Cozumel from non-dive perspective

Greg Mossman...

Obviously you've been to most of Mexico in order to draw the conclusion that
the people in most of Mexico are not warm and friendly, but I'm curious
where exactly you found this to be the case?

We recently returned from a cruise which stopped briefly in Coz.
First time that I have been there since big storm.

Greg Mossman...

Yep. I'd imagine a Mexican would feel the same about Americans if his only
experience was New York City. Of course Cozumeleños are laid back and
friendly - they live on a beautiful island filled with Americans wanting to
spend money.

Wife and I just hung around the cruise dock area and found the shops
clean, fairly new and everything humming.

My brother, who is not a diver and who had never been to Coz, at my

Greg Mossman...

Cozumel is great, as it doesn't have the crime and craziness of Mexico City,
Tijunana, and the rest of the overcrowded cities, nor does it have the
surliness that some of the established resorts like Cancun and Mazatlan
breed in the locals after suffering years of ugly Americans and spring
breakers. But it's hardly unique. There are still plenty of "unspoiled"
parts of Mexico where the locals are as friendly as can be. Unfortunately
most (all?) of those spots lack the great diving that Cozumel also offers.

Dillon Pyron...

I agree. Check out one of the other San Miguels (de Allende) for a
wonderful place to visit, or live (we're thinking about buying a house
there for retirement). Then there's the Copper Canyon.

suggestion took his boys in a cab to a nearby beach to snorkel. While
the snorkeling and beach were great, he was stunned by the devastation
and squalor he saw once he got away from the immediate vicinity of the
cruise ship dock. Talked about it for days.

-hh...

Bring your brother up to New York City...we'll take him over to the
Bronx :-)

But more seriously, this is "economic well being gradiant" is
unfortunatelly all too typical in many places...NYC, New Orleans
before, Jamacia, etc.

On a related matter, we also stopped at Grand Cayman. I was amazed by
the crowds and felt sorry for all those folks who would never sit the

-hh...

Georgetown has been IMO "too crowded" for years. Not unique amongst
many Caribbean cities by a long shot, but merely a sign of where the
local economy's revenues come from, usually with a pinch of inadequate
infrastructure planning :-).

beach in front of Divi Tiara * on the Brac, and who would never have a
sense of the real Cayman Islands.

-hh...

"The People Time Forgot" - a Photographic Portrayal of the People of
the Cayman Islands
- by HG Nowak (the Barefoot Man).
NO ISBN; published on Grand Cayman: Cayman Free Press (1988)

FWIW, a photo of a notice from K.P. Tibbets (aka "Captain Keith P
Tibbets" of the 356 wreck) is a clasic:

"NOTICE: No credit to those that did not vote for me".

* With a cool one, of course.

** Make that many cool ones.

*** Oh hell, just tie one on.

-HW "Skip" Weldon
Columbia, SC

Jer...

Truth is, like Coz, the real Cayman Islands ceased their existance at
the same instant the first cruise ship dropped anchor.