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Tomas y Marguarite: Our best vacation ever - 2/16/2013 7:30:07 PM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
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Well I know I'm gonna do a trip report, so here's a start. Marguarite and I were out for 34 days. Seventeen in a private condo we rented on the Oasis Tulum property (Doug and I did a 2 night / 3 day road trip to Laguna Bacalar in the middle of those days), 3 nights in San Pedro, Belize staying at Banana Beach resort, 5 nights in Xcalak staying at Casa del Sol, 6 nights in El Placer at Mayan Beach gardens, and 3 nights in Cozumel at Villa Blanca - culminating in the Carnaval fiesta. It makes sense to me to divide it up in chapters, one for each whistle stop.
Its gonna take a while to get thru tons of pix, but that's the only way I'm gonna remember half this stuff. More detail (and pix) later, but a few highlights were celebrating Marguarite's retirement with Lynn's relatives - Roger and Carol, Barbara and Jim??, Larry and Maxine, Glenda and Lorna, and of course Doug and Patricia MacDonald from Ottawa. Also fun seeing the condo owners- Wally and Jan, Lynn and Rick, Wendell and Linda, Ray and Barbara, and finally getting to fly fish with Wally down at Boca Paila bridge in the Sian Kaan. I spend a morning doing a refresher dive with Jim Rennick in Paamul from Scuba Mex dive shop, and saw many friends I made there last year when I did my open water cert.
There was a lot of activity packed in down in Laguna Bacalar at Rancho Escondido - touring the fort with Reginaldo, doing the lagoon tour with Claudia and her parents, Claudia and Enrique, and capitan Avil. The memosas we put away with Adrian and Simon, the mexican folks on the pier I met while kayaking - Guermo and Lupina, et al, and the friendly staff at Rancho Escondido - Isabella, America, and Alexa.
And then the adventure down to Chetumal to find the water taxi, and eventually into San Pedro. San Pedro had a real Jamacian, rasta type vibe. "Steekie green, mon - no seeds. You take care of me, and I'll take care of you".
And moving back up to Xcalak. Fabulous snorkeling and Kim the caretaker was the best. Took us out snorkeling in a kayak at the break, and was just superb company. Lost all my tan lines in Xcalak. The isolation and serenity were perfecto. There was a party in the pueblo the night we rolled in at Toby's. And our last night was the Super bowl party at Toby's. But for the most part, what went on in Xcalak, stays in Xcalak.
Didn't wear much for clothes in El Placer either. Met some great friends - James and Debs from London. They later joined us in Cozumel for carnaval. Rick and Robert were special, too. Rick joined Marguarite and I for a trip up into the biosphere to snorkel the ship wreck. Blew a tire on the way up, and trashed the spare rim on the way back. Rick and Marguarite got a ride from a mexican family back to Mayan Beach Gardens. Only vehicle that passed me in 1 1/2 hours when they returned. Rick had the same make and model rental, so I used his spare to get back to MBG just before dark. It took all of the next day (Mahahual and then finally Chetumal), to get 2 tires and a rim. Rick went fly fishing with a guide in Bahia de Chetumal and caught 4 bones and a barracuda. I guess we'll fish next year.
And then our return to Cozumel. Villa Blanca was a pleasant surprise. Lion share of 2 days in Punta Sur park. Snorkeling, checkin' out the crocs, oh - and the wild and crazy group celebrating their 30th anniversary of Ground Hog divers. Not to be confused with Papa Hogs, but they dove every day out of that dive op. I walked by the hot tub and said,"Sounds like you guys are having too much fun to pass this up!!" Well the next thing I know, 3 of the men are posing for the moon shot. Well, as most of you know, it doesn't take much to egg me on, so I take off my thong, and joined the moon pix. Some of the ladies gasped, but I heard one say,"Well I guess you guys got 'one upped!' "
And then Fat Tuesday. At Dzulha, I did my good deed for the day. I saw a spotted eel out in the open. Got some good close up pix, before I realized it was snagged on a hook with some mono fishing line. There was a spark plug by the line, probably used as a sinker. I gave my cam to Marguarite, and managed to break the mono. It took me two tries to completely free the eel- but I really did not want to get bit. It was about 4-5 feet long. Still healing from cuts from the mono.
And then there was Carnaval. You can see some Carnaval pix that James and I took that night in the main forum.
http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1523995
Newly included link to "Tomas y Douglas in Laguna Bacalar":
http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1524615
Newly included link to "Deja Vu all over again - Aventuras Akumal, Chemuyl, and Paamul":
http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1524916
Newly included link to "Chetumal to San Pedro, Belize - The beginning of the rest into uncharted territories":
http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1525083
Newly included link to "Xcalak - good people / good vibes"
http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1525471
Newly included link to "If you dare, El Placer and parts northward..."
http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1526092
Newly included link to "Cozumel - land of a thousand dances...."
http://forums.locogringo.com/forums/tm.asp?m=1526578
TMB
< Message edited by tmbutler -- 5/20/2013 11:46:15 AM >
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RE: Our best vacation ever - 2/17/2013 9:23:53 AM
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tdonner
Posts: 28
Joined: 8/2/2012
From: Rocky Mountain House,Alberta
Status: offline
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Sounds like a blast,looking forward to pics.By the way how was the new olympus camera?I got one shortly after you and found it was excellent..
