A Caribbean snorkeling trip will remind you why you left the snow and ice behind in the middle of winter to fly hundreds of miles. To RELAX and enjoy being alive. In my mind it is the next best thing to laying on the beach and soaking up the heat.
A trip to Akumel in Mexico was my first time snorkeling and I had the feeling I had jumped into my childhood aquarium. Some days are sunny and some are cloudy, but the fish are always beautiful. I did not see any rays or sharks or eels, just fish. But they were the kind of fish that told you that you weren't in Winter anymore.
So far, I have not been brave enough to venture away from the packaged trip and the hotels where you can find approved purveyors of any adventure you may want to try. Someday I will book flight and room and meals separately and will have to comb through the yellow pages to find the zip-line or four-wheel trek through the jungle. For now, I am happy to stay in an all inclusive and go on one or two mini adventures during my stay.
One thing we did do on our first trip with 2 other couples, was to get a taxi and driver for the day to take us to a couple of places near Playa del Carmen. My girlfriend had a list of things to see from a friend who has spent time there, and we managed to hit a few of them. We snorkeled, visited two sets of ruins, ate lunch in a plaza, shopped in a local grocery and drove on village dotted jungle roads.
We felt safe with our experienced driver, and had a wonderful time. He got us to the ruins before the cruise ship tourists and had many suggestions that we wished we had time to take in.
They were motoring, but we were sailing.
Aboard the Catamaya catamaran
