TheTales
ofBillin
Tulsa
(Tour Guide)
in Akumal,
Quintana
Roo,
Mexico.
November 2 though 10, 1998
Accompanied
by:
LynnJohnson,
my Wife and Friend.
NancyFelts,
my Friend.
RickKruse,
my Friend.
Bill
inTulsa,
is Bill Johnson
These
stories are true to the best of my Memories. You know how that goes!
But
I will be as accurate as possible.
I truly
hope you enjoy my tales of the Magical Akumal.
(Magical
Place of the Turtles).
Yours
truly Bill in Tulsa
THIS REPORT STARTS AROUND OCTOBER 2, ‘98
Vacation to Akumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico.
Time
frame November 2, ‘98 to November 10, ‘98
Pr
elude
I guess that
this report will be somewhat different than other reports as it has to start
with my stumbling across,
.
A very nice lady emailed me to ask if she could link my page to an article she
that was writing for a travel site. I eagerly responded that I was overwhelmed
with her request and by all means do so. You can find the article
at:
Cancun's Split Personality (Article by Geri Anderson)
With all this in my mind I jump to the location a few day later to see my meager site being displayed in all that grandeur. I couldn’t believe that someone would actually want to let alone do it. So I asked if I could link her article on my site and to my surprise she said yes. I then started backing around her site and ran in to cancunmx.com and the rest is history.
Everyone on cancunmx.com was as nice as they could be. I have been flamed on OTHER boards for being a travel agent because I like the people I meet and those that I like I promote to my friends and those that I don’t, I simple don’t talk about. I posted some information about Akumal, which some of you know is my favorite place in the world to vacation. I have only driven down the hotel zone in Cancun. I am just an old hippie that just can’t stand the hustle and bustle of a place such as Cancun. I know that I probably miss out on a bunch of great stuff but one has to follow ones feelings.
While reading
questions on the cancunmx board I couldn’t remember the answer to a simple question
so off to: 
to get the answer to the question. While I was there I found that they have
a relatively new message board. Wow Akumal is coming up in the world. I was
reading about all the people that were going to be in Akumal and decided that
I better make a reservation. I emailed
for a condo.
I was too late, Booked solid. Oh, what now? I have four friends that are depending
on their Tour Guide to take care of all the details. I started going through
all my old data looking for a place that would suite our needs. I found the
email addresses of some. I sent out a plea for a nice condo for us with a Caribbean
view. Just as I was sending the last of six email in comes Nan
at Vista Del Mar to
save the day. She found one just two doors down (Playa
Blanca #4) with just what we needed. The cost would
be $80 US including
tax per day for the Condo. I returned an email saying that I would take it and
reserved it for 8 days starting Nov. 2, 1998. I then called Akumal to give my
credit card number to secure the reservation.
How lucky
could one be! I’m one happy camper, next comes the news of Hurricane
Mitch forming! Oh now another glitch in my
get along. Well it is time to bring out the big guns now. Pray that the
Bad
Boy dies out. It didn’t do that at all. Mitch
just keeps growing until he becomes a Category
5 Hurricane. Now it had settled in on Central
America.
Mitch was causing
havoc to so many people in Cancun and or other parts of our favorite vacation
spots. Akumal for one was having ocean storm surge that was unbelievable. I
got this information from Kay
that runs the: 
and 
in Akumal. The waves were coming right up to the
lower levels of the condos and restaurants. The water level was approaching
the road around the Half Moon
Bayarea and everyone
was preparing for a Category
5 Hurricane! Kay and her husband Gary packed the
important things and headed for Merida to weather the storm. How the World do
you prepare for a Category 5 Hurricane?
HURRICANE MITCH
Tape up the windows; remove all the drapes, towels, bedding and such. Then you have a Mayan Healer Bless your place and Pray. Then many just hole up and wait. Oh what a way to spend your life.
I spent hours tracking the storm and reporting the progress on the CancunMX Board as well as the Akumal Board. There were many emails directly to me asking my thought about the chances of vacationing in Cancun and Akumal. I tried to be the optimist in the situation, as I wanted to go just as bad as everyone does. I will say that it was a difficult process when you see a Monster approaching Paradise. All the friends that we had made during our other trips to the area were in Serious Danger and I was thinking about an 8-day vacation that could happen some other time. I really got a glimpse of life during this time.
I received
an email from a Rob
and Tina that just so happened to be part
of the cause for my having to make a reservation other than Vista Del Mar
in Akumal. They had a November 7th wedding planned at Maya Tulum
(formerly Osho Tulum I think) on the beach not far from Ruinas Tulum. They
were beside themselves as they had a wedding party of some 20 people arriving
from places like the East Coast, the West Coast, in between and England.
It was to be an event to behold. They conferred with me off and on for
the time that Mitch was trying to decide where he was going to destroy.
We tried together to find an alternate location for their wedding and our
vacation and were just about to call the trip to Akumal off when Mitch
made up his mind to devastate Central America instead of Qroo. We prayed
for the people of C.A. We are still praying for these people. Got word
via Marcia of 
Casa Del Mar in Akumal, a friend of Kay’s that it would be business as
usual by October 31. And that the worker would also be back by November
2. So as fate would have it our vacation and Rob and Tina’s wedding was
on. Rob and Tina emailed us and invited us to share their special moment
at Maya Tulum. We accepted without hesitation as we felt a very special
connection to these people. I made plans to meet with Kay
and
learn who she was. I also made plans to pick up sunglasses for
Perry
of 
at 
in Aventuras Akumal. Time to war counsel with the other friends that were
planning to go to Akumal this trip. They had already decided that they
would not go! I said so be it my friends but the planes are flying and
the condo is paid so Lynn and I are going no matter what. After a couple
of Cervezas and good conversation and some realizations they said well
sound like a plan and that was it! Now I’m rushing around getting Budget
cars reserved and other last minute Tour Guide stuff done.
Sad to say one couple (Pat and Dale) we were to travel with, they were the ones that got this trip started had to say; They had some family stuff come up. We said Oh No!!! They were the ones that were getting us standby airfare to Cancun. They said not to worry as we could still go. We told them only if they would schedule another trip that we could accompany them on. Hey I’m the Tour Guide and know how to get to Akumal. They instructed us in all the procedures of the process. Not as easy as it sounds. We were to go to Tulsa International at 3pm on Sunday November 1 and get listed for the trip so as to be on the list as early as possible. The plane space looked very good for the next morning. At the counter they tell me not to forget proof of citizenship, passport, or drivers license and Official Birth Certificate. I tell them that that is already under control. We are listed and now we have to wait until tomorrow morning.
Our flight leaves at 6:20am November 2 and we have to be at the airport 90 minutes early as it is an International flight. The counter doesn’t open until 5am so we get a tiny reprieve. I call Nancy and Rick and tell them the time we need to be at the airport and not to forget ID and proof of Citizenship and by all means your Money. You know everything else is something that can be replaced as I have the airline Tickets being the Tour Guide and all. Hehe.
Waiting for DIA UNO..... Close this window now.......
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