Ed set his watch
alarm for 6:00am so we were ready for our trip to
he beautiful island of Contoy. We went down to the deli for a cup of
coffee then back to the room to enjoy the sunrise.
Another wonderful sunrise!
Later, we
packed our snorkel equipment, towels, sunblock, etc and met the manager of Kolumbustours outside in
the lobby drive at 8:00am.
When we arrived at the dock, located passed Puerto
Juarez, he invited us for a look at two of his wooden boats. They
where named the Pinta and Corsario, the boat we'd be making our voyage
to Contoy on. Such beautiful wooden replicas....it's like traveling into
the past with every little detail. Wooden carvings to antique cannons,
these boats are perfect for voyage on the Caribbean Sea.
We all
boarded the Corsario, about 20 of us and set sail for Isla Contoy. The
journey was to take about 2 hours, but actually took about 2 ½ because
of all the sea life we encountered along the way. They started passing
out fresh sweet bread and drinks while Helmut, the nature guide from
Austria, talked about the beautiful coral reef. He told us about the
many ship wreaks, where the breaks were in the reef and that some breaks
were miles long. Miguel, the captain steered the boat with the huge
wooden tiller between his legs....it was hilarious:>) Well, I'm not
the best sea traveler and I start thinking I should've taken that
Dramamine before we left. I just need to lay my head down a bit......Are
we there yet? Next they passed out fresh fruit and more drinks....all
you can drink:>)
The Corsario
All
of a sudden I noticed a dolphin! Helmut yelled out to Miguel to turn the
boat and follow the dolphins. It was a group of six and they were so
beautiful they made me forget my seasickness. They jumped and played for
a bit then we turned back to Contoy. I have video of them but no
pics....remember, I wasn't feeling that great and we were all taken by
surprise, caught up in the moment:>) Helmut said they hadn't seen any
dolphins for months and that he was very happy to finally see some.
Along the way we also saw 3 huge Mantarays. Finally, I could see Contoy
getting much, much closer....I think I'm gonna make it:>)
Isla Contoy off in the distance.
Land Ho!
The feeling you get when your
coming up to the island is one of a pirate, it looked so deserted. We
were the first boat there, it was so tranquil. As we walked up the dock
we noticed a bunch of fish sheltering themselves from the sun, even a
few stingrays swimming around. Ed and I wanted to just jump in:>) Our
guide took us to the tower for a wonderful view of the island and told
us about all the different bird life on the island.....Then a trip to
the other side....then over to the lagoon to watch the birds dive for
food. It's pretty neat the way the birds just hang in the trees, almost
like bats. Next we took a brief tour of the sea life museum. Isla Contoy
limits it's daily visitors to 200 and a donation to maintain the park is
included in the price of the tour. More Information about Contoy can be
found soon at "www.amigosdeislacontoy.org".
The Corsario at the dock.
The bird lagoon.
View of the Island from the tower.
We all
headed for the beach to see the wild stingrays. I could've never
imagined how soft they'd feel or how friendly they'd be. They came right
up to your legs.....unbelievable:>) I'll never forget it.
I didn't use a zoom, he was right near my
feet!
Looking for shade under the dock.
The water was so warm.
Lunch time!!! It
was as good as it looks in the pic below....Tikin Xic fish, a tomato and
onion salad, fresh fruit, ceviche, corn, tortillas, salsa, some kind of
noodle dish and chips. The fish melted in your mouth....yummy! After
lunch Ed and I snorkeled around the point, but we didn't see too many
fish and decided to go find a palm tree to relax under. We walked to the
north of the island and found a nice spot......took a swim and relaxed.
Before we left the island I took a Dramamine knowing the trip back would
be worse:>)
Our chef.
Yummy!
Yee haa!! Why didn't I take one of
these pills before? It was still all you can drink and the crew was
passing around Ta-kill-ya shots. No thanks, none for me:>) They
played music and served more fresh fruit and sweet bread. It was a
choppy trip back, so I was extremely happy I took that pill. After the
voyage we all tipped the crew and said our goodbyes and thanks for a
memorable journey:>)
Ed and I on the trip back.
Miguel, Me and Helmut.
***A special
thanks to Helmut and to the crew of the Corsario.
Back at
the hotel we decided we were both bushed, a little sunned and.....I
know, I know....we stayed in and ordered room service:>) Actually it
was all quite good. Even my lime soup was tasty:>) Ed set his alarm
for 6:00am and we crashed around midnight.
Tomorrow......our
trip down south to Tankha and Akumal!
If you'd like more info on
the tour, just email me.
