Checking in from Cozumel...

[pilot fish]

River Dance rehearsing on your roof? That was so funny. Not so funny when you are living it.

Glad to hear things are on the mend.

 

[Willie]

My first dive group arrives at the end of the week and I will be diving as well. I'll give some first hand dive reports as I can as well!

That is what I am looking forward to, first hand underwater reports, pictures would be nice as well. Anyone know where post Wilma underwater photos have been posted?

Willie

 

[SaltyKSue]

Christi~
I'm so glad to hear that you have made out OK and that you are slowly getting things back on track.
I'll be one of the many waiting for your underwater report after your dive.
Can't wait to see ya again.
Karen

 

[Lisa0825]

I thought I'd tack my Cozumel updates onto this topic rather than start a new one. My friends are there this week, and these are emails from them:

Darn tourists are not coming off the boats. I heard the staff on the boats are telling tourists not to go to the shopping mall. Carolos and charlies is not open. \i am sick of the computer keys and will not type correctly, bu tyou iwll get the drift. Sorry! The locals have relly cleaned up the town. planted new palm trees and grass. \palarmas is open. we cannot believe howmuch the locals have fixed this placeup they work all night. all the big hotles are badly damaged. park royal is a wreck we will send photos.

Village Tan Kah is acorss the street from the ocean. They do have a beach but right now it nothing but crushed concrete rubble and smashed dive shops. Imagine the photos of Hiroshima. That's what the seaward side of the street looks like everywhere.
The Village itself is intact and suffered minimal damage. You really would like it there.

The stretch of road south from town to our hotel zone, 3 miles, was smashed. Within 3 weeks they rebuilt the road. They have completely rebuilt the sidewalk -except for a 75 foot stretch- and are just finishing the curbing. They did it without a cement truck. The used wheelbarrows and buckets and scrap lumber for forms.

This rebuild is astronomical. Most of the hotels are still damaged but most restaraunts are back, all utlities have been restored. Carlos 'n Charlie's is still closed. They lost their AC and the refrigerators and their liquor license requires that they serve food.

 

[rottielover]

glad to hear (read) that everything's getting back to normal!

 

[OWSIinAustin]

Hooray!

 

[iscuba2]

I just got an email from friends who are in Cozumel. They report the clean up is amazing! The reefs have suffered, but the deeper dives are OK! They report it is like discovering a new world, tunnels where there were none, pillars uncovered, lots of eagle rays, turtles, lobster, etc. Life goes on and the ocean transforms. I can not wait to return.