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RE: Our best vacation ever - 2/17/2013 9:36:39 AM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tdonner
Sounds like a blast,looking forward to pics.By the way how was the new olympus camera?I got one shortly after you and found it was excellent..
Si, loved that Oly TG-1. Made a great choice. Never used it UW, but in wet locations - like kayaks, dive / snorkel boats, and very convenient to use topside. Would stuff some pesos in the case, and strap around my arm. Very handy.
I'll be posting a lot of pix taken with it.
TMB
< Message edited by tmbutler -- 2/17/2013 9:37:33 AM >
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RE: Our best vacation ever - 2/17/2013 10:17:08 AM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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This first part includes some pix of Oasis Tulum, when we first arrived. Spent the first few days just lounging around and drinkin' mango margaritas. As the Grand Oasis portion had just opened, and there were changes from last year, I eventually started to snoop around. I'd always get busted because not only did I not have the right color bracelet - I didn't have any bracelet. After getting escorted back to the "condo" area for several days in a row - I kindda gave up. But I did get some pix. Doug and Patricia originally had a second floor room, which I could not access. But after a few days, they moved down to the first floor, and I could then access from the beach area. After being escorted back several times, I walked around the edge of the property, and got a few pix of some of the new construction. They didn't like that.
There's some pix from walkin' the beach down by the Bahia Principe, showing the sand bag beach whales. To the north, there were a couple new private residences. They got rid of the small dive op, and the pier lost part of its palapa roof. I was kindda surprised they just let it lay. Also a couple pix from the back pool, swimup bar, and water volleyball area behind the new paved driveway.
Joanne had previously post a pic with the view from the patio of our rental. Akumal Bob had sold to Bryan and Brenda Day, and both Tony and Joanne and Marguarite and I have rented in the past from Bob.
Well after about 4 days, we woke up one morning and discovered the view is suddenly more congested. There were 8 new palapas placed along the playa, some obstructing the view of the caribbean from Bryan's patio.
After a condo owner association meeting, they marked two of them to be taken down. There seems to be a constant struggle between the hotel and the private owners. And in some cases between the condo owners themselves. But I stay out of that as much as I can.
These palapas will change the landscape.
[image] [/image]
We stayed in the lower center condo.
2nd and 3rd floor units were still being worked on.
This was the guy who ratted me out. My eswcort was there in a flash.
This private casa was new from last year.
This casa has been here a couple years now.
Some of my toys.
Popular place.
Nice ink!
We got much darker in the next month.
The whales.
Stole Patricias hat.
[image] [/image]
Larry and Maxine from Toronto. GREAT NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS!
Glenda. Whenever there was a volleyball game, she put her top back on, and then her knee braces. She had one scoped just 4 weeks previous.
Hope you enjoyed the quick tour.
TMB
< Message edited by tmbutler -- 2/17/2013 8:21:27 PM >
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RE: Our best vacation ever - 2/17/2013 5:58:18 PM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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Wally and I had planned to do some fly fishing down by the Boca Paila bridge last year, but it didn't happen. This year we went fairly early in the trip. Road was surprising good, and we fished several spots. Started by the old wooden bridge, and worked our way down to the mouth as it exits into the caribe. Caught a yellow tail mackeral??(can someone make a positive ID?), just before the mouth. Then we worked our way back to the lagoon side. Wally waded around to some flats, and did see a couple bonefish, but no strikes. I wandered back that way, but cut over to the river, just around the bend from the flats. I did hook a small needlefish, and shook it off when I stripped it in. The last place I tried was back across the wooden bridge and up the south side to the mouth of the caribe. Saw some cool birds, but no fish. Took some pix along the way, and we headed back by about 1:30 or so. It's not too far from Aventuras Akumal, maybe fish there next year if we stay in the condos again.
[image] [/image]
Tight lines,
TMB
< Message edited by tmbutler -- 2/17/2013 6:03:19 PM >
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RE: Our best vacation ever - 2/17/2013 6:28:52 PM
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1runjuan
Posts: 4158
Joined: 10/31/2011
From: stagecoach,Co.
Status: offline
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nice,
ever catch the tri-fecta?
are the sand whales used for a break? odd placement.
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i want to live, spread my wings and let me fly
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RE: Our best vacation ever - 2/17/2013 7:23:21 PM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: 1runjuan
nice,
ever catch the tri-fecta?
are the sand whales used for a break? odd placement.
Tri-fecta?? Is that bonefish, permit, and tarpon? If so, I've never caught either. The sand whales are to curb erosion of the playa. Also provides a nice break for swimming. In past years, I've seen groups of lovely chicas sunbathing on them. TMB
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Looking forward to more pictures from your adventures. 
