Cozumel on the mend
David Kindler and his wife Lynn like to stay at the Fiesta Americana Dive Resort on their trips to Cozumel, but the hotel was badly damaged in the hurricane.
Last month, they stayed at the Scuba Club Cozumel instead, an all inclusive resort with its own diving charter.
They hired scooters and followed the badly churned up road down the island’s leeward western shore to inspect the damage to their old favourite.
"There were around three hundred construction workers on site the day we stopped by," David writes. "[The hotel] expects to remain closed until February."
Many of the construction workers are migrants, mostly from the impoverished southern state of Chiapas. They work long hours and at the end of the day, drop their tools and sling up a hammock, either on the spot or in outdoor camps.
During David and Lynn’s week-long stay (December 12th to 19th), they explored most of the island and report that every part of it had sustained damage, some of it extensive.
"The two main cruise ship piers were completely destroyed. A really astonishing display of Mother Nature’s force.
"The small Mexican Navy base on the island was also wrecked, but electricity was restored to the island in three days.
"The resiliency of the people of Cozumel is truly astounding," David says.
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