Cozumel!

Three ports in three days, and the last was in beautiful Cozumel, Mexico. We enjoyed a late breakfast on board, having booked no shore excursions, and packed a light backpack with snacks for our own shopping excursion and walk along the beach. Carnival docked two ships at Puerto Maya that day--Conquest and Valor. Our shopping specialist talked at warp speed for one hour about the opportunities in Cozumel, and we decided to do some serious Christmas shopping. The jewelry, especially diamonds, tanzanite, and silver, are priced very affordably and are tax and duty free. We saw many types of gem stones in beautiful settings. I was attracted to a red coral pendant set in silver and Muffin purchased it for me. Of course crafts and vanilla are good buys in Mexico also.

Carnival's two ships docked at Puerto Maya, seen from the beautiful beach.

I love the flowers in Mexico. Love the bright colors and the abundance.

A very relaxed Grandpa Muffin.

Palm trees are so interesting. So strong, yet flexible, and producing wonderful fruit. It's what I think of when I read Psalm 1. "Blessed is the man...He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither."

Gracie's in Galveston. Ruby's in Cozumel.

Walking along the pier between the Conquest and Valor, returning after a few hours of shopping.

Dinner was lovely. We had the same waiter several nights--Alexander from Bosnia. For dessert he brought Muffin some delicious apple pie, and I ate chocolate raspberry cake served with raspberry sorbet. It's so pretty!

Muffin with Alexander.

After dinner we strolled around the ship, did a bit more Christmas shopping in the shops on board, and attended the juggling show.

This, which we stumbled upon late that night, was a party of about 200-300 Indian families. They were dancing on the Lido deck, had decorated so beautifully and were dressed elaborately. The music was so joyful. Everyone from the smallest children to the grandmas and grandpas was dancing in lines while the band sang and played what sounded to me like everything from traditional Indian music to Bollywood style dances. After about an hour, the elders got tired and lined the railing of the decks and watched. Or they sat on the deck chairs with some of the young children who were still awake. But the teenagers and twenty-somethings danced the night away, barefooted in their toe rings and ankle bracelets and saris and jewelry and it was glorious! I do believe we will all dance like that on the streets that are golden--the abandonment before the throne of God will be so freeing for all of us. But our Indian brothers and sisters will have a head start in the dancing because they know how to do it for hours now!

Or maybe those of us from Texas have begun our lessons with line dancing!

Line dancing in the lobby with the Fun Ship directors very late at night.