Today was our first shore excursion and it felt good to be
off the ship.
Eagerly waiting to debark |
We were immediately struck by how many BUGS there are in
Cozumel. Volkswagen bugs. They are very popular here . There are so many
scooters on the road that a separate lane is devoted to scooters. After these initial impressions we set off on
our mission - to find the guitar by Hard Rock cafe. We had no address. We
figured, correctly, this would be a pretty well-known landmark. I asked a man
and received directions. Off we went.
Striker Biker |
Slug Bug - Kids, Dad says he won the count today |
Another immediate observation were the various uses for bikes. These little "cabs" came right up on the pier to pick people up. We walked.
I had booked a private and customizable jeep tour for the day. The Internet promised an all-inclusive day with several stops.....the following is from the website.
I had booked a private and customizable jeep tour for the day. The Internet promised an all-inclusive day with several stops.....the following is from the website.
Inclusions
·
Transport by private vehicle
·
Fuel surcharge
·
National Park fees
·
Lunch
·
Bottled water and beer
·
Local guide
·
Hotel/port pickup and drop-off
·
Use of snorkel equipment
I began to have doubts when our guide asked, "What do
you want to see?" Um - the stuff listed in your add - but he seemed
unfamiliar with the ad. Tip - bring a copy of the printed ad (not just the
voucher).
Another surprise is Michael turned out to be our driver
for the day. After a few pointers, Miguel commented he was, "As good as a Mexican driver." We are considering a jeep for a towed vehicle
(toad) and were interested in getting a feel for the ride and how it drives. By
the end of the day we agreed this was not a fair trial run. The roads were
bumpy, the check engine light was on the whole time and the poor thing
obviously needed some maintenance. ::snort::
Cozumel is an island. We drove around the island - stopping
where something caught our fancy. Our first stop was San Gervasio. This is an archaeological site of the pre-Colombian Maya civilization. This was supposed to be
included, but ended up costing us funds. We paid $5 each to walk through the first gate, $4.50 each to walk through the second gate and spent five minutes INSISTING we didn't want a $20 each guided tour. This is a well-kept park, with signs in both Spanish and English. Here we saw some of the ruins we saw.
These also dated from 1200-1600 A.D. We found the tree roots growing amongst the roots interesting.
These arches date from the Pre-Hispanic period. Pilgrims or traders would travel to San Gervasio with offerings for the goddess Ixchel and leave them on an altar that was through the arches. This inverted staircase arch is typical of Mayan buildings. They didn't seem to master the curved arch.
Michael helpfully pointed out this guy on the path beside me. I termed him a "ginormous" iguana. Miguel agreed it was "almost a large one."
We were awed by the beautiful turquoise color of the Caribbean Ocean. It was incredibly clear!
This Caribbean Turquoise is my new favorite color! |
Our next stop was a El Cedro, a small village which we
strolled through, while Miguel washed the jeep. I haven't a clue why. ::snort:: Our big purchases of the day were a darling
dress for Bella and two hats for Michael and I. The selection was slim, but we REALLY needed some sun protection. I'll love these as they'll always remind us of our trip to El Cedro. I enjoyed bargaining again. I got the dress
at 1/3 the starting price and the hats 50% off the starting price.
We were impressed at this Catholic church built right at the
feet of a Mayan temple. We were casually taking photos when this gentlemen
jumped out and offered to take photos with us - for a tip.
Later, back at the car, we asked Miguel if he
knew the Mayan who took pictures with tourists. He asked to see the photo. He
harrumphed and said, "That's not a Mayan."
Wondering if there were distinctive features to observe Michael
asked, "How can you tell he's not a Mayan?"
It turns out Miguel's grandfather and mother are full Mayan.
He is 1/2 Mayan. His response was simple and telling, "No real Mayan would
dress like that and take photos with tourists."
We stopped at ToTuro Beach club for lunch beside the sparkling
ocean. Lunch was good. It became obvious lunch is free, however, the
expectation is you'll order large quantities of alcohol to go with your lunch.
I had a wonderful lunch of vegetable fajitas - Michael had something wrapped in
tortillas.
OK kids - I know they are "middle age" hats - but we avoided the old man hats! |
I took advantage of a lounge chair in the shade to read,
while I guarded our camera, passports et al.
We finally convinced Miguel we had no desire at all to visit a Tequila
factory. He had observed we meant it when we said we don't drink alcohol and relented. I suspect he enjoys the stop at the Tequila factory. I know
all these stops have deals with the tour owners.
Miguel kept offering Michael beers as he drove. Michael
always politely refused and explained we don't drink. Finally, he pointed out he
was driving - thinking that would stop the offers. Nope. Miguel responded,
"It's o.k. to drink and drive in Cozumel. You just can't be drunk and
drive."
On the drive back to the pier we came upon a long line of
traffic. Even the scooters weren't moving. All were heading back to the ships
and there had been an accident. Miguel told us he knew another road - but
tourists don't usually go on it. We told him we were game! WOW - pot holes
bigger than Volkswagens. We traveled down the road, through the lush jungle
until we hit the dump - surrounded by houses
and dogs which define the term "junk yard dogs." It was quicker!
This cheaper, all-inclusive tour ended up costing us as much
as the tour would have from Carnival. We are still happy to have done it as the
tour was PRIVATE - just the two of us. We were able to see spots the
tours most often avoid, and we enjoyed the day with Miguel.
A few more scenes from Cozumel city....
Dinner was great tonight. At least mine was - stuffed and breaded Portobello Mushrooms. The sunset was brilliant and the moon was super...though the camera didn't do it justice.
It's nice to come back to a yummy dinner, turned down bed and towel buddies after a hot day of exploring.
2 comments:
I clicked on the tour link - it says that San Gervacio is an exclusion and costs $10. Glad you enjoyed your day ashore.
Why didn't you snorkle? I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it
LOL The problem is the receipt they emailed me specifically said National park fees and a tour of Mayan ruins were included. They TOOK us HERE - we would assume then this was the national park and ruins that were included. But they weren't - and we were not taken to any other national parks or ruins. As I said, If I'd brought the printed receipt instead of the voucher alone - I'm sure it would have been fine. Pretty sure it was a communication problem.
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