The Final Shebang
**Sorry for the lateness of this post! But this will be the last one, so enjoy! After a few days or so I’m going to flip the blog back to chronological order.**
**Oh yeah, and I uploaded pictures to the previous post, so feel free to check it out :)**
Thursday, July 1st
Today is the last day here in Cozumel, as we set off back to the good ole US of A. Since coming on this trip was a rather last minute decision of mine, I had a different return flight home than the rest of the fam, and thus had to be at the airport early in the morning.
Packing was…interesting. I can’t decide whetherI am either an expert packer or an absolutely horrible packer. I always bring more clothes than I will ever need (15 outfits for a 10 day trip that mostly involves walking around in your swimsuit?). However, I managed to pack everything, toiletries included, PLUS a hammock PLUS a Mayan mask in a small carry-on. It is two days later and I’m still patting myself on the back for my packing brilliance. Always one to find ways to congratulate myself whenever I can, I am.
Mexican Airport
Family goodbyes at the airport were short and sweet, basically resulting in a “just wait until my plane crashes and I die in a flaming wreck”. Nevertheless, I was successfully seen off and left to wait in a mile long line at the Continental ticket counter.
The only thing I wish to report from this airport, besides the fact that I watched a video on how to tie a scarf (on repeat)…for an hour and a half, is that sometimes one person just being nice just for the sake of being nice can really make one’s day. Here is the story of the ticket lady:
1. Said ticket lady noticed I was travelling alone. So she moved me from the back of the plane to a window seat in the front.
2. She came and found me in the terminal to give me my second boarding pass that she had forgotten to give me earlier…and recognized me by sight. (Bear in mind that this plane seats about 220 people, give or take)
3. When tearing my boarding pass later, she was like “Have a nice flight, Ms. Porter!” She didn’t say that to anyone else. I checked.
So yes, not that super exciting of a story, but it totally made my day. Just a little ebit of effort from someone else, and I have a touched smile on my face for the duration of the flight. Thanks cool ticket lady!
The flight itself was uneventful. The plane was delayed in taking off. The food sucked. The lady sitting next to me gave me judgmental stares when I stuck my feet down the pocket in front of me. But other than that, a great nap opportunity.
Houston Airport
I just want to let everyone know that Houston airport (so far) has been my favorite airport entering the US that I have yet experienced. Normally, I want to hang myself in sympathy for the poor international visitors whose first impressions of this country are JFK, Dulles, or (heaven forbid) Boston airport. I can totally see how anti-Americans can come here and hate everything we stand for, after being subjected to numerous searches, confusing customs, horrible bureaucracy, poor aesthetics, and bad or mislabeled navigational signs.
But Houston was surprisingly awesome! Though some (okay, all) of it had to do with the fact that I had no checked luggage. Here are the benefits that I reaped:
1. Special customs lane – similar to the fast pass lane at Disneyworld. I got to march right up to the front to a special customs agent, thumbing my nose at the poor unfortunate souls stuck in the long customs line.
2. A secret passageway: I got to walk through this small special hallway with windows, through which I could see everyone else waiting for baggage and being randomly selected for searching. It gave me a more direct route too.
3. Bypassing security check points. By the point, however, I was so far ahead of the rest of my plane-mates, that there was no one left for me to thumb my nose at.
Once I re-entered the airport, however, the benefits ceased. Alas. But I got to my gate first! Just in time to wait an hour and a half until my next flight took off.
So remember how I mentioned the attachment issues of a certain Hurricane Alex? It looks like they haven’t faded with time and counseling. Because we got to Texas and lookee here! Gigantic rain storm is delaying all flights! Luckily, I got out of there only an hour late. My family? Not so lucky. They missed their connecting flight and were grounded for the night. But more on that later.
Houston to Raleigh
For a flight that was twice as far as the one from Cozumel to Houston, it was kinda funny that we were on a plane half the size. At first I was thrilled to be put on the left row because it meant I got both an aisle seat AND a window seat. Score.
