Its early Cozumel morning and this is the morning that our REAS breakfast is going to be delivered to our room. On the selection the night before, I had selected just about one of everything, thinking that they would deliver small amounts of food on each plate. Let me tell you something
they dont. I mean its big chunks. 4 eggs benedict, a basket full of croissants, a whole plate of bacon, about 5-6 bagels and I dont remember what else we got but it was a lot of food. We ate all we could stand, finished it off with a glass of champagne, and then my wife stole all the teabags. Just remember that you can easily order too much food when youre on this deal. This is one Princess breakfast where they make sure you have enough food, thats for sure.
After breakfast we made our way over the pier to the city of Cozumel. Now, remember, this is before swine flu broke out so we werent worried about getting sick. Being caught up in drug violence was a different story.
Okay, everyone who has been to Cozumel raise your hands. Higher. Okay, good. Now, everyone who felt like they were walking through a maze when they walked off the pier into the city, keep your hands up.
See, everyone left their hands up, except for you. Yeah, you. The guy in back with the sunglasses on. I saw you put your hand down. I bet youre never really been to Cozumel, have you? HAVE YOU?
See, didnt think so.
They really make you turn around and around in an effort to get you to see every shop they have in that mall area. The only shop we were interested in was the Hard Rock Café. But then we get there and discover that they dont sell hurricane glasses in this particular one. This day is getting frustrating.Between that and the constant barrage of people trying to get you to come into their shop we were getting a little on edge.
Thats when the parade started. You see my wife and I are both animal lovers (with the exception of spiders. We both hate spiders. Especially that black widow we found in our garden last weekend.) She really loves all other animals, though. So that meant as we were walking down the street, when we found the guy with the iguana she just had to pose for a picture. We paid $5 for that stupid picture. Then we hit the $1 monkey and the $1 parrot. Iguana guy hosed us. It was all location, though. He was right on the main street while the other two were kind of off to the side in a plaza. The parrot took the seed right out of my wifes mouth. No way Im letting something with a beak like that near my lips. Last time I hung out around a bird it tried to take off my ear. I can like them, but it doesnt mean I have to play with them. Just remember that.
We walked, and walked, and walked for what seemed like days. It was only about an hour or two though, but in the heat it was brutal. I dont see how the Mexicans down there wear long pants, dress shirts, and undershirts in that weather. And we were there in November. But after about 10 blocks, we bought our first Cozumel souvenir. A RON JON T-SHIRT! Yep, sure went all out with that one.
Granted, we had just been window shopping up until this point, and it was time to turn around and do some serious shopping on the way back. Fortunately for my wallet, the serious shopping consisted only of one purchase a $90 Mexican nativity set. Thats good because I dont consider anything over $25 to be a souvenir. Over that amount its a personal purchase that cannot be paid for out of the joint money. So I made my wife put it on her credit card.
Suddenly she decided that the payments for her credit card should come out of the joint money since its mostly for Home Improvements and stuff like that. I always get hosed.
We had back to the ship for lunch. The food was okay. Not great, but okay. Like I said before, it wasnt a bad meal, it just wasnt a great meal either. But when you get right down to it, chicken broth is pretty plain no matter what you do to it.
After lunch we went to Diversions where we decided to sit down and play a few games. I guess because it was a port day, no one was onboard and we were the only ones hanging out down there. First we celebrated our teenage years by playing a game of 80s trivial pursuit. I was destroying her. My 80s knowledge was just pouring out of me. Meanwhile, she was concentrating on getting her piece of the pie for sports. Sports is not exactly her strong suit so she begged for mercy. I made a deal with her. She could take an arts and literature question to get her sports pie, and I could take a sports question to get my arts and literature pie. Now at this time, I was leading her 4 squares to 1. She suddenly gets on a hot streak where she can do no wrong and rattles off the other squares in lightning speed. I was left with my mouth wide open and tire smoke in my face. Payback for ping pong she says.
After the miracle of trivial pursuit, I challenge her to a game of foosball. Its game point, Ive got a 5 point lead, when suddenly it happens again, she rattles off 6 straight point to win the game. Im telling you, its payback for the smack talk from the ping pong match the night before. The moral is: Let her buy more souvenirs. She wont be so ticked at you and determined to kick your butt.
)
Subscribing now so I can get the updates ....
And well deserved I say! No one does a trip report quite like you
