Posted by Toni in Cincy on November 11, 2001 at 15:21:23:
So far we have done nothing but relax. Mark said I needed to relax for at least 3 or 4 days. Not that I get a little excited or a little hyper or anything….my nickname in the family is Spaz!!! Hahahaha So I agreed I would just sit and relax for the first few days…. It wasn’t too hard. Beautiful beach, beautiful weather. So we really took it easy. As usual we had some very good meals. Ate at Zamas. Great food. 4 other people there. Very quiet. Nice atmosphere.
Went to Hekab-Be Library. Looking for Brenda. Talked w\Carlos (her assistant) He said she would be in later in the week. Said we would be back. We had books and money for the school. When we met up w\Brenda later that week, she was really excited to get books and money donations. Chuck and Alice (in Ariz.…..our Hekab Be resource person) mailed us some textbooks and fun books written in Spanish to deliver. And we did. Alice and Chuck also sent a nice donation in the form of a check. Plus a friend of theirs sent a check as well. This was the first time in yrs we did not bring supplies. But we weren’t sure what to expect w\security\customs etc. So we decided that money would be our contribution instead of supplies. When we returned later in the week Brenda was so excited w\the books and money. She told us she was in dire need of money to pay salaries and help w\the general upkeep. They now have AC, the computer w\printer. They will be repairing the roof. As well as other needs. So please either donate supplies or take a cash donation. They are really doing a wonderful job. Alice keeps us all informed as to the immediate needs. Brenda and Carlos were so very grateful!! I took photos of all the kids that were there .. I will try and figure out how to post them. They had a ball. I had my very basic digital camera and as I took the photos the kids loved seeing their pics. You will see that they really hammed it up!! I can’t say enough about how wonderful this place is!!
We did most of our grocery shopping in Tulum. Much cheaper than Super Chomak. As someone who lives in Ak told us…”Stop and Rob’em “ is what they call Super Chomak. But what would Akumal be w\out our beloved S. Chomak?? Hahaha
Went to Gringo Dave’s for an early dinner. Great atmosphere. We had a table perched out on the coral rock right at the ocean’s edge and a huge shower popped up..so we moved in under the palapa. Did not take away from the atmosphere. 2 other people were there. They were pricing the lobster. Price was 20 USD but negotiable. While we were there a fishing boat pulled up off shore and asked if the restaurant needed more fish. So if you want fresh..this is the place to be. As we were leaving G. Dave’s I made Mark pull over to view an Osprey sitting just off the road. What a beautiful bird it is. You don’t realize watching it fly and fish how big they are. What a treat. We were probably 30yds away. Neat!!
The diving and snorkeling was great as usual. Mark had an all time best. While snorkeling @Aventuras he saw a large nurse shark. He loved that. Every time he snorkeled he saw a turtle. At Akumal Bay one day he saw 5!! Talk about a good Tortuga day!! The diving was also wonderful. I dive w\The Original Dive Shop. Had some great diving experiences this trip. Got to dive Xaac. It is N of Akumal. Just beautiful reefs, canyons etc. Every fish imaginable. Plus it is just offshore from the small Xaac ruins. Also went to Aquario. It is even a little farther north than Xaac. It is really like diving in a real aquarium. Honest!! Just beautiful. Saw turtles on every dive but one. Saw a huge nurse shark w\remoras attached. OH..One funny thing.. On one of the dives it was just me and the dive master. We are off the boat signaling we are OK and let’s go down. Well I start down…looking down at the reefs. Even from the top of the water as soon as you go under you can see the reefs. 80, 90 feet down. So clear…anyway.. I am going down and I look for the DM to signal I am OK and there is no one there. Up, down, behind, anywhere! Just me floating down!! I get to the bottom, kneel on the sand and in a split second there he comes. He said he had too much weight in his BCD. Someone had taken his vest and he had on someone else’s. No big deal. Just a little adventure to spice up the trip. But seriously I trust these guys w\my life. They are soooo good.
Plus I met Cindy. Retired American. Lives in Akumal w\her hubby. She got bored being retired and now works in the dive shop. Does their email and retail stuff. She loves diving and living in Akumal. Talk about a dream job. Anyway hope to see her on our next trip down.
On the first dive this trip, my dive buddy was a young woman from Holland. Had been diving all over the world. Her hand was all bandaged and she had put a surgical glove over the bandage. Well she had just been bitten on her hand by a nurse shark in Belize. Holy Canoli!!!Yeeks!!! Well, it was one of those snorkel-feeding places. Feed them and take photos etc. She fed the shark and was taking a photo and they think the shark thought the camera was more food. Needless to say she was quite nervous. But she knew she had to dive or her fear would get worse. She did fine. And of all things we did see a big nurse shark. Sleeping away under the reef!!
After the dives we usually went to Lol ha Beach bar for lunch. Still lots of the big groups of tourists coming via bus. The other thing we saw a lot of…was the Geo Tracker convoys. About 15 or 20 or more of the Trackers heading down 307. Leaders in the 1st and last cars. Scary to say the least. Cancun day-trippers!! I guess..or AI’ers out for some excitement. They go to YalCu too!!
Most mornings we saw the federales or soldiers walking the beach. We are so damn hot and living in the water and they are in dark, dark long sleeved, long pants. And not sweating!! I am so impressed.
We spent every night on the beach talking, star gazing w\wine or a few beers. We saw shooting stars, satellites, Milky Way most nights. Just so beautiful. A little late for Tortuga nesting. Kept looking though. Some of the condos and houses at Aventuras AK were closed, boarded up for the slow season I guess. So not many outside lights on. Made for some great stargazing. No bugs, nice breeze. Just beautiful.
More to come Toni