I'M IN TROUBLE NOW...!

[gopbroek]

Use the whole can of bug spray, I spoke with multiple people on the island Monday who said they had Zika over the last couple weeks.

 

[deepsea21]

Use the whole can of bug spray, I spoke with multiple people on the island Monday who said they had Zika over the last couple weeks.

Good to know GPB. I hadn't heard much of anything about Zika in Coz yet (but I assume it is there as it is about everywhere else in the region). Wondering if those you spoke with shared to what extent they've been infiltrated - 5 cases? 20 cases out of a 100,000+ island population? I'm pretty sure we won't read anything about Zika in Coz as it will be kept hushed due to tourism concerns. No one will know the truth until they reach the island and talk to locals/friends or get reports in forums such as this.

Personally, my wife and I could care less about Zika as we aren't looking to conceive and there are far worse diseases that have been transmitted by mosquitos for decades in many popular tourist areas yet no one freaks out about them. Nothing a can of bug spray can't 99% prevent in my opinion and, as we stay in-town, I'm well aware of the extent to which they nuke the entire area with the fogging trucks on a continuous basis. Quite frankly, I have 100x more mosquitos, knats and no-see-ums in my own back yard than I've ever experienced in San Miguel!

Zika in Coz is not going to impact our planning of our December dive trip in any way other than we'll bring a few cans of bug spray and apply in the evenings before we head out for dinner and drinks. In 14 years of visiting Coz we've never used bug spray as we've never experienced a need for it. Maybe we just have sour blood or something.

 

[gopbroek]

Good to know GPB. I hadn't heard much of anything about Zika in Coz yet (but I assume it is there as it is about everywhere else in the region). Wondering if those you spoke with shared to what extent they've been infiltrated - 5 cases? 20 cases out of a 100,000+ island population?

Coz is probably about average for anywhere else in the Caribe or for that case S Florida or the gulf coast. Per what I have read 4 out 5 of those infected show no symptoms and for those that do it is pretty mild. The current cluster in Florida was unusual in that the health authorities actually tested for it and found it in non-travelers.

 

[ggunn]

Batteries. I buy and take more batteries than I think I will use (better to have a surplus than to run short), and I leave them all there. I give all the unused ones to the dive shop as well as a bag of slightly used ones. It makes my luggage significantly lighter on my return flight and the dive shop appreciates them.

 

[DandyDon]

Ugh, long day. First, I couldn't sleep before leaving the house at 4am for 6am check-in. We boarded the plane for the 7:45 departure, then we all got off while they worked on it. Several rebooked on a flight to Denver to connect to their destinations, but there was no way I could make the Cozumel flight connection - so I stayed on the same plane that left at 9am, rebooked to Cancun.

Houston had weather today, so while we got in ok - my next flight was an hour late. Oh well, the lobster dish in Business class was nice, the wine cold, the seat comfy. Got thru I&C fast enough and hoped an Ado bus to PDC, then the next ferry across. Got to the island around 6:30 - 6 hours late. I canceled dive plans for the morning as I am just bushed, and I want to keep this fun. I'm not hungry, but I'd better get a sandwich or I'll wish I had - a large, shrimp burrito, yumm.

I'm glad I didn't get carried away on the bags, both under 50#, but heavy enough when I had to lift them. I'm showing my age I guess. Eh, I normally handle 60# bags of motor mix ok, but glad I shyed away from the 80# bags, as well as downsized my frames to make smaller markers. The 20# & 30# markers serve my work well. They're a lot better than nothing, which is all most had for decades.

Going to start diving Friday, and book one evening with the turtle rescue folks.

 

[al248005]

When I went this past December, we were close to the 50# limit going down with each bag and on the way home not everything was completely dried out...irrcc and couldnt meet the 50# limit. So I went to the store and bought A suitcase for 35 bucks....little did I know till I got back to the room I bought 3 suitcases...so I kept the biggest one and gave the other 2 to the more than welcoming security guard at SCC.

 

[chillyinCanada]

I take batteries with me everywhere I travel and they are always welcomed when I leave behind. That said, some places in the world are a tiny bit better off if I take them back with me again AND definitely, that I return home with the dead ones for disposal on this side of the pond. Probably not that big a deal in Coz?

Sorry about the way your journey went Dandy. The upgrade should have spoiled you but perhaps due to the other issues, it wasn't that sweet after all?

A couple of upgrades have ruined my travel finances, as nowadays, I can't deal in economy.

 

[DandyDon]

8007424932

Sorry about the way your journey went Dandy. The upgrade should have spoiled you but perhaps due to the other issues, it wasn't that sweet after all?

A couple of upgrades have ruined my travel finances, as nowadays, I can't deal in economy.

The upgrade was still nice, making the last flight nicer even with the problems. Why two major airlines have hubs in Dallas and Houston still baffles me with the weather they get. Flying across Texas is often challenging. I used to fly First Class all of the time with Delta, but they pulled out of Lubbock. I am okay in Peon Class as I just sleep the first two hours. Anything longer is rough. My daughter & granddaughter flew to China and back last month in Tourist, and that was rough. After the GD lost her PP tho, just getting them back was challenge enough - took a lot of time and money.

BIG MISTAKE! I forgot to tell my bank that I was going to Mexico so I could use my debit card to get Pesos in an ATM. Machine ate it. Same machine as last year. So I have no Pesos, and taxis are still on 10:1 exchange! Hope I can eat ok using USDollars and surviving Visa card. It'll cost more.

 

[ggunn]

BIG MISTAKE! I forgot to tell my bank that I was going to Mexico so I could use my debit card to get Pesos in an ATM. Machine ate it. Same machine as last year. So I have no Pesos, and taxis are still on 10:1 exchange! Hope I can eat ok using USDollars and surviving Visa card. It'll cost more.

What do you mean by "Machine ate it"? If you are saying that your bank made an ATM keep your card because you didn't tell them you'd be in Mexico, I have never heard of that. I have used my debit card there without telling my CU where I would be and that never happened to me. You can call your bank from down there, you know.

Which ATM was it? If you go to the bank in town that owns the ATM they can retrieve your card if you left it in the machine.

 

[DandyDon]

What do you mean by "Machine ate it"? If you are saying that your bank made an ATM keep your card because you didn't tell them you'd be in Mexico, I have never heard of that. I have used my debit card there without telling my CU where I would be and that never happened to me. You can call your bank from down there, you know.

Yep. I have had the bank refuse out of state charges if I didn't tell them, and they are tougher on out of country card use. This is why I often warn others to notify their banks before traveling. I am sure different institutions have differing policies.

Which ATM was it? If you go to the bank in town that owns the ATM they can retrieve your card if you left it in the machine.

I considered trying that, but didn't think it'd work. If I had been desperate, I would have tried - but I am fine with dollars and Visa.

It's at a HCSB branch at Ave 5 and 1st, by the plaza. Last year I used it and was so excited about getting the Pesos as poorly as I read Spanish that I left without the card. Dummy! It ate it that time, too. I guess I don't do this often enough to stay in training.