And, I'm back. Again, wildly behind (two cruises, and like four vacations), but lets try and get us caught up, shall we? Expect these next dozen blogs or so to feature pictures out of order, low on detail, and mis-remembered facts. Because, Costa Maya day was almost three (very busy) months ago at this point.
Anyway, we're here- back on the Jade for Asa's birthday cruise. Our first port stop was Costa Maya. The port itself is nice enough, that if you really don't want to venture outside of it, you don't have to. The port has a pool, shops, restaurants, and a treetop aviary. It's here that you get to climb rope bridges and venture in and out of bird habitats. It's also here where Asa got bit by a bird, despite the fact that you're not supposed to try and feed them. It's a bite he was pretty proud of to. You have no idea how many people he's told 'I got bit by a bird in a foreign country'.
Anyway, we spent some time in port, both before and after our adventure into town. Mahahual is just a short trip by taxi (and not too terribly expensive, if I remember correctly). Originally, Mahahual was a kind of fishing town, but it has been turned very touristy. It's mostly lined with tables of souviners and what they call 'beach clubs'. Everyone is trying to get you to come to their club, and it's a little overwhelming with everyone trying to sell you things and direct you places. Originally I was looking for a spot I saw on YouTube, where you only have to pay for a beach chair if you want it, otherwise, it's a public beach. Mostly, I was hoping to Snorkel there. But, the waters were very rough that day, and the skies very cloudy. In fact, we were told the boat almost didn't dock there because of the rough seas, so I figured anything I could do would be better than nothing.
We kind of wandered, a bit overwhelmed, not sure my orientation from the YouTube videos I watched and where the taxi had dropped us off. We were turning down people left and right. Eventually, someone coming up to us to ask to come to their beach club was from the Krazy Lobster. Asa, at this point, was pretty good at saying 'no thanks' and I was like 'wait! The Krazy Lobster! I saw you guys on YouTube!' and I knew that would be our landing spot for the day.
Beach Clubs are all over the place in Mexico. And they all work differently. Some you pay an admission fee, and then pay for your food and activities separately. Some are all inclusive. At the Krazy Lobster all you pay is for the food you want to eat, and they'll happily let you use their beach, seating, hammocks, kayaks. I had seen that they had reasonable prices, and good food, and minimal hounding, so I was happy to find something I at least recognized.
We were quickly seated and given some free mini margaritas as a welcome. Our server, whose name escapes me three months later, was wonderful and checked on us often. We got some food, including shrimp nachos, and we each ordered a giant margarita (mine was mango). The prices were totally reasonable, and the food was good. We attracted a random cat, who Asa fed shrimp to- so we affectionately named him 'shramp' and he hung around most of the afternoon.
Our table was steps from the beach, though the area was roped off by makeshift boueys out of empty soda bottles. It's amazing how resourceful people in other countries can be. The reason it was roped off was because of all the seaweed and grass coming in, so they could keep their water cleaner. I put on my snorkel gear hoping to see anything, but the water was cloudy, and I couldn't really see anything. Still the water was warm, even in the light rain, so that was nice.
After a couple rounds of food, drink, hanging with shrimp, and quite a few venders someone up to see if we'd be interested in various services/goods, a guy came around with freshly cut mango, and I couldn't resist. It was here I also learned fresh lime juice squeezed over mango was absolutely delicious. For real, I've been buying and eating mango like this ever since I got home. (And then telling everyone it was a little trick I learned in Mexico).
Eventually, the sun started to come out and the area got more crowded. We paid our tab, and headed out, walking along the sidewalk that goes along the water, nosing through vendors to find a magnet, and walking down to the lighthouse. On the way it gets a little less touristy, and you'll find a random pier that I think probably has decent snorkeling if you can get calm waters. It was about a 15 minute walk from the Krazy Lobster to the lighthouse (and the Mahuhual sign). Once we took all of that in, we hailed a taxi back to the port. Our driver didn't speak English very well, and while I should be learning Spanish (it would come in much more handy than French), I couldn't understand him very well either. So, we didn't stop at the coffee shop I had hoped to swing by on the way back to port.
Back in port, we hit the pool and cooled off before finally heading back to the ship. It was then that we discovered on 7 day cruises you really need to pace yourself- which means naps may be necessary. We started saying things like 'day 2A' and 'day 2B' to denote our times. Of course, the time back on the ship was also filled with desserts, O'Sheehans for wings, and shuffleboard. Turns out NCL ships don't have as much to do as Royal, so you're left with very leisurely evenings.
Enjoy all my un-edited, out of order photos from Costa Maya day.
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