The previous post in this blog is Munchen Beerfest.
The next post in this blog is Brugge.
Travel : Bonefish & Tequila Tour
INTRODUCTION
The first trip of 2001 promised to be a trip to remember. R & R Mexican style, white beaches, turquoise seas, cerveza and seafood galore. We landed in Cancun and directly down to Tulum where we "Mexican Waved" in the New Year with a bottle or two of Mexico's finest....TEQUILA!!! After a few relaxing days on the beach riding ourselves of our winter luminescence, we drove South to the Sian Kaan Biosphere and the Lobster fishing village of Punta Allen. After I had caught the very last bonefish willing to eat my fly we drove back North and hit the "big smoke" of Playa Del Carmen. With empty wallets and hands full of Mexican momentos we hopped aboard a ferry and spent our last week on Isla Mujures - the "Island of Woman."
THANK YOU AMERICA
Well, what can I say, beaurocrats, they piss me off! We had all booked on a Virgin Atlantic flight to Cancun via Miami, and I having a South African passport, needed to get an American visa for the 2 - I repeat - 2 hour stopover in Miami. Our flight was due to leave on Sunday and by Thursday I still hadn't received my passport back from the US embassy. 
Friday morning I received it back with a letter stating that I had been refused a visa - I guess the little man behind the desk had stamped his quota of "accepted" and now needed to refuse a few applications! To cut a long story short - and I could go on - I had to cancel the flight via Miami and fly to Cancun via Amsterdam and Havana. Cost a bit extra, but hey, I picked up some fat Cubans for the New Year celebrations!
ONE TEQUILA, TWO TEQUILA, THREE TEQUILA, FLOOR...
TULUM: 31st December 2000 - 3rd January 2001 After we had all landed, the others flying on ahead of me with Virgin, we picked up our transport, the only way to travel in Mexico, a Jeep Wrangler! A bit of a squash with 5 people but it was cool. 1.5 hrs later we had arrived at Cabanas Copal and after lobster and Nachos we settled into the swing-chairs and enjoyed
a few margaritas, apple sours and tequilas...
Woke up and had breakfast in the town of Tulum before heading off to the Mayan Ruins, very interesting with a guide (see below). Saw loads of Iguanas! The sea at the ruins was absolutely crystal clear so we decided to head into town and shopped for fruit, snacks and corona's, sols and bacardi. Had a great swim and enjoyed our snacks and beer and just chilled. This was to be our P of A for the next few days with the mornings filled with swimming, frisbee, bat & ball and beach rugby and the afternoons filled with cocktails and great meals.
TULUM RUINS
"...Tulum is the most important archeological site on Mexico's Caribbean coast. At the end of the Classic period, 900 AD, the Mayan civilization began to decline. In this Post Classic period, small rival city states developed, such as Tulum. Tulum is protected on one side by ocean cliffs, and on the others by a stone wall. It was founded around 1200 as a commercial trading port, and reached its height of importance in the 1400s. The city was occupied at the time of the Spanish conquest, and survived for 70 years after the Spanish arrived. Although the city is not considered as impressive as Chichen Itza or Uxmal, its seat on a Caribbean coast makes it a beautiful and unique place to visit..."
FLY FISH'INN
One of the main reasons I was in Mexico was to catch a bonefish, aka "ghost of the flats." These fish are pound for pound one of the best fighting fish one is able to catch on fly. On the 4th of January Nik's and I woke up and headed into Tulum for a quick bite to eat before catching the bus down to Punta Allen. The drive down to Punta Allen is awesome, you will need to check the condition of the road before you go down there as small cars are liable to get lost in some of the potholes!!We were welcomed by Rick & Rosie Montgomerie at Let it Be Inn and after we had dumped our bags in the room we went down
to the water to practice our casting... Much to her delight, Niks managed to catch the first fish of the holiday, 2lb Needlefish (Garfish). We had soon tired our arms so it off to Punta Allen for a well deserved cerveca and some nachos. Dinner was interesting as we had an American couple and their son who could really eat. We had to gobble our share pretty quickly beofre everything was devoured. The good news was that they had caught several bonefish and had had a take from a permit so we went to bed confident that the following day would fullfil our dreams of bonefish...
