I left on Friday the 21st to go on a cruise with my wife and in-laws out of Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau, St. Thomas, and St. Marten. Thanks to hurricane Danny, the cruise was rerouted so we did Nassau, Costa May, and Cozumel. Our first stop was Nassau, and while it was a dump, it had an enjoyable character to it. Or was that because of the rum factory tour, and the subsequent rum drinks. Or was it because of the ridiculous heat and the fact we hoofed it the whole time. But I didn't mind Nassau even though there was clearly some sketchiness to it.
The ship's next stop was Costa Maya, Mexico. What a fucking shithole. It was built as a cruise ship destination. What it really is; a whole bunch of Mexicans selling the same touristy nick-nacks and a really sketchy pool with a swim-up bar. The water was sketchy in the pool (I mean, come on, it was Mexico!) but I spent about an hour in the pool and drank a Tecate before walking around a little with the wife. It's pretty bad when you ask one of the locals, "which way to the nearest beach?" And the answer is, "You don't want to go to the beaches. They're 4 kilometers away and smell really bad." We got back on the ship, took showers, and had lunch.
Our last stop was in Cozumel. We only got to really see the port area of Cozumel where the ship docked, and it looked okay. We hopped a shuttle across to the mainland to take a tour to Chichen Itza, the Mayan Ruins. On the bus ride through Playa Del Carmen, I was struck by how nasty the living was. The houses looked like they had been built a long time ago as small vacation housing, but it was clearly everyday living these days. And the glass pressed into the tops of the walls around the houses sent a clear message to the quality of the neighborhoods. The ride to Chichen Itza was boring and the town around the ruins was squalid looking. When we got off the bus, we were assaulted from all directions at once by locals all selling the same hats for the same price. Once you're inside the grounds of the ruins, there are a bunch of locals, again all selling the same exact crap. You can't take 3 steps without hearing someone yell, "One Dollar, Ten Pesos!" Except, we learned that the exchange rate was one dollar was sixteen pesos. On the bus ride back to the water shuttle, I learned an interesting fact from the tour guide about the Mexican economy. The number one money earner for Mexico is their oil industry. Number three is their tourist industry. The second largest "industry" in Mexico is overseas Mexican labor sending money back to their families in Mexico!!!! I really did enjoy seeing Chichen Itza though and I learned a little!
The main attraction on this trip was the cruise ship; she was a big, bad bitch!
I enjoyed the hell out of my vacation and I was glad to be able to share the experiences with my wife's family. The ship was impressive and was definitely a wonder to behold. I hate that my post sounds like a whole bunch of complaining, but it isn't really that. I further appreciate what I have because of seeing what little so many people have! And there is nothing as annoying as hearing a tourist brag about how opulent his stateroom on the cruise ship is to a native tour guide who is probably only just barely scratching out a living. Argh.