However, the victory was short lived when the stewardess came to the back, pulled out a magical seat and placed it in the aisle next to me. My first thought? I hope everyone used the bathroom before they left, because they are either going to have to hold it or pee in a water bottle for the duration of the flight. Oh wait. We can’t have water bottles on flights anymore. Sorry, kids. Guess you’re stuck wetting your pants.
The seat was occupied by a pilot who was transferring cities, and luckily upon take off, he moved to the front, thus freeing up el baño. Which was a good thing because there was pretty much a nonstop stream of potty users the entire 2.5 hour flight.
I dozed for the majority of the flight, and awoke bitter and angry when I discovered that no one had waken me up when the beverage/snack cart came by. Really guys? I know you might not be super familiar with my sleeping habits, but even the Spanish woke me up on their flights and they love the siesta.
Home
I arrived safely and soundly back at RDU, successfully found the parked car with the handy dandy map my mother drew, and returned to a dark and empty home, after a few pit stops. Unfortunately, the family is still trapped in Houston, since Hurricane Alex was a little more fond of them than me. They regrettably were not able to get back until 1 am the following day. Alas.
But all in all, a relatively successful end to the trip. (Minus the apparent food poisoning that my mom, brothers and I got…). Cozumel was a beautiful place and I loved getting to go there and spend 10 days relaxing, scuba diving, and seeing World Wonders. Thanks Mom and Dad for getting me certified as well as providing all these other opportunities!
Thus ends this blog. I hope you guys all enjoyed it! I thank all those who took time out of their day to read the ramblings of a nineteen year old.
If you haven’t seen the trips pictures, check them out at: http://picasaweb.google.com/115787829715255758995/CozumelSummer2010#
Over and out!
Windy Excursions
Wednesday, June 30th
Our last full day here in Cozumel began quite boringly, as we all mostly slept in. Meaning like til about 9 am. When you’ve been getting up at 6 - 7 am, sleeping til 9:30 feels like winter hibernation. The day’s plan? Exploring the island, a strange concept considering it’s the last day.
Car Treking
Since we need transportation to perform said exploration, the fam rents a small car for the day. Since the family is also cheap (I prefer the term adventurous), Mom, John Alex and I decide to hike over to car rental place on foot.
Item of interest number one: we aren’t entirely sure where it is. Item of interest number two: a giant windstorm decides to blow by the island for a spell, making walking somewhat akin to mountain climbing. Item of interest number three: the red squiggly line on Mapquest made the trip seem a lot shorter than it was. Who knew it would take 45 minutes to transverse those 2 and a half inches??
However, we made it to Thrifty safe and sound, though my hair resembled a bird’s nest at this point. Another family was also there, one from Mees-ah-seep-pee. Poor rentalman, that woman was like the queen B of bitchiness. I started providing commentary quietly to my brother while sitting on the floor of the office. Unfortunately, right during one of those awkward lulls in conversations, with the air rife with tension, I let out a loud and dramatic “Uh Ohhh!” Not quite what I intended. Awkwardness ensued.
Nevertheless, we managed to successfully secure a car for the day, bonding with the rental people over headshaking and laughter.
Island Ventures
1. We suspect that cruise ships purposefully dock far from civilization. Gives the cab drivers business. Clever, clever.
2. There is only one main road on the island, outside of town. Yet we still manage to get lost and miss places of interest.
3. All the trees are short, due to them being wiped out five years ago in a hurricane.
4. Did I mention we are in a windstorm? Once calm waters begin to resemble California’s surfing capitals.
5. If I lived on this island, I would totally have a moped. Yes they may be whiny and annoying, but there is nothing like weaving in and out cars, thumbing your nose at the drivers.
We also are beach/bar hopping during our travels, where we basically are trying the local drinks, observing the rough waters, and commenting on the vast number of signed tacky t-shirts that every bar seems to collect.
The Quest Para La Bandera
Around late afternoon, early evening, we make it back to the town, where Mom and Dad drop off John Alex and me so that we can do some last minute shopping. The goals: John Alex is finishing up some birthday shopping, and I am on the hunt for a Mexican flag to add to my flag collection (which is at a pitiful *one* flag right now).
