Cooking in Cozumel

Of course it's fun to go out to eat sometimes.  But mostly, I cook my own food and eat in my apartment.                                                                                              

Luckily, there are several places to buy food in town, my apartment has a great kitchen, and I have a lovely little balcony with a table for my dining pleasure! 

I usually shop at the closest large grocery store, called Chedraui, and the central market.  But I sometimes go to other places like the Mega, a large grocery/department store that's popular with expats and cruise ships passengers. Or other small specialty stores.

My kitchen is well equipped.  There's a flat top stove, refrigerator, microwave, double sink, modern cabinets, and a nice variety of pots, pans, utensils, etc.  It even has a dishwasher and a wall oven.  I've never used the dishwasher, but I actually used the oven for the 1st time this year!

When I arrive each year, I buy staples for cooking like oil, hot sauce, and balsamic vinegar.  I buy ingredients for cooking meals about every 3-4 days, as needed. My menu is fairly simple because I only buy a small assortment of condiments/spices/ingredients.  Also because I prefer to spend my time doing things other than cooking!

Pictures
1-My kitchen
2- Some of my favourite ingredients.  The dark green pepper is a poblano pepper.  It's hotter than a normal green pepper but not as hot as a jalapeno.  It gives things like fajitas and spaghetti sauce a great little kick! Wikipedia says it's used to make chiles rellenos, chipotle peppers, and mole sauces.The little yellow fruits are guayabas. They taste a  bit like pears.  On the left is a small zuchini.  I love the mini bananas!
3 - More of my favourite ingredients.  I bought avocado oil for the first time.  This one is spiced.  Lovely!
4 - I used the oven for the first time to bake beets for my smoothies. Messy.  But yummy!
5 - Some cute kiddy grocery carts

Punto Morena

Punto Morena is a wonderful beach club on the wild side of the island. Yesterday, I was very lucky to have spent the afternoon there.

The populated/developed side of the island, which is where I'm living, faces west towards the mainland / Playa del Carmen.  So the ocean here is usually relatively calm and great for swimming.   One of the reasons I like it so much.

But the other side of the island, the wild side, has so much charm!  It faces east and the open ocean.  It has big waves and long sandy beaches. It's mostly undeveloped. Wild. Lush. Quiet. 

I can imagine that many are itching to build there.  But it's not allowed.  Well done Cozumel!!

There are a few little restaurants/beach clubs on the wild side.  Offering much appreciated shade, food and drink.  Each with its own personality.  All historically operated using generator power, since there is no electricity on the wild side. Now, they're increasingly using solar power.

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon at my favourite place on the wild side, Punto Morena.  It has a nice open air restaurant, a big beach with sun shelters, chairs, hamacs, and a natural "pool" in the ocean that makes it safe to swim.  The wild side often has riptides that make swimming a little risky.

Pictures
1- The view north from Punto Morena
2-Some of the colourful hamacs
3-Some fun showers
4- Punto Morena even has swimming pools. Though, I definitely prefer the ocean
5 - Solar panels
6- The fun parking area at Punto Morena. Thank you, Barbara, for taking me and Elizabeth to this wonderful place! It's too far for my little bicycle

.

Maybe he was having a bad day?

I imagine that some Mexicans find the tourists to be a bit much.  Maybe that's what this guy thinks.  Or maybe he was just having a bad day?

Who could blame the locals for thinking tourists are a pain in the a*&@#?  Some tourists really are rude and inconsiderate.  But I like to think that not all tourists are bad news. And tourism is the main source of income in Cozumel so I think most locals have a certain appreciation for our existence.

So I'm at this waterfront restaurant called Jeanie's.  I choose to sit at a table outside, in the sand.  The waiter dries of the table and a chair for me. Very nice of him.  It had rained earlier. 

I decide to go to the washroom before settling in. When I come back, my dry chair is gone.  Three wet chairs are left.  A young man who's the land watch guy for some snuba divers (like scuba, but tethered to land) has taken my chair.  Maybe he thought I wasn't coming back?  Maybe when I got back, he didn't know what to say?  Maybe his quick dry bathing suit really had to stay dry?

Then.  It starts to drizzle.  The watch guy fetches a big yellow umbrella and concrete base.  And places it neatly over his dry chair.

I sat in the drizzle for a while, hoping it would end.  It didn't. I moved to a table that was under a shelter.  Problem solved.

Pictures
1-The watch guy, all nice and dry
2- A lighthouse and two car/truck ferries.  Everything has to be shipped to Cozumel. 

Yo Yoga, Yum breakfast, and a cute cow!

I had the nicest morning today! 

It started with my first yoga class for this Mexican adventure, at a place called Yo Yoga.  Yo yoga means I yoga.  Cute. 

The teacher, Maria, had a really nice way about her.  Like many yoga teachers, she pushed us but let us know it was ok to pass on/modify a pose.  But most interesting, was she admitted that one of the poses was "not her favourite" and asked a student to demonstrate it.  Very human!

The studio was pretty, soothing, and cheery all at once.  It had big windows and ceiling fans.  There were mats, blocks, blankets, and cushions to use. All in fun colours. The windows looked out onto a pretty courtyard with lots of trees and plants. So the view from the room was lush.

The class was by donation.  So Zen and inclusive!

After class, I went for breakfast with my friend Barbara. 

Everything about the breakfast was great!  We ate in a pretty courtyard. We had these cute mini toasts with butter and mango jam.  Did I ever mention that I love Mexican butter?!!!  It's very similar to Canadian butter of course, but it just has this different taste that I really like!  This butter had crushed almonds in it to make it even more wonderful! 