After an early breakfast we were on the flats, they really are beautiful. Very relaxing to be out on the boat in the fresh morning air watching the fish- and bird life passing by you unpeturbed. STRIKE........... First bonefish on at 8:57. These little guys can really move, they just don't stop stripping line of your reel! This was going to be a good day...
An hour later and we spotted some bonefish tailing and I excecuted a perfect cast on was on again! The bonefish are really skittish and you need to ensure that you have seen all the bonefish in the area before you cast as your line
inevitably lands abopve the one fish you didn't see and the whole shoal dissapears in a cluad of mud!After Niks had landed her first bonefish (very chuffed!) we decided it was time to try for Tarpon so we headed into the Mangroves and although we had no luck there it was exciting fishing none the less. That evening was an absolutely stunning sunset and it made up for the lack of afternoon bonefish and the millions of biting flies. That evening we were joined by Carla and Paul who had decided that they could do with a bit of time away from Playa Del Carmen and joined us at the Montgomeries for one of Ricks renowned steak barbeques... Yes, the house survived this fire!.The next day we tried for some massive barracuda at a wreck - unfortunately they were not on the bite. We then went in search of bonefish via a bird island, packed with nesting Frigate birds. Males puffing out their red throats. I caught three more bonefish and saw 2 small sharks that day. Niks spent the day suntanning, photographing and spotting fish for me.
We tried again for Permit and Tarpon but no luck. Saw a family of racoons on the islands. That evening we enjoyed another great meal and a few beers with Rick and Rosie before hitting the sack as we were both exhausted from a day in the sun.
Punta Allen and in particular Let It Be Inn is a great place and I will definately be back there to get my Grand Slam!
"Distance from Cancun is 188 kilometers or 117 miles (approximately 5 hours travelling time on partial dirt road) Directions: Renting a 4 wheel drive is your best option for getting to Punta Allen. The combi service to Punta Allen leaves from the main bus station in Tulum (on the South side of town). It leaves every day around 11am or so and costs $5 or so. The service is fairly regular, with return trips leaving Punta Allen early in the morning around 5.
Activities: Saltwater flats fishing has become a year-round pursuit for light-tackle anglers across the world. Punta Allen and the Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve have world class flats fishing for permit, bonefish, barracuda, and other species. Local fisherman can be hired to take you to nearby bays and lagoons where you might catch a glimpse of the rare manatee. Fishermen sometimes linger around the Boca Paila bridge to take people out for bird watching trips. The lagoons consist of mangrove "islands" full of nesting birds. Roseate spoonbills, ibis and tri-colored heron are common here. Less prevalent sights are jabiru, jaguars, deer, peccaries, manatees, and monkeys. Another super place for birding is Holbox Island. Information: Punta Allen is at the tip of a small peninsula, at the entrance to the Bahíˇ de la Ascensi󮦬t;/b>. The town is small and if you continue through on the Punta Allen road you dead end at the lighthouse on the point. Punta Allen is a tiny lobster fishing village with just 500 residents, and there really isn't much here but beaches and fishing. It is quiet and small enough to explore on foot. The village is part of the Sian Ka'an reserve, and locals work to preserve the beauty and health of their section of the park. Most of the people living in town are Mayan descendants of residents from thousands of years ago. They make their living fishing, and increasingly, through tourism.
The Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve is a 1.3 million acre park set aside in 1986 to preserve tropical forests, mangroves, savannas, cenotes, coral reefs, and 25+ Mayan ruins. There are parts of the reserve where nobody is allowed to go, in order to preserve the environment. However, there are several businesses and private ranches within the reserve. Most were already there when the reserve was founded..."
