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This trip was not my luxury vacation, but only a sidetrip to visit. I stayed two evenings at Hotel Flamingo and had a marvelous time.

There was a small courtyard, a bar on the roof, cable TV, and an excellent access to everything in the downtown area. If you wanted a view of the ocean, it was easily accesible from the rooftop bar. However, I only wanted a place to sleep.

For about $35 I enjoyed my stay at Hotel Flamingo. When I returned to the city for a more extensive stay, I stayed at a better place, but for the price, this is the best!

I underwent training by having instructions in the techniques needed for diving and a short time breathing with a tank in a hotel pool. This was follwed by a 1-tank beach dive. Even on this form of dive, Cozumel offeres coral banks and plentiful fish.

The next morning, I reported for my 2-tank dive. This was the most enjoyable experience that I had during my 4 weeks in Mexico that summer. We went to the reef, which almost encircles the island and had two separate dives. The water ws warm. The reef was alive with fish.

It did not matter the experience, or lack thereof, that I had. I was placed in a group of men with slightly higher training and had a wonderful divemaster, who assisted me as needed.

David and Nancy's has all of the equipment that is needed and is one of the better places that I have since used for diving trips.

I first went to see some friends and dive, but I returned to the Hard Rock Cafe with my former student, Gerardo. We entered at about 9:00, and were seated upstairs. The night that we went was pretty slow, but I was told that some of the evenings the place would really rock.

I took advantage of the slow evening to catch up on old times and to check out the surroundings. The cafe had memorabilia from Prince, Aerosmith, Jimi Hendrix, Kiss, The Doors, and several other notables. There was not a live band, like in Cancun, so I was a little disappointed in that.

We had a wonderful meal. The menu included burgers, chicken, steaks, salads, and all of the traditional bar foods. The drinks were still a bit watered down, but not as much as in Cancun. One of the local drinks that can be purchased in the Yucatan Peninsula area is Xtabentun, an anise flavored drink with hints of honey. This is supposedly a traditional Mayan drink, made from an ancient recipe.

Gerardo and I renewed our friendship. I wished him well in school. Then we left: he to help his father at their store, and I to spend more time diving at travelling around the state. Hard Rock Cafe seemed to be the most "happening" location on the island after 9:00 or 10:00 in the evening.

I went to the shop to see if Raul (Mendoza) was home, but was told that he was still at the university in Monterrey. However, Raul's mother and grandmother remembered me from the school and invited me for a meal at their home. Plus, they helped me to get in contact with several other boys from my time at Riverside Military Academy. (There were about 25 former students from Cozumel at the academy when I taught there.)

However, the shop was very packed with inventory. I was told the the volume of traffic became quite heavy because of the tourist coming to the island and because of the cruise ships which came to the island. If you are not careful, it is easy to get lost in the shop among the souvenirs.

When you stop by, look in on my friends for your trip souvenirs. You will enjoy the quality and the prices.

Selva Sports is located near the ferry dock and is one of the better-kept buildings in that area. Senor Selva has large amounts and varieties of t-shirts, polo shirts, tank tops, and other sportswear. The quality of the items seems to be higher than that which can be found in the street markets (which often shrink after the first wash).

Perhaps it was the fact that I was Gerardo's teacher, but everyone that I noticed working in the shop seemed extremely friendly with all of the customers who entered the store. If you visit, tell them that I recommended you to them.