But maybe the best part was the super cute cow shaped creamer.  The poor waiter/restaurant owner.  He admitted that his wife made him buy the cute cow creamer. He said they weren't practical.  True enough.  But the clients love them! 

Photos
1-My delicious breakfast!  All for 72 pesos each.  About $5 Canadian. And the cute cow creamer :)
2-Barbara in the courtyard in front of the yoga studio
3-The sign for Yo Yoga
4-The yoga studio
5 - Jamie Oliver says...silence is the sound of good food




 

I've found my zen! And a new bicycle lock

I found my zen today! Who knew that a bicycle lock would be key to the process? 

A few things are really important to me here. My ocean swims and my bicycle are two of them. 

Yesterday, I picked up my bicycle.  As usual, it was in very good condition, thanks to my friend Barbara.  When I'm not here, she very kindly stores it in a bathtub in her English school.  The bathroom, in which this bathtub is located, is used as a storage room.  All I needed to do was put air in the tires and oil on the chain.  Yay!!!  I was mobile again!!

But I needed a new bicycle lock.  Cozumel is a pretty safe place.  But petty theft is an issue here, like most places around the world.  My bicycle isn't fancy.  But it's very sturdy and works well.  And bicycles are fairly expensive here.  So a good lock feels important to me. 

Yesterday, I went to 3 stores to look for a sturdy lock, with a combination instead of a key. No luck.  (I like a combination lock more because I don't have to take my keys out of my bag every time I lock/unlock my bike.) 

Today, I went to a 4th bike shop.  Success!!  I have a great new lock! I can go places and safely lock my bike. Today,  I also went for my second swim.  I saw needle fish, and a few other pretty fish.  It was great!! Happy zen!

Pictures
1- The dock where I started my swim today.  In the distance, you can see the pen that holds stingrays for the tourists to visit.
2-My bicycle making friends with some pigeons in the plaza
3-Some kids learning how to dance in the plaza.  There was a hat out for tips.  Watching was worth a few pesos.
4 - The pool at the Blue Angel hotel.  I'm not allowed to use the pool because I'm not a hotel guest. But I can use their dock to get into the ocean for a swim.  So I'm giving them a little shout out. 

Casa Mandarina, a really nice place

There are many reasons I like coming to Cozumel.  My lovely apartment is one of them!

I've rented in two other locations here in Cozumel.  Each of those places had its charms.    But this is by far my favourite place. 

The owner, Ana Paula, is very kind and responsive to requests. The onsite caretaker, Christina, is a very interesting person and no nonsense.  And the maintenance staff, Lupita and Antonio, are super helpful and pleasant people.  They're also all very kind about letting me practice my Spanish. 

The location is great.  I'm a 10-15 minute walk from two grocery stores, the ocean, a few restaurants, and even a modern movie theatre. I'm also a 1-5 km bike ride from downtown, the school I volunteer at, and a bunch of beaches/beach clubs.

But the most significant reason I like my apartment, is the apartment itself. 

It's in a small complex with 5 other apartments, with a pretty little pool and patio -a nice common space for informal conversations with other guests.  I'm on the second floor.  So I get a breeze and privacy, and feel safe leaving my windows open almost all the time.  I have a cute little covered private balcony.  So I can be outside to paint, read, etc even if it's raining, or when I don't want to talk to other guests.  And my apartment is pretty and clean and has everything that I want/need.  Including a parking space for my bicycle!

Photos
1-The view of my courtyard and some of the other apartments, from my staircase.
2-My living room
3 - Dining room
4 and 5 - Self explanatory!

  

A succeesful travel day, despite a bomb cyclone and Siberian cold

I made it to my second home!  Kinda because it is like my second home.

On Friday, the day before my departure, I checked my flight status.  At around noon, all good.  At about 10 pm, when I was all packed and ready for sleep. Not good at all. Poop!

I was supposed to fly Ottawa-Toronto and Toronto-Cozumel.  But at 10 pm, the West Jet web site said that my Ottawa-Toronto flight would be delayed.  About 2 hours.  Enough for me to miss my connection. I assumed because of the crazy weather we've been getting in Canada and the north-east USA. I think we'll all remember the Siberian cold that descended on Ottawa and the "bomb cyclone" that hit the USA this winter.  Who chose the words "bomb cyclone"???

Luckily, I've traveled to Cozumel before.  And knew I had alternatives. 

I called West Jet, my carrier.  Waited about 45 minutes to speak to someone.  And got busy on the Internet checking my flight options. As expected, West Jet had no other flights to Cozumel until the next weekend.  But!  They had lots of flights to Cancun.  Perfect!  I knew I could take a bus then a ferry to Cozumel.  A bit of an adventure, but very manageable. 

I arrived at about 5pm.  A bit sleep deprived from staying up later than planned to sort things out. But I still had enough time and energy to clean myself up and have dinner with Barbara and Tom.  Lovely!

Photos
1-A view of the beach in Playa del Carmen, where I took the ferry to come to Cozumel.
2- These guys were on break, when I asked to take their picture.  It was fun to see them just chilling.  The bronze man usually stands as a statue hoping tourists will give him money to take his picture.  I don't know what Spider man does.  Maybe the same?  But he had his mask off when I asked to take his picture, which I thought looked even more interesting.  But I didn't argue when he put it on.  I did give them money for their time. Everyone's gotta make a living!
3- Also the beach at Playa.
4 and 5 - The walkway to the passenger ferry from Playa del Carmen to Cozumel.  I liked the geometry.