Travel Agent - June 23, 2008 - (Page 77) MEXICAN CARIBBEAN CANCÚN/COZUMEL caribbean ambience, MAYAN CULTURE M exico’s fiesta-toned, friendly Caribbean islands—Cancún and Cozumel—offer awesome snorkeling and diving, colorful Mexican crafts and music, and a wild array of sports, but they are as different as night and day. Cozumel presents a sleepy, small town ambience, while Cancún is as action-packed as Miami Beach. On the mainland, oceanfront resorts along the Riviera Maya beckon, offering access to even more exciting attractions and activities. CANCÚN Cancún offers round-the clock fun for all ages. Buses and taxis run up and down the island day and night, making it easy to go beach, restaurant and bar hopping. Here, restaurants and bars are attractions in their own right — in addition to live entertainment, kids of all ages might find themselves jumping on a trampoline, flying into the lagoon from a second story waterslide or cooling off in a human aquarium tank. A narrow island connected to the mainland by two causeways, Cancún’s 14 miles of powder-soft white-sand beachfront is dotted by the pyramids, thatched-roof palapas and glass towers housing the 26,000-plus rooms of the Zona Hotelera (hotel zone). Across the street, shopping, entertainment and dining centers appear in sparkling air- conditioned glass-andchrome malls, Spanish colonial villages and thatched-roof crafts outlets. Nichupte Lagoon separates Cancun Island from the mainland, forming a natural water park where the energetic parasail, windsurf and zip around on small boats or jet skis. Many excursions lead through the lagoon past mangrove jungles and out to a sheltered reef for snorkeling. Cancun sits along the Great Maya Reef system, giving divers a number of exciting sites to explore. A dazzling array of marine life is on continual display in Cancun’s crystal-clear seas. CANCÚN / RIVIERA MAYA GEOGRAPHY: Cancún Island is approximately 16 miles long and its highest point above sea level is 200 feet. It is in the State of Quintana Roo, which is located 550 miles south of Miami in the southeastern part of Mexico. Along the coastline of about 540 miles, there are numerous coral islands and the second largest barrier reef in the world. Isla Mujeres, 5 miles long and half a mile wide, lies eight miles across the Bahia de Mujeres from Cancún. Riviera Maya is a more-than-62-mile stretch along the Caribbean Sea in the middle of the northeastern coast of the Yucatan peninsula in the state of Quintana Roo. It is made up of independent communities of which the largest is Playa Del Carmen. LANGUAGE: Spanish is the official language, but English, French, German, Italian and Mayan are widely spoken. POPULATION: Cancún: More than 500,000. CLIMATE: Summer: High, 89ºF; low, 77ºF. Winter: High, 77ºF; low, 65º F. Average annual rainfall: 41 inches. TIME: Same as CST. 77
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