Once downtown, we were once again faced with aggressive shop owners, though it wasn't nearly as intense as it was in Progreso. The streets were lined with shops geared towards tourists, and businesses such as Cariloha, Del Sol, and Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, and prices listed in pesos and dollars, told me we were in an area that heavily relies on tourism. It seemed like every other store was a jewelry store drawing us in with a free charm as a way to get us in their store, but everyone was very nice. We also got great souvenirs. I was excited to get nice, big tote bags for around 5 dollars each. (Teachers can never have enough bags!) I was also pretty excited to buy nail polish at Del Sol that turns color in the sun (as do all of their products). When I checked out, I was given the option of adding a very nice canvas tote bag to my order for a low price. I'm glad I did, because I carry it to work and back almost every day now. Ironically, the nail polish was the reason I went and I haven't used it since vacation. I'm not even sure where it is. I should find that..... Anyway, also among the souvenir shops wasCariloha, a store that carries products made of bamboo. It's a little pricey (not unrealistically for the value, just more than the cheapo souvenir stores surrounding it), but they did give us all free bamboo necklaces. My sister bought a t-shirt that is so incredibly soft because it's made of bamboo. I don't know why more companies don't use bamboo; there was a display there showing how quickly it grows and replenishes itself. It seems like a really good plan. They also carry sheets that are unbelievably soft. We ended up shopping longer than we intended to, so we had to choose between finding a restaurant or a beach, so we went with a beach.
Our second stop on the cruise was Cozumel, Mexico. I really enjoyed it, and I could see myself going back on a vacation just to Cozumel. As soon as we (all four of us this time) stepped off the boat (and took numerous pictures with costumed people), I could tell Cozumel was going to be much different than Progreso. Even the pier looked polished and touristy with signs that said "Welcome to Cozumel." After walking through a maze of shops right off the pier, we grabbed a taxi to go downtown. The plan was much like it was in Progreso: shopping, then beach (and hopefully some Mexican food somewhere along the way). Once downtown, we were once again faced with aggressive shop owners, though it wasn't nearly as intense as it was in Progreso. The streets were lined with shops geared towards tourists, and businesses such as Cariloha, Del Sol, and Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville, and prices listed in pesos and dollars, told me we were in an area that heavily relies on tourism. It seemed like every other store was a jewelry store drawing us in with a free charm as a way to get us in their store, but everyone was very nice. We also got great souvenirs. I was excited to get nice, big tote bags for around 5 dollars each. (Teachers can never have enough bags!) I was also pretty excited to buy nail polish at Del Sol that turns color in the sun (as do all of their products). When I checked out, I was given the option of adding a very nice canvas tote bag to my order for a low price. I'm glad I did, because I carry it to work and back almost every day now. Ironically, the nail polish was the reason I went and I haven't used it since vacation. I'm not even sure where it is. I should find that..... Anyway, also among the souvenir shops wasCariloha, a store that carries products made of bamboo. It's a little pricey (not unrealistically for the value, just more than the cheapo souvenir stores surrounding it), but they did give us all free bamboo necklaces. My sister bought a t-shirt that is so incredibly soft because it's made of bamboo. I don't know why more companies don't use bamboo; there was a display there showing how quickly it grows and replenishes itself. It seems like a really good plan. They also carry sheets that are unbelievably soft. We ended up shopping longer than we intended to, so we had to choose between finding a restaurant or a beach, so we went with a beach. There were taxis lined up along the street, so it was very easy to find a ride. It reminded me a little of New York City in that respect, except it was probably easier to get a cab in Cozumel. Just like New York, you just have to sit back and trust that the cab driver knows what he is doing. We sped down the highway at a high rate of speed, zooming around other cars, and squished together in the tiny back seat. (My dad rode in the front.) There was no air conditioning, so the windows were down the entire time. It was scenic, thrilling, and a bit dangerous. The beach that the driver insisted on taking us too= (I'm sure they had some kind of deal worked out) turned out to be absolutely beautiful. It was called Paradise Beach. They had a minimum amount of money they wanted each person to spend on food and/or drinks. That wasn't a problem, because we were hungry and I finally had an opportunity to get some real Mexican food! There was a giant pool next to a bar sitting under a hut. We didn't mess with the pool though. After renting a locker, and storing our excess stuff, we walked past the pool to the numerous palm trees. Under the trees were rows and rows of lounge chairs in the sand, and just beyond the trees was the sunny beach with clear blue water. There were also blow up activities like slides that you could use for an extra fee, but we were content to swim and let the water cool our sunburned skin. It was crowded in that there were a lot of people around but not in that we couldn't have space in the water or find chairs to sit in. We swam for awhile, and it was glorious. I could have stayed much longer, but we didn't want to be late back to the ship. So we finally settled back in our chairs under the palm trees and waved over a waiter who took our order and later brought our food right to our chairs on the beach. (Can I live here?) While we waited for the food, my sister and I spent some time in the hammocks hanging next to the chairs and took a few pictures with her camera. (I don't have much from here, because I locked my camera up in the locker.) When the food came, we sat back in our chairs and had a coke and the best quesadillas I've ever had in my life. I don't know what cheese they put in it, but it was AMAZING. Of course, the beach side service and the view (Paradise Beach is named appropriately) made it that much better. My mom and dad had some kind of nachos that were pretty good, but oh those quesadillas. About this time, I started getting really nervous about getting back to the ship on time. It seemed to take forever to get our food paid for (it really wasn't that long, I was just nervous about getting left!). I passed the time reading in my chair, which was also glorious. Despite my anxiety on the matter (I'm really not as nervous of a person as these posts make me sound!), we got our stuff gathered, our locker deposit returned, got a cab (there were several waiting outside the beach entrance), and got back to the port without about an hour to spare. We stopped by a few of the shops there to finish buying souvenirs (prices were actually pretty good there, and I had seen a shirt I wanted on the way out earlier), went back through security, and were in our rooms before the departure deadline. I went up on the top deck to watch the ship pull away, and it was breathtaking. It was one of those small moments I'll always remember. A storm was starting to move in as we pull out, so the blue sky was also filled with rain clouds. As the ship turned away, the water was several brilliant shades of blue, and a light rain began to fall. It was incredible. After we got going, I just sat in a deck chair for a few minutes alone and soaked it all in. All in all, I really enjoyed Cozumel. I would love to return here for vacation as a destination and not just a stop on the cruise. If I cruised to Cozumel again, I wouldn't do much different. I would probably spend a little less time shopping to have on the beach. I would definitely eat those quesadillas again! (I'm getting really hungry typing this. And I don't have any tortillas, so I can't make quesadillas. Sad day.) I wouldn't mind returning to Paradise Beach, though I'm sure there are other great beaches there too. So do I recommend Cozumel? YES!
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AuthorI love to travel as often as possible. I like taking day trips around North Texas, weekend road trips, flying cross county for a week or two, or jumping on a cruise ship for a foreign country. This year I've driven across most of the Southern United States. I have a slight obsession with New York City (and am due for another trip soon!). Archives
July 2015
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