Mitsugirly's extensive back to belly sun & sky review

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

There are rocks that stick up out of the water where this snorkeling area is. I popped up out of the water and seen this:

 

 

 

 

 

This is how far you are from shore:

 

 

 

It's not deep out here at all. A lot of places you can touch with no problems. It's a super easy place to snorkel.

 

[mitsugirly]

When you get to the rocky part, this is what you see. I guess there's absolutely no way you are getting over those rocks. It was like a wall of sea urchins and almost kinda dreary looking and scary. Even if they wasn't here, you would have to stand up out of the water and walk over because it was just that shallow.

 

 

 

I have no idea what the heck this is or what kind of coral it is. It looked like a shiny big blob of poo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A huge Caribbean Blue Tang.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Some blue tangs, surgeon fish and a pair of banded butterfly fish were in the area.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

A Juvenille Beaugregory

 

 

 

A whole bumch of grunts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Four eyed butterfly fish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parrot fish. It was weird to see them picking at the sea grass. They are normally chewing on coral and they have huge teeth and if you are real quiet, you can hear them chomping on the coral and crunching it up.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

More banded butterfly fish.

 

 

 

Finally I was done. I think I covered most of the area, or at least the area by the rocks that I wanted to cover.

 

I headed back to shore and snapped a few more pictures after coming out of the water.

 

 

 

One thing that dawned on me this time around during the cruise and after getting home and looking at my pictures... I know a lot of people comment on how brillant the colors can be in some pictures. I am constantly changing settings on the camera and taking multiple pictures of the same things...just to make sure that I get enough pictures (remember I said I took 3500 pictures this cruise=yikes). So I know there are some settings that I switch to a lot like the landscape settings, which seems to give a lot of color. Then there's the beach setting that tones down the light a little. Sunset can give you some crazy color even in the day light and it all depends on your shot. There's also a magic setting that will pop the colors, soft focus, and a dramatic hdr setting.

 

Well, I do notice that some are a lot more vibrant than others and this is what I discovered this time around. When I'm snorkeling, I have the camera set to the water snorkeling/underwater mode. Every so often I come up out of the water and snap a few pictures and then return to the water. Also after coming out of the water I sometimes forget to turn my settings back to _______ whatever settings for the land shots. THIS is what's giving it the bright and bold colors like these photos above and below!!! It really deepens the blues and greens.

 

Shower area along the beach to rinse off with.

 

 

I know most cameras (at least my Canon D10's) if you left the underwater setting on outside, it gave off this god awful orange colored picture. It was the absolute worse and it could ruin your day if you forgot to turn it off and took pictures like that the rest of the day. Boy what a disappointment. So after awhile of that, you learned really quick to switch back and forth between settings.

 

However, this camera does not do that. I actually like the way a lot of them come out. Maybe I should just start shooting all of my landscape pictures in this mode. hehe

 

 

 

Anyhow, just wanted to share that with you guys that might shoot with the Olympus Tough cameras. If so, let me know if you have had any luck with this.

 

 

Back to the camp and reassured the hubby that I survived and that he had missed an awesome snorkeling adventure.

 

I really didn't expect all the coral and everything to be so great out there. But, I thought it was pretty darn cool considering I was in Costa Maya.

 

Time to order some more drinks. hehe

 

Sakari coming up to tell me about all the shells she found so far (which still isn't enough to make shells doors)

 

Oops, sometimes I forget to wipe off my lens as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

And that didn't last long...

 

 

 

I decided it was potty time again...these drinks are running out as fast as they are poured in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course still running around with my water spot on the camera.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

As you might be able to tell...I have went to the restroom and wondered off again...a given.

 

 

Now just a little explanation about this place, Blue Kay.

 

It is a place that you stay and spend the night. They have a campground there and they also have little "huts" that you can rent. They are extremely small and they kinda remind me of some of the KOA campgrounds we use to stay at back when I was in my 20's and actually thought camping was cool even though I didn't like it. I'm a big girl now and can admit I hate camping. If it doesn't come with an actual room and my own hot water, I'm just not into it. Give me a small interior ship cabin any day.

 

Well these little cabins are extremely small. From all of the pictures that I have seen online, the bed takes up the entire space with a walkway beside it to the door. The bed is actually up against the window and I have seen pictures of them opening up the window and just sitting on the end of their bed with their feet hanging off.

 

They also have "dorms" that you can rent and share with others. I'm thinking I read that maybe 4 people to a room with bunk-beds. I guess this would be an economy way to stay in Costa Maya.

