Yatra Geetham – Mexican Tour – 3

Yatra Geetham

Mexican Tour – 3

Telugu Original : Dr K.Geeta 

English Translation: V.Vijaya Kumar

CANCUN

By the time we returned to our resort, it was already three in the afternoon.

We hurried straight to lunch. Since our package included accommodation along with all meals, we simply slipped into the buffet section, picked whatever we liked, and ate to our heart’s content. The kids especially loved the small pudding-like cakes. They were truly wonderful—beautiful to look at and heavenly in taste.

Though an entire half-day was wasted, we congratulated ourselves for escaping the trap of the timeshare scheme.

Next, we had to make reservations for the remaining week’s sightseeing. The tour desk in our hotel lobby itself handled bookings, and they offered us the same discount price that the girl at the airport had mentioned earlier, so we booked all our tours for the week right there.

First, we booked the dinner cruise scheduled for that very evening—one of the must-see experiences.

It was a pirate-ship-themed tour. We had to go on our own to a nearby small port to board the ship. We already understood that it wouldn’t be difficult. Our hotel zone was like a peninsula from which we could go only left or right. Buses and taxis were available every minute.

Along with that cruise, we booked an excursion to Chichén Itzá—one of the modern wonders of the world—for the next day, then Tulum ruins the day after, then another tour the following day, and so on for the entire week.

For one of the days, there was an adventure tour that not everyone could take, so only Varu and Satya booked it. Siri and I stayed back at the resort.

Since the hotel itself was by the seashore and the weather was pleasantly warm, honestly, we could have spent a lot of time just relaxing inside the resort.

Anyway, in the evening we quickly got ready for the tour and left.

Although we had spent the whole morning under the sun, the lack of humidity near the seashore made the evening tour quite pleasant.

The tour was at 6 pm, and the shipyard was only ten minutes from the hotel, so by around 5:30 we hailed a taxi outside the resort and negotiated for ten dollars.

Even though the local currency was the Peso, US dollars were accepted everywhere.

The taxis were not as comfortable as those in the U.S., yet they seemed okay.

Right on time, we reached the port, where staff dressed as pirates greeted us at the taxi stand. One of them theatrically welcomed us by placing a big sword on each visitor’s neck. I played along, posed for a few photos, and laughed with him.

The vessel was neither a big ship nor a small boat—something in between. Since the entire theme was that of a pirate ship, it was decorated with black paint, skeleton art, pirates with eye patches, and guns. It truly gave the feeling of an authentic pirate vessel.

Before boarding, they made visitors stand in line and performed a short introductory act that served as the prelude to the main story to be presented on board. They enacted real combat moves, fired mock guns, and the captain formally welcomed us, drawing us naturally into the storyline. It was done very well.

Around seven o’clock, when darkness began to fall, the ship set sail.

On the open deck, there were rows of benches on both sides, seating almost a hundred people, and they were completely full. For every two rows, there was one crew member to serve and assist visitors. Food and soft drinks were included with the ticket; alcoholic drinks required extra payment.

They brought soft drinks directly to our seats.

As soon as the ship left the harbor, the show began.

As with all pirate stories, this too involved a voyage in search of hidden treasure, the crew, a half-torn map, the entry of villains, attacking the ship, some falling into the sea, fire, explosions, screams, gunshots—everything was presented extraordinarily well.

At one point, a couple of performers actually jumped from the tall ship into the sea—this gave us goosebumps.

The one-hour storyline was followed by a one-hour dinner break, and the final hour was filled with singing and dancing. Time flew by.

Because it was the season of bright moonlight, the brief interval of silence in the middle—spent cruising under the cool moon—was indescribably beautiful.
The moon smiled gently in the sky, playing with clearly visible twinkling stars, casting a cool silver glow around us.

For dinner, we had to go inside the ship, where designated tables were arranged. They served burgers and similar items; they tasted fine.

After dinner, when we returned to the deck, they asked each visitor which country they were from, played songs from those countries, and performed dances accordingly. That part was very nice.

We were the only ones from India.

As soon as they heard “India,” they played a Hindi song, performed a Bollywood dance, and greeted us with namastes.

When they invited people onto the stage to dance, the children and Satya pushed me forward. So I went up on stage and ended up staying there till the group dances at the end.

Overall, that evening turned out to be very lively and enjoyable.

For those visiting Cancún, this tour undoubtedly brings new excitement.

While returning, since it was late, the taxi cost us twenty dollars. Though price changes based on time are common everywhere, doubling the fare just like that—here too, they are in no way behind us Indians!

*****

(to be continued)