Nov. 21, in Cozumel

Today we are in Cozumel.  It is sunny and warm and it is another relaxing day for us.  We had coffee on the deck to get it started and then went up for breakfast.  Back in the cabin we just enjoyed the deck read and watched the activity in the water.  We have 6 cruise ships that we can count in Cozumel with us today.  We figure about 20,000 cruise passengers trying to move around in the city and on the island somewhere.

We walked off the ship around noon and went to Three Amigos, which is a bar close to the pier and had some Mexican food and a margarita.  After lunch we wandered around the shops and then found a lounge on the beach and sat and just enjoyed the warm weather and the view of the harbor.

Back on the ship we read a little watched a couple of cruise ships depart before us and had a light dinner in the cabin.  The wind is blowing a bit now and so we expect to be rocked to sleep tonight.  Hope it is not too rough.  Tomorrow is a sea day as we cross the Gulf of Mexico on our way to Houston.

We are looking forward to getting home and back into our regular routine.

Nov. 20, in Belize

This morning we called for an early in room breakfast and then headed down to the theater to join our tour group.  Leaving the ship we boarded a tender for a 25 minute ride into the dock.  Once there we boarded our tour bus and headed for Xunantunic, a Mayan ruins.  The bus ride to the site was two hours long and then we crossed a river on hand cranked ferry.  Arriving on the other side we were loaded in to vans for the two-mile ride to the site.

Yea, we finally got to some restrooms.  From the drop off point it was another two hundred yards up hill to the actual site.  The area contains the remains of the Kings palace, a religious pyramid, a place of worship and sacrifice and some building having to do with astrometry.

The history of the area was interesting and our guides were quite well informed and did a good job of presenting the stories to us.  The area is not as nice or as extensive as Chichen Itza or Uxmal. 

There are many theories as to where the Mayan’s came from.  One is that they came from China across the frozen Bearing Sea, another that they are survivors of Atlantis, or that they came from outer space.  The latter may not be so far fetched as we think.  They have found a carving on the back of a door in one of the ruins with an exact replica of the backside of the moon.

The guides explained to us why the Mayan empire collapsed.  It was caused by two things, over working the land and denuding the forest and sanitation, which brought on disease.  During the Mayan reign there were ten times the number of people living in this area as there are now.  The Mayan people today are still very superstitious and still use their Shaman’s for cures.

After our tour of the ruins we re-boarded our bus and headed to a restaurant for a typical Mayan lunch.  It consisted of broiled chicken, rice and beans (cooked in coconut milk, and fried plantains.  I tried some Habanero sauce.  A little goes a long way.  Think fire ants in your mouth.

Belize is a stable country that speaks English as a first language.  That being said it is one of the poorest places we have ever visited.  The minimum wage is $1.50 and hour.  With an associate degree you can earn $4.00 to $5.00 and hour.  All children are required to attend school through the 8^th grade.

Returning to the port we caught the last tender back to the ship.  Arriving back in our cabin, Judi and I both decided we need a shower and we were not leaving the cabin to eat.  It had started raining again, so we had room service in the cabin. 

The weather is warm and the sea is smooth, so it should be a good night for sleeping.  Tomorrow we will be in Cozumel.  We are not planning on doing much other than just getting off the sip for a while.

Nov. 19 Costa Maya and the Caribbean Sea

We were up having breakfast as we arrive at Costa Maya, Mexico.  The sea is rough and the wind is really blowing.  The Captain tried to dock at the pier, but the wind and surf were too much.  The waves were breaking over the dock and it was not safe to walk on it, and the wind prevented us from docking.  So we are on our way to Belize.  Checking the weather on our computer shows the same weather forecast there.  This is not good as Belize is a tender port.  Bouncing around in a little tender is not something we are looking forward to.

We went down to the dining room for lunch today and then back to the cabin for some reading and card playing.  The ship is moving at about 10 knots on our way to Belize.  The captain got within 39 miles of the port and turned around and headed back north.  I think we are in a holding pattern for ships.  He is still planning on arriving in Belize at 7:00 AM and then we will see about tendering to the dock.  We have a tour to a Mayan site tomorrow, but we will see if we make it.  Forecast for rain and a wind of 12 miles an hour.  Not a great forecast for a tour of a Mayan site.

The ship was in a holding pattern and the Gulf smoothed out and we headed to bed.  We just wish that information as to what the ship is doing would be a little more forthcoming. 

Nov. 18, in the Gulf of Mexico

We woke up this morning somewhere in the Gulf of Mexico, headed south toward Costa Maya.  The sky is gray, temperatures cool and the Emerald Princess is rolling.

We had breakfast in Sabatini’s and then came back to the room.  Later I went down to a photography class on lighting.  Judi stayed in the cabin and read.  We later met for lunch in the dining room.  We have found that lunch is better than dinner, so we now are doing a nice lunch and then snacking for dinner.

The rest of the afternoon we read, took a nap and just passed time.  We are both looking forward to getting onto some dry land.

The sea if fairly rough this evening and looks like it is going to be that way until we reach Costa Maya.  Sure hope there is a warm sun tomorrow.

Nov. 17, Houston and the Golf of Mexico

Well we woke up to still being in Houston and with no indication of any movement of the ship.  We were still tied to the dock.  The 6:00 AM departure came and went.  We again went up to Sabatini’s for breakfast.  We came back to the room and waited to hear when we would depart.  The captain came on the speaker and announced that we would depart at 10:00 AM.  At 11:00 AM we finally departed for somewhere.  We do not know what ports we will miss or where we are gong, except that we are finally leaving Houston.  We went down to the dinning room for lunch and then I went to a Photography lecture and Judi headed for the casino.  I enjoyed a good lecture and Judi ended up disappointed, because although the slots machines were on and people were in the casino, the slots were not working and the people were just there to smoke.

We met back in the cabin and played a little gin and then tried to order room service again.  This time we got stubborn and waited for them to answer the phone.  45 minutes later we placed our order.  I sat by the phone and read my book as we waited for them to answer.

We have found out that we are headed to Costa Maya instead of Rotan, but the rest of the cruise is the same.  We are rocking and rolling and the weather is cloudy and cool.  Hopefully the wind will die down and we will have smooth sailing the rest of the way.