 

So, I decided I would go exploring this area now.

 

 

 

 

Those shutters open up to create a window.

 

 

I have to admit, they were small, but it was a cute little area.

 

 

 

[moopig]

Wonderful pics!!! Thanks for sharing. What model is your camera? I need to get a new one. Thanks!

[mitsugirly]

 

 

Each place came with your own little deck

 

 

These places were a lot bigger. I think they may have been the dorms.

 

 

 

 

 

Here you would fine the showers

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I made it back out to the malecon and noticed just how far down I was...almost by the lighthouse.

 

 

 

Our beautiful Sun was still there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

I decided to head back up to the beginning close the office. I knew I had seen some type of dome thing and wanted to check it out.

 

 

 

I took a peek in. It looked as if they used it.

 

 

 

I'm not sure what type of temple this is or what they do in there, but I got kind of freaked out and didn't feel like today was a good day for the spirits to come get me and take over my body.

 

 

So I backed myself out of there (you had to crawl in)

 

This little guy was waiting on the seats outside and then scrambled as if he knew I had done something wrong.

 

 

 

It looks like they have a campfire outside too.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

I headed back to the hubby to report on the grounds...and of course order another Bahama Mama.

 

The hubby decided he wanted to go for a walk and explore with me. I gave him a guided tour since it was now my specialty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

A lady walking along the beach with items for sale, but she did not bother us or approach us. She just smiled.

 

 

 

It looks like this should have been the one that I took Sakari's picture by instead of the "leaf" one.

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I always wanted to do a shot at the beach with someone jumping up in the air. Sakari is short of course and doesn't come up in the air too high. I forgot that she's done nothing but eat on the cruise and it must have been weighing her down.

 

 

 

The rocks from the shore line.

 

[mitsugirly]

 

 

When we were walking back, I noticed there was a lot of people in the water playing volleyball right in front of where we had been hanging out all day.

 

 

 

 

 

I got back and decided it was time for a soda. Edgar shared with me.

 

 

 

 

 

Earlier in the day a couple was sitting ahead of us and over to the side. They ask if we were on our first cruise and we told them how often we cruise. They said that they loved the place we were at (Blue Kay) and they would love to come back and do a land vacation here, but it was ashamed that the nearest airport was a 6 hour drive from there in Cancun. They started saying that they didn't like cruising and that the ship was small and boring. There was just nothing for them to do and this would be their first and last cruise.

 

Well, they weren't even at Blue Kay for very long either and they left. We decided to move up in their chairs since it was closer to the water. I'm not sure why we sat so far back to begin with and trying to watch Sakari in the water.

 

Looking back at our "old" spot.

 

 

I have to admit, the only bad thing about this place that we could find were the hard wooden chairs. Of course nothing is going to get me down. I just piled the beach towels on it and I was good to go.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Sakari headed back out the water and to play with some friends again.

 

 

 

 

I snorkeled a little more...until I seen this. Wonder if it was mommy coming in to see who disturbed her children out at the reef.

 

 

 

Ok...here's the rocks by the shoreline that I was talking about finding the flounder and neat fish by.

 

 

See it's right by the shore.

 

 

 

 

 

[Medtech2]

When you get to the rocky part, this is what you see. I guess there's absolutely no way you are getting over those rocks. It was like a wall of sea urchins and almost kinda dreary looking and scary. Even if they wasn't here, you would have to stand up out of the water and walk over because it was just that shallow.

 

 

 

I have no idea what the heck this is or what kind of coral it is. It looked like a shiny big blob of poo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A huge Caribbean Blue Tang.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks like a tar ball...?

Edited December 6, 2014 by Medtech2

[mitsugirly]

I decided I would call it a day from snorkeling. I had seen everything and found out just how good the snorkeling could be here. I had seen things that I had never seen before and that makes for an awesome day. Sakari wasn't willing to give up though.

 

 

 

 

Her little friends had went off for awhile and had some icecream. Sakari decided that she wanted some ice cream and I let Roberto know. He said they didn't have any but would fine her some kind. He also informed me they had "the best" cheesecake ever! (How did he know I loved cheesecake???) I told him I would take one.

 

 

 

 

The children out in the water with their ice cream.

