January 25, 2019

The sky was cloudy and it was foggy, we watched the ship approach the Port of Costa Maya. The morning temperature was 24°C. The fishing village of Mahahual, Mexico, which has a year-round population of 4,000, is close to the port & cruise terminal.

Breakfast was eaten in the Windjammer buffet this morning. There were no other ships in port. The ship docked by 8 am and we met our group at the end of the 700-meter pier at 8:20 for the Chacchoben (Chak-Choh-ben) Mayan ruins excursion. As we made our way along the pier there was a pair of traditionally dressed drummers serenading the crowd. There were over six buses to take people for the hour-long ride to the Chacchoben Mayan ruins. Before the bus departed each passenger had to review and sign a waiver form, watch a safety video and fastener their seat belts. Our air-conditioned bus, driven by Bernardo, contained 41 passengers and guide, Alejandro Menéndez was the first bus to depart.

Alejandro gave us a geological and human history of the Yucatan peninsula of Mexíco including the Mayan culture. We travelled through small villages. The narrow highway was bordered by mangrove swamps. The Yucatan peninsula is a limestone plateau which is sprinkled with cenotes, underground caves containing the area’s water supply. The Mayan culture started to collapse over 400 years before the Spanish arrived due to a drought lasting over 200 years causing crops to fail and people to emigrate to other places. The Spanish arrived when the explorer Cortez set foot on the Yucatan peninsula in 1515.

Once at the Chacchoben Mayan Ruins, we started the stroll through the excavated site, where jungle trees shaded the pathways and stood beside the Mayan pyramids and temples. The archeological excavation began in 1994. Originally the site covered 6 square kilometers. The site dates back to 1,000 BC with notable modifications made between 300 and 360 AD. The site was officially opened to the public in late 2002. One of the functions of one of the temples was to chart the stars. The Mayans were exacting astronomers. Alejandro showed us how the Mayans wrote their numbers, based on 20, vertically using three different symbols including shells. It was more efficient than the Roman horizonal method of I,V,X,C, M and so on. Lowest line uses either the zero symbol and stones and sticks for 1 to 19, the next higher line would be 20s – 20 to 390, followed by another higher line of 400s and so on.

You needed to watch your step as there were many tree roots covering some paths. The structures were originally built of rocks bonded together and covered in stucco, probably red. The word chac means red. Chacchoben means place of red maize. The site still has many mounds to investigate. Visitors are allowed to climb Gran Basamento temple which has a large plaza part way up where the temple contuse and another pyramid is also overlooking the jungle. Gran Basamento was the center of the spiritual ceremonies of Chacchoben. While we waited for members of the group to climb down, several spider monkeys were spotted in the tall treetops. There were staff members scattered throughout the site holding containers of umbrellas in case of rain. We returned to the parking lot which was now full of taxis and buses. There was time for some shopping at the shops. In all, we spent two hours exploring Chacchoben.

When we returned to the cruise terminal, we walked among the dozens of shops, bars and restaurants and could see the thatched roofs of the theme park and passed a large pool at the center of the complex which had chairs on sand around the pool. We had light lunch on Deck 15 in the Solarium Bistro at the front of the ship.

Breaking News:United States President Trump announced that the government shutdown (35 days) would be over once the legislation was passed by the Congress and Senate, later tonight. However funding was only authorized until February 15^th. Also, Air Traffic Controllers on the east coast were calling in at twice the normal sick leaves, leading to short staffing and delays in many flights.

Hopefully when we leave Miami in two days, the slowdowns will have stopped.

Catherine, Scott and Mia ventured off the cruise terminal property to a nearby beach and enjoyed beer and beach time, even though there was more cloud than sun. It was a nice 28°C to be enjoy the beach.

We looked out at 4:30 and noticed that it was gently raining as the ship’s whistle sounded the “All Abroad” signal. Scott and Mia watched the sail away, catching the port crew as they released the heavy ropes from the pier.

This evening was the final Formal night. The dress-up participation of passengers was only about 50%. Our assistant waiter, Muhammad, took a picture of the five us at our table. The special entrées for tonight’s dinner included Lobster Tail and Beef Tenderloin with Baked Alaska and Molten Chocolate Cake for dessert.

After dinner we checked at the Photo Gallery for our Embarkation photos and plan to have one printed for a free 8 x 10 photo of our Diamond Loyalty perks.

We attended tonight’s show, Blue Planet, featuring the Mama Mia singers, dancers, and acrobats plus the trampolinists. The performances and special effects were stunning.

There is no need to set an alarm for tomorrow as it is a Sea Day from Mexico returning to Miami.

Today’s step total 19,588.