PLAYA DEL CARMEN & XEL HA (Where the water is born)
Niks and I woke early - 4:00am - and after some coffee and our goodbyes to Rick & Rosie, we hopped on the bus headed for Tulum. After an excellent breakfast in Tulum we jumped into a taxi and drove North to Xel-Ha to meet Carla, Paul and Mark. Xel Ha is a well priced eco-park with a large lagoon for snorkeling. The park is open daily from 8:30 am to 6 pm. The lagoon is calm, even on windy days, so snorkeling is easy. The coral is mostly dead, but Xel Ha feeds the fish so there are plenty to see. For a peso, you can feed the fish too. This works well if some of your group gets in the water while one person throws food at them. This way you get to see a swarm of fish all at once. You can swim with captured dolphins at the park, which Mark did.There is a river that starts in a spring in the mangroves. It is a relaxing float down on inner tubes, and you can dump all your belongings in the free locked bags provided at the river entrance. On the river you can climb and jump off cliffs or snorkel, but you might want to float and save your energy. The river ends at one side of the lagoon and you have to swim across the whole lagoon to get back to the beach and restaurants. Xel Ha has a few fresh water cenotes in the park, and hidden beaches with hammocks for relaxing. On the far side of the lagoon, near the bridge, check out the Mayan cave..." Xel-Ha was really excellent and we snorkelled for hours seeing many fish, turtles and other sea life. I even managed to see the elusive Permit that escaped me in Ascension Bay! After a huge buffet lunch we took a bike ride up to the source of the fresh water and swam the 2km or so back to the mouth.
After the previous day's action at Xel-Ha, Niks decided to stay in Playa Del Carmen while the rest of us went to more Mayan ruins at Coba. There ruins where really great as they are still in the process of being restored so there is more of a feeling of age and mystery that surrounds these huge pyramids and other monoliths. The best pyramid to see is Nohoch Mul , it is the largest and the tallest in the area. The steps are higher and wider than the steps up La Piramide de Kukulkan at Chichen Itza. When you get to the top of the Nohoch Mul you get a great view over the surroundiong jungle and three lakes. This is also where we met the Lourens family, Noel, Patricia,Casey &Tamsin, originally from good ol' SA but now residing in Canada.That evening we celebrated Marks birthday with a bottle of champagne, several dozen cervecas and pina coladas. Had a great seafood meal with Cara and Ethan, a couple we met from Iowa, an excellent evening was ended with Sombreros, ancient rifles and "White Russians"
We had an early rise the next morning as Mark was leaving for the States and we still had to go to Chitzen Itza. This was really amazing and one can only marvel at the complexities, superstitions and wealth of the ancient Mayan civilization.After dropping Mark off at the airport we took a drive through the Cancun Hotel Zone and then headed back to Playa and changed into our cozies. We enjoyed a great evening swim, sampling a few Sol's in the azure shallows watching the sun sink below the horizon...
"...This area is known for the vast history of the Maya, their advanced mathematical knowledge, their incredible understanding of the solar system, and Fernando Valenzuela. It is widely agreed that Chichen Itza was first populated between 500 and 900 AD by Mayans and for some reason abandoned around 900, the city was then resettled 100 years later and subsequently invaded by Toltecs from the North. There are numerous reliefs of both Mayan gods including Chac and the Toltec gods including Quetzacoatl. For some reason the city was abandoned around 1300. If the Spanish did not make it a policy to kill all of the Mayan priests and burn books when they arrived in Mexico, we would all have a few more answers..."
Search for more info...
