December 31 - Cozumel, Mexico

Rainy and sort of dreary but not terrible.  Just not tropical sunshine.  Maybe it will get better later in the day.  But we did get a photo at sunrise.

The Serenity in port here in Cozumel.

We all opted for the same shore excursion today, Island Roots, Honey and Chocolate.  Some of the coastal area on our drive.

The “Island Roots” gave us information about the Mayan history of the area.  About 40% of the population is has Mayan ancestry and many people still speak Mayan, it is a very alive and vibrant language.  We stopped at a Honey place and were given a demonstration of a Mayan ceremony, with the Shaman speaking Mayan.

The local honey is made by local, stingless bees.  A typical hive of these local bees has about 6,000 to 10,000 bees and produces about 1 liter of honey per year.  The European honeybee hive typically has 20,000 to 80,000 bees and produces 15 to 40 liters per year. 

They gave us sample of regular honey and the local honey to compare.  The local honey is much runnier and was really yummy.

We also stopped at a large taco stand on the waterfront.  The beach and coast here was pretty.  

We had time to take photos of the picturesque area and buildings.  Very colorful. A few people ordered a quick snack  We didn’t but should have.  Long tour with no food.

Next stop was to see a demonstration of the making of cocoa and chocolate.  We were greeted by the colorful Scarlet Macaw.

We watched a demonstration of how the Mayans originally prepared cocoa.  And we were given free samples.  Yummy.

Last stop was a tequila showroom where we were give samples and a lecture on the making and sipping of tequila.  It was really more of a sales pitch.  Mary tried it and actually enjoyed it.  Very smooth.

Cozumel port area.

We were back on board by around 3:15.  We all dumped our stuff and hit Trident Grill for food.  We were all starved.  We ate so late that we opted to not eat dinner. 

This was New Years Eve and there was a lot going on around the ship.  The central court area was festively decorated.  

But we ended up just going to the 8:15 show (a comedian) and then to bed not long after.