Lee Creech Next morning we docked at Costa Maya, farther down the coast. I was awake early, and went up to the top deck to watch us tie up shortly after dawn. You could see immediately that this was a different kind of place, more “authentic” if you will. The Yucatan peninsula stretched away to the west, flat and apparently uninhabited except for a slim crescent of development immediately around the dock area. Our agenda here involved a four-hour excursion to the Mayan ruins at Chac-choben. This turned out to be, for me at least, a highlight of the trip. We boarded a bus and proceeded some 40 or 50 miles back into the interior. The tour guide, who like other residents of the region was of Mayan descent, stood facing backward as we rode and delivered a lengthy, colorfully-inflected spiel that included a great deal of interesting information about local history and culture. At the site the complex of temples and other structures has been partly exposed, and you are allowed to climb two of the most prominent step pyramids. The path around and through the site takes you through the spectacular jungle that still engulfs some of the structures. The place evokes a powerful sense of history and deep time. Just as affecting, in a different way, was the glimpse we got of the present economic and social conditions of the region. The abstract concept of “the third world” was given immediate and vivid meaning by the scenes of the impoverished village and rural landscape we passed through. The contrast between this and the exaggerated decadence of the cruise ship was too sharp to be entirely comfortable. However brief and superficial, this exposure to a different reality is quite salutary and to be recommended.  After the tour we browsed through the shops of the open-air mall near the dock, which offer a variety of the usual stuff. The prices are quite reasonable if you get what amounts to a standard discount that’s not advertised but available through negotiation. This makes any purchase a little like buying a car, but the mood is amiable and the process not unpleasant. We bought some mementos and retreated to the air-conditioned comfort of the ship. Later in the afternoon my son and I went back to the small beach near the pier that looked inviting from a distance, but turned out to be more rocks than sand once you got past the water’s edge. As if in compensation a large stingray appeared nearby to be exclaimed at and admired.