Trip to Cozumel island, Mexico
We stayed at a small hotel in the main town on the island, just a couple blocks from the water. We loved Cozumel and the great food. We were also very active, running along the beach, riding bikes to several beaches down the coast, and snorkeling everywhere. We saw more tropical fish, including enormous parrot fish and a sting ray, in Cozumel than anywhere else we've been before. One of our funnest days was renting a bright red convertible VW bug- we drove around the entire island over to the "wild side" which faces into the Gulf of Mexico. It was hit with a hurricane many years ago, and electricity was never restored. There are a few beach bars that open just during daylight, but the trip is worth it to see the coast there, which is more rugged, with big crashing waves.
We were lucky enough to be there while their Carnaval festival was going on. It was amazing, with several days of parades, lots of excellent dancers, and lots of fun for the kids. The local families in Cozumel were extremely friendly. Three generations (or more) of locals would come out for the parades each night, and it was mostly the grade school kids who built and celebrated on the floats as they went by. We felt sorry for all the cruise passengers who stopped at Cozumel from noon to 5 each day and only had enough time to see the first few touristy streets of the city, but didn't get to explore the local restaurants or meet the locals who come out each night to talk in the main town square. Stacy even got a hug the day we left from one of the owners of a cafe we had frequented, the older lady spoke very little English, and our Spanish is rough, but the lady said we were "friends".
We really loved Cozumel and hope to go back next year for the Carnaval.
posted by Mel and Stacy Marten @ 9:44 AM
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