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After spending a quiet day at sea on Sunday, our ship arrived early Monday morning in Cozumel, off the Yucatan coast of Mexico. We had booked a shore excursion to see the Mayan ruins at Tulum, which was scheduled to leave shortly after arriving, so we set up a wake-up call, and pulled ourselves out of bed early in the morning so we could grab breakfast from the buffet before we left the ship.
Once on the pier, we were met by a representative for the tour company, who guided us to the crowded boat that was taking all the mainland tours across the channel to Playa del Carmen. The water in the channel was a bit choppy, so the half hour ride wasn't smooth, but our guide provided a constant patter of information and jokes (he claimed to be running for President, offering land for votes, even though we aren't Mexican citizens...).
We were whisked through Playa del Carmen to our waiting buses, which pulled out of town and down the coast. After about a half an hour, we stopped at a small gift shop to use the restrooms and allow for souvenir shopping, and then we continued to Tulum.
Our guide for the ruins in Tulum was of Mayan descent and quite proud of his native heritage. He escorted us from our bus to the ruins, describing Mayan culture and explaining the time line of the Mayan empire. It seems that Tulum was built relatively late in the Mayan period. He pointed out significant features of the ruins, oriented us to the layout of the city. We then were free to wander among the ruins at our leisure, or go down to the beach for a quick dip in the Caribbean waters that the Mayans believed to have healing powers.
All to soon, our time was up, and we had to make our way back to the bus for the trip back to Playa del Carmen and the boat to Cozumel. We arrived back in Cozumel by mid-afternoon, with several hours left before the ship was scheduled to set sail, so we worked our way through the numerous shops that lined the main street by the beach. We managed to find a few souvenirs to bring home, and were thoroughly exhausted by the time we made our way back to the ship for dinner.
Tulum Temple
Originally uploaded by ResQgeek.
Mayan Carvings
Originally uploaded by ResQgeek.
Once on the pier, we were met by a representative for the tour company, who guided us to the crowded boat that was taking all the mainland tours across the channel to Playa del Carmen. The water in the channel was a bit choppy, so the half hour ride wasn't smooth, but our guide provided a constant patter of information and jokes (he claimed to be running for President, offering land for votes, even though we aren't Mexican citizens...).
We were whisked through Playa del Carmen to our waiting buses, which pulled out of town and down the coast. After about a half an hour, we stopped at a small gift shop to use the restrooms and allow for souvenir shopping, and then we continued to Tulum.
Our guide for the ruins in Tulum was of Mayan descent and quite proud of his native heritage. He escorted us from our bus to the ruins, describing Mayan culture and explaining the time line of the Mayan empire. It seems that Tulum was built relatively late in the Mayan period. He pointed out significant features of the ruins, oriented us to the layout of the city. We then were free to wander among the ruins at our leisure, or go down to the beach for a quick dip in the Caribbean waters that the Mayans believed to have healing powers.
All to soon, our time was up, and we had to make our way back to the bus for the trip back to Playa del Carmen and the boat to Cozumel. We arrived back in Cozumel by mid-afternoon, with several hours left before the ship was scheduled to set sail, so we worked our way through the numerous shops that lined the main street by the beach. We managed to find a few souvenirs to bring home, and were thoroughly exhausted by the time we made our way back to the ship for dinner.
Tulum Temple
Originally uploaded by ResQgeek.
Mayan Carvings
Originally uploaded by ResQgeek.
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