To further our touristyness, on Wednesday we shelled out a decent chunk of cash to rent a golf cart for the day and explore the island. Now I have driven a lot of carts in my day, but never on streets being passed by taxis and trucks. It was good fun. Despite the island only being about 10 kms from north to south, there are numerous little sights to visit and things to see. We did some off-roading on a sandy peninsula, checked out a turtle sanctuary that also had a dolphin and some sharks, walked around the rocky southern point, did some snorkeling at Garrifon de Castilla, and ended by eating a really good burrito and quesadilla from a local place.
Me sitting in our sweet ride
With our departure just 2 days away, we spent Thursday laying by the pool catching up on Internet things. We booked a place in Havana and backed photos up to a cloud some place. At one point, as I was about to jump back into the pool, I noticed something moving along the bottom. I proceeded to inform the waiter that there was a crab in there and he called some people. A man soon showed up with goggles and a toy racket. He dove in and scooped up the crustacean, announcing it was a Spider Crab and that it was near death. Apparently they are not supposed to be in fresh water and no one really knows how it got there. They placed it gently in the grass and we like to think that it is now safely home with family, living happily ever after.
Fresh off my discovery, I grabbed my snorkel gear and headed out to the good spot by the big rock near our resort. It didn't take long for me to come face-to-face with my nemesis - a big sting ray. It was slowly moving along the sandy floor and I kept my distance. It was a lot bigger than I thought were in these shallow water. I briefly contemplated warning others in the area but it quickly moved out of sight when it noticed me. Although a little spooked, I continued to snorkel and enjoyed the big rock with very few other humans around and clear waters.
Friday was a lot like Thursday; sun, Internet and pool. Julia drank some water out of a coconut and we did our best to finish the food in our fridge. We also did 1 last big snorkel swim from the resort dock to the big rock. Halfway we ran into another sting-ray and Julia made sure to let me lead the rest of the way to spot the deadly beasts. We finished the day watching the sunset from the lounge chairs under palapas.
It is now Saturday, and I am writing you from the Cancún airport where we are waiting to board an airplane. We luckily received an email last night informing us that our flight was 7 hrs delayed. This allowed us to sleep in and wait till the last minute to checkout of our resort. We stored our bags there and walked around town to find lunch. We then retrieved the luggage and made the sweaty walk to the ferry. Upon arrival back on the mainland, we met a fellow American who was on his way to the airport as well. We shared a taxi (which he kindly paid for), and arrived at the airport 6 hrs before our departure time.
After easily finding the immigration office and paying our tourist tax, we discovered that with only 1 flight a day, Cubana Air doesn't man their counters until about 90 minutes before takeoff. And when the workers did arrive, they announced that our plane would be leaving Mexico City shortly, bound for Havana, and was due in here around 1 or 2 AM. On the bright side, with the additional delay, they gave us each 200 pesos (about $13) in meal vouchers to spend as we please. This led to a glorious feast at a 50's diner themed place called Johnny Rockets. Big hamburgers and large helpings of fries, we felt like we were back in the good ole U.S. of A. When you factor in that it was completely free, it ranks as one of the more memorable meals of our trip.
What comes next, in the wee hours of Sunday morning, is the part of the trip I have stressed about most. I am led to believe that Cuba is more expensive and not as easy as any of the other countries we will visit. Entry is a little trickier and we will need to purchase medical insurance upon our arrival. Word is that US credit cards don't work so we have stocked up on Mexican pesos to exchange. Also, there are rumors that the glorious Internet we have grown to love, is very scarce and pricey. That being said, we have also heard it is a magical place with beautiful cities, clear waters, great music, and amazing food. We also love danger and want to see it in it's current state, before our leaders have made peace.
So we venture on; our guidebook loaded onto our tablets, our pockets full of pesos, our skin dark from the Caribbean sun, our Spanish weakened by tourism, hoping that the effort and stress is all worth it. Now you may not hear from us again until April 30th, so please don't worry and definitely do not call the authorities. Just know that we are probably having the time of our lives in the forbidden land of cigars and good baseball.
I'm glad you've worked out an understanding with the stingrays.We ate at a Johnny Rockets in New Orleans and the staff lip synced a 50's song. It was a lot of fun and the good was great. Your turtle picture is really good.
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