Cancun Part I: Isla Contoy

Well, As some of you might know, Elysa and I snuck away for a few days to Cancun. I big THANK YOU goes to my grandparents, Pops and Grammie, for letting us use their time-share down there. We had a wonderful time and some great adventures which we will share in the following few posts.

Our first adventure began on our first full day there: Sunday. The weather had rained all afternoon after we got to the condo but Sunday morning was clear and bright. Earlier, I had read in a traveler's guide about a side trip to a small island, Isla Contoy, about 20 km north of Isla Mujeres, a close neighbor of Cancun.

Isla Contoy is about 4.5 miles long and .5 a mile wide at one point. It is an uninhabited island that has been designated as a Bird Refuge. Only about 200 people are allowed on the island at any one time. As you will see from the pictures, it is picturesque. The guide book said that trips to the island included snorkeling on the way, a fish lunch that is caught on the way, more snorkeling at the island and lots of exploring.

The reason this appealed to me is last time I was in Cancun, everything (and it still is this way) was built up for tourism. While those other sites are fun, I have decided I like to spend a day away from the crowds at some place that hasn't been spoiled by too much human interaction. I want something that is authentic and increasingly rare in this world. Whether by global warming or the increasing population that can afford world travel, I believe places like this will be harder to find the older I get. So at the last minute, we decided to go track down someone to take us there as we didn't know whether the weather would be as accommodating later in the week.

After making the trip, we can only say that if you are in Cancun (and don't get seasick easily) you should think about making the trip. Here are some pictures from that wonderful place!

What a great Beach!!!

This was our friendly-neighborhood Sting Ray. It would slowly patrol the beach, wandering up to you to say "Hi!"Here is Elysa petting our five-foot diameter friend.

A view of the lagoon and the rest of the island from the observation tower.

While snorkeling, we saw many conch shells. Here is one we found washed up on shore.

When we walked ashore, we found that there was an army of large hermit crabs (Larger than my fist!) led by several iguanas. Here they are feeding on the leftovers of our fresh fish dinner.

A favorite view of paradise!