclosed, echoing hallway. The rooms are spacious with a tiny balcony looking over the adjacent property. The Towers are also nothing like their name… three or four stories tall in a long strip. Bujo’s food is mediocre, but it’s beautifully situated on the sand with great airflow.
Media Luna and Secreto are next to each other. Both are very private, exclusive places. The ocean is rough on that side of North Beach as it’s on the eastern tip. If you are looking to be secluded and quiet, these look like they would suit that need. I walked through the lobby and was immediately impressed with the view. A small, pretty pool looks out over the ocean waves.
Na Balam is a large place on the most northern tip. It is on both sides of the road leading to the bridge going to the Mia Reef island. I walked around the grounds and was impressed with how peaceful it is. The only drawback is the water is very-very shallow at their beach… the northern side, between them and the little island with Mia Reef, is a knee deep lagoon. Around the western side is waist deep for probably a hundred yards at least. Great for little kids though. The restaurant facing east is beautiful, but oddly limited in wine and beer choices. They had one red wine and it was terrible. They used to have good fish tacos (back when they had good wine), but we didn’t bother eating there this time because of the beverage choices.
Mia Reef is an all inclusive located on a tiny little island like a dot at the tip of Isla Mujeres. They have a bridge and a guard. I’ve never heard anything negative about it.
Hotel Villa Kiin is somehow built amongst the Na Balam hotel. Either they are one place with two names or Na Balam wrapped itself around Hotel Kiin. Anyway they share the same review from me since I can’t tell where one begins and the other ends. 
Nautibeach/Mayan Beach Club is right next to Playa Arena. It’s difficult to figure out where this place begins and ends. I’ve wandered around a little bit and all I can say is it’s popular. It’s a bustle of activity. The Mayan Beach Club restaurant  is one of our favorite lunch spots. They have swing-set chairs at the bar and the Baja Tacos are scrumptious. We ate there probably 3-4 times a week! In the evening they clear the beach chairs away and set up white tablecloth dining on the sand with tiki torches.
Chi-Chi’s and Charlie’s is an old place. It is pretty well situated at the curve of the beach. They have a restaurant and a uniquely organized layout. It appears they are expanding right now. A large building is being built at its backside. I understand it’s pretty cheap… it looks kind of dumpy.
Privelege Aluxes is big and white. Otherwise I don’t know much. It seems to be set back from the beach slightly, but not really a problem. It looks expensive.
The Hotel Paradise Suites is super cool looking. The rooms are works of art, not the most functional bathrooms I’ve seen with no counter-space but gorgeous. The grounds are spread out over a large bit of property, which is enclosed. It is located about fifty yards from the beach. A lot of sculptures are strategically placed everywhere. They have a decent sized pool, and I think they have a gym too. I’m pretty sure it’s an expensive hotel.
Poc Na is a super cool youth hostel. A bulletin board towards the front gives the times for all the activities and sports, like beach volleyball. They do have private rooms with AC, but most are shared 4-6 people (prices range from about 12-35 bucks a night). 75% of the grounds are sand. It has a popular bar, which I imagine is pretty noisy and rowdy.
I hope that was helpful :)

