We are back from Yucatan, Mexico. We visited two cities, Cozumel and Progreso.
Cozumel is pretty much a tourist trap, but there is more to do there. We went to the beach and I got to snorkel on the barrier reef. It was so cool. We also visited a lighthouse that is about 70 years old, and some ancient Mayan ruins located right on the beach! It's a small stone contraption they invented to warn them about a hurricane coming. They put a conch shell in the very top of the building and when the wind blew hard enough it whistled loud as a warning for the people to run from the coast and into the jungle.
Next we visited Progreso. We docked at the longest pier in the world, it is 4 miles long. Progreso is a poor town, they rely mostly on fishing and produce. Of course the people steered us towards the market place to spend money... But Daniel had a different idea...
We found ourselves amidst the locals in the middle of downtown. I guess you could say I stuck out like a sore thumb! Daniel, not so much! People looked past his olive skin and straight to my beet red sunburnt face. We eventually found the "real" market place that all the locals find themselves buying their daily essentials. I don't know much spanish, but thanks to my Mexican best friend I can make do with what little knowledge I do have.
Not surprisingly, Daniel-the one who always thinks about food- says "hey lets eat some authentic mexican!" ok... it looks and smells yummy... but do they wash their hands? I notice the man serving up some hot tacos is just grabbing a handful of meat and slapping it on a corn tortilla, sans any type of hygenic rubber glove. Maybe not such a good idea, but ignoring that little voice that always seems to lose against Daniel's persuasive arguments, we dive head first into what may be a ticket to the ship infirmary (the boat Doctor).
It was good! And no, we did not fall ill from the tacos. I guess the guy did wash his hands anyways. If you've ever seen No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain... or Bizzare Foods with Andrew Zimmern (two of our favorite shows) It was sort of like a scene from one of those two shows; Two (and a half) Americans immersing themselves in some foreign land indulging in the taste of their culture. It was AWESOME!
Ok, so we hit up the beach for maybe 20 minutes and then boarded a tour bus bound for the Dzibilichaltun Mayan ruins. (Try saying that 5 times real fast). Here we learned about the ancient folklore, and how they believed they were made out of Mesa... or Corn. We also learned about the Mayan calendar, and that it is almost perfect. It is more advanced and more accurate than the Aztec calendar and believe it or not people still go by the Mayan calendar in Guatemala.
Ok, enough writing... I will just attach pictures so you can see for yourself how beautiful this place was!
Love you all, wish you were here...
Megan
xoxoxo
