December 22, 2023

 

We have traveled our first 504 miles, and this morning woke up in Cozumel Mexico to blue skies, and temperatures in the 80's.  

We had breakfast at Mamsen's. They are known for their waffles, and they did not disappoint. We will be going here again, soon and frequently.

We have our excursion this morning at 9:30. It is the Highlights of Cozumel. Our guide lets us know that this is winter for them, and and last night it got down to 79 degrees, and they were drinking hot chocolate and wearing their parkas. He says they do not swim in winter, but we all just laughed as we are enjoying the warm weather, and water so clear you can see to the bottom.

This is our ship in Cozumel. We have under 900 on board, and the Norwegian Epic next to us has 5,000 on board. We all agree that we are happy to be much smaller. 

Our tour first went to a Mexican Wrestling venue. We were there for for cultural dancing. There was a lot of drumming, chanting, and dancing.

LOL, you will notice I was doing great getting two pictures per line, and then I couldn't. Oh well now you know I am struggling with the computer, and the computer won.

The pictures above show the elaborate costumes worn. The one with his wings spread was dressed as an Owl. He was very good. Yes, the one has his feet to the fire. It was an entertaining time.

The rest of the day was spent traveling through very poor areas. This is an island. Their electricity comes under the water 11 miles from the mainland, there are only 5 gas stations owned by the same family, so they control the price. The population growth has gone beyond the water resources, and they produce nothing, so everything has to be shipped in. They depend on tourism, and the tourist come. They are expecting 34 cruise ships this month. Cozumel depends on tourist, and tourist come for the weather and coral reef. It appears to be a tough life.

Back to the ship, and it is dinner, blog and bed. We have two sea days to look forward to, which means working on our tan.