Costa Maya
Costa Maya doesn't really exist. It's a stretch of coast on the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico, in the state of Quintana Roo (pronounced "row"). Some developers built a dock for cruise ships, added some souvenir shops and restaurants and a couple of hotels, and BOOM! Instant cruise ship destination. There is a real village, Majahual, a few miles away, but we didn't go there. Here are some shots of the area:
Costa Maya
Our shore excursion this time was a "Mayan Reality Tour." And this time, we went with several other VIPs: Robert and Laurie, Mark and Lina, Vicki, Esther and Don. Here's an excerpt from the tour description on the cruise line website:
Here you will see for yourself the reality of the Mayan people today! Many visitors think the Mayans disappeared, but in fact the Mayan people, their customs, towns, and cultures never went away. They simply got caught in time, forgotten, but not anymore. On this tour you will witness the reality that faces these interesting people. You will visit their ruins but not deep in the jungle away from reality dressed up and non genuine. You will see a ruin right in the middle of town as the Mayan descendants walk past unfazed and almost forgetful of their history. Visit an actual Mayan house, learn of the food and the local witch doctors medicines. See how a small town is torn between its cultural past and a modernized world that is relentless in absorbing it. You will be later taken to beautiful field where you will try local Mayan dishes that include the famous under the ground cooking techniques, hand made tortillas and local fruits that are as exotic as their authentic Mayan names.
Sounds fascinating. Also sounds a little patronizing and exploitative. I went on this tour with mixed emotions, and they were still mixed when I came back.
After breakfast, we left the ship - it docked this time, so we didn't have to take a tender; we could just walk right out onto the dock - and met our tour guide, Lourdes:
Lourdes the Tour Guide
We got on the bus, and drove for about 45 minutes, to the town of Limones. On the way, Lourdes gave a talk about Costa Maya, and Mayan history and culture. Her English was good, but her accent was thick, and I had to listen closely to understand her. I also watched the scenery through the window. Very lush, very green tropical vegetation everywhere. There was an occasional small house or shack, but otherwise it was all jungle. It was a "short" jungle, by which I mean that the trees were not very high. There were also some swampy and grassy areas.
We got to Limones - population 1,300, 97% Mayan. As we drove around the town, Lourdes pointed out various things:
A Park
(That lettering across the picture was on the bus window - it says "emergency exit.")
A Church
A Health Clinic
A Restaurant
Some Stores
As well as a hardware store, various residences, etc. Lourdes pointed to the hardware store, and said "That's our Home Depot." She also pointed at another store and said, "That's our Wal-Mart." It was about the size of a 7-11. How the other half lives. It was interesting, but my liberal middle-class guilt was kicking in, and I felt a little bad about gawking at the natives.
Then we stopped at a Mayan temple. Not a big one, like the famous ones at Tulum or Chichen-Itza. Just a small, local temple. Sort of like going to a small town church, as opposed to Notre Dame Cathedral.
Small Town Temple
As soon as we got off the bus, we were surrounded by local children. Some just wanted to say hello, and gawk at the rich Americans (hey, it works both ways). Others were selling flowers, jewelery, etc.
Lourdes and Locals
Terry and some of the others had the opportunity to touch the stones of the temple, and one man went so far as to climb about halfway up. I wasn't sure if he should do that, but no one complained.
After we left Limones, our next stop was to visit a Mayan household. A local Mayan couple, Gloria and Manuel (we never did learn their last name), have opened up their home to tourists.
 Gloria (with Lourdes)... |
 and Manuel |
After we got off the bus, Lourdes showed us around. First, we walked around the yard, and Lourdes showed us several local plants and fruits, including jicaro - a tree whose dried fruit is used to make bowls; anona - a fruit similar to the cherimoya, also called custard apple; and noni - a fruit that doesn't taste very good, but whose juice is reputed to have great health benefits, although this is controversial. I didn't get any pictures, but here are some pictures I found on the Internet:
 Jicaro |
 Anona |
 Noni |
Lourdes also showed us a cenote (seh-NOH-tay). Cenotes are sinkholes filled with water, which are very common in the Yucatan, and are used as wells. This one was quite deep.
We then took a look at the house. One interesting thing about Mayan houses is that each room is a separate building. So Gloria and Manuel's home consisted of a small cluster of buildings, each with exactly one room. All of the rooms had earth floors, and thatched roofs. Here's Terry looking at a thatched roof:
Thatched Roof
We went through one room, which appeared to be a living room or family room. At one end was a small altar with a picture of the Virgin, and several candles. Later, we also went into the kitchen, and I walked past another room which must have been the bedroom (none of the rooms had doors, so I could see in). I was also amused to notice this mixture of old and new:
Thatched Roof...and Satellite
Dish!
We all sat down in a clearing, took a break, and had some fruit and drinks, and Lourdes introduced Gloria and Manuel. While we sat, I took this picture of the grounds:
The Grounds
We then went into the kitchen (another separate building, of course), and Gloria made tortillas. She had two kinds of salsa; one without hot peppers, and one with habanero peppers, which are reputed to be the world's hottest peppers. I tried some, and found it wasn't all that hot. It may have had habaneros in it, but they were highly diluted for the gringos. The tortillas were delicious, however, and Gloria kept turning them out as long as people kept eating them.
In The Kitchen With Gloria
The next thing we saw was the making of henequen fibers. Henequen is a plant related to the agave, that's used to make fibers, which in turn are used to make ropes, baskets, etc.
A Henequen Plant
You put the leaf on this
board...
...beat it with a stick...
...scrape it with a scraper...
...and you have fibers!
As we drove away, I again had conflicting feelings about the whole thing. In a way, it seemed a little embarassing to see Gloria and Manuel put on display, like performing seals. On the other hand, they were certainly not being coerced or forced. And apparently, they're making good money doing it - Lourdes mentioned that they were the only family in the neighborhood with electricity and a gas stove, and that they're able to send their oldest daughter to university. Also, when I thought about it, it occurred to me that many British upper class families have opened their ancestral homes and castles to the tourist trade - is this so different?
Many questions, few answers. Sigh.
Our next stop was a place called Buena Vista. This really had nothing to do with Mayan culture; it was just a lunch and relaxation stop at a park by a lagoon.
A Park By A Lagoon
Water Slides
We were served a box lunch, which was edible but uninteresting. It was supposed to be a Mayan lunch, but it wasn't. A sandwich with bland mystery meat and processed cheese, a granola bar, a bag of Japanese style peanuts (which are very popular in Latin America), an apple, and a soda. No one elected to go into the water. There were a lot of local kids around, but no one tried to sell us anything. There were also a few dogs, much to Terry's dismay - because, of course, they all wanted to say Hola! to North.
And that was the end of the tour. We drove back to Costa Maya, and had some very bad guacamole at a very touristy restaurant. On the way back to the ship, I took this picture of the ship tied up at the dock:
Ship Docked
...and I got Sue to take this picture of Terry and me on the dock:
Us On The Dock
We got back to the ship, took a rest, took a deck walk, and went to dinner. Just for once, we skipped the dining room, and joined Robert and Laurie for a casual dinner at the buffet. Then Terry went to bed, and I went to that evening's show by myself. It was another song and dance revue, called "Absolutely Fab," featuring a miscellany of hit songs from the '60s through the '80s.