 Karen
and Lee Duquette 
took a cruise to Cozumel and Playa-Del-Carmen
to celebrate their 25th Wedding Anniversary
January 20 - 25, 1991
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Note: When Karen
and Lee Duquette became The two RV Gypsies in January 2008 and sold
their house, she could not take all of her photo albums in the RV with
her. But she did scan as many of the photos as she could and put them
in a box. However, this page was not posted here until many years later,
so most of her photos were misplaced. But still, some photos survived
and this is an interesting site with a bit of history. |
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 The
Britanis entered service in 1932 as the Matson Lines’ Monterey. She
survived an attack by German dive bombers while in service as a troop
ship during World War II, but eventually she could not survive the harsh
sea.
The 26,000-ton Britanis, sank 50 miles off the coast of Cape Town,
South Africa, on October 21, 2000. The aged liner left Salvador, Brazil,
being pulled by a tugboat. She was headed for a scrap yard in India
when a leak developed in her aft section. Repairing the leak and finishing
the tow would have been incredibly expensive. As a result, she was left
to sink to the bottom of the ocean. |
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Below: Dinner time - and
a pirate attacked Lee and Karen Duquette - so why was Karen smiling??? |
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Cozumel (Spanish pronunciation: [kosuˈmel];
is an island and municipality in the Caribbean Sea off the eastern coast
of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula, opposite Playa del Carmen, and close
to the Yucatán Channel. It is separated from the mainland.The municipality
is part of the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico. |
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Below: Karen and Lee Duquette and The SS Britanis in Cozumel
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CHANKANAAB PARK in COZUMEL. Chankanaab is the premier Eco-Archaeological
Park on Cozumel Island. Located just nine minutes by taxi from downtown
and the cruise piers. it is a place like no other on Cozumel to spend
the day. |
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Below: Chankanaab Lagoon |
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Below: San Gervacio Ruins are excavated
Mayan Ruins covering an area of about 10 acres and situated in beautiful
jungle surroundings. |
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San
Gervasio is an archaeological site of the pre-Columbian Maya civilization,
located in the northern third of the island of Cozumel off the northeastern
coast of the Yucatán Peninsula, in what is now the Mexican state of
Quintana Roo. San Gervasio is the largest Mayan Ruins site on Cozumel,
and also the most significant. It was a holy site, dedicated to Ixchel,
the goddess of fertility. Mayan women would pilgrimage here from all
over the country to pray at the temples of San Gervasio. The settlement
dates back as far as 100 B.C., and was continually settled starting
in 200 A.D. The ruins were once a hub of worship of the goddess Ix Chel,
an aged deity of childbirth, fertility, medicine, and weaving. Pre-Columbian
Maya women would try to travel to San Gervasio and make offerings at
least once in their lives. |
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Below: Sea lavender is also known as marsh
rosemary and lavender thrift. Sea lavender (Limonium carolinianum),
has nothing to do with lavender, rosemary or thrift. It is a perennial
plant often found growing wild in salt marshes and along coastal sand
dunes. Sea lavender displays red-tinted stems and leathery, spoon-shaped
leaves. Delicate purple blooms appear in summer. |
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Below: Karen and Lee Duquette by the
ocean with their rented jeep. |
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Below: Another cruise port: Playa del Carmen, also
referred to locally as Playa. It is a resort city located along the
Caribbean Sea in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico and is part of the
municipality of Solidaridad.
Playa del Carmen is a popular tourist destination in Mexico's Riviera
Maya region. The main airport for Playa is the Cancún International
Airport, which is around 70 km away. This airport ranks tenth in terms
of international passengers worldwide, and the second busiest in Mexico
behind Mexico City.
The area is known for its white sand beaches, blue turquoise waters,
coral reefs, surrounding rainforests, and balnearios. The downtown area
of the city revolves around Quinta Avenida, a busy pedestrian thoroughfare
lined with many shops, clubs, and restaurants. The weather is hot year-round,
with the summer and winter breaks being peak season. |
Below: Lee and Karen Duquette at Playa-Del-Carmen
with the cruise ship in the background |
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Below: The roads and houses in the area |
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Below: Locals building a structure |
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Below: Karen Duquette with a local shop owner
and his daughter. He wanted the photo. |
Lee Duquette in the middle of a shopping plaza |
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Below: Time to head back to the ship |
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