We decide to venture a little bit off of the water, hoping to find some better deals. I begin my quest, inquiring of every shop if they had una bandera de mexico? The cool thing was, if you inquired about something specific, people stopped pestering you to buy things and instead turned very helpful, yelling down to nearby shops to see if someone, anyone had a Mexican flag.
What I thought would be a simple request actually turned into an epic quest. People had several reactions to my inquiry. They either:
1. Shouted quickly in Spanish to one another before shaking their heads sadly
2. Gave me directions to other, obscure shops (in the middle of nowhere usually) that might have one
3. Reacted in shock and commented on how no one had ever asked them that before, or
4. Offered to run home and grab their own personal flag to sell me
Hmmm, I couldn’t believe it. Here in tourist junk central, we couldn’t find a single Mexican flag?! Not one?! Come on, people! SHOW SOME NATIONAL PRIDE! Hell, we even found an Argentine flag, AND THEY FREAKIN’ BEAT MEXICO IN THE WORLD CUP! Shame. Shame, shame, shame.
Needless to say, I was disheartened. Several hours of my life spent in fruitless pursuit of an imaginary ideal. But hey, that’s life, right? John Alex had a little more success than I, after we bargained with every jeweler on the island. Believe me, there was not a better deal to be found. We checked.
HOWEVER, on the disheartened walk home, I glance at a passing store and lo and behold, there is an awesome hanging tapestry with the Mexican eagle upon it. So I got it. AND IT’S WAY BETTER THAN ANY OLD STINKIN’ FLAG, YOU HEAR?
All in all, a relatively successful end to an epic quest throughout what felt like every street corner of Mexico. We ended the evening with a viewing of a informational movie on Chichen Itza, which sucked, and Apollo 13, which didn’t. Even though Dad had me convinced the whole time that the astronauts were going to blow up at the end.
Tomorrow, we leave Cozumel. Sadness. One more blog post until this blog closes forevaaaa! Hasta luego, compadres.
Cliffs and Currents
Tuesday, June 29th
Buenas tardes! Today we once again wake up much earlier than teenager me would prefer so that we can begin the day’s adventures. First stop: the dock of Hotel Barracuda where dive master Martín once again awaits in a speed boat to take us diving.
Cliff Diving
The first dive location we hit up is called Santa Rosa, which is a giant underwater cliff face. So cool. Especially when you are just swimming along and you look down and all you see is deep blueness fading into complete darkness. The reef itself is located along this underwater wall so we are basically swimming horizontally alongside it.
Hmm I can’t remember if we saw any specific animal or growth that was unique to this dive. I don’t think so. But the coolest part was how we got to swim in and through these small, twisty caves. Oh! I did see one of those shrimp like things from Finding Nemo. That French-speaking cleaner from the dentist’s tank? Looked just like him. Almost asked for an autograph.
We also apparently swam within inches of a poisonous lionfish. Me being the oblivious person that I am did not notice this development, but that is what I am told. It was also really need getting to see your bubbles trapped in the roof of these small caves. Makes you wonder if they’ll be there forever. Which would be SO cool, because you could come back years later and be like “Hey look! It’s my old carbon dioxide!”
Since we went about 85 feet deep or so (slightly deeper than we’re allowed…shhhh), we could only stay down for about 35 minutes or so. So all too soon we were back on the surface and ready to hit up our next dive.
Underwater Flying
The second and final dive location for today was Punta Tunich, a drift dive. For clarification purposes, a drift dive is one with a fairly strong current where you simply ride along with this current, seeing the reef as if you were flying over it. Now bear in mind, you are not going at space shuttle re-entry speeds, but it is still a really fun way to see the sights.
Let’s see. Cool things about this dive… Oh! We saw, I believe, 5 different sea turtles. And got to touch them :D. Although, I am a little hesitant to admit that just in case I’m violating some sort of international animal protection law. Just in case, a disclaimer: by touch, I mean observe them from a vast and safe distance so as to avoid contaminating them with my human-ness. Which I guess is like cooties. Icky.
