| Playa del Carmen and Cancun |
|
[Last updated: 24-Jul-2022]
| Home to Mexico | | | Week 1 | | | Week 2 | | | Week 3 | | | Week 4 | | |
| Week 5 | | | Week 6 | | | Week 7 | | | Week 8 | | | Mexico to Home |
To give myself plenty of time to walk to the bus station, I decided to leave the hotel by 08:30. I checked out at 07:50 and was ready for breakfast when it started at 08:00. I requested a plate of fresh fruit and a ham and cheese omelette.
Sure enough, I left the hotel at 08:30 and arrived at the bus station about 18 minutes later. I only had a few minutes to wait for the airport bus to arrive.
Upon arrival at Cancun Airport, and specifically the American Airlines check-in desk, I don't understand why, but my suitcase weighed the same as it initially did at Heathrow (25 kgs), even though I had left some clothes behind at Pez Maya! Anyway, I was asked to either pay USD 100, or remove something from the suitcase - déjà vu! I chose the simple solution: remove my fins from the suitcase! At least the check-in desk assistant told me that my luggage would go straight through to Heathrow!
My seat was at the rear of the aircraft. Once on board, I needed to visit the nearby toilet. Without specifying the details, I think I was suffering from food poisoning, as the same need happened at Miami airport! I can only put the it down to the omelette I had at the hotel!
The flight to Miami was (again) uneventful. At Miami, I went through the same procedure as I did on my way out: stand in front of a machine! This time, I noticed that there was a large 'X' across my receipt. I guessed this indicated that there was a problem, and I had to be interviewed by a human!
Fortunately, I had more spare time than I did eight weeks ago. When the time come for me to provide my fingerprints, the imigration officer was very sympathetic upon seeing my bandaged hand. He just asked me to do what I could! He hoped that my hand would quickly heal and wished me a pleasant flight! What a kind-hearted gentleman!
As I did not need to turn right (to collect my suitcase from the Baggage Claim area), I turned left instead, and found myself in front of a luggage scanner. After passing through it (and having the bottle of Bacardi Rum scanned (that I bought at Cancun airport, for which the screw top was loose, leaking rum into the plastic bag), I found myself in front of the departure gates! Wow, that was quick and easy!
It was at that point that I realised what happened eight weeks ago (having to go to the Baggage Claim area), to cause me to have so little time between my then flights.
On the flight to Heathrow, I remember watching Moana, and in
particular, the point (about 20 minutes in) when she gets shipwrecked
and goes under. Even though I didn't pass the coral tests at Pez Maya, I
was able to identify the corals that were featured at that point in the
animated film!
Monday, 01-May-2017
As it was early on Bank Holiday Monday, the Heathrow passport control was
not busy and I was quickly on my way to collect my suitcase. I didn't have
to wait too long, and was able to get the 08:00 bus to Reading. I missed
the 09:00 train to Newbury (by seconds!), but fortunately, there was another
train at 09:18. I was safely home soon after 10:00.
Mexico Conclusion
Last year in Thailand (diving with the assistance of the Poseidon Dive Centre (PDC), we divers were taken from our accommodation to the port in Ao Nang by tuk-tuk, from where we boarded long tail boats. They, in turn, took us out to the moored PDC 1 (the dive boat), which meant that we were able to conserved most of our energy for the purpose of diving. Comparing that to the Mexican diving experience (walking across the beach to the sea, through the waves, and into the boat, fully kitted) required a certain amount of stamina and strength, even before we started diving! I'm sure I was fitter at the end of the eight-week period, than I was before leaving home for Mexico!
Although I didn't quite make the grade, I am very grateful for having
participated in the Coral Project. I have gained a new insight and
awareness about coral that will help me with any future coral program(s)
that I might join. In addition to that, when watching underwater
sequences where coral is visible, I am pleased to be able to recognise
the different species of coral.
