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A few last thoughts.......... - 3/2/2013 7:44:24 PM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
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Well this will do it for this year's Mexico trip. I think that no matter how long you stay, it's never long enough. For next year, maybe 3 1/2 weeks should do the trick. I think 3 locations should do it - not five. Xcalak for sure, and probably El Placer. And if we go off road, I hope I'm a little wiser about a better suited vehicle. I do have 5 days of vacation left this year, but Kingfish and Ali are gettin' hitched this summer, and then there's the Bayfront Blues festival in Duluth. Maybe a day with a weekend for a few other music festivals, so it's tough to use five weeks up front. But I wouldn't have traded a minute of it. Well maybe the realization that I just blew the spare!!
And if we don't make it back to Aventuras Akumal, I'm gonna miss meeting people like Maxine and Larry from Toronto. We'll have to rondevous in a different location with Doug and Patricia. And as a novice diver, I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with a dive op for refreshing those skills, than with ScubaMex. You've heard me say those folks are first rate.
I'll be happy to chat some more on any of these threads, or answer PMs or Emails. As things get more and more crowded in the Akumal / Aventuras Akumal area - it's nice to have found wonderful places and wonderful people where it's just not so congested. And for short time frames and special events, I kindda like the congestion. What would Carnaval be if there were just a handful of people???
Hope you have enjoyed some of the pix as much as I have had taking them. And of course I gotta bunch that I just can't show you. And the stories, well I guess most of them are true.
Thanx for checkin' it out.
TMB
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/2/2013 8:02:55 PM
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ulle trautvag
Posts: 378
Joined: 3/28/2008
From: Manhattan/nyc
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Have followed your adventures and loved your photos and commentary. You do it right! You're the one we would follow if we could have the time, etc., Thanks!
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/2/2013 10:08:31 PM
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CallMeFrank
Posts: 3103
Joined: 10/11/2009
From: St. Charles, Mo.
Status: offline
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Thanks for taking the time to write your trip report. It was fantastic!
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/3/2013 5:38:39 AM
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uphillklimber
Posts: 5531
Joined: 2/17/2005
From: Bryant Pond, Maine
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Yes, many thanx for sharing the adventures.
_____________________________
Lovin life,
Bob
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/4/2013 12:45:20 PM
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Sharoon
Posts: 7051
Joined: 8/2/2005
From: Whidbey Island
Status: offline
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It was nice to get a chance to meet you! :-)
_____________________________
"Life is not about waiting for the storms
to pass...it's about leaning how to dance in the rain."
Casa Alma de la Vida, Akumal
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/4/2013 1:23:19 PM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Sharoon
It was nice to get a chance to meet you! :-)
Likewize, it was fun to meet you and Steve!
Love that tat!
TMB
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/4/2013 1:34:24 PM
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reefhugger
Posts: 8900
Joined: 8/25/2004
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quote:
I think that no matter how long you stay, it's never long enough. So true! 20 something years ago we started with 4-5 days.... then a full week... 10 days... 12... 14... 18.... and the last couple trips have been a month and still not long enough. We find now that a month in one location is still not long enough there, but if we had a couple more weeks we'd go spend a few days in other favorite Q.Roo spots over our stay. Eventually, hopefully not that far down the road, the month at a time vacations will be to come back to the US.
Next year you need to dive in Cozumel. There are several really good dive shops there. A have a couple favorites that are small operations and very service oriented, then another a little bigger (but still only 6-8 divers per boat) and a little cheaper (not as many service "extras" included) The diving is quite different from the mainland and you see different things too.
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/4/2013 3:11:50 PM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: reefhugger
quote:
I think that no matter how long you stay, it's never long enough. So true! 20 something years ago we started with 4-5 days.... then a full week... 10 days... 12... 14... 18.... and the last couple trips have been a month and still not long enough. We find now that a month in one location is still not long enough there, but if we had a couple more weeks we'd go spend a few days in other favorite Q.Roo spots over our stay. Eventually, hopefully not that far down the road, the month at a time vacations will be to come back to the US.
