Buenos dias! Above is a little view of my view as I am writing this post (excuse the fact that I do not have a panoramic lens so I pieced these 2 together). Not a bad way to greet the day, right? It's 9:30 in the morning and already 75 degrees, sunny, slightly breezy and gorgeous. We have had a nice transition into relaxation so far, which is our main goal for the first few days of this vacation. It's harder than you think to completely unwind on the spot and forget about all the stresses of life and work, but tequila and fresh pico de gallo and hammocks make it slightly possible!
Our first day in Cozumel was nothing short of complete lazy indulgence. The flights went smoothly, they actually allowed us into their country (their mistake ;)) and Dave managed to rent a car. But not just any car; the worse car they could find on the island. A 1992 Nissan Sentra, with manual windows and locks, something we both forgot how to operate! I will say one thing for it: it has AC, which is something that is a benefit after loading heavy luggage and spending hours in a plane.
Our hotel is located a little outside of the main city of San Miguel. It's not very large, roughly 100 rooms or so, but it has a restaurant on the water, a scuba place, a spa and water front views. The room they gave us is on the ground floor and has a nice patio right out onto their beach and views of the ocean and gigantic cruise ships that dock nearby. It also has a Murphy bed, which I thought was called a Jerry bed, and didn't believe Dave until I just googled it. Overall it is very cozy and a good size for the two of us; not to mention that the maid service creates crazy sculptures out of the towels (think 2 swans making a heart - pretty impressive!).
We spent the day lounging outside drinking bloody marys and pina coladas and soaking in some much needed vitamin D. In the late afternoon we decided to go snorkeling. I admit, I was a little nervous. I never cared much for the idea of the fishes that I was swimming with back in the lakes of NH. The thought of them brushing against gave me shivers and frequently sent me into panic swims back to the safety of the raft. But this was different; when you put the goggles on this whole undersea world not visible from above is suddenly all around you. Fish of all shades of blue and yellow, some as large as our calves, just minding their own business. They seemed to accept the fact that we were there and seemed just curious about us as we were of them.
And then we noticed something larger and darker than the fish about 20 feet below us. It was a sting ray about an arm spans wide and twice as long. I had no idea how to react and froze mid-stroke, afraid to attract his attention but mostly mesmerized. It was huge and majestic, as corny as that sounds. It was like everything seemed to stand still and it just flowed past below, easily ignoring us. It was nothing short of amazing, just 100 yards from our hotel room and we are swimming with sting rays! I couldn't stop talking about it for the rest of the night, I swear I even dreamt of it last night. I admit, I'm a little hooked on this idea of snorkeling...
We decided to go out to dinner at this small place up the road from our hotel called Paprika Mexican grille. When we got there the waitstaff and cooks were holding up four foot Mahi Mahi fish that were caught a few hours prior. The fishermen actually delivered the fish via scooter with them strewn across their laps. We had a lovely dinner of the fresh Mahi Mahi in tacos and stuffed jalapeno peppers with pulled beef and local cheese. Our waiter, Ricardo, was a bit odd. We couldn't tell if he was friendly or just bored, but he talked to us non stop and we stumbled about trying to understand him through his thick accent. He took a picture of us to add to his gallery of random guests, which he showed to us as if showing off celebrities. The culture here is very friendly and laid back, no one is rushing around, like Ricardo, they take their time in everything they do. They actually remind me of some people I work with, as far as deadlines are concerned...
We concluded the night with some local cervesas purchased at the convenience store next door and dozed in the hammocks until we were fearful of waking up in them the next morning. It may be too soon to say this, but I could definitely live like this everyday and be very content. :)
-A
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