Hello everyone,
57 yr. old male, traveling solo. First time headed to Cozumel, Yucatan and south along the coast (mid Jan/2018 for approx. 2 weeks). Had a few questions:
1) WEATHER: what can I expect for typical weather (night and day) for this time of year?
2) CLOTHING: was going to bring a pair of jeans, swim shorts, hat, tennis shoes, some t-shirts, beach sandals and a very light light jacket.
3) PERSONAL: I'm fair skinned so I will be bringing lotion of course. sunglasses, needed medicines, personal hygiene stuff, etc. anything I'm forgetting. (yes, I have my passport)?
4) ELECTRONICS: I'll have my cell phone with me....is electric in Mexico 120v/60hz. (in other words...does our stuff plug in down there?)?
Is there sell phone service back to USA or is that between me and my provider (Verizon)?
5) DIVING: I most likely will be traveling alone so what do you guys recommend for my personal belongings while diving (wallet, passport, phone, etc.) ?
6) MONEY $: should I exchange for some peso's before leaving the states? I figure on traveling with small US $ also as most international places like this and helps for bartering, etc.
Does anyone recommend buying some type of "travel credit card" that has a predetermined amount issued to the card so if it is lost it would only be for this amount?
7) WATER & FOOD: of course, I've heard the horror stories about the water and plan on drinking a lot of bottled water. What about beverages (soft drinks, alcohol, etc.)...anything to worry about there? Any foods to definitely avoid that commonly cause digestive issues due to the water, etc.?
8) HEALTH / MEDICAL: my insurance says I'm covered but the $ reimbursement figures might be a little different compared to USA costs. Any hospitals, doctors, etc. that I should avoid, etc.?
Everyone please feel free to chime in with any suggestions.....especially if I haven't covered it.
Thanks.
Jontay
Hey again, I lived/worked all over the Mayan Riviera (mostly Cozumel) from about '91 to 2004 or so, and I've given out much of the advice you're looking for, countless times over the years, and since then.
I'm surely forgetting some useful stuff, but off the top of my head.......
When first arriving, I recommend hitting a main grocery store for some snacks and some bulk water. Any little store in or near your hotel is gonna jack you good for little bottles of water, better to go to a main gocery store like the Super San Fransisco and buy a gallon or two, and keep them in your room. You'll probably be drinking more water than you normally do (or you should), and when you wake up in the middle of the night thirsty from drinking, diving and getting your fool self sunburnt, you'll be glad to have that water! (most of the respectable hotels claim to purify the water on-site, but not me, or anyone i ever knew, took that at face value!!)
All of the tropical/vacation nick-nacks you'll need, like a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, flip-flops,etc.etc. should ALL be purchased in the states, and brought down. They'll be WAY cheaper, and of much better quality.
Do NOT bring stuff like your passprt or phone on the dive boat. You'll probably want to have your hotel keys, some sunscreen, maybe a hat or towel, but don't bring much of anything else but for some Pesos, partly to tip the crew, and partly because nobody should ever be anywhere without some cash on them (you could get hurt or sick during the trip and have to be dropped off at a southern pier, and catch a taxi back to town. Seen it more than once).
Keep the cash in your pocket when you dive, the water won't hurt it at all, and the crew is used to getting wet bills, and happy to get them.
And speaking of cash money, don't show up down there with only plastic, and no real money (that always irks the hell outa me). You have an issue with your card, then you're having
real problems (seen it). Also, don't fly down there with just a fistfull of C-notes, also bring a decent stash of small bills (ones and fives, and I'm talking more than a piddly $30 bucks worth).
Change is something of a commodity down there, and it's one of their little hustles. The taxis, and everyone else will give you the old "no hay cambio" routine ("I don't have change"), hoping you'll not want to wait, and just let them keep it.
If you have small bills you'll always have exact change, or can come very close, and be on your way, rather than sitting in a restaraunt another 20 minutes waiting on your change (seen it, everywhere, down to the friggin' laundromats LOL!!) . Also, when exchanging dollars for pesos, exchange as you go, don't go get friggin' $500 dollars in pesos, unless there's a pressing need for them. Last I was there, the exchange rate was better earlier in the morning, than later (probably still is).
Almost forgot, when exchanging dollars, don't let them just give you big bills, ask for smaller peso notes, right there
Another point, if a good-or-service is priced in dollars, especially something more expensive like a multi-day dive package, then you want to pay in dollars. But for other things, ususally less expensive ones like meals and tourist trinkets, that are priced in pesos, you're better off paying in pesos. This avoids the hypothetical currency "exchange" that you (the toursist) always come out on the short end of. At least when I was down there, the dollars were more in demand from the dive shops and other buisnesses (and we all preferred getting paid in dollars, but usually weren't).
This time of year, especially in this recent cold spurt, it may be surprisingly cool down there. I'd have a hooded sweatshirt with you, for after the dives, and for walking around town. I've had people on the dive boat from Minnesota and Sweden tell us, "holy **** it's cold down here", LOL!
You don't need to annoy every bartender and waiter by insisting on purified ice or water, they already know that, and the ice is already purified. The sodas,beers, and alcohol are all fine to drink. If you're gonna get sick eating/drinking in a tourist area, then it's gonna happen regardless, there ain't much you could've done.
Also, a rain jacket and/or a small umbrella can be real handy to have (it is the tropics,afterall). It can't hurt to have your own Pepto or aspirin, but they have pharmacies on nearly every corner, about like we do.
Also, when going to another country, it's always a great idea to know a couple commonly used, polite phrases, like "hello", how are you", "please", "thank you".
Remember, the people you're dealing with are the ones that can spit in your food......
or give you extra tequila in your margaritas !! A quick search on Google and You-tube can give you the proper pronunciations.
And finally..............
don't forget your toothbrush !!!!