There was also a giant green moray eel (eight feet long!), who looked…dead. But he was probably sleeping and I for one wasn’t going to wake him up.
We finish up our dives (that last ones here in Cozumel, how sad), thank Martín for all his help, and after speeding through the water back to the other end of the island, we once again join the rest of our species on dry land.
The Rest of the Day
"Thank you for the food and for you."
Upon arrival on solid ground, the five of us immediately fall into the nearby hammocks. Ahhh, paradise. Eventually, our rumbling stomachs force us to move on.
Martín had given us a restaurant recommendation and we decided to check it out. After much wandering and direction-asking, we find it. Las Palmas. And mmm, it was delicious. As an added bonus, it was off the beaten path, so we were the only non-locals there and we were forced to depend upon my oh-so-broad Spanish repertoire. (For the record, I was totally on my game, asking for recommendations, ordering food, complimenting the waiter, bambambam! I was on fi-ya)
The rest of the day was spent napping, reading, celebrating Spain’s victory in the World Cup (quarter finals baby!), and just all around trying to soak up the last bit of paradise here.
Tomorrow will be our last full day here on the island :(. Alas. Over and out.
Chicken Pizza: the Worldly Wonder
*I am aware this post is very late. I wrote most of it the day of, but got distracted. But here it is! Enjoy :)*
Monday, June 28th
Why hello there world. Yesterday might’ve been the shortest post ever written. Today might be the longest. But hopefully not, considering I have to get up early tomorrow, and I do love my sleep. So in an effort to minimize the verbosity of entry, I shall jump right in.
Morning Transit
Today we awoke at what felt like zero dark thirty (but was rather 5:45 am), and set off town for the day’s big adventure. Destination? Chichen Itza!!! One of the Seven Wonders of the World. SOOO pumped. Though you wouldn’t be able to tell it this morning as I was deathly quiet and glaring holes in the pavement.
We (everyone except Papa who decided to stay behind) took the 7am ferry over to the mainland. I do not remember this. Waves gently rocking a boat easily destroys any sort of self control with regards to my consciousness. Upon arriving, we are shuffled over to a large van where we are greeted by 4 other couples and who we assume to be our tour guide, Bernaldo. The others, being super nice, decided to save the least accessible seats all the way in the back for us. Aww how thoughtful.
Now I am told that this is a three hour trip. The great thing about having narcoleptic tendencies is that a three hour car ride passes by in the blink of an eye. We do end up making one pit stop at a small local market so as to allow for our touristy tendency to shop. However, prices were marked, meaning no bargaining. Pshhh. Pass.
Chicken Pizza!
We arrived safely and soundly at the Worldy Wonder soon after. Due to the time, my sanity, and the fact that every key stroke could potentially awaken a very angry family member, I have decided to first summarize the experience, followed by a summary of what I learned:
1. We seemed to have attracted a creepy stalker, who would not go away, no matter how much we ran. He went by the name Hurricane Alex. Funnily enough, back at the condo at Cozumel, there wasn’t a single drop of rain.
2. We developed expert wading skills through the lake that was once Chichen Itza, as we battled off crocodiles and savage natives. Translation: screamed and ran from floating pieces of bark and trying to avoid the pushy natives selling us Mayan junk.
3. One such native was especially persistent. Despite saying no, John Alex and I ultimately were found sprinting across a large field, in the rain, with the local chasing after us, waving his Mayan statue and going “One dolla! Almost free!”
4. We got lost. Mom thought they went into the surrounding jungle and started to follow. We politely vetoed this option.
5. We alas were not allowed to climb the pyramid and reenact the sacrifices. Not gunna lie, I was bummed.
All in all, I had a blast, despite being so wet my fingers got pruny. It was a grand adventure exploring the city, wading through temporary lakes, and battling the souvenir-selling natives. Indiana Jones style, of course, minus the whip. And Patrick, John Alex and I all return with super cool Mayan masks, bargained down from $35 to $10. Score.
