Cozumel – San Gervasio Ruins and Island Drive
Today was our second day in Cozumel, the first full day for passengers who arrived yesterday.
Tracey and I were back on tour; this time, it was a morning excursion to see some more Mayan ruins and enjoy a beach break. Passengers are encouraged to take towels and swimwear along for ‘beach break’ tours, but neither of us felt inclined to do so. For starters, we’d had a pretty full-on beach session in Costa Maya, but also, I prefer to do my swimming in my own time and space, not within the confines of an organised excursion.
San Gervasio Ruins were far more decrepit than those we saw in Belize, and crawling with Iguanas. In some places, it really did just feel like a pile of old stones. What made it interesting, however, was our guide, whose enthusiasm and knowledge really brought the Mayans alive. He told us all about the Mayan calendar, and then managed to explain the whole basis of Mayan numerology and show us how to count up to massive numbers in Mayan, in a simple, but very effective, ten minute demonstration… very impressive!
The archway that would at one time have been the entrance to the city is still relatively intact, and with a little imagination and a lot of squinting, it is possible to piece together a temple and one or two other buildings.
From the the remains of San Gervasio, we continued our drive through the centre of Cozumel to the South, Caribbean coast, where a beach and bar awaited us. While some passengers swam, Tracey and I enjoyed a drink from the bar and explored the fun/challenge of lying in a hammock. For a picture of me demonstrating how not to use a hammock, check out the photos in Tracey’s Blog (a link is to the left of this screen).
At some appointed time, a group of three sombreroed musicians appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and proceeded to play their music (two Spanish guitars and an accordian) at as many tables as they could (for monetary recompense, of course). Many people tried to say no thank you as politely as possible, and usher them away, others tried ignoring them completely. Neither tactic worked; they would still stand and play for you whether you liked it or not.
Annoying mexican musicians aside, we rather enjoyed our little beach break. Time was getting on, though, and lunch on the ship would finish at 2pm, so I was starting to get a little worried when we didn’t leave the beach until gone 12:30. It took us over 45 minutes to return to Downtown Cozumel, leaving folks with very little time to get to lunch. The good news is; most did make it, although when we got back, at almost 1:30pm, Karin the Shore Excursions Manager asked me to pass on the message to Reception that they were still waiting for 75 more passengers to return from excursions (75 hungry and unhappy passengers are not something you want to see).
