cozumel – Postcards From TLC

February 10, 2018

Scuba Diving

A few years ago, while on a snorkeling excursion, I decided that I really wanted to see what was deeper below the surface of the ocean. I had been a fan of and in the water since as far back as I could remember, and had no fear about learning to scuba dive.
I checked in with Dwain at Captain Nemo’s dive shop and he got me started on the path to certification.

We had a couple of weekends of class time, where we learned all about scuba diving, the importance of properly fitted and maintained equipment, and the effects of pressure on the body while diving. We covered material in our books, watched videos, and took tests to ensure we would be safe divers.
We also had a couple of sessions of pool time, which is when we were able to access a local indoor pool and learn how to assemble and use our equipment and practice our skills. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to master taking off my mask at the bottom of a pool, much less in the ocean. But I did! And I left it off for a couple of minutes.
After the class and pool sessions, the time had come to sign up for my Open Water dives, which would be done in Bull Shoals Lake in Arkansas.

This is basically where we got to pull it all together in an open water environment under the guidance of an instructor to see if we would receive certification or not. Even under the horrible rainy, stormy conditions and a lot of time sitting in my car between dives, I passed! I was a newly certified, open water diver.

100_1219 — Housemates for the weekend AND Certified OW Divers

After that, it was time to go practice my skills. We headed to Cozumel, Mexico which is one of the top ten places in the world to dive. It didn’t disappoint! My dive buddy was an Englishman named Ray (hubby wasn’t certified yet) who was very experienced and we saw some neat stuff. We actually found a nurse shark napping and just before our ascent, 3 huge lobsters walked across our path in the sand. I didn’t have my camera yet, so I have no pics, other than one of me and Ray after the dive.

Over the next couple of years, hubby got his certification through Captain Nemo’s as well. Although, while he did his open water portion in Punta Cana, I was working on my Advanced Open Water certification. Win, win, right?

While on our honeymoon in St Lucia, we stayed at a Sandal’s Resort, which includes scuba diving. We took the opportunity for hubby to then work on his Advanced Open Water while I took a photography class.

As we are now getting ready to take a trip to the Pacific side of Mexico, we’ve discovered there might be a couple of places we would like to dive while there. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about scuba diving it’s that there’s always something else to learn. It’s a never-ending process. So even though we’ve come a long way baby, we’ve still got a lot left to learn!

November 25, 2017

Gorgeous Sunsets

In scrolling through pics I have saved over the years, apparently I snap a lot of sunrises and sunsets. Here are a few of my favorites:
Cozumel, Mexico Sunset

Captiva Island, Florida Sunset

Negril, Jamaica Sunset

Riviera Maya, Mexico Sunrise

Riviera Maya, Mexico Sunrise

Lake Ozark, Missouri Sunset

Rocheport, Missouri Sunset

Guanacaste, Costa Rica Sunset

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic Sunrise

Negril, Jamaica Sunset

Grand Canyon, Arizona Sunset

Glacier Bay, Alaska Sunrise

Which one do you like best? Comment on your favorite, or share a pic of one you’ve seen.

November 23, 2017

Cozumel Mexico

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go to Cozumel, Mexico. As a newly certified scuba diver, I was chomping at the bit to go because Cozumel is usually considered one of the top 10 places to dive. A small island, located just off the Yucatan Peninsula, Cozumel is a little more laid back than Riviera Maya. It has more of an island feel to it–a little smaller, and quieter.
To get to Cozumel from Missouri, we had two choices. We could fly non-stop to Cancun, then ride a bus for 45 minutes south, then catch a ferry for another 45 minute ride over to Cozumel or fly to Atlanta, have a quick layover, then take a second flight on to Cozumel. Since the idea of lugging our suitcases onto a ferry didn’t sound very appealing, we opted for the latter and flew into Cozumel.
We stayed at the Iberostar, which was a wonderful resort.

Our room was half of a circular-shaped bungalow. It was kind of different to stay in a room that was a semi circle–there were no corners in which to stick my suitcase. We were also located right in the middle of the resort, equal distance to the pool, dive shop, and beach and we could see all three from our porch (which had a hammock on it).