As for the things I learned… Unfortunately, the backs of receipts and leaky pens under the waterfall that was Hurricane Alex are NOT very good for taking notes. But I tried! So I shall attempt to read the sopping wet, now blue paper that once contained many cool and interesting facts:
1. The Mayans were masters of astronomy, meteorology, math, and controlling the masses – a good combination, if I do say so myself.
2. Everyone has heard of the Mayan calendar and the world ending in 2012 and what not. But what they don’t know is that the Mayan clock was so precise that the only one to rival it is the nuclear one currently in Boulder, Colorado. And its only off by two hundredths of a second.
3. They predicted eclipses thousands of years in advance, and used this knowledge to assert their role as human gods on earth.
4. In order to fulfill this role, they would bind the head of their children, causing the skull to form in a flattened circular shape. They would also file teeth and paint themselves to make sure they looked as least like the common people as possible. Smart.
5. Sacrifices. Lots of sacrifices. But its considered an honor because they didn’t really consider it dying. Let’s see if I can remember all the times they had sacrifices:
a. For rain. Hence the priests being extremely great meteorologists, timing the sacrifices with the rain.
b. After victory in their awesome sport (see the movie El Dorado), the captain of the opposing team would be sacrificed. And during some ceremonial games, whoever scored was sacrificed – hmm, I might’ve purposely sucked that day.
c. Every so often to their gods. You know, just for the hell of it. Appeasement and whatnot.
d. Every child born between Aug 6th and 10th. Sorry kids, just the way things go. Funnily enough, the parents planned to have their children during this time, cuz of the honor. Not sure if the kid felt the same way…
6. All the buildings used to be painted bright, vibrant colors, like Red, Turquoise, Green, and more.
7. And this one is my personal favorite: the Mayans had no metal so everything was cut with stone. They had no large domesticated animals to use for labor. Circles were also considered sacred, so they weren’t allowed to be used for common activities. Like for wheels for carrying large stone blocks. And yet, Chichen Izta was 18 sq. miles of HUGE temples, buildings, paved roads and squares, aqueducts, and the like. Well, it must’ve kept the population busy at least.
So there’s a bunch more that I learned. And a bunch more that I didn’t because Hurricane Alex was being immature and felt the need to scream his presence. Yes, Alex, we are aware you are there. Its kinda hard to miss the near drowning you gave us in greeting. Hmm someone has attachment issuses.
But all in all, I LOVED Chichen Itza. I highly recommend that people stop by and check it out. But get a good guide and avoid the souvenir sellers.
The Sinkhole
Lunch is a little ways away as we travel to a buffet style place. Despite a brief let up in the rain as we are driving there, it only restarts as soon as we get to the restaurant. Typical. But during the meal, we get to see an example of traditional Mexican dance! I am impressed. They are able to clog with trays of full beer bottles on their head. You can bet that they would never commit a party foul.
Next stop: giant sinkhole. Supposed to be an opportunity for us to go swimming. However, since we have already spent the entire day swimming, the majority of us pass on the opportunity. It is very cool, though, and reminds me a lot of a scene from the island from King Kong, complete with flying bats swooping near our heads. This picture doesn’t really capture it (cliché response, I know) but I promise you, it was very exotic.
One bonus of this stop? The sacrificial table. Cue vastly inappropriate tourist reenactment of a sacred ceremony for the sole purpose of a picture:
Venturing Back
Afterward the sink hole, the bus revolts, overturning the decision to go shopping by our tour guide. Luckily no one is killed in the uprising. It is a several hour car ride back to the docks, fueled by bad coffee and casual conversation.
Once back at the docks, I get to once again practice my Spanish skills as I secure us tickets on the (almost) last ferry home. From then until departure, I am basically walking around with a big shit-eating grin on my face, mentally patting myself on the back for yet another successful communication attempt in the Yucatan.
The ferry ride back is fun, as I enjoy the speed, Patrick observes the horizon, Mom debates which direction we would swim if the ship capsizes, and John Alex gets accosted by a drunk man. The End :)
Evermore
Sunday, June 27th
All day it rained,
All day it poured.
Thus all the house
I did explore.
And nothing more.
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