Day 3 - Cozumel, Mexico

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.

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. 

 This is the Ossuary structure at San Gervasio was built during the Post Classic period - from 1200 - 1650 A.D. The sign said they call it the Ossuary because of the "numerous human remains found inside during exploration of the building.

These also dated from  1200-1600 A.D. We found the tree roots growing amongst the roots interesting. 

 These trees have vines hanging from them. The vines grow into the ground and more trees spring up. No one could tell us the name of the trees. I may Google later.

 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.

 This building is called the Little Hand building because of the little red hand prints on the walls. It dates from 1000-1200 A.D. There is an "inner temple" in the middle of this building.

 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!

After lunch, Michael donned snorkel gear and went exploring. He saw  Moray Eels,Spider Crabs, a Sting Ray, Big live SHELLS, lots of tropical fish, dolphins and sharks - no barracudas. He wanted to go off on his own, but the guide stays close. 

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. 

Day 2 - Fun Day at Sea

Our beautiful morning balcony view was perfect for time in the Word. I got another chapter done, Shelly! 

We eventually headed out to hunt down some breakfast. NO ONE will starve on a Carnival Cruise. The food is good  - the view is AMAZING! 

We enjoyed a round of mini-golf and explored the ship a bit more. We're finding the quieter areas to eat, find others to talk with or simply to be alone. 

Michael won every golf game!

We spent quite a bit of time talking with a couple on their seventh cruise.  Their tip was not to book excursions, but to get off the ship and explore the port. They also take interior, corner rooms. No windows - much cheaper. HOWEVER, Michael says he thinks the balcony and being able to see the horizon is helping my motion sickness.

We returned to our room after lunch and found gifts from JaRissa! Thanks, Rissa!!!

We took our books and went deck side to find a lounge chair. It took a bit of patience but we scored a double chair. Michael began to feel he'd had enough sun and went to find shade. Eventually, I decided to go find him and he was nowhere to be found. I came back to the room - figured it was the safest way to meet up again.  When he couldn't find me he figured the only place I was sure about finding was the room. ::snort:: It turned out great as there were flying fish outside our room. We sat outside and watched them - until our steward brought MORE gifts for us from Larissa and Jared.

After dinner the steward brought us some gift cards from Carnival as Michael has a birthday during our cruise!

For fun this evening, Michael turned on the GPS. It said, "I don't where you are buddy, but you're going 21 mph." We also played a rip roaring game of Farkle, enjoyed our sparking juice and strawberries, and the big super moon.

I could get used to nightly turn down service. 

Tonight's towel buddy

We are talking about the strategies being shared with us for saving for future cruises.  I'm determined to bring a group next time and position them in rooms on either side of me so  I don't have to hear about - well things I'd rather not learn about - or deal with their cigarette wrappers and butts blowing over.

Psst - I won the game. 

Day 1 - Houston to Embarkation

Our tummies were full, our bags packed and we were waiting for 0900 shuttle back to the Houston Airport. It was a good way to start the day. Unfortunately, our travel partner was an anti-military retirement gentlemen and I had words with him...until Michael squeezed my leg. He seems to think that "we the people" should not have to pay for "they the lazy" military's retirement.  It turns out our driver is just getting ready to go into the Navy.  He was thankful for our words and Michael also had some great encouragement to share with him.

We met all sorts of fun and interesting people on the bus and in the Carnival boarding terminal. Our early morning friend did apologize and we were friendly - well Michael is mostly friendly. I'm trying.

It was so fun to pull away from Galveston. 

I love this man! 

Loved the various vessels

The first order of the day was to begin learning where things are located on the ship. We are sailing on the Carnival Freedom. It's a 7 day cruise to the Caribbean - with port of calls in Cozumel, Belize and Mahogany Bay, Isle of Roatan.

