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Published: December 8th 2005
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Cancun - Mexico
Location-wise, Cancun is idyllic. It's just a shame it is so Americanized. This photo was taken from our dive boat From Playa del Carmen we headed west to a city called Merida, and quite frankly, I can't think of anything positive to say about it ... well maybe one thing ... it has some gorgeous old buildings. Merida was extremely hot and dry, noisy, polluted and grotty. I guess we were there on a bad day. These Mexicano's really need to learn how to dispose of rubbish thoughtfully, and that doesn't only apply to Merida. Our first intention was to spend a few days there though one night was sufficient, and we we're back on that out-bound bus the next morning.
So we headed east to lovely Americanized Cancun, then got a boat to Isla Mujeres, another gorgeous island surrounded by clear waters, reef and white sand. Very shabby. The slow pace of the Isle was just what we needed - a smallish island community with quiet pedestrian streets lined with restaurants, bars & handicraft stores. On arrival we went to the backpackers just to see what it was like. We couldn't get out fast enough. It actually reminded me of my fathers chicken coop: wire screens as windows, corrugated tin roof, bunks that resembled perches. After a little looking
Isla Mujeres - Mexico
Happy hour on a perfect strip of beach we found a nice roof-top hotel (with a washing machine - ooh, nice clean clothes) no air-con but at least a ceiling fan. That night we went out for dinner at a local French-inspired restaurant where I contracted food poisoning from my seafood meal. Nice, just what I needed. There was a perfect beach on the islands' northern end where we sat under the coconut trees, read our books, and swam in the warm water. We spent a couple of nights there pretty-much just doing nothing, before returning to Cancun to find a hotel for the next two nights. That same day Tanya flew into town to meet up with us for the next two weeks. The three of us went diving off Cancun the next morning which was just wonderful.
The next step of the big adventure was Cuba, a nice short hour-and-a-bit from Cancun. We started off in the Vedado district of Havana where we found a private residence for the night. You can of course stay in hotels, which are more expensive, but staying with locals in their own homes is much better, especially the food they serve. The first place we stayed in was massive.
Isla Mujeres
Something for the tourist A beautiful old house, three storeys high with 4 metre ceilings. We were on the top floor which was owned by a colourful character who decorated it with eclectic pieces from the 50's & 60's. Very kitsch. She had a love of dogs, obviously, from the numerous ceramic statues of them, as well as rugs and pictures. All these worked in with studio photographs of herself (taken about 30 years earlier) posing for the camera, quirky furniture and homewares and even a chandelier.
We picked up a hire car that same afternoon and left town for our driving adventure around Cuba. We left with a map and a basic idea of where we wanted to go around the island. Driving on the right-hand side of the road was no trouble at all, the only difficult thing is the lack of steet signs. I guess in Cuba you're just expected to know where you're going. And yes, we did get lost quite a few times. Hitch-hiking is common practice in Cuba, everyone does it, and it's quite safe. You just pay your way that's all. Loads of people expected us to stop to pick them up, and one man was
Havana - Cuba
Where else in the world has such a concentration of these great old cars? quite irate when we didn't. Cars with a red registration plate are 'government cars' and by law are expected to stop and carry other passengers. Our hire-car had a red number plate so everyone expected us to stop. I don't think so.
At one point of our travels we stayed in a beach house at a place called Playa Santa Lucia where we did some more diving. The beach house was some guys' private home in a tiny beach community that led quite a primitive lifestyle. The owner asked what we wanted for dinner ... lobster or fish. We went with fish as Cubans have taken lobsters from the ocean to the point of it being almost extinct. We did our bit for regeneration.
We went diving later that morning on a coral wall that dropped off into deep dark ocean. Very exciting. At about 18 metres was a boat wreck which we swam around, then the divemaster led us deeper on the vertical coral wall down to 27 metres to another boat wreck in very good condition. It was just spectacular. The boat was on a slant, bow facing upwards, still with its railings, portholes, smoke-stack. We
Havana - Cuba
Plaza de la Catedral even swam through the galleys seeing large snapper and groupers etc etc. It was like a baby Titanic. Step aside Jacques Cousteau!
We returned to our beach house after our dive and sat on the veranda drinking a beer watching the sun go down while a beautiful red snapper was being cooked over coals for us. While we were diving the beach house owner went out with his fins and mask and spear-gun and caught us our dinner. It was one of best red snappers I've had. Big enough for three people to eat. Shame my appetite wasn't the same. I was still a little affected from that food poisoning.
The following morning we returned to the dive centre for our second dive which was meant to be off the beach at a reef , but because it was a bit windy the dive site was relocated to a calmer spot in the channel near our beach house. None of us complained when we found out we'd be diving on a 17th century Spanish shipwreck. AWESOME! Before the dive we had the ususal brief on the location and what we'd be seeing, as well as a small warning about
Havana - Cuba
La Bodeguita del Medio the Bull Sharks in the area. Ordinarily I'd be peeing into my wetsuit at the mention of sharks, but I couldn't wait to see them. So down we went and first sat on the bottom to watch our divemaster feed and hold and pat a 2.5 metre green moray eel. It was so beautiful with bright blue eyes. A little further down we were signalled to stop and lay on the floor in a line while a 3 metre bull shark paced back and forth about 10 metres away. I'd wished it was closer. For added security two of the divers had harpoons, just in case. After this we explored the Spanish shipwreck. It wasn't in as good condition as the wreck we saw the day prior, obviously because it was a lot older. It was quite large with heaps of small rooms we were led through, full of colourful fish and corals and sponges.
We left Playa Santa Lucia and continued our drive around Cuba, staying at various cities and towns before returning to Havana for our last few days in the country. Havana is just amazing. Narrow streets and alleys lined with gorgeous aging buildings, old Chevvies,
Pontiacs, Fords, Cadillacs, Afro-Cuban music on almost every street corner, and of course the aroma of cigars wafting past as you walk. Lots of stuff to see and do in Havana. Or you can just sit in a local bar, sip a cuba libra, daiqueri, or beer while listening to a live Afro-Cuban salsa band play.
Tanya, Dean & I returned to Mexico City yesterday after a landing I thought would be my last. Descending into Mexicio City was incredibly rough and I actually thought ''This is it, my life is about to end.'' The plane was tossing and turning my stomach was in my mouth and my whole body was sweating and shaking. Not a nice way to feel. The pilot had to abort landing and try a different approach. The second one was a lot better.
This is where Tanya left us to connect to her flight back to Sydney. Dean and I weren't sure whether to stay in Mexico or get the next flight to New York, so we checked the internet to see if our NY accommodation could be changed. It couldn't, so we decided to stay here in Mexico. So we went to
the bus station and jumped on a bus bound north-west to Puerta Vallarta, a lovely place on a huge bay. 12.5 hours drive away. our couple of days there were really just spent lazing about and taking a little side-trip to Yelapa.
Next stop - New York City!
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