I met Miguel at the Mercado Municipal in Cozumel. He was chatting with some ladies while they rolled corn tortillas. The smell of the dough caught my attention, so I walked over and crashed their conversation.
A few minutes later, Miguel was offering to show me “the real Cozumel” on his bike. He had two helmets. He was ready. I looked at the ladies. They could tell I was thinking about it, and so they said, “you should go.” Off we went.
We drove past the street he grew up on, the school he went to as a kid, Cozumel’s Estadio Azteca (a patch of grass with two soccer nets), and the small hospital that “has one doctor… if you’re lucky.” We ducked potholes and cars, while making our way to William’s.
William’s looked and felt like someone’s garage. There was an old couple sitting there watching TV. They knew Miguel. As soon as we walked in, they sprang into action. I was introduced as “Gadiel, my friend from Puerto Rico.( remember I’ve never met Miguel before) We sat down on two plastic chairs, and not a minute went by before we had our first beer. Soon after, we also had snail ceviche. Then guacamole. Then more beers. This cycle repeated itself three to four times.
Miguel told me about how much Cozumel had changed since he moved there 35 years ago. He said William’s used to be packed with tourists, but that day, I looked around, and it was just me and him sitting there. “People used to walk all over town. Now the cruises send all the tourists to a few select businesses owned by people with contacts.”
We paid our tab at William’s, walked towards the bike, and Miguel asked, “Can I show you one more place?” I said yes.
Another bar — I don’t remember this one’s name — but the same situation. A bar that was once packed, now hosting an impromptu tour of two and a table of four. We sat down. More beers, more food.
When Miguel took me back to port, I offered to pay him for his time, but he said: “You are offending me.” “Why, Miguel? Just take the money, you spent your gas, time, etc.” He wouldn’t.
I never got his phone number, and he doesn’t have social media. He said he owns a restaurant called Bugs Bunny. Funny guy. Thanks Miguel ✌️
Originally posted on Instagram.