 

 

I just want to say that I feel so greatful that we are able to take these cruises and give Sakari the opportunity of growing up (so far) learning about different cultures, lifestyles and interacting with others. I sat back watching Sakari with her little Mexican friends (their mother was the lady at the massage table I believe) and watched how they interacted. Neither of these Mexican children could speak any English. Of course Sakari could not speak Spanish...except for hola. But yet these children could play and communicate in a way toward each other to relay exactly what they wanted and needed. They shared their toys, Sakari shared her goggles, they played ball and had a great time. Isn't it sad that some day these children will grow up, learn the "bad" way of life taught from those around them and come to disrespect other cultures, languages and so on if they are not the same as them? Isn't it sad that we live in a world where there's so much hatred and racism? Isn't it sad that if someone else doesn't have your beliefs, then they are the bad one? Isn't it sad that we get frustrated when we can not communicate with someone in our own country because they have broken English or don't speak it at all? But yet we could learn a lot from watching our innocent children. Somehow they manage to communicate just fine and get along. I hope that I will be able to continue to enrich Sakari's life as she grows older and I hope that she will keep these values. Even if it's only 1 person in this world...it can make a difference. Just a thought.

 

As the kids played, I played on the beach myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Say cheese!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Practicing a little tilt shift...it doesn't work as well on the land as when you are high up looking down.

 

 

 

Sakari's treat never came and neither did my cheesecake. I decided to walk up to the restaurant and ran into Roberto. That's when he explained that he was the head chef. So, he was not only running and taking orders, but he was going back and cooking them as well. At that point I felt sorry for him. They need more help obviously. He apologized for the wait on the desert and said he would have it right out.

 

Sakari loved the swings at the bar.

 

 

 

She finally got her icecream and it was a special ice cream...

 

 

 

My cheesecake arrived too. It was good, but not out of this world. It had somewhat of that "foamy" texture that I really don't care for. I'm more of a New York Style cheesecake girl. But, it was good enough for me to eat it all I can tell you that.

 

 

 

A bird sat in the trees and sang to us while we finished our treats. These birds have such a beautiful voice. So different than the ones back home.

 

 

 

 

It had been a beautiful, perfect day that we didn't really want to end. However, it seemed like a very long day too and we kept looking at the time thinking it should be close to time to go and it never would be. I loved that.

 

 

 

We decided that we wanted to take a walk down the malecon before we left and Roberto came over and we settled our bill. It only came to $48 for all 3 of us for the entire day!!! Wow! We felt like we were eating and drinking all day and this was a pretty darn cheap day for the 3 of us. I gave him a very nice tip. He told me that the cheesecake was on him since he forgot to bring it back to me.

 

I ask him about getting back to the port and he said whenever we were ready, he would call a cab for us and they would be there to pick us up within 15 minutes.

 

I ask if we were allowed to store our things in the lockers and he said he would give us the lockers for free for buying so much food and drinks. That made me think that just maybe this is a hidden gem and since no one really knows about it and since it's located kinda away from the other places on the malecon, maybe they don't get a lot of business. Nice for us, but I guess not for them.

 

We put our things in 2 lockers and away we went for our walk along the malecon.

 

 

[mitsugirly]

It's been a VERY long day and I know this days review has been super long. Sorry about that, but I REALLY loved this place and wanted to share as much as I could with everyone in hopes that if anyone tries it out, they will be satisfied with it and have a good perception of what it's like before going to know whether or not it's the right place for you.

 

I will continue tomorrow if I can (I have to work twice tomorrow lol), with our walk along the malecon and our trip back to the ship.

 

I hope everyone is still enjoying the review. :)

[mojomorris]

Mitsugirly,

Great photos and review!

We're doing the same Sun 7 day itinerary in April '15 and already I'm liking LFK and Blue Kay.

You mentioned going to Bermuda next year..we did Bermuda in April with CCL and I snorkeled at the "free" area near the fort at the Dockyard pier. The water was a tad chilly so I wore a full length "Hotskin" (Lycra/spandex but not wetsuit neoprene) to retain body heat. It also helps protect from critter bites/stings, sharp rocks etc. Snorkeling was mediocre and I would go to one of the "real" beaches the next time.

Looking forward to the rest of your review in the days to come.

[herdingdogmom]

Definitely enjoying this review. Thanks so much for sharing all your pictures. We are on the Sun for 14 days a year or so from now and your pictures really helped. We did book a mini-suite so we won't have the shower curtain/shower issue.

 

Your day in the town near Costa Maya looks great. We went to Mayan ruins on our trip there last year and are sorry to have missed the little town. We didn't care for the port area and spent a good $20 more than you did on just a couple of margaritas and a quesadilla.

 

I also really enjoyed your LFK review. You would have been so disappointed with Parrot Tree. No comparison!