Sea Day January 23, 2023 Monday/Tuesday Puerto Chiapas, Mexico 1/24/23

Sunday, we met four more people that traveled with Viking in 2017/2018.  That takes our total to 11 former Viking guests.  We are all here because we liked the idea of over 20 new ports.  

Today is a Sea Day, 1/23/23.  I started my day walking the track and then went to breakfast.  At 9:30,  I went for another Bridge Lesson.  It is a complicated game.  Today, the Solo Travelers are having lunch together and I hope to meet some new people.  Around 1:30, we are trying Chinese Mahjongg with some other World Cruisers.  

After dinner in the Polo Grill, I walked the track again and ended my evening at the Insignia Production Company's Broadway in Concert.  

Today we are in Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.  I walked this morning on the track and took pictures of the birds flying overhead.  I think they are frigates.  

Puerto Chiapas is just 13 miles from the border with Guatemala.  The port is a small fishing and agricultural transport center.  Chiapas is the poorest state in Mexico, but many cruise lines stop here.   Chiapas rank second among the Mexican states in the production of cacao and also produces 60% of Mexico's coffee.  Other crops include sugar cane, bananas and other fruit.  Milk production is about 180 million liters or 47.5 million gallons.   

Izapa Ruins & Chocolate City (CIA-008)  January 24, 2023 Port: Puerto Chiapas Tour Length: Half-Day (Approximately 4 1/2 hours) 

• The climate is ideal for growing cacao, the main ingredient to produce chocolate. Anciently, chocolate was so valuable that it was used as currency.  We took a tour of Tapachula, a cultured city that revolves around agriculture.  Crops include cheese, 40 varieties of sweet corn, Chiquita bananas, mangos and coffee.  In addition to seeing its contemporary side, you will view historical sites such as the 18th-century Saint Augustine Church and ancient artifacts in the Soconusco Archaeological Museum."

The cocoa demonstration included the steps of fermentation, drying, roasting for 40 minutes, peeling, combining with cinnamon and sugar and enjoying.  

• Explore the ruins of the region’s largest Olmec and Mayan archaeological site,  While walking among the ruins, you will see large pyramids, altars and stone carvings that tell the stories of the Olmec and Mayan civilizations that lived here from about 1500 BC to 1200 AD. There are 13 historical sites in Chiapas.  The beverage they made from cocoa beans was a stimulant and the Mayans believed it gave them power,  

The Mayans played a game where they could only contact the ball with shoulders and hips.  The ball was rubber and weighed 2-3 kg.  There were two teams of seven people.  Some say the winners were sacrificed to live as a God and others say the losers were sacrificed to live as a servant.  

in the Soconusco Archaeological Museum.

PLEASE NOTE

This tour includes about 1½ hours of moderate walking, plus any additional walking at the guests’ discretion during free time. The order of sights visited may vary and the itinerary may be reversed.

Chocolate processing demonstration in Tapachula, the cocoa beans at the bottom center of the picture are roasting.

Processing chocolate