ISLA MUJURES
Garrafon
Day 11 - 10 January 2001 (Isla Majures) - Day 12 - 11 January 2001 (Isla Majures) - Day 13 - 12 January 2001 (Isla Majures) - Friday - Day 14 - 13 January 2001 (Isla Majures) - Early start to the morning to go fishing - Found Tony Garcia and he took us out fishing - Carls caught the first fish - a barracuda - Then Paul caught a massive one - "a little yellow fish" that gave a huge fight - Then it was my turn - caught 3 in total - Matt only fished for a total of 20 minutes and caught 2 fish - how experienced is that - A great day's fishing - Went back to the town and found a beach where we suntanned a bit - That night Tony invited us over for dinner - Quite amusing - A delicious meal and enjyed looking at his photographs Day 15 - 14 January 2001 (Cancun) - Packed up at Isla. Took taxi into the town and did some last minute shopping - Boarded ferry - In Cancun took taxi to Hotel Kin Ha. Not bad for $90 a night - Lazed on the beach again with book - Had tea - Showered and took stroll along beach and then hotel zone - Took bus to Lorenzo Lobster Restaurant - Had lovely red wine, chose own lobster and irish coffee to end with - Our most expensive meal - Setting and company all worth it - Back to hotel for early night - Woke up really sick at 0:55. What a waste of a lobster - Then woken up again at 2:00 coz someone was trying to get into our room - Thought it was a drunk person who had lost his way - Anyway felt quite scared - Felt really tired when went back to bed Day 16 - 15 January 2001 (Cancun) - Woke up feeling quite tired from our eventful night - Had breakfast - Took taxi to airport - Flew to Miami - Miami airport not great - Spent the afternoon on the roof of an airport hotel, sitting by their pool - Boarded Virgin Atlantic for home.
IXCHEL'S ISLAND
"...The ferry ride to Isla Mujeres is about 15 minutes from Cancun. You can see the island from Cancun's beaches. Isla Mujeres is very small, and you can easily see it all in a day trip from Cancun. The main ferry leaves from Puerto Juarez, just north of Cancun, is supposed to run every 30 minutes, but sometimes only runs every hour. It takes less than 30 minutes to get to Isla Mujeres. It costs about $2 (they keep changing the price, so who really knows). 7am, 8:30am, 9:30am etc. up until 8:30pm (sometimes later). Depending on demand sometimes they skip a time and you have to wait another hour. There are bathrooms and luggage storage at the dock. 987 70382 or 987 70618 The car ferry leaves from Punta Sam at 8am, 11am, 2:45pm, 5:30pm, and 8:15pm. Passengers can also ride for $1. Cars cost more around $5+. Trips take about 45 minutes. Tel. 987 70065 The tourist ferry departs from Cancun's hotel zone at 9:15am, 11:30am, 1:45pm and 3:45pm. The boat dock is at Playa Tortugas near Fat Tuesday's. Trips take about 30 minutes. Private boats also dock at Puerto Juarez and will take you over for snorkeling and leave you on the island, or return you to Cancun. If you have a group of 4-8 this can save you money over the regular ferry. These boats are smaller, so the trip takes longer. Activities: Isla Mujeres means Island of Women because the Maya used to worship the goddess Ixchel here. Her temple is located at the southern tip of the island. There is a lighthouse to climb nearby. Most of the activity on Isla Mujeres takes place in the many beach clubs. One is Playa Paraiso tel. 55185802, but they are all similar. Beaches on the North and West sides are the best for swimming. The eastern and southern sides are NOT for swimming because there are dangerous currents. You can also visit the sea turtle hatchery further along the road from 9am to 5pm 987 70595. Divers can visit the Cave of the Sleeping Sharks, or any number of reefs around the island. There are several dive shops like Coral Dive Center and Sea Hawk divers 987 70296. At Hacienda Mundaca to walk sandy jungle paths and see the animals from El Garrafon who are temporarily housed here (crocs and monkeys). Pirate and slave trader Fermin Mundaca de Marechaja fell in love with a local 18 year old beauty and built the hacienda and magnificent gardens to woo her. She ran off with a young islander and Mundaca dies of grief and madness. On the ferry pier you can arrange sport fishing outings or trips to Isla Controy to visit the bird sanctuary there. You can rent a bike, moped (wear your helmet) or golf cart for a full or half day and see most of what there is to see. Golf cards cost about $50 a day, mopeds $20, bikes $4. Gomar is a good place to rent, Fco. I.Madero #65, telephone and fax 987 70604. There are taxis on Isla Mujeres..."
FURTHER INFO
January 20, 2001
0 Comments