The Riviera Maya is a top spot for water adventures: the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef runs the length of the coast, and in the 1950s Jacques Cousteau helped bring international attention to the fantastic snorkeling and scuba diving sites. We took a ferry for a day trip to Isla Mujeres- "Island of the Women," named by the Conquistadors for the many statues of the Mayan goddess Ixchel they discovered there. It's relatively less developed than the mainland, but still pretty crazy in the high season.
We met up with family friends with an interesting local connection. They visit Isla Mujeres often and are on friendly terms with many of the local businesses, but on this trip the lavanderia lost their clothes. The lavanderia's owner proposed a novel solution: her husband is the captain of a boat, so instead of paying them for the lost laundry, why not have him take us all out snorkeling on his boat?
The snorkeling was spectacular—crystal clear water, schools of brightly colored tropical fish, barracudas keeping pace just at the corner of your vision—and most of us had an incredible time! Most of us.
I get very, very seasick in all but the best conditions, but thought I'd give it a shot. Why pass up a free boat excursion? The outcome was predictable and hilarious. I kept it together on the way to the first dive site and was very happy to get off the boat and into the water, where I thought I'd be safe! I was not safe. The current was fast, light refracts differently underwater and through goggles so nothing is where it appears, and the water got increasingly choppy.
I puked several different times, including: 1) mid-climb while launching myself backward off the boat ladder to be back in the ocean, 2) over the edge of the boat, 3) in the ocean, after giving up on snorkeling and just treading water, with my goggles off, and hugging my lifevest, where I attracted a school of fish, and 4) clinging to the boat ladder in moderate seas. The fish were pretty though! I'd probably do it again.
We really wanted to go to the Reserva Biosphera but it was too busy to book, since this was the peak week of the entire year.
Next up: Mayan ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza!
-Peter
We met up with family friends with an interesting local connection. They visit Isla Mujeres often and are on friendly terms with many of the local businesses, but on this trip the lavanderia lost their clothes. The lavanderia's owner proposed a novel solution: her husband is the captain of a boat, so instead of paying them for the lost laundry, why not have him take us all out snorkeling on his boat?
The snorkeling was spectacular—crystal clear water, schools of brightly colored tropical fish, barracudas keeping pace just at the corner of your vision—and most of us had an incredible time! Most of us.
I get very, very seasick in all but the best conditions, but thought I'd give it a shot. Why pass up a free boat excursion? The outcome was predictable and hilarious. I kept it together on the way to the first dive site and was very happy to get off the boat and into the water, where I thought I'd be safe! I was not safe. The current was fast, light refracts differently underwater and through goggles so nothing is where it appears, and the water got increasingly choppy.
I puked several different times, including: 1) mid-climb while launching myself backward off the boat ladder to be back in the ocean, 2) over the edge of the boat, 3) in the ocean, after giving up on snorkeling and just treading water, with my goggles off, and hugging my lifevest, where I attracted a school of fish, and 4) clinging to the boat ladder in moderate seas. The fish were pretty though! I'd probably do it again.
On a different day we went to Cenote Cristalino. The Yucatan peninsula has thousands of cenotes: limestone sinkholes filled topped with freshwater. The Yucatan's limestone is so porous that there aren't any rivers and cenotes are the only source of freshwater: the underwater aquifer is a layer of fresh rainwater on top of denser salt water which has infiltrated from the ocean. Some cenotes are open to the public for swimming and are a relaxing place to spend the afternoon.
We really wanted to go to the Reserva Biosphera but it was too busy to book, since this was the peak week of the entire year.
Next up: Mayan ruins at Tulum and Chichen Itza!
-Peter
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