Cozumel!
Trip Start
Jan 15, 2009
1
7
14
Trip End
Jan 28, 2009
Cozumel, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Port of call today is Cozumel and we were scheduled to dock at 10am so we didn't have to rush as much this morning. Breakfast was eaten at Great Outdoors Cafe Deck 12 Aft which we found to be less crowded and our table was out in the fresh air. However, the food selection is limited and if there's more than a few people milling about, it can quickly become too crowded juggling plates, pouring beverages, etc.
The ship docked on time and we walked off soon afterward. We quickly stepped around the always-present welcoming photo op which today was a Mayan dressed in traditional ceremonial garb and a dolphin mascot. All cruisers are forced to go up an escalator in order to bypass crossing the street but you're walking through a mini mall of every kind of souvenir shop possible.
The meeting point for our excursion was in front of Carlos & Charlie's restaurant which we located first. We had time to kill so we walked down the main drag a bit and I bought a straw hat from a street vendor. I get a huge kick answering the vendor's pleas in English with my Spanish. It's quite a shock to them hearing this freckle-faced gringa speaking Spanish with a Mexican dialect and I love seeing their facial reactions! After taking some photos we bought a Pepsi and settled on a bench to wait for our guide. In the middle of the mall courtyard were 3 colorful Scarlet Macaws on a perch who were there to advertise a tourst adventure.
Right on time we found the greeter Paco who took us to a taxi and explained we would be driven to the ATV Adventure in the town of El Cedral. As we drove past the other dock, we saw 3 cruise ships there: Celebrity Constellation (sailed on her 9/07 across the North Atlantic), Carnival Imagination and Ruby Princess. Again, I thought there were to be more ships in port on the same day?
Arriving at the ATV place we were greeted by Victor who welcomed us all and gave a detailed explanation of what we would be doing. They had large lockers available for a rental of $2 to stow our belongings since we wouldn't need them on the ATVs. After a safety briefing and how to ride, we climbed on our machines, fastened helmets, adjusted hankerchiefs over our face and were off.
The trails were dusty, pitted with holes and rocks and took us through dense vegetation. Most everyone drove at a good pace. We enjoyed the 4-wheeling on our own little personal vehicle and tried not to laugh or risk getting a mouthful of dust. One spot in the road was a slight depression filled with muddy water which I suspect was there on purpose. I say that because a photographer was perched on a mound of dirt beside the trail snapping each rider's photo as they drove through. John tried to go fast enough to splash him but the photographer was out of reach.
We stopped at a place called a "cenote", a natural freshwater sinkhole that is a part of the subterranean river system of the Mayas. This cenote was 66' deep and filled with clean fresh water, although to our eyes it looked absolutely putrid. Mayans who lived on the island centuries ago would sacrifice a young girl by throwing her in to appease the rain gods.
We rode on some more through vegetation and rough trails to our next stopping point which was a series of limestone caves. At a high point on the island the Mayans set up a circle of conch shells so when a hurricane was approaching, the winds would whistle through the shells. The shrill noise would send the Mayans scurrying to seek shelter in these caves until the storm passed.
We sadly finished the ATV tour, rested and drank bottled water while viewing the photos that were available for purchase. Then we were loaded into taxis to be driven to a nearby resort called Las Uvas Beach Club for the second portion of the excursion. We had a choice of snorkeling or relaxing on beach chairs. Since the waves were fairly choppy, I decided to go with Option B and ordered a tall refreshing Margarita from the bar. We relaxed there for an hour before heading back to the dock in our taxi. That excursion was a blast and one of the better ones we've had. Word of warning -- there are no restrooms during the ATV part of the excursion which is a serious flaw in my opinion.
Walking back through the mall to return to the ship, I stopped to purchase 3 silver bracelets for $6. We chilled in the room the rest of the evening. Late at night we ventured out to the buffet and chowed down on french fries, pizza and hamburgers. End of cruise day #3.
