Cruise - Friday Sept 19 - COZUMEL

WELCOME TO COZUMEL, MEXICO!!Today - our last port day - we'll be in Cozumel, Mexico. However, Aonika, Rick, Dad, Ronda, Tim & I will not be spending our time on this beautiful island. Instead, we've opted to head to mainland Mexico - to Tulum.
In order to get to Tulum you have to take a water taxi (30 minutes) across to the mainland. This was a pretty bumpy ride and made a lot of people queasy!
Ah - to see the Myan Ruins is one of my favorite things on any trip. I didn't get to see any on my last cruise - so I was really looking forward to it on this one. I love the history and the feelings that you get when you stand on these ancient sites and the spirit speaks to your soul. I can't wait to get there - it's supposed to be spectacular!
This is our tour guide - Raul Torres. He's of Myan decent and very knowledgeable. Here he is showing us a map (while we ride on the bus for the next hour to get to the site) of the Myan cities. This map now belongs to my dad - he bought it off of Raul because he couldn't find one of his own!
Before getting to the site we stopped at a little shop where we observed people making blankets (using a loom), carving obsidian into Myan sculptures, and lots of other neat crafts! This is what was being worked on when we arrived - how cool! In this little shop - Tim and I found a carving of "El Arbol Del Vida" (The tree of life). Of course I bought it!!

After a lot of traveling and good information, we finally arrived to the Myan site of Tulum. This is one of our first views of this spectacular city. This is truly a ruin site as all of the buildings are just as they were found - they haven't been renovated or built back up - AMAZING!

This is the main temple of the site. It is where the king spent most of his time and where human sacrifices were offered. What you don't see is that this temple backs up to a cliff - on the other side is pure blue ocean water - it's beautiful! Do you see the 3 doors? Right above those you will also see 3 crevasses in the temple - do you see them? From left to right these are the Father, the Son, and the last one is empty. Many people will tell you that this was unfinished. However, if that is so - then it is unfinished on EVERY Myan temple in the world. What do you think?

Here is a picture looking at the back of the temple. Isn't is beautiful? I've never seen water so blue in my life - and I've been to a lot of islands! Tim said that he thought it was more beautiful than Hawaii - is that possible?

Do you see the hands on the wall? This was the "sun temple" and it had remnants of paint on it from the days when this civilization was alive and well. As we were looking at the hands and wondering what that was, a lady walked up to us and asked "are you LDS?" UM - we were a little surprised - is it written on our heads or something? Then she explains that we had the shirt sleeves and longer pants on - it was only 100 degrees outside - so she just assumed that we were. She introduced herself as "Alma" - and LDS tour guide. At this point I was captivated. I wanted to know what she could tell me about the site - what could she help piece together. Having the Book of Mormon - I have read the history of these people. But to be here, right where they were was amazing and I needed to see how it all fit together. Alma pointed out that even today - in Myan culture - the symbol of hands signifies blessings and the passing of knowledge from patriarch to son and so forth. You see - she dated the site for us - it was a Lamanite city and they were blessing the buildings. Alma went on to point out carvings of the "fallen god" (Christ when he was crucified) and "god rising" (Christ resurrection). She showed us the "eye of the needled" (where the sun shone through to light up the city) and how there is an empty section in EVERY temple signifying the Holy Ghost - as he isn't tangible, only something you feel. I cried as she talked - I could feel the truth of what she was saying and my heart ached for those that were at this site and had no idea that the truth of these people is alive today. Alma told us one more thing that I found very interesting. She said that she felt that when Christ said that we should no long make human sacrifices but that he wanted a "broken heart and contrite spirit" that the Laminites misinterpreted this and offered the hearts of the sacrifice to God. I think that she is probably right. I left the site with a heavy heart - I just don't understand how the knowledge of these people is right in our hands yet there are many who say that the Book of Mormon is a lie and made up by a 14 year old boy. When you stand in places like that - how can you deny the validity of these things? I just don't get it!

After leaving the site, Tim and I stopped for some Quesidillas (SO YUMMY) and then back on to the bus we went. This is one last look at the water before we left to head back to Cozumel. This was a perfect day in my opinion. I'll never forget the feelings that I had or the things that I learned. It was beautiful.