Friday, June 7, 2019

Isla Mujeres, Lazy


Our days are mostly spent laying around like iguanas. Exercise is adjusting my beach towel without getting off of it. I don’t know if floating on my back is considered exercise? But we do often walk in the water, slowly, among the anchored yachts. Does eating fish tacos while sitting on a bar swing count? But, honestly we’ve been working out every morning before it gets too hot… speed walking, swimming back and forth in the ocean, and yoga.
The beach merchants are quite interesting and polite. They sell sarongs, jewelry, hats, baskets, tattoos (Izzy and I got henna tattoos), cigars, popsicles, t-shirts, their first born child, anything you want. The shops in town vary. I’ve put the staff into three categories: jerks, smart alecks, and nice. The jerks start really-really nice and get pissed if you say you need to need to think about it. I do not go back to those places, even if their price is the lowest. The smart alecks are usually the younger ones and they like to lie through their teeth to see how much you’ll believe. They also like to say in Spanish that it’s free if you speak Spanish… this is my personal favorite. It’s all meant to be fun, and if you call them on their fibs (like saying they are from China or Canada) they laugh and give you even better deals. The nice ones are nice. Here’s your guide to getting the best prices: 1) after getting your quote ask, “Es lo Menos?” – “Is that the lowest price?” 2) just finger your item and look wishful… say you need to think about it… say you can’t afford it… the price will drop to less than half 90% of the time. 3) Simply say it’s too expensive.
There are two types of streets here; the main pedestrian street where you can’t walk twenty feet without a salesman trying to engage your interest, and all the other streets. Just one street over is quiet and more shaded. Night time is fun to go down main street to see all the activity and street performers. Otherwise go to the side streets.
It turns out Izzy and I share a weird passion. We like cemeteries. The cemetery at north end is fascinating. We found some graves dating back to the 1800s. Lots of them are little tiny ones with babies adorned with stuffed animals. I love the ones with the angel statues with their finger to their lips asking for respectful silence as the world noisily bustles outside the walls. Iguanas stare languidly at you as you cruise around the tombs.
Yesterday was Election Day. All of the stores had the alcohol displays covered with blankets. The bars were forbidden to sell alcohol at the bar. The only way to get a glass of wine or a beer was to eat at a table… you couldn’t even sit at a table to order alcohol without ordering food. It’s against the law on Election Day. Apparently they think people vote more reasonably if they’re sober. I like it. It is a sober decision.
I’ve picked up three quotes here that I like: “Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.” Gandhi. “Great things never came from comfort zones.” Mogagua Café. “Be calm, you’re on the fun side of the wall.” T-shirt. There’re a lot of shirts with sayings I won’t be repeating here.
We have eaten at so many different restaurants, I don’t know where to begin… so I won’t. Come here yourself and eat. There’s not a bad place, including the street vendors. Just try everything. That being said we had a couple of repeat places; Dopi’s with its grass-fed organic beef. The Filet Mignon was delish. Muelle Siete is excellent and gorgeous. We went back there for our thirtieth anniversary. I think they make very good Mole Negro. We told the waiter it was our anniversary, so he surprised us with a slice of chocolate cake. After we left we went to Lola Valentino’s for a glass of wine (Great selection of wine) and the server brought us another huge slice of chocolate cake! Ooff… too much sugar for me, but Joe and Izzy chowed down… well, so did I but it was too much. The best meal was at Casa del Tikinxic (Tick-en-shick) on the south side of the island at Playa Lanchero. Get a taxi, or rent a golf cart and bring your swimsuit. Tikinxic is the indigenous plate for Isla Mujeres. It’s a kilo of fish prepared with a specialty rub and cooked in an open kiln. It is delicious and feeds three-four people.
We went to the South Point Park. This is a must for anyone who can walk an easy paved trail and steps. The trail wraps around the end of the island within feet of the water. They have a cool walk-through tunnel of sorts that looks out over both sides of the island… great photo op! This area is famous for being the furthermost eastern part of Mexico. They have a little amphitheater here to be the first person in Mexico to watch the sun rise. 
I chose this place to spread Aunt Judy’s and Leo’s ashes. I think they both would have loved it here.
Last night we walked out to our favorite bar (because it’s on the windy side and in the shade), The Tiny Gecko. The band talked Izzy into getting up on stage and shaking the maracas and singing one word, “Man.” It’s amazing what she’s willing to do. For someone who is labeled as shy, she sure is daring.
Well goodbye for now. We leave tomorrow. I’ll finish the last blog on the plane about hotel choices for Isla Mujeres. So expect one more post about mid-week.

Saturday, June 1, 2019

Isla Mujeres, one week down!


Today finds me planted at a café called Mogagua. It’s on a busy little corner in the middle of town. I just downed a double-shot macchiato and have jittery fingers, so excuse me if this blog post seems a little intense! I should probably eat something. Izzy is writing a book, so she’s scribbling away on a notebook we bought at the grocery store.
Every morning we go for a speed walk. The other day Izzy and I decided to go past the little airport and loop around it to extend our walk by maybe twenty minutes. That turned into a two hour and fifteen minute walk… turns out there’s a lagoon past the runway. We kept expecting to be able to cut across the island, but it just kept going and going. Finally we cut across somebody’s dirt yard. We were a little lost, so we followed a Chihuahua and found our way to the other side.
Today on our walk we noticed the roads were closed along the ocean avenue. I asked a photographer what was happening. He answered in detail... I think. I didn’t understand a word he said. There’s certain accents that are so rapid and warbled it’s almost impossible to understand, and when you say you don’t understand, they just repeat themselves the same way. For example, Izzy and I got a taxi to the super-mercado mid-island—3 bucks. On the way there we chatted with the driver the whole way. Coming back our driver chatted the whole way, and I just stared at him in bafflement. The only thing I caught was that he is 100% Mayan and a boxer. Anyway back to our walk… It’ turned out to be a children’s 5k run. The parents and teachers lined the street, but I managed to catch video of the start.
Joe just showed up. Time to eat. After laboring over the menu I decided to stick to Mexican food and ordered enchiladas suizas. It’s a chicken enchilada with green sauce… yummy.
I’ve discovered stuffed animals this time. I’ve seen them before, but this time they have more. I’m in love with this little lion. The jewelry is gorgeous here. We came across an artist who macramés necklaces with local stones in them. Just beautiful. There’re a couple of shops with very good leatherwork: handbags, belts, and wallets.
We’ve discovered a few new places to hang out (besides this coffee shop). El Patio has a comfy bench seat with cushions and is known for its live music. Our official favorite is the Tiny Gecko. It’s on the windy side about halfway down the ocean walkway. They have beer at half the price and very cheap tacos. We order guacamole.The other night a skinny old dude who looked Amish stopped and introduced himself as the musician performing in a moment. I could imagine what he would play and how he would sing. I was wrong. He started by playing Sweet Home Alabama on an electric guitar and substituted Alabama for California.
Then he attached a bizarre mustache and beard, and played ZZ Top! He was actually very good, and of course being ten feet from the crashing waves wasn’t too bad either.
The guys here are smitten with Izzy. They keep trying to sneak conversations with her when Joe’s looking the other way. We were in a shop the other day and I could tell the salesman was liking Izzy. Pretty soon he asked her if she was buying a present for her boyfriend. She said no she doesn’t have a boyfriend, as she tossed her blonde ponytail. He whispered in her ear, “Do you want a boyfriend?” She laughed at that one. Guys in America aren’t that brave.
This chair cushion is killing me… I’m calling it quits for now.

