Cozumel and other Adventures.

It was a beautiful day in sunny Cozumel. As I swiped my crew id card with security and granted access to land, I could feel the cool ocean breeze. As usual, the ship’s photography department was crowding the gangplank to sell snaps of passengers posing with Pilipino guys dressed as Mexican mariachi (Complete with an eye pencil drawn-on curly moustache ala Salvador Dali – the signature of all Mexicans?)

I passed the usual sites at the Cozumel port: the guy covered in silver paint and mask as the living statue of Davy Jones (from the Pirates of the Caribbean movie, not the Monkeys), the woman holding a tiny leashed monkey on her shoulder saying “Joo wanna peetcher wit da mone-kee?” and of course the guy who works at the car rental place who has asked me going on 12 weeks, “You wanna Mexican boyfriend, Mami?”

After making my way around slow moving tourists and Diamonds International gals handing out flyers for “free” bracelets, I found myself at my destination... the Bowling Alley! A group of fellow entertainers and I had planned a field trip. Apparently, bowling hasn’t caught on in Mexico. I think it has to do with the fact that it is a sport from another culture. And anytime you see bowling being celebrated on TV or film, it is in a 1950’s period piece. So, it would be the equivalent of Americans suddenly taking a wild interest in cricket. So we were the only patrons there. Needless to say we had a terrific time. Final score- Men: 231, Women (and one gay guy): 341!

Jeff’s Adventures: Jeff has been diving right into nature. So far he has gone snorkeling from a catamaran, hiked through the rainforest to swim in a waterfall, visited a zoo in Belize, and he is fulfilling a life-goal... He is getting SCUBA certified today. Every Friday morning for the past month, he goes into Cozumel and takes tests both in the water and out. Last week he made friends with a fuzzy little octopus. And a jellyfish that gave his leg a “hug”.

Jen’s Adventures: I am also living out my fantasies... I finally went for it! I had to, just once.... The Chocolate Buffet. A sea of chocolate carvings (A rooster, a grand piano, the Thinker), chocolate “sushi”, and ice scultpures welcomed me, as a live band played easy jazz. I ate brownies, cakes, cream puffs, and a spoonful of the giant pile of mousse that I affectionately have been calling “Sweet Poop Mountain”. But, after tasting it, I have changed the name to “Sweet Cloud Mountain”, so good! I had to try this buffet just once. Just once. Okay, I might go next week just for the chocolate mousse blueberry tarts. But that’s it.