The MV Explorer had no trouble making the transit around Cuba with a day at sea in between. We queued up in the theatre waiting to be called for our various excursions. The shore leading to Playa Del Carmen has quite the shallow draft so we were forced to moor and tender ashore. Once on land we were marched from the ferry pier through the built-up touristy shops and restaurants to the area where our busses waited.
Our stay in Playa Del Carmen was not a long one. We were headed south along the Yucatán shore to the historic Mayan ruins at Tulum. After learning about the site and basking in the views, we went to Xel-Ha Lagoon, a water park that features a natural inlet for snorkeling among tropical fish an other aquatic wonders.
While we adventured, the MV Explorer repositioned to a cruise dock in Cozumel where we would need to end our day in order to reembark.
Not sure how I got into black and white mode there, or how I got out!
Those sights in Tulum were amazing, but it was hot and sunny on that dry cliff. So our snorkeling diversion was very welcome. We had a wonderful time swimming and playing the afternoon away in the clear blue lagoon waters. Unfortunately my camera was not waterproof and I was not willing to risk it.
The trip to Cozumel was easy because the ship’s tender was running ferry service for us. The cruise terminal area of Cozumel is a little self-contained shopping mall for cruise ships to disgorge into. We were pretty tired and had little interest in shopping, so I ducked into Señor Frog’s (still there on the waterside) and bought us three yards of margarita. We sat on a little artificial beach near the pier enjoying our tall drinks in the shade under a palapa. I was amused to note that my credit card did not flag the transaction as suspicious.
The next port of call for Enrichment Voyage is