Cruise: Day 6 - Hero
Today we visited Cozumel Mexico. I had planned to bicycle to a really cool park and walk around learning about plants and architecture, but I wasn't prepared enough and didn't find the bicycle rental place until later than I wanted to be starting that adventure. I just shopped along the main road with Robin.
I know the US is just as bad with treating everyone as a consumer first and foremost, but it was more in your face here. They invited us to check out their wares in very friendly ways: "You want Cuban cigars?" "Everything is almost free!" and, on the way back down a dead-end alley, "My turn!" I never got used to it.
There was a lot of gorgeous silver-and-stone jewelry, which I didn't buy, but I did buy a really nice folding fan.
We also went to a local museum where we learned about Gonzalo Guerrero, a fascinating-sounding character who was shipwrecked in the time of Cortez, became a Mayan, and would not return to Spain when rescued. In fact, he tried to organize the Mayans to defend their land against the Spanish. He died eighteen years later. He is a bit like a character in the overly ambitious sci-fi book I sometimes fantasize about writing.
We also saw this fountain in San Miguel de Cozumel, Mexico:
Back on the ship, we got to see a six-minute short Fantasia-like film, Destino, based on a collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. (I also learned that apparently "Dali" is accented on the last syllable.)
I know the US is just as bad with treating everyone as a consumer first and foremost, but it was more in your face here. They invited us to check out their wares in very friendly ways: "You want Cuban cigars?" "Everything is almost free!" and, on the way back down a dead-end alley, "My turn!" I never got used to it.
There was a lot of gorgeous silver-and-stone jewelry, which I didn't buy, but I did buy a really nice folding fan.
We also went to a local museum where we learned about Gonzalo Guerrero, a fascinating-sounding character who was shipwrecked in the time of Cortez, became a Mayan, and would not return to Spain when rescued. In fact, he tried to organize the Mayans to defend their land against the Spanish. He died eighteen years later. He is a bit like a character in the overly ambitious sci-fi book I sometimes fantasize about writing.
We also saw this fountain in San Miguel de Cozumel, Mexico:
Back on the ship, we got to see a six-minute short Fantasia-like film, Destino, based on a collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. (I also learned that apparently "Dali" is accented on the last syllable.)