Cozumel from non-dive perspective

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HW - 28 Apr 2006 14:38 GMT

We recently returned from a cruise which stopped briefly in Coz.
First time that I have been there since big storm.

Wife and I just hung around the cruise dock area and found the shops
clean, fairly new and everything humming.

My brother, who is not a diver and who had never been to Coz, at my
suggestion took his boys in a cab to a nearby beach to snorkel. While
the snorkeling and beach were great, he was stunned by the devastation
and squalor he saw once he got away from the immediate vicinity of the
cruise ship dock. Talked about it for days.

On a related matter, we also stopped at Grand Cayman. I was amazed by
the crowds and felt sorry for all those folks who would never sit the
beach in front of Divi Tiara * on the Brac, and who would never have a
sense of the real Cayman Islands.

* With a cool one, of course.

** Make that many cool ones.

*** Oh hell, just tie one on.

-HW "Skip" Weldon
Columbia, SC

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Jer - 29 Apr 2006 04:59 GMT

> We recently returned from a cruise which stopped briefly in Coz.
> First time that I have been there since big storm.
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
> -HW "Skip" Weldon
> Columbia, SC

Truth is, like Coz, the real Cayman Islands ceased their existance at
the same instant the first cruise ship dropped anchor.

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jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

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stan@adkhomes.com - 29 Apr 2006 09:19 GMT

Perhaps,

But I'll take Cozumel and Grand Cayman over Curacao in a hearbeat.

The cruise ships just dock for less than a day and I enjoy watching the folks
run to the dock when the ships horn blows. Both islands have great dive
operations outside of the cruise ports, very good open air restaurants, super
people. If I could, I would live on either island. Perhaps in a few years.

I'll be returning to Grand Cayman in August, when our 2 weeks of timeshare on
7 mile beach reopens after almost 2 years. Although there were some areas not
hit hard, most of the island was devastated in September, 1 1/2 years ago.
I'm looking forward to returning and driving on the left side of the road.

To know Cozumel you need to get to meet the people. Drive out of the center
and hang out at the open air restaurants that are on the water. Go into the
square and hire a Mariache to play for you. Drive around town and eat at
local places.

Cozumel is not the same as most of Mexico. The people are warm, friendly.
The island is beautiful. If you don't dive, you can just drive and take in
the sites. There are ancient ruins that are in the mid area of the island.
You can hire a guide who will give you a personal guided tour.

If you get to appreciate the people in Cozumel, you will love visiting. At
least I can say that I do.

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Jer - 29 Apr 2006 14:39 GMT

> Perhaps,
>
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> If you get to appreciate the people in Cozumel, you will love visiting. At
> least I can say that I do.

Whoosh!

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Greg Mossman - 29 Apr 2006 19:03 GMT

> Cozumel is not the same as most of Mexico. The people are warm, friendly.
> The island is beautiful. If you don't dive, you can just drive and take
> in
> the sites. There are ancient ruins that are in the mid area of the
> island.
> You can hire a guide who will give you a personal guided tour.

Obviously you've been to most of Mexico in order to draw the conclusion that
the people in most of Mexico are not warm and friendly, but I'm curious
where exactly you found this to be the case?

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stan@adkhomes.com - 02 May 2006 11:24 GMT

You can start with Mexico City where I would never return to.

I didn't mean to imply that there were not warm and friendly people in all of
Mexico, and if that is what you read into my post, I apologize. I was only
trying to say that my experiences in Cozumel after several trips, have been
great.

><stan@adkhomes.com> wrote in message

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Dillon Pyron - 02 May 2006 18:25 GMT

>You can start with Mexico City where I would never return to.
>
>I didn't mean to imply that there were not warm and friendly people in all of
>Mexico, and if that is what you read into my post, I apologize. I was only
>trying to say that my experiences in Cozumel after several trips, have been
>great.

Unfortunately, that's the way it came across. "All Mexicans except
for Cozumelinos are a surly lot".

>><stan@adkhomes.com> wrote in message

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food chain to become a vegetarian.

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Greg Mossman - 02 May 2006 21:45 GMT

>>You can start with Mexico City where I would never return to.
>>
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Unfortunately, that's the way it came across. "All Mexicans except
> for Cozumelinos are a surly lot".

Yep. I'd imagine a Mexican would feel the same about Americans if his only
experience was New York City. Of course Cozumeleños are laid back and
friendly - they live on a beautiful island filled with Americans wanting to
spend money.

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Greg Mossman - 02 May 2006 21:41 GMT

> You can start with Mexico City where I would never return to.

I'm not so certain I'll make it back there any time soon myself. Even
though I had lots of fun during my three visits prior to its being named one
of the 10 most dangerous destinations in the world, there were definitely
some weird and potentially scary incidents that I'd chalk up more to being
the largest city in the world than to being a Mexican city. But it's rather
insane now. A good friend of mine went there last Thanksgiving and was
mugged at gun point during his cab ride from the airport.

> I didn't mean to imply that there were not warm and friendly people in all
> of
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> been
> great.

Cozumel is great, as it doesn't have the crime and craziness of Mexico City,
Tijunana, and the rest of the overcrowded cities, nor does it have the
surliness that some of the established resorts like Cancun and Mazatlan
breed in the locals after suffering years of ugly Americans and spring
breakers. But it's hardly unique. There are still plenty of "unspoiled"
parts of Mexico where the locals are as friendly as can be. Unfortunately
most (all?) of those spots lack the great diving that Cozumel also offers.

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Dillon Pyron - 03 May 2006 01:08 GMT

>> You can start with Mexico City where I would never return to.
>
[quoted text clipped - 21 lines]
>parts of Mexico where the locals are as friendly as can be. Unfortunately
>most (all?) of those spots lack the great diving that Cozumel also offers.

I agree. Check out one of the other San Miguels (de Allende) for a
wonderful place to visit, or live (we're thinking about buying a house
there for retirement). Then there's the Copper Canyon.

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dillon

I didn't climb to the top of the
food chain to become a vegetarian.

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-hh - 30 Apr 2006 13:48 GMT

> We recently returned from a cruise which stopped briefly in Coz.
> First time that I have been there since big storm.
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> and squalor he saw once he got away from the immediate vicinity of the
> cruise ship dock. Talked about it for days.

Bring your brother up to New York City...we'll take him over to the
Bronx :-)

But more seriously, this is "economic well being gradiant" is
unfortunatelly all too typical in many places...NYC, New Orleans
before, Jamacia, etc.

> On a related matter, we also stopped at Grand Cayman. I was amazed by
> the crowds and felt sorry for all those folks who would never sit the
> beach in front of Divi Tiara * on the Brac...

Georgetown has been IMO "too crowded" for years. Not unique amongst
many Caribbean cities by a long shot, but merely a sign of where the
local economy's revenues come from, usually with a pinch of inadequate
infrastructure planning :-).

> ... and who would never have a sense of the real Cayman Islands.

>From what era? FWIW, an interesting book to find & read is:

"The People Time Forgot" - a Photographic Portrayal of the People of
the Cayman Islands
- by HG Nowak (the Barefoot Man).
NO ISBN; published on Grand Cayman: Cayman Free Press (1988)

FWIW, a photo of a notice from K.P. Tibbets (aka "Captain Keith P
Tibbets" of the 356 wreck) is a clasic:

"NOTICE: No credit to those that did not vote for me".

-hh

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