Day 2 at Sea - Cozumel

We met for breakfast in the Dining Room.  So much food!!!  Still feeling full from the night before.  And yet, once the food is in front of you, it seems that there is always a little room to eat some more.

I had never been to Cozumel.  The ship was docking at 11:00 a.m. and I had a feeling it would be a mad rush off the ship.  So we decided to convene with the Elders and the Great Aunties at 2:30 p.m. for our Mexican adventure.

WSM Noah and I got off the ship at noon once it received clearance.  Walking down the pier from where our ship was docked to the building with Duty Free and shopping, I could not get over how turquoise blue the water is.   

 Through the craziness of shopping kiosks and out the building we went to get a cab for the 10 minute ride into downtown Cozumel.  We walked through downtown and were a little bit disappointed.  Lots of American bars and stores selling gold and souvenirs and T-shirts.  It did not seem like we would see any Mexican culture at all.

In fact, Cozumel used to be a sleepy little island until the cruise ships began to come.  Now, Cozumel gets 4 cruise ships a day except on Wednesdays when it is visited by 8 ships.  Therefore, it caters to the tourist industry.

And it was hot in Cozumel.  A lot like Florida in the summer and this was at 10:00 a.m. (2 hours behind ship time).  However, we were blessed with some awesome sea breezes.  We walked back to the port and our ship and found some lovely cowboy hats for the Great Aunties.

At 2:30 p.m., wheelchairs and caretakers in tow, we got off our ship - not a person in sight, smooth sailing all the way.  We wheeled right down the pier and through the shopping plaza and waited for just the right taxicab (van size with a little step) for our group.  And so we drove the 3/4 mile to Discover Mexico for our little adventure.

Discover Mexico is a wonderful find in Cozumel - this place was like like being in one of Epcot Center's pavilions.  We were greeted warmly and offered refreshments.  We took a group photo before our tour.  That's me in pink between Dr. Bernie and Uncle Josh.

And then we went inside an air conditioned building and were seated in a big hall with four big screens.  The lights were dimmed and we watched a 15 minute movie with amazing sights and wonderful sounds of all the beautiful places and things to do in Mexico.  And then we were escorted into an Art Museum where our very knowledgeable guide, Ramon, took his time as he explained to us the different art work that graced the halls.  We oohed and aahed  at the colorful and beautiful art.  The tapestry below is but one of the awesome pieces we had the

 honor to see.

We were then led to the outside portion of our tour.  After meeting some fabulous Macaws and Cockatoos, we followed our tour guide Ramon through a most informative tour of miniature relics of all the pyramids and major sites of Mexico.    

For more pics, go to Cozumel &  Cozumel sights.