In the cool light of morning, I noticed that last night while half asleep and worn to a frazzle, I mispelled Cozumel. Also Filipino. However. . . .

Cozumel is my kind of place. It mixes old Mexico with modern day tourist traps, and does it almost gracefully. Everything is painted in warm colors such as red, yellow, and orange. When blues and greens are used, they are the brightest possible shades of those colors. That's Mexico.

We hardly noticed that it was raining when we went ashore. In that climate, being wet is only a minor discomfort. It didn't last long.

Things had changed. There was a new cruise ship pier alongside the old one. New shops and restaurants were under construction and a few were already open for business. So we took a $6 cab ride to town. The first place we went was a gift shop outside of a restaurant where we ate a few years ago. Nothing much had changed, except that the the shop was larger. Prices were in dollars and pesos. A quick calculation showed that some items were cheaper in pesos. Everybody speaks English and most cash registers were filled with US greenbacks.

We walked a block back from the waterfront street to the old town square. I have pictures. We didn't take a tour, because the last time we visited Cozumel, we rented a car and drove all the way around the island. We might have to do that again someday. The ruins are interesting and there are lots of beaches. Ocean currents seem to wash everything up on Cozumel. It's the vacuum cleaner of the Carribean. I'm sure bottle collectors love it.

There were five cruise ships in port, but taxis were plentiful. I commented on this to the driver who took us back to the ship and he said, "Too many taxis." They wait in line and you take the first one. Sometimes they wait two or three hours between fares. Prices are strictly regulated.

We went back to the ship and had a taco by the pool. It was prepared by a couple of Filipino cooks. Next, part six.
Howard