Day Three - Cozumel

The morning started with a good look at Cozumel from the veranda. Very nice looking island. The water was clear and blue, and the buildings were pretty well kept. By now, we could find breakfast without the map, so we wandered up and caught a quick bite, then collected our gear for Chichen-Itza. The excursion people had recommended we carry suntan lotion, extra water, comfortable shoes, sunglasses, and a hat. Of course, we had to buy the bottled water, which was seriously annoying, but we picked some up after breakfast, and went off to the meeting point, ironically called Rendez-Vous Square. We noticed immediately that it was full of people, many of whom were forming lines. The 9:30 departure time came and went, as the lines swelled, then dwindled, then swelled again as people noticed they needed to buy water, get beach towels, etc. Since we already had our water, and since we weren't taking a beach excursion, we sat impatiently, waiting for those with less foresight than we had. Sometime around 9:50 or so, they called our excursion, and we formed yet another line and left the ship, lining up by a man holding a sign that said "Chichen-Itza by Air." The man's name was Gamma Jr., and he was a certified 80% Maya Indian. He was probably also a certified looney, but more on that later. Gamma handed us box lunches (at no extra charge. Surprise!) herded us in taxis and off to the airport we went. The airport in Cozumel was rather small, but adequate for what we needed. We went through security, and looked out at a very strange looking twin engine turbo prop with gear that came out of the engines and kinda just sat there on really long struts. I found out later that this was a Fairchild Heller 22. We even had a flight attendant. After we were loaded, the airplane back taxied on the one and only runway, turned around, and we took off for Chichen Itza.

The 40 minute flight was uneventful, with nice clear VFR and no turbulence. Upon landing on the little strip at Chichen Itza, we noticed a few smaller airplanes off to one side. These included a little 182 painted green and yellow, with big letters spelling "big banana." I decided not to hijack it to take back home. There was also a little 152, and some other strange airplanes we didn't recognize. We didn't have too much time to look at airplanes before Gamma started loading us by 4s into waiting cabs for the very short ride to the ruins. Once there, the group of about 30 of us, was divided into two, one going off with a French speaking guide, and the rest of us tromping off with Gamma. First stop was the model of the area. We couldn't believe how some people would put their drinks and lunches all over the map. Oh well, some people just don't have manners. Gamma paid our entry fees and tromped us throug the gate to the outside, where we stood under the semi shade of a rather shabby tree, and heard "The Maya According to Gamma." Gamma took great pains to tell. us how the origins and the endings of the Mayan civilization are a mystery. The theories for the origins of the Maya's with their Asiatic features inculde: Asian people who crossed over when the continents were close, the Maya were from Atlantis, and the Maya were from outer space. Gamma likes the later theory, and went into elaborate explanations from Erik Von Danike's Chariots of the Gods widely debunked "novel." That notwithstanding, Gamma had lot of quite interesting information about the people who created the temples, gaming facilities, and sacrificial platforms that we saw on the tour.

Among the highlights of the tour was the "Ball Court," where the Maya apparently had religious games where an 8 lb ball was hit with the forearms, hips, or thighs, across the walls and through stone rings at the top of the arena. There was a "sky box" of sorts in the center, where the priests and nobility sat, and two stone enclosures, one at either end. The Ball Court was so accoustically precise, that a referee in one of the enclosures, could speak in a normal tone, and be heard perfectly in the other enclosure, approximately 100 yards away. The winner of the game (or the loser, depending on how you look at it) was beheaded by the loser (or winner) as an offering to one god or another. Archeologists found out about the games and other parts of Mayan life from the intricate carvings on the walls. Some are very intricate indeed. Other highlights included the Temple (not a pyramid, and don't you forget it) that is generally seen in National Geographic films about the Maya. The Temple apparently contains an accurate solar calendar that is too mathematically complex for me to understand. Reece climbed the temple, (here's the proof but I was far too tired to. We also saw some other temples and platforms, the huge deep well, which was one place where human sacrifices took place, and Reece saw the observatory and nunnery while I sat in the gift shop.

On our way home, I asked Gamma if it would be possible to see the cockpit of the F-27. After a few minutes, Gamma emerged from the cockpit and told me to go on up, but don't take too much time because "pilots are busy." When I got there, the First Officer pulled out the jump seat, and told me about some of the instruments and characteristics of the strange turbo prop. Then he asked me why I was interested in airplanes. I told him I was a flight instructor, and his demeanor changed. He started talking about blue lines and stall speeds and engine performance. Since I was told not to take too much time, I thanked them, and told them I would go back now. But then, the FO decided I should "teach them how to land." I never thought they'd let me stay in the cockpit for a landing, just in case they messed everything up. The Captain had a silly looking smirk on his face, and I pretended to teach them to fly to the runway and land the airplane. Of course, the Captain pulled out a squeaker. Reece didn't believe me when I told him they let me land. Good thing, too.

On the cab ride home, we met Ian, an Irishman who worked on the ship in one of the shops. He told us about how the crew would sign up for six month contracts, then take a vacation, and sign up again if they liked it. He also told us stories about people who had almost been left behind because they went off and got drunk on the beach. They also had reset their watches to local time instead of ships time. Someone went looking for them, and found them just by chance, so they weren't left to find another way to get back to the ship and collect their belongings. We found this most amusing. Dinner, as usual, was wonderful, with our pals Svetto and Anka taking great care of us. Again, we collapsed into bed without partaking of the night's entertainment.