Cozumel

Day 3 COZUMEL

May 6

Today is our first port of call, so I was up early with lots of time to shower, have a leisurely breakfast and meet my tour group in the lounge ... until I re-read my ticket and realized my tour was supposed to meet at 9am, not 9:30. Oooops! Grabbed my tote bag and tore down the stairs, and was lucky that the departure time was 9:30, so I didn't miss it. Whew!

Tour guide Miguel (“Call me Mike”) and driver Jose (“Call him Pepe”) were excellent. I spent most of the day with a great gal from New Zealand- Lisa- who is cruising solo. She's an experienced traveller, and has a great sense of humor., so it made the day more enjoyable. We drove to the San Gervasio archaeological site. Apparently there are 13 known Mayan sites on Cozumel, but this is the only one open to the public. Miguel was very knowledgeable and amusing. He says DNA indicates that his ancestors originally came from China. They share a similar sounding spoken language, and the concept of duality – the yin and yang of life. But, he added, he still thinks his ancestors came from ... and he pointed straight up, to outer space. LOL! The Mayans lived on Cozumel from 200 AD to about 1500, and San Gervasio is built in the geographic centre of the island. The ruins we saw were from the religious centre of the area, devoted to the worship of Ixchel, goddess of the moon, women, fertility, childbirth, medicine and weaving. Miguel was a great guide- pointing out little things I would have missed, and explaining things in the design of the place. There are 9 buildings with a total of 28 steps. (“Why 9 buildings?” asked Mike... and then mimed an increasing belly until we all caught on. And 28 steps for the moon's cycle. All very carefully thought out.) Ixchel was the goddess of life, so there were no sacrifices here. It's a serene and beautiful area, and you can easily imagine how it was once a sacred place where all women came on pilgrimmage from all over the Mayan world. Today, iguanas sunned themselves on the stones, and the lush vegetation stood as silent sentinel to a goddess long gone....

After leaving the ruins, we drove along the western shore of Cozumel – along the Caribbean coastline. Breathtaking, and still mostly untouched by development. We stopped for restrooms, a drink and a break at one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen. Just stunning. The green area across the street is protected, and I saw wonderful birds flying around there.

After about 3.5 hours, we were back at the port, and bid “adios” to Mike and Pepe, and were all left to our own devices. Lisa and I sat in the shade for a while and chatted, and then I eventually wandered to the main square to do some shopping. GREAT bargains were there. It was also about 10 billion degrees, and I could feel my brain starting to boil. So I headed back to the coolness of the ship, where I could collapse in the air conditioning. I was bright red-- not from sunburn (don't leave my room without my SPF 45 sunscreen on!), but from straight heat. I was cooked!

Cool shower, a nap, and then up on deck to watch the ship sail out.... along with 4 other ships. Busy tourist day in Cozumel!

Then it was time to get ready for the Chef's Table. This is a once-a-cruise experience for 12 people. We are escorted on a behind the scenes tour of the galley, shown how to make Carnival's signature warm chocolate melting cake, and then served a glorious 7 course meal, personally cooked by the chef himself (Chef Biju Jacob). He was a lovely man, and explained each dish as it was served. It was good group of people, too, including a newly married couple (that day!), 2 members of their wedding party, etc. The meal- served with endless glasses of champagne (for the amuse bouches), pinot grigio (for the fish and chicken dishes) and merlot (beef pairing)- was divine. Absolutely divine. He even arranged for a magician to entertain and baffle us with some truly excellent up close sleight of hand. From 4 inches away, I still couldn't catch his tricks!

Staggered back to my cabin, swearing I would never eat again ...but I will!

Tomorrow, we dock in Belize.

Foodie details

Breakfast - eggs benedict, bacon, fresh fruit and cottage cheese

Chef's Table supper : (wait for it!)

Appetizers : parmesan stuffed olives, dates stuffed with chorizo, piquillo sofrito focaccia, marscapone cream and prosciutto crudo, langoustine and sundried tomato fritters

Mains : Tomatoes coated with white chocolate (who knew??)

Tuna Banh Mi

Cornish hen (not a whole one!) with caramelized butternut squash and sofrito

Bavarois (greens with a warm turnip and apple soup)

Salmon with herb pesto, cured tomatoes, carrots, fava, beet crisps

Wagyu beef au jus, potato pebbles, pumpkin fudge

Dessert : Pistachio and mango cake with marscapone cream, guava and caramel praline, and chocolate drops