My wife and I got on a plane last week and flew into Fort Lauderdale to board our ship for a 10-day vacation of the Western Caribbean.
At our first stop in Progreso, Mexico, we took an excursion that promised flamingo watching and tours of Mayan ruins, a Mayan Cemetery, a currently occupied Mayan Home, and the Dzemul Church. We entered the bus and our tour guide welcomes us and tells us his name is Josue Ayadel Manuel Camona Tapia, but that we should just call him "Joe." He introduced our driver as Raymundo Juan Pedro Antonio Eduardo Vega Toncha but we should just call him "Rocky."
The next thing that Joe told us was that the bus would be taking us on a 6-mile trip to the end of the pier and that the Progreso pier is the longest in Mexico. He then went on to explain that parked beyond our ship was first the container yard and next the salt loading facility, and then at the end of the pier sat the fuel export loading position. Joe then entered into a 20-minute presentation on the importance of exporting oil, salt, minerals and oranges and importing virtually everything else.
He went on to explain how the port functions and about the container traffic on the highway from the heart of Mexico to the Yucatan Peninsula. I thought – Wait a minute, I am on vacation and the most important thing Joe wants to tell me about is the global supply chain and how important it is to the people in this part of the world? Very cool!
Rocky does a great job driving, but unfortunately, we can't find any flamingos or anyone living at the Ruins. Joe had two explanations about where the Mayans went when they all disappeared:
1. Traders from Europe exchanged small pox for syphilis with the Mayans and the Mayans all died.
2. The Mayans were farmers who got tired of eating vegetables and moved to the sea to eat fish.
Funny, seems like Joe knew more about the supply chain than the Mayan culture.
I also learned something interesting about cube utilization at the Mayan Cemetery. Families reuse the burial vault for many family members. So dad dies, they push aside Grandpa’s and Grandma's bones and place Dad in the vault. Then when the next generation dies, they do the same thing again, and so on. It must get really crowded in the vaults.
But then we visited a Mayan home and I found out that in the 150-square-foot living room (daytime) and bedroom (nighttime), eight adults and two children live. The home had three out sheds – one for cooking, one for bathing, and then of course the necessary outhouse. In the main room they had electricity (a single light bulb) a refrigerator, a TV and a big boom box. Not sure if the Mayan house or the vault had more room per person.
Then at the Dzemul Church, they were so happy to see us that the children sang and danced. They even gave us lunch. It was a very good education for the children on capitalism, since I think my wife dropped $20 into the hat that this cute little Mexican girl was holding. On the bus trip back, Joe and Rocky sang. Sounded kinda like country songs to me. But they told us they were traditional Mayan songs about leaving the farm and going to the sea.
As we approached the pier, Joe told us more about cargo ships and also about how Rocky wanted to drive an 18-wheeler. I guess this global supply chain stuff is here to stay because even on vacation, you can’t get away from it.
Fun in the sun!
Buena suerte and adios (for now),
Jim