Costa Maya

Costa Maya, Mexico

July 5, 2010

Our day usually started with our FIRST BREAKFAST of TWO!

I loved the pot of coffee....it kept me going until Rob rolled out of bed!

We docked and were ready to discover....Costa Maya.

 We went on the Chacchoben Extreme Tour

($80 per person)

The perfect blend of culture and adventure in Costa Maya.

~ Me and Rob ~                                      ~ Joseph, Michael, and Sandra ~

 The boys in front of a fountain connected to the ship dock.

Love! Love! Love! This pool...it is located on the ship dock...so it is free for

any cruisers to use..swim up bar and ALL! Next time we are in Costa Maya

we will park our hineys here for a day in the sun (WE HOPE!!)

The pool is surrounded by jewelry stores and souvenir shops!!

No need to go anyplace else.....

Fran and Michael anticipating a fun day...

We rode on a 110 degree bus to our tour office...thank goodness the ride was only 5 minutes!

 You can tell what kind of weather we had in Costa Maya!

An hour after we boarded a little van with AC...we reached the Maya Ruins.

lluvia! lluvia! lluvia!
(rain! rain! rain!)
makes for MUD and MOSQUITOES!
We waited undercover while the thunderstorm slowed down so we could beging
the hour and a half tour.

We both bought $4 ponchos to brave the elements....I wanted to keep

my camera dry, too!  Heavy sprinkles pretty much the whole tour....

...but under the dense rainforest....we didn't get too wet! 

  There were 10 ruins for the public to see...and 14 others that we didn't see...

they are still renovating those temples!

Ruins were made by an advanced society of mathematicians and astronomists. Much of the architecture is based on complicated calendars (physics, phases of the moon/sun,astronomy.) Near the end of our tour they let us walk to the top of a pyramid!

Mas MUD y BUGS!

We saw gum trees (Xs on them for harvest) and allspice trees

(the leaves smelled like Christmas to us!!)

 Our very knowledgeable tour guide......she was GREAT!

A authentic Mayan lunch was served...refried beans, white rice, and chicken combo!

Fajita like.....delicious!

One of my favorite pictures of the trip!! I love all the color!!

So colorful near the Lagoon...despite the grey skies! 

After lunch it was time for the lagoon...all the pictures on their website 

showed it being BRIGHT BLUE...

...but since it was cloudy, thundering, and drizzly...we didn't see the blue Caribbean water!

 Back to the SHIP we go......no purchases here in Costa Maya!

But....look at this pool....I wanted to jump in and stay!

 Norwegian Spirit

 A week tradition....coffee at the ship's coffee shop!!

Mmmmm......

More Costa Maya notes.....

Costa Maya began development for the tourist industry in 2000. In 2007, Hurricane Dean came and destroyed the island and broke the cruise ship dock in two. They are trying to rebuild...cruise ships have been coming again for only two years...not much to see although we did drive by a Carlos and Charlies and Hard Rock Cafe just 5 minutes from port. Forests full of red mahogany and tropical cedar trees.