Babymoon - Cozumel, Mexico, March 14, 2008

Today started really early.  We had to set the alarm for 5:30 to be able to meet a cab in front of the hotel at 6:30 so that we could reach the downtown ferry harbor by 6:45.  Today was our tour to the ruins at Tulum and that meant a ferry across the the peninsula and a bus to the ruins.  EARLY let me tell you.  Now, that's somewhat relative.  We have been going to bed around 9 or so every day since we got here and that makes getting up early not only possible, but likely.  Still, getting up at 5:30 because we had to seems to be harder than by accident.

The ferry is an interesting premise.  They run a 25 minute trip every other hour from either side landing in Play del Carmen.  It is very heavily used by locals that work on the other side of the channel.  It charges 120 pesos for a one way trip.  We got a seat at the rear and settled in for the ride.

When we got to the pier, our next phase began.  We met the guide who walked us through the town until we reached our first bus.  We were told, however, that we'd have to change buses "at the next stop" to reach Tulum.  That in itself turned out to be very interesting.  The stop was just along the side of the major highway and we just had to step off the bus and wait along a freeway until the next bus arrived.  We got lucky and there were enough free seats to allow us to sit together and the bus had a toilet on board, which is important for a pregnant woman.

Tulum starts at the commercial side, which is not at all controlled by the state.  It is a tourist quagmire, full of stores waiting to cheat people on a variety of goods and services.  One of those is of course the "train" to the site itself.  That is 20 pesos one way and you can only purchase tickets at the origin.  We chose to walk the 1 kilometer to the site, with the intent of taking the train back only to learn that bit about only buying tickets at the start.  BUMMER!  Not the best choice for Colleen.  At least it means we got a reasonable workout for the day.

Tulum is a very interesting ruin.  We were able to walk around a good bit of it and took a variety of pictures.  Colleen was glad we made the trip, but also quiet exhausted at the end.  We somehow missed the part where we were supposed to stick with our tour guide, we almost didn't get in without having to pay an entrance fee supposedly covered by our tour, and in the end got to wander the dig on our own and not have to listen to the speeches and other rhetoric about the site.

We did some shopping while we were in the main shopping area.  Colleen and I drove hard bargains this time around.  We refused to take the first price more often than not and managed to secure some pretty good deals.  Add in that once again this was a site that wanted to take US Dollars above pesos and then paying them in pesos at a horrible exchange rate, and we scored massive deals.

The bus ride back was horrible.  We had to drive all out of the way for each hotel that picked folks up we didn't have to watch.  Those of us that came over on the ferry were the last to be dropped off and then once again had to walk back to the ferry pier.  Colleen and I were roasted, sweaty, tired and hadn't had any food since breakfast before we saw the ruin.

We got back to town and stopped in Cozumel proper for lunch.  One more location that seemed to prefer cash to credit, though they accepted cards.  The waiter claimed their machine was down and we'd have to wait as much as an hour to use a card.  So, I asked where the closest Santander Serfin ATM was.  That's a Mexican bank that Bank of America partners with and we don't pay ATM fees on either side while in Mexico.  The waiter gave me directions to the closest ATM, but it wasn't a Santander.  I was pretty annoyed because I had to walk a pretty good bit to find the ATM I wanted and there was a 6 deep queue waiting to use the ATM.

Colleen was fading fast and so I convinced her to walk down to the Belgian Chocolate Factory we'd missed the last time we were in town.  We purchased a few pieces and the mood picked up quite a bit.  A quick cab ride and we were finally back at the hotel.

I discovered that the caste system is apparently alive and well here in Mexico, though I would never have expected it.  I was informed that I was just "hotel people" by one of the members of the Sol Melia Vacation Club we're actually considering joining.  I provide the link mostly because I am hoping that someone from the site sees the referrer, reads the entry and is shocked to hear that their members speak to guests with that level of disdain.  Last I checked, I earned money that was as green as her money was and I probably paid as much if not more for my stay here.  I do know that members only get one week and we're here 10 days, so she should besa mi culo and get over herself.  I only hope I run into her once more here.

Dinner was supposed to be Asian, but it as most others fell short of expectations.  We had one more drink at the bar.  Well, I did.  I have switched to Canadian Mist and Diet Coke as it at least is a palatable whiskey available here and came back to the room early.  Colleen is once again out like a light as I compose this entry.

The wireless at the hotel isn't really supposed to be accessible everywhere in the hotel.  There are no mentions of it in any brochure, nor in any of the hotel services books in the room.  Still, the Mac managed to find the wireless network for the most part and we've had Internet here in the room at no cost that I believe is really only available for members.  It is named the solmelia SMVC network which is the name of the vacation club.  Good for us!

Cheers!