Next year you need to dive in Cozumel. There are several really good dive shops there. A have a couple favorites that are small operations and very service oriented, then another a little bigger (but still only 6-8 divers per boat) and a little cheaper (not as many service "extras" included) The diving is quite different from the mainland and you see different things too.
I think you are right. Cozumel will probably be one of our next year destinations, and diving with a smaller op will probably give me the confidence I'll need for a refresher. I just have a hard time equalizing my ears upon decent. I need someone who can stay with me until that eventually happens, and then catch up to the main group. And as Marguarite doesn't dive, I really don't have a dive buddy. But the right place can solve these issues. As we get closer to next year, I'll be in contact and get some specific recommendations.
Thanx,
TMB
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/6/2013 8:08:20 PM
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Sharoon
Posts: 7051
Joined: 8/2/2005
From: Whidbey Island
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: tmbutler
quote:
ORIGINAL: Sharoon
It was nice to get a chance to meet you! :-)
Likewize, it was fun to meet you and Steve!
Love that tat!
TMB
Ditto for yours! :-)
_____________________________
"Life is not about waiting for the storms
to pass...it's about leaning how to dance in the rain."
Casa Alma de la Vida, Akumal
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/8/2013 9:23:03 AM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: lifesabeach
TMB,
Well, I've looked at your reports and photos almost every day since we got back a couple of wks ago and got a lump in my throat when your report ended... I miss the Roo, boohoo! Thank you soooo much for them, just amazing photos and you spin a good yarn. And thanks alot for ruining me for the AI scene, carp, now what am I gonna do?! I am so addicted to snorkeling that I actually go through a mourning period that lasts about a year until the next annual visit to the Roo. Now, I absolutely have to somehow get us to Xcalak and Costa Maya. Will have to figure out some mode to get the hubby and I there since neither of us feels comfortable with driving in Mx. How is it to get there thru Belize in comparison to the Cancun route? I was reading the xcalaktv trip reports and whaddya know... there were you and Marguarite in photos in Jeff & Marla's report! It was either in one of those reports or on a Xcalak info site that said that the route thru Belize is shorter and actually easier, & that you take a boat ride to where you stay near Xcalak... hmmm, that could be wild and very weather dependent! Would it be a bad thing to not have a car while staying in a villa in that area?
Sorry about all the ?'s but you have created a monster with those photos!!
Thanks again for all your efforts and sharing your great stories.
Lifesabeach
It is so nice just to go out in front of your casita and find the reefs in good shape and snorkel til your hearts content. El Placer was a lot like that, too. Jeff was the one who turned us on to Casa del Sol. Two years ago, when Marguarite and I were staying at Playa Sonrisa in Xcalak, we went on a day trip to San Pedro with Jeff and Marla and another couple. Turns out Jeff and Marla grew up in St Paul (where Marguarite and I did), and Marla is an ex 3Mer. I still work there. But it was only a half day of bar hopping once you did the 1 1/2 hr trip each way from XTC dive center. Just not enough.
Busses may be an option. I remember seeing a large public transportation bus stop in Xcalak pueblo, just down from Tobies. And there are all kinds of bus stops along 307 heading into Chetumal.
I need to look into that further as well, because a 5 week rental was about 1200 USD. And then I had some out of pocket for tires. Maybe renting a car for part of the time is a solution.
I know what you mean about the with drawl thing.
TMB
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RE: A few last thoughts.......... - 3/19/2013 11:56:04 AM
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tmbutler
Posts: 2053
Joined: 11/16/2005
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: water baby
SOoooo-we'll just have to wait & see what next year brings! Always a joy to read your experiences and see your pics!
Thanx alot for your interest! I appreciate the feedback, and it makes doing the trip report worth while. It also prolongs the Mexico experience by editing the photos, and reliving the experience. And it's fun to chat with peeps we may have bumped into along the way - as well as people like you..
Each year we try to do some of the things we really enjoyed, and add some new things. We have already booked 11 days in Xcalak at Casa del Sol, and 7 days at MBG in El Placer. I'd like to stay at a new place for about a week before Xcalak. Somewhere maybe in the Akumal / Aventuras Akumal area.
Maybe something with more services, as we'll be off grid for those 18 days. I do like the privacy and the healthier reefs in the Costa Maya.
TMB
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