I had already checked with the hostel staff the night before that it was ok to leave my stuff in their main office during the day, and the mere weight of it alone I am sure would put off the most casual of theives and the fact that it looks tatty and has broken buckles and straps through excessive usage over the last few months just adds to the image that inside is nothing of any real value. Of course, I took my wallet, passport and digital camera, but my laptop is just too big to fit in my mini rucksack so I had to leave it inside the main bag and hope for the best.
The tour guide had given me directions of how to reach the meeting point in the hotel district at 8:15am but I had no real idea of how frequent the buses there were or how far into the district the meeting point was, so in the end I left at 7am and upon finding a bus right away I was there at just past 7:15 and with an hour to kill before things got going. It is at this point that I could have killed the agent as I later found out that they do not leave until 9:25 and so I could have woken up at a normal time, enjoyed the free breakfast in the hostel and still made it in plenty of time.
As it was, I found a hotel with a restaurant that would allow non-hotel guests to buy a breakfast, not cheap however, and then after being the first to get my ticket and wrist band then spent the next hour on a deck chair on the beach waiting for the boat to arrive.
Although the guide had told me that it was a full inclusive, this too was a lie - as confirmed by the writs bracelet that I had saying "basic" and the fact that all the activities on the Island would cost me extra as would anything I wanted to eat and drink before 2:30, so as you could imagine I was not a happy camper.
The final kick in the teeth was that when we were all underway, the ships rep who spoke both languages decided that as the main bulk of tourists were other Mexicans, that she had no need to repeat anything in English and it was only my bored face that attracted another of the staff who stopped to see why I was looking unhappy and then he offered in English to help me if I had any problems, at which point I offered up that could he help me organise another snorkling trip.
It turned out that he himself couldn't but it didnt matter as all the staff spok English, one of the prequisits for being hired, and the lady who did organise the water activities took my money and then told me where and at what time to arrive and collect my flippers and mask. The equipment they offered was not as high quality as the ones from Xel-Há, in fact they still used old life jackets for flotation vests, but then beggars can't be chosers and I didn't want to spend a half day on my own on a beach without any food or drink so even this did not prevent me from going on my second dive in two days.
This time the experience was still fabulous, but for different reasons. The water was cooler, deeper and more dangerous as it was now on an island beach coast and not a secluded inlet, and also it had its own tide and currents that you had to flip against, but then the water was somehow clearer and the variety of fish there was even more varied, and I got to see both a Barracuda glide underneath me and a Manta Ray sitting gently on the bottom of the ocean floor.
We were only given an hour, had to keep within the buoys for protection and with more of us in a tight group we were often bumping into each other, but it was still fun and being a beach the whole place was filled with people, including plenty of attractive young ladies in their bathing suits which is a welcoming sight of a different variety.
Once we were back on the island I just allowed the sun to dry me, switching from my front to my back ever two or three songs to ensure that I didn't get to badly burned yet still somehow I managed to burn my back and shoulders at least a small amount.
Without my flipflops I decided to go barefoot on the island, as much was sand anyway and only a few times did I have to stop to pick out tiny bits of rock and rubble from my soles of my feet and I had more trouble with ground being sun baked rather than it being filled with sharp bits.
Although there were plenty of vendors and shell necklace sellers, I didn't see any women offering massages on the beach like I have on so many other beaches, and with further investigation I did end up finding a spa that offered massages but at a price so high I could tell was only for rich tourists and foreigners and that no proper locals would want to afford even if they could, so I went back to my sun bathing.
The sand on the beach was so small, soft and white that I had no problem walking on it and even though it did find its way into my clothing it was not too much of a disconfort. Walking around the small island it was fun to see so many golf carts being used as private run arounds, as the island is just too small for it to be practical to transport a cars over, although I still saw a few, and also the roads were to uneven and short to allow anyone to get up to speed, so puttering around at 10 miles per hour is perfectly suitable for the majority.
I could have got myself one for 250 pesos for 2 hours, but I couldn't really see the point in it, as there just wasn't any need and instead I just wandered around, took a few photos and lazed around on the beach til 2:30 when I could finally help myself to the free food and drink that I had been promised.
The food buffet was pretty good and I could probably have seconds without anyone caring, but instead I just filled up on bread rolls and fruit til it was time to go back on the beach for a last half hour, ignoring the vendors and then queued up for the ship ride back to Cancun.
The ship left at a little after 4pm and I had no idea of how long it was getting across til I got to the other end and checking my watch, saw that it was almost 5:30 and as I had a flight at 8:40 I couldnt waste to much more time before heading off to the airport.
During the journey across I was seated next to a group of Mexicans, all from different citie son vacation here and once again all able to speak English, which yet again made me feel that the UK system of education has something to be desired in terms of helping out its future travellers and globetrotters. The bunch that I was with were all very interested in my travels and I ended up handing out several of my business cards to them after they had quizzed me on where I had been and still had to visit.
They also gave me plenty of places and things to visit when I arrived back in Mexico City, so many in fact, that by the end my head was spinning with Spanish sounding places and I requested that instead they email me so as I knew my brain would fail me should I try to memorise them all, especially as they were plying me with the free Margarita's being served.
Once I was back on dry land I had no problem catching a bus, as they were running very frequently through the hotel district back to downtown Cancun, and with a quick word of thanks to the hostel owner for keeping my stuff during the day I walked the three of four blocks to the bus depot and was again happy to see that during the day they buses to the airport were every twenty minutes and the next one was imminent.
With such good timing I had made the airport with plenty of time to spare, so as their wifi internet had a cost, I instead chose to try out a TFI Friday meal, which could have been better ( the bread was as hard as rock ) and the price was no cheaper than in London or New York, so for 320 pesos I was only able to afford a shrimp and chicken curry, an ince cream for afters and a couple of drinks, non alcohol this time!
The early nights, the food and the warmth worked their usual trick and I slept on the flight even without headphones are eye mask from almost the second that we took til we touched down, thus giving me two hours uninterrupted sleep. Being on a local flight there was no immigration to pass through, just collect my luggage from the carosel and as soon as I got outside I saw K's flash me from her car and then pull over to let me get in, whisking me back to her apartment without a moments delay.
Cancun and its sights were nice to visit for a weekend, and certainly if you like nightlife then the hotel district is almost unbeatable for miles around, but for me it was nice to be back to a normal city where things made sense and was more my normal life.
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