Wow! It is a clear morning and the shoreline is back where it is supposed to be. Everyone is seeming much happier today. Maybe that has something to do with the hot coffee that was served early this morning. We eventually get a real breakfast with eggs, hash browns, and french toast. During the morning we see a convoy of ferry boats returning to the island. Just like yesterday we have a steady stream of helicoptors running between the island and the mainland. Around lunch time the water comes back on. At lunch you can really tell who took a shower before lunch. We went 4 days without a real shower. It feels great to now be clean. The t-shirt shop across the street is now open so we even get some fresh clothes to wear. Also got housecleaning service today. The room is now spotless. Around 6 PM we see the first airplane. There is another great meal for dinner and this time we get ice cream. Yeah, things are really getting back to normal now. By the end of the day the courtyard even has the tables and umbrellas up.

All in all today is the day we change from "hurricane survival and recover" mode to "want to go home" mode. The lack of information quickly becomes very frustrating. We are getting very conflicting information about when the airport will reopen and on what is the cause of the delays.

The cleanup is progressing extremely rapidly. The hotel staff are all out helping in the rebuilding. The walls and walkways are beginning to be reformed. We again get great breakfast, lunch, and dinner. That is the good news. The bad news is that still no one can figure what is going on with the airlines. This afternoon someone decides to charter a private jet for a rumoured $18,000. 4 people leave for that flight. We do not see them again so I guess they made it out. Everyone else is stuck. We are all settling into a routine now, eat breakfast, wander around for a while, spread some rumours, eat lunch, wander for a while longer, more rumours, sit for a while, dinner, even more rumours, and eventually go to bed. In the morning we see a Mexicana flight departing from the airport. This of course starts a whole new set of rumours.

The big news today is that one person from our group and the other big group staying here are confirmed on their Continental flight. They leave shortly after breakfast. They come back around lunch time. Apparently having a confirmed reservation is not good enough to get you into the airport. Frustrations with the airlines are rising. Around dinner time some exciting things happen. The Navy makes an appearance. Someone found a small turtle in town and gave it to Edgar to send home. Our lives are very boring now. Small things are now a big event.

The morning started early with the group from Oregon leaving. Around lunch a guy from the Cozumel travel bureau showed up at the hotel and said that 3 Continental planes were coming in to get the remaining Americans out. We rushed to get our group together and get everything packed. We make it to the airport about an hour after we first heard of the deal. Yeah!!! We are on our way home.