Index of Video Clips
The following table contains a list of video clips taken by myself (and borrowed from Sabine) that can be found throughout these Mexico pages. Because of a size limitation on my 'local' server, the largest video files have been uploaded to YouTube.
| Date | Video Source | Hyperlink Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Mar-2017 | Local | Boat Lift and Turn | Lifting and turning the boats around, in readiness for launching into the sea |
| 10-Mar-2017 | Local | Ka'ay Push | Pushing the boat (Ka'ay) to the water's edge, prior to launching into the sea |
| 17-Mar-2017 | 
| Tour de Tulum - le Départ | The departure of the cycle race from Pez Maya to Tulum |
| 17-Mar-2017 | Local | Laps of Honour | After completing the race, and having lunch, the cyclists did a few laps of honour in front of the Tulum Municipal Building |
| 17-Mar-2017 | Local | Slow-Motion Laps | A tthirty-second slow-motion clip of the cyclists doing laps of honour |
| 06-Apr-2017 | Local | Cenote Encantado Preparation | Getting ready to go diving in the fresh water cenote. Rather than create one long 'film', the dive is presented in five shorter clips |
| 06-Apr-2017 |
| Cenote Encantado Dive Part I | The first part of four videos of the dive |
| 06-Apr-2017 |
| Cenote Encantado Dive Part II | The second part of four videos of the dive |
| 06-Apr-2017 | Local | Cenote Encantado Dive Part III | The third part of four videos of the dive |
| 06-Apr-2017 | Local | Cenote Encantado Dive Part IV | The fourth (and last) part of four videos of the dive |
| 07-Apr-2017 | Local | Wonderland Fun Dive | A Fun Dive on the sea bed at the Wonderland Dive Site |
| 14-Apr-2017 | Local | Walking to the Boat | Walking from the Kitting Area, down the beach, and out to the waiting boat |
| 14-Apr-2017 | Local | A Loose Tank - Brais | At the Oasis dive site, Brais' tank had either worked loose, or it wasn't secure before he got into the water |
| 14-Apr-2017 | Local | Sandstorm Fun Dive | Not a true sandstorm, but because of our actions, we disturbed the sand; reducing visibility |
| 14-Apr-2017 |
| Three go Exploring | After the 'fun' in the poor visibilty, three of us went and explored the reef |
| 19-Apr-2017 | Local | Thundery Rain at Pez Maya | This is a video clip of part of heavy thundery rain that delayed our diving that morning |
| 20-Apr-2017 | Local | BBC Fun Dive | A Fun Dive on the reef (and blowing bubbles!) at the BBC Dive Site |
| 21-Apr-2017 |
| Dissecting a Puffer Fish | Two Puffer Fish had been washed up onto the beach; the larger of the two was dissected |
| 21-Apr-2017 |
| Lionfish Hunt | As the Lionfish is an invasive species in the Caribbean, volunteer divers go out to hunt them |
| 21-Apr-2017 | Local | Hang Ten Fun Dive | A Fun Dive at the Hang Ten Dive Site |
My Favourite Music from Mexico
The following table contains a list of songs (in alphabetical order by artist) that were played in and around the Pez Maya base, or in the bars and clubs of Tulum and Playa del Carmen. They will forever remind me of the people and events that happened during my time in Mexico, in 2017.
| Artist | Song | YouTube Hyperlink |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Bandit | Rockabye |
|
| Clean Bandit | Symphony |
|
| Clean Bandit | Symphony (Live at the BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, in Hull 2017 |
|
| CNCO and Yandel | Hey DJ |
|
| Coldplay | Every Teardrop is a Waterfall |
|
| Coldplay | A Sky Full Of Stars |
|
| Danny Ocean | Me RehÚso |
|
| Ed Sheeran | Shape of You |
|
| Enrique Iglesias | Bailando |
|
| Enrique Iglesias | Bailando (English Version) |
|
| Enrique Iglesias | Duele el Corazon |
|
| Enrique Iglesias | Súbeme La Radio (feat. Descemer Bueno, Zion & Lennox) |
|
| Kygo & Selena Gomez | It Ain't Me |
|
| Luis Fonsi | Despacito (feat. Daddy Yankee) |
|
| Mike Posner | I Took a Pill in Ibiza |
|
| Ricky Martin | Vente Pa' Ca (feat. Malima) |
|
| Thalía | Desde Esa Noche |
|
| Train | Drive By |
|
| Wisin | Escápate Conmigo (feat. Ozuna) |
|
The following list is an assortment of other YouTube videos of Pez Maya, ranging from several years ago (2010) through to around the same time as when I was there (Spring 2017). I hope the respective owners do not object to me listing them here, as the clips show additional aspects of life in, and around, Pez Maya, that I was unable to capture.
The following list contains video clips and social media links (Facebook and Twitter), related to the problem of plastic in our oceans.
| Previous (Week 8) |
 |
Home |
Click to reveal a QR Symbol for the Home Page
