Threw together a pretty quick breakfast this morning for the gang. Great fun working in that kitchen. Straight up bacon and eggs! Interesting… Really not a cupboard in this kitchen. Everything in the open and easy to see / grab if required. Not sure where the fascination came from in regards to having all stored behind doors at home? Anyway… once again, weather was picture perfect outside. Nicely the wind had almost ceased to blow and the sun had risen beyond the low lying clouds on the horizon.
The plan for the morning was snorkelling on the Puerto Morelos Reef National Park. On Monday we’d made arrangements, through Vero, to have a boat pick us up in front of Casa Tykel at approximately 8:30 AM for a couple of hours of enjoyment / exercise in the Caribbean. If there is one thing I’ve noticed so far, folks from the northern parts of the globe have a fixation with time, punctuality, and organization. Our guide, Joachim, did not seem fettered by any of these constraints. Thus, we departed the beach promptly at 9:00 AM and made our way via an open boat to the reef, some 3/4 of a km off our beach.
Joachim was the Captain… His English was very good and he could chat up a storm. Kevin was our guide in the water! They gave us a few tips, do’s and dont’s, then Kevin hopped in, with Janie, Monica and I shortly behind. We splashed instantly into a beautiful world of color. I was immediately kicking myself for not asking Eric for the underwater camera he had picked up at home (this image is from a website promoting the reef). This reef seemed so much more healthy than the bleached, crusty swims we’d done in Cuba/Dominican. Wow… Super salty too! Floats you like a cork compared to back home. Gotta look up the cause of that (or maybe Hinchey can help)!
We saw a wide variety of fish… But my knowledge in regards to tropical species is minimal. The colours were amazing… Fish in bright blues and yellows, stripes and solids, spiny and smooth, large and small. It was like being thrown in an aquarium. I “borrowed” this image from the web which we thought very much mirrored what we saw. I know (from watching Planet Earth… lol) that we saw stingray, lobster and barracuda. Just as impressive, however, were the plant and coral life that were represented. In particular sections, long grasses waved with the ocean like a prairie wheat field. There were stretches of sands reminiscent of dunes in a desert. Along the swim, which lasted about an 1 1/2 hrs, we encountered mounds of vegetation and coral, some of the most abundant areas for fish life. The more you watched, the more you saw! Simply amazing and way beyond my expectations.
In the end, the two hour trip (with pick up on the beach directly in front of our accommodation) came to a very reasonable 1800 Mexican pesos ($90 US). Just the three of us onboard. Snorkels, flippers, masks and guide were included. Oh… And life jackets while swimming were mandatory. I thought that wimpy, at first, but in the end I really enjoyed having it on as I could focus more on the ocean around me and less on working to stay afloat. If you’re ever visiting the Mayan Riviera… Snorkelling here (for at least a novice) was well worth it!
Upon our return we got cleaned up, had a Spanish style lunch (meats, cheese, veggies and cervesa) and planned an afternoon siesta. I think we were feeling the effects of a couple of hours in the ocean… And apart from a late afternoon dip in the pool and Monica out and about taking photos it was very quiet. The plan was to go out to eat Wednesday supper… We looked at trip advisor but really didn’t come to a real consensus. Regardless, we new we’d be hungry after walking into town for a 6:00 PM arrival.
We settled on Cantina Habenero, a roadside restaurant located quite close to the Little Mexican Cooking School (same street). She’s rustic… But don’t let that fool you! Food and drinks were excellent. We tried a variety of cocktails, including Mojitos, Margaritas and Pina Coladas. For supper fare, we sampled several items, including platters of enchiladas and quesadillas. They were excellent! Monica had a pizza… I helped her some with that. Came to roughly $40 US which I thought a great value. There was music to boot… Kind of a mixed band / karaoke thing happening. Pretty loud where we were sitting (sounded much better from the street). Great meal though!
Not much to report after that! We grabbed a few odds and ends from the store in town (beer / cheese / limes) and hailed a cab back to Casa Tykel. All hands were in bed early… Partially due to the days outdoor events, partially to do with a 6:30 AM departure on Thursday across the Yucatan Peninsula. I managed a few blog edits, Janie and I walked a couple of kms up beach, and we suffered through another couple of beers, then hit the hay! Oh… One big item! Actually felt a few raindrops before bed while enjoying the outside and today’s stronger than normal northerly breeze (Joachim said it was going to be cold out… He described it as “fresh”)!