Tuesday, May 28, 2019

Isla Mujeres; Arrival


Well, this is certainly a lazy trip! We’ve been here for four days and done nothing noteworthy… just hanging out on the beach, swimming, eating fish tacos, and drinking beer. This time of year (late May) is warmer, so the humid lethargy is setting in. Everyone is running on island time.
Izzy came with us this time. That’s why we’re here later than normal, because she had to finish finals. It’s been fun watching her unwind. Every morning we go for a quick speed walk around the town of North Beach. It’s tiny, so it can be circled in under 30 minutes. We’ve done a few laps in the ocean. This morning she put on her work out clothes and headed over to the yoga treehouse, only to find out that the time they gave her for the class was wrong. She missed it, so now she’s going to give running barefoot on the beach a try. Meanwhile I sit here typing to you at Buho’s beach café eating yogurt and granola.
Our arrival was smooth. A long day started by waking up at 3:00am. We arrived in Cancun at 4:00pm and changed to tropical attire. (Travel tip: bring a change of clothes that match the tropics—it’s miserable to start off your vacay with being over-heated) Ten minutes later we went to get our luggage and the conveyer belt was already turned off. Our bags were nowhere to be seen. We expanded our search to other arrivals and finally found them. We didn’t recognize them at first because our bright bandanas we use to identify our bags had been stolen! 
Oh well, that’s life. We bustled our way out to the taxi station and found our pre-paid van. (Travel tip: reserving a taxi is easy to do ahead of time and can save you the headache of bargaining for a good price. Also when you exit the baggage claim area through the glass doors, you enter a wide hallway lined with sales people from tour agencies and condo complexes… do not speak to them. Seriously! It will take you a half hour to escape. They will insist on looking at you passport or plain ticket or some other trick and then they hold it ransom while they bore you to tears.)
Izzy just ran by with her ponytail bouncing behind her :)
Once the taxi/van dropped us off at the Ultramar ferry pier, we bought tickets at the Ultramar window. A bar is ten feet away so naturally we bought a beer (or two). We were happy to find that you can bring your open beer onto the ferry. So we herded Izzy onto the ferry and went to the open top-deck to get the full experience. An elderly man was playing guitar and singing with vigor and great enthusiasm. After getting to the Isla Mujeres dock we made a different choice than normal. Instead of getting a taxi, we opted to load our suitcases onto a tricycle with a big basket. An ancient little man pushed the bike all the way to our hotel (about a fifteen minute walk). He and Joe chatted the whole way. Whenever possible, we will do this in the future. It was an enjoyable walk.
After swimming we went to find dinner. The first thing we did was run into one of good friends on the island—Mario! He looked exhausted. Typical of islanders, he has to work two jobs 6-7 days a week. The pay is low and, thanks to their tourists, the prices are high. It’s a catch 22. They depend on tourism for survival, but we drive up the cost of living by falling in love with the island and moving there. Fortunately they have areas where the prices remain relatively low.
We went to church Sunday night. It was suffocatingly humid and hot inside. I actually felt nauseous. Thankfully I always bring a small fan, otherwise I would’ve had to leave. I thought poor Izzy was going to pass out. Once we escaped to the relatively fresh air, we noted an orchestra concert was getting ready to start up. It was a military band. We sat down and watched the Navy Officers show up one by one. They looked so important in their dress whites. They weren’t in the band, they were the audience. We finally got too hungry to wait any longer and left before they started… that was a bummer, because I bet they were great.
We went to one of my favorite restaurants—Muelle Siete (Pier Seven). Ask to sit out on the pier. The view is great and a nice breeze is welcome after the sweltering heat. The service is exceptional as is the food (Sebastian was great). Their mole-negro sauce is delicious. Izzy ordered a shrimp salad. We all laughed when it arrived. It was a mountain of shrimp mixed in with mango and papaya. It was super good.
Joe’s back has been hurting this trip. Walking around starts to hurt, so we plant him at a little bar and he has a beer while Izzy and I shop, then we get him and move him to another bar. I’m suspicious he is faking it… he has to sit and drink beer instead of shopping, hmm. He has to lay on the beach all day and swim… hmm. It sounds like a man’s dream come true to me :) Last night we ate the famous Isla Mujeres bacon-wrapped hot dogs loaded with grilled onions and jalapeños. At the most northern tip of the town is a row of hot dog stands. Just pick which one appeals to you and order it. Then find a space on the sidewalk to munch on it. It’s a cultural experience.