Before we could really get down to enjoying the cruise, we all practiced mustering....3000 people racing to the lifeboats. We were informed, in case of EMERGENCY, we are to all go to our staterooms, grab out life vests and THEN go to the lifeboats. I'm imagining fighting the crowds on stairs and elevators to the room and to the 4th deck and thinking there might be a better system...

Safety Briefing was first up on Day 1

  Our room reminds us of a Japanese hotel. This is a good thing. We like things small - and it seems much bigger now that we live in The Caboose.  Truth be known, it seems huge. The big difference is we have a king size bed in our stateroom and we never had bigger than a double in Japan.

Our Japanese hotel rooms did not have cute towel animals! 

I had ordered a few sailing gifts and they were delivered. We are a bit alarmed at the noise level of our neighbors. We went up on deck and realized most had started drinking the minute they came aboard....there are a LOT of people on this ship. I'm an extrovert, Michael is an introvert - but we both craved a bit more isolation than it appeared we would have.....

It was great fun to get under way!  The Serenity Retreat is a GREAT spot to relax and watch the ocean go by. We discovered QUICKLY,  if you snag a big, shaded, double lounge and leave your shoes and water bottles on the table for a minute to take a picture at the railing -  others will JUMP RIGHT INTO THE CHAIR. Not to worry, I reached around them and retrieved my Contiga water bottle and shoes and we headed elsewhere.

We were late to dinner as we got a bit lost - had a few adventures. When we finally arrived we met Sheldon & Melinda from Waco, TX. This is their 6th cruise.  Our meal was excellent - well the vegetarian was SPICY - but the melted chocolate cake for dessert was heavenly. ::wink:: Sheldon and Melinda were happy to share their cruising tips. We began to catch a vision of how to make this a vacation with enough isolation to refresh us.

We discovered the shops and LIBRARY after dinner. This vacation is looking better all the time. Our plan is to enjoy the crowds and busyness - but then escape to our room and private balcony to read, talk, play games and relax.  

The balcony is amazing. We are so thankful to have it! 

Late at night, evidently about the time the bars close on ship, the hallways got rather noisy. My personal favorite was the couple staggering down our hallway. He was singing the National Anthem at the top of his lungs. It was a bit alarming to wake up to, but he did a fairly good job. The lady with him was screaming at the top of her lungs telling him to, "SHUT UP!" and he kept singing.

"SHUT UP - people are SLEEPING!"

He kept singing.

"SHUT UP  - there are families with kids here. Shut the BLANK BLEEP up."

He kept singing as I laughed. I'd rather my kids hear a boisterous man singing his national anthem than a woman yelling profanities - but I may be the odd man out in this opinion.

We are so appreciative of this amazing retirement gift from the Gherkins. 

We're Off!

Mom and Dad are champs and took us to the airport at 0430 this morning. We were happy to see Cory at work and get a quick hug in before we went through security. 

Our flights were fairly typical and uneventful - just as we like them to be. I did get to know a young gentlemen fairly well after being joined at the thigh for three hours. I thought it was my imagination, but Michael later confirmed the economy seats on United are quite a bit narrower than the seating in most planes we've been in.  This young man works for a non-profit which invests in and teaches renewable energy, water filtration and solutions and anything to do with climate change - in third world countries.  He has traveled extensively and had some fun travel tips we plan to employ on the cruise. As  a side note, he'd lived in Sapporo, Japan for a year. If you have to be sandwiched between your boyfriend and a complete stranger, make sure the folks are interesting. ::snort::

Jamin lives ninety minutes from Houston. He picked us up at the airport and we enjoyed spending several hours catching up with him. We shared his starring role in our parenting workshop. ::wink::  In all seriousness, Jamin has been a blessing in our lives. He actually had a life-changing role in our lives and parenting.

We drove around the area of Houston we were in - looking for somewhere to eat without bars on the windows and people outside who looked like they'd be ready to throw down. We finally settled on a KFC and then headed back to our hotel - directly under the departure corridor of the airport.

In May, Jamin will receive his second graduate degree. We are excited to travel back to TX in May. It was great to see Jamin.