We have been waiting for the weather to clear up for a few days now, but the incessant drizzling and the grey skies seem intent to hang around. The shoot has been postponed twice already, and we don’t have many days left. Also, we don’t quite have a location pinned down. Steve and I have already scouted out some potential spots on the mainland, but without a car, our opportunities are limited, and nothing really seems to scream out “This is the perfect location!” Finally, on a whim we decide to try our luck on Cozumel, weather coorporating or not. Besides, we are a little bored with Playa del Carmen after almost a week there.
We hop on a ferry and spend an hour on choppy seas. I am a little seasick, and in between dozing in and out of sleep, I watch the couple in front of me share songs on a portable mp3 player, each holding one half of the headphones to their ear. Actually, I can’t tell if they are a couple. They aren’t sitting close enough, and the guy seems a little more enthusiastic about the music than she is. He smiles at her; her returned smile isn’t as big. He’s trying to engage her, but I’m not sure if it’s working. Poor guy. He’s not too shabby looking though, and so if this doesn’t work out, I doubt he’d have much difficulty getting the attention of other girls. I close by eyes and try to sleep again.
Cozumel. Low, flat, and densely vegitated. This used to be the home of some 40,000 Mayans, before smallpox wiped them out. At some point later, this island was a hideout for Carribean pirates. Nowadays, it has been rebranded as a tourist destination, though half the island still remains undeveloped. With the sun quickly setting behind the afternoon rain clouds, Steve and I check in to our $45/night hotel, pick up our rental car, and go hunting for dinner. We later try exploring the island, but as you can guess, things look pretty dark at night. We head back to the hotel.
The next morning, we decide to drive in the opposite direction. The city quicky gives way to country side, traffic jammed streets to empty roads, name brand stores to little shacks selling homemade blankets for $5 each. There’s something about wild, undeveloped country and big open spaces that stir my spirit. The promise of adventure and the unknown, beckoning ever so sweetly. Somewhere in the middle of all that jungle are ruins of Mayan temples. I wish we have more time.
We drive past a few empty looking restaurants that pepper the coastline, stopping here and there to take pictures. We round a corner and suddenly … we see it. It’s perfect.
A secluded little cove. Clear blue-green water. Fierce-looking rocks sitting among the waves. A tiny little shack overlooking the ocean. Palm trees leaning away from the wind. Not a single soul to be seen, except for a dog scampering around, looking for someone to play with. All this, under the skies of a stormy tropical afternoon. It is perfect. Winnie and Jing will love this.
We headed back to civilization to pick them up from the ferry dock …
Check out the slideshow of their Day After session!
Missed the slideshow? Check it out here!
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by Junshien
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