Although our accommodations were awesome and we had a lot of activities to do at the resort, we ventured into town one afternoon for a Pirate Dinner Cruise later that night, which still ranks up there as one of the funnest days ever!
We took a cab into town, which was maybe 10 minutes from our resort. We arrived at a small shopping area across the road from the pier, where we would be boarding the Jean Laffite. At the moment, we were really in search of free Wi-Fi (our resort charged in 10 minute increments), which we found at a small, unassuming restaurant named Polar. We ordered some Tecate Light beers, split some fish tacos (which hubby doused with an incredibly HOT hot sauce), and were able to access everything we needed. After sitting there for 2 and a half hours, I don’t think our total bill came up to $20US.

After leaving Polar, we did a little shopping and stocked up on souvenirs. We came across a Fat Tuesday which was a fun place to have a cocktail and people watch.

Then it was time to get to the Pier and board our pirate ship! The performers were a talented bunch of guys who had the obligation of plying you with quantity (not quality) drinks and getting you to participate in the games which were part of the show. We cruised up the coast of Cozumel with these pirates entertaining every one in the group and then our ship turned around and headed back down the coast so that we all had the most incredible view of sunset.

We were also served dinner at this time, which was your choice of steak, lobster tail, or surf and turf. I had the surf and turf and thought the dinner was unbelievably good considering it had all been prepared in the small galley of our ship. If you EVER get the chance to go on the Pirate Dinner Cruise in Cozumel, Mexico, GO! You will have really fun 3 hour tour!

August 31, 2017

Should I Stay or Should I Go…To Mexico?

Just a quick nod to the old Clash song Should I Stay or Should I Go.
The US State Department has recently issued warnings for Americans traveling to Mexico. This warning is only the latest: “Gun battles between rival criminal organizations or with Mexican authorities have taken place on streets and in public places during broad daylight.” The warning goes on to mention US citizens being murdered in car-jackings and highway robberies, most frequently at night and on isolated roads. The state of Quintana Roo, which is where Cancun, Cozumel, and Playa Del Carmen are located has recently been added to the list.
Add the Zika Virus (mosquito transmitted illness) to the list along with allegations of tainted alcohol at some of the major all-inclusive resorts and now you’ve got me wondering if my upcoming vacation in the Riviera Maya will be safe enough?
We’re still going to go, but here is my list of ways I plan to stay safe:

plan to participate in guided excursions, with other hotel guests, likely on a bus together
cooperate if you go through a check point–government or unauthorized
be careful not to flash large amounts of cash around (Ha, ha! That shouldn’t be a problem!)
be prepared for pick-pockets
keep my cell phone under my control so stolen information from it cannot be used for ransom purposes
be aware that corruption exists everywhere
wear insect repellant on and off the resorts (maybe this one will help prevent the Zika virus and maybe keep local pests away)
limit outdoor activities at dusk and dawn when mosquitos are more prevalent
avoid excessive alcohol consumption
bring booze into the resort purchased from duty-free shopping in the airport
stick to beers or wines at the resort
don’t leave drinks sitting anywhere unattended
check the resort out in advance (the resort we’re going to hasn’t had any reports of tainted alcohol)
ask the bartender to open bottles in front of you–a sealed bottle likely hasn’t been tainted or re-filled with bootleg booze
research medical providers in the area in advance, like before we go
be sure you have travel insurance in place
if you feel ill, stop and seek medical assistance
be observant of your surroundings and aware of anything suspicious

Really, just use the same common sense you should typically use when traveling somewhere new or foreign. To keep my trip to Mexico in perspective, the current murder rate in Quintana Roo is still pretty comparable to my hometown of St. Louis, MO. I haven’t stopped traveling there because of the crime, I just use some additional sense about it.
If you have other suggestions of tips to add to the list, feel free to leave me a comment.
Otherwise, in the words of James Taylor, Mexico! (click below)