 We decided to return to Cozumel after an over 5-year absence. It was good to be back. We had a great relaxing week being beach bums with our friends Mary and Trent. It was Carnaval time, the weather was perfect, and the Caribbean ocean was still that almost indescribably shade of blue (watch the waves). San Miguel has grown a lot since we've been gone. It's probably doubled in size, not counting the new cruise ships docks, and that's not good for the island. They have stop lights now. The road around the island is completely paved, and what was once a little nudie beach now has trinket stand and a ice cream vendor. What a shame! Thankfully, Cozumel is largely still the same gorgeous tropical island we fell in love with, but the cruise ships and their hordes of sheeples have really taken a toll on the the quality of the experience. |
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 We stayed at Sol Cabañas del Caribe on the north west side of the island. It's a little 60's style hotel that kind of feels like a Caribbean Pococonos. |
 Their restaurant was pretty mediocre, but you can't beat the location. We sat out on the patio every morning and watched the sea. |
 A view from our palalpa on the beach. |
 Dave's Sol beer commercial.Don't drink the stuff in the states, but it tastes so good in Mexico. |
 Gelina bringing another round of cervesas, yeah! |
 Gelina, Mary, and Trent hanging out on the beach. |
 Sailboat at sunset in front of the hotel. |
 We stayed on the west side of the island, so the sunsets where almost always this spectacular. |
 We arrived in Cozumel on Dave's birthday, so we went out for dinner Cabaña del Pescador (Lobster House). They serve absolutely perfect lobster, and only absolutely perfect lobster. It was wonderful. |
 Gelina, Mary, Trent, and Dave at the lobster house. |
 The snorkeling is always great on Cozumel. This is off the end of a pier that got destroyed by a hurricane. |
 Lots o' fish. The water was just thick with them sometimes. These are mostly chubs. |
 Feeding frenzy - amazing what a few tortilla chips will do! |
 This white sea urchin was in only about a foot under water on the end of a piling. |
 This urchin had a perfect urchin-sized hole on the coral. |
 An anemone tucked under a coral ledge. |
 A cow fish (seriously). You can just make out the "horns." |
 This blue tang and and angel fish played "tag" around the rock for a couple of minutes while I watched. |
 A parrot fish poses for the camera. |
 A mixed school hanging around the reef. |
 A school of doctor fish. |
 This little basslet was the brightest blue I've ever seen. This photo doesn't do him justice. |
 A gang of grunts. |
 Purple fish, yellow tail, didn't get his name. |
 Parrot fish feeding - they eat coral and poop sand - that's a good thing. |
 The only good jet ski is a... |
 How's this camera work? |
 Gelina fish |
 We were luck to be in town for the Carnaval (similar to Mardi Gras) celebration.These huge paper mache heads lined the parade route along the malecón (the sidewalk by the sea). |
 The gang getting ready for the show. |
 Gelina all happy that she got some beads. These are kind of a new thing for Carnaval - usually they pass out candies or flowers. |
 Even the sailboats in the harbor where decked out for the parade. |
 The Superior Beer float had about the only "professional" entertainers. |
 San Miguel sure isn't Rio de Janeiro. This was about as racy as the parade got. |
 In Cozumel, Carnaval seems to be a more local event, with all kinds of people participating. |
 Carnavaleros - that's what they call the dancers. |
 It can take months to design and sew some of the costumes. |
 The parade runs for hours up and down the main boulevard. The dancers never stop moving. |
 One of the candidates for King of Carnaval. |
 The Queen of the 2004 Carnaval. She was elected after over 4 hours of competition |
 Everyone was having a blast - it was great to see such energy and enthusiasm. |
 These guys are some of the top salsa dancers in the region. |
 These ladies were having a great time. They never stopped smiling. |
 These girls were only about 10 or so, but they took their dancing very seriously. |
 The Mad Cow float was a hoot. |
 When the driver saw Dave taking photos, he hopped out and showed us the back of his costume. It says, "Veterinarian, specializing in mad cows and sick chickens." |
 There were a whole troop of performers on stilts.This guy danced better on stilts than most folks do without them. |
 Even the children are involved. These little girls couldn't have been more than 3 or 4. |
 Everyone in the parade was just having such it good time it was hard to believe that they had been at this 4+ hours a night for 2 weeks. |
 Play a short movie from Carnaval 2004. |
 A vendor selling roast corn from his palapa-mobile. |
 Carnaval is like the state fair - lots of fried food. This stand had plantains, churros (our favorites), and fries. |
 We saw these beaded heads on stakes everywhere. We think they were there as a warning, "Come no closer or you'll end up looking goofy too"! |
 Pretty to look at, but not when 11 of them are in port and they are dumping thousands of drunks and/or idiots onto the island. |
 The marina and lighthouse in San Miguel. |
 There are streets in town that seem to be populated solely by scooters. |
 We rented a car and headed around the island, Just after your turn north, there is this rasta bar. |
 It's become pretty touristy - even the sign is trying too hard. But the dog is a nice touch. |
 A panorama of the rasta bar and the Caribbean. |
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 Gelina soaking up the sun. |
 Gelina soaking up the sun. |
 The beach at Chen Rio - the lifeguard tower is very cool. |
 The last time we were here there was one palapa, 2 naked French girls, and a guy selling beer out of his truck. Ah, the good ol' days. |
 A panorama from the lifeguard tower. This is the kind of beauty that brings us back to Cozumel. |
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