Honeymoon: Day 3

I had good intentions of posting Friday. Then I lapsed into a turkey coma. I tried to type, but all that would come out was, "UGH." Work pretty much paid me to stare at my screen that day. I think I've finally digested that second helping of mashed potatoes though. So, we're OK. Without further delay, may I present to you day three of the honeymoon. Sweet Jebus, this has got to be the longest recap ever!

(Click for larger pictures or visit my Flickr page.)

I'm a planner. I don't mind being spontaneous, as long as it's what we've planned on being. It's an oxymoron (oxymora if you want to be picky), I know. But think about it. If you can plan on being lazy, why can't you plan on being spontaneous too? I'm game, as long as I don't have to make the decisions once we get there. Hoop and I arrived at Cozumel on Wednesday. Straight off the boat, people were ardently trying to sell us things. Hoop weaved around vendors holding bright signs and shouting things like, "Come here! I have something to show you!"

We pushed our way to the street before Hoop turned to me and said, "Wanna grab a scooter?" "Sure," I shrugged. The guy behind the kiosk took our money and handed over two pint-sized helmets and the keys to a bright yellow "Tucan". "The speed limit is 40ish," he mumbled to me as Hoop took an experimental drive around the parking lot. I hopped in behind him and away we went. There are a few things you should know before driving in Cozumel. One, no one obeys the speed limit. Everyone drives 80mph (130km), including the scooters.


(Scooter For Two)


(Palm Tree Beach)

Two, people will jump out in front of your moving vehicle in order to sell you things, like sculptures of people fornicating on seashells or timeshares. Three, "Topes" means speed bump and not "boobs", which is what the symbol on their sign looks like. You can imagine Hoop's disappointment when we finally figured that out; especially since we were looking too hard to notice that we should slow down. Our first stop on the scooter was a snorkel shack. A couple of Hoop's gambling buddies were already there and invited us to attend a wedding on the island for one of our cruisemates.

Having had our fill of weddings already, Hoop and I politely declined and then sped away for our own private getaway. It was at the next snorkel shack that things got a little hairy. Hoop kept asking me what I wanted to do. "As if I've actually been here before? I don't know, snorkel?" "Yes, but do you want to go on our own or in a group or somewhere else?" That's where the whole spontaneity thing from before comes in. Don't throw out the idea of plans and then expect me to make them last minute. After a bit of unfun snipping at each other, we decided to snorkel alone.

The beaches in Cozumel are fascinating. There isn't much sand. Mostly, it's made up of broken coral and shell. I wanted to haul it away by the handful. After an hour of fish-gazing, Hoop and I hopped back on the scooter for the next destination. Along the way we stopped at a little store for drinks and queso chips. As with everyone else, the kids behind the counter tried to con us out of money. Hoop stared at the 20 pesos in the cashier's hand, 16 pesos (about $1.70) short of what we were owed, before going back to the scooter for exact change. The chips were fantastic though. I wish they made that flavor back in the states!


(Chip Break)

The next stop, about an hour later, was a little Reggae bar halfway down the island. We ordered Coronas and sat in the shade for a bit staring at all the graffiti. It covered every surface of the place, including the floor and ceiling. In the distance you could see a lighthouse. Before and after that was nothing but empty beach and wild palms. It was awesome. I never wanted to leave...


(Reggae Bar)


(Reggae Bar Graffiti)


(Parrot)


(Posing On The Beach)


(Cozumel Beach)


(More Cozumel Beach)


(Wild Palms)

Tomorrow: WWC
Wednesday: Cozumel (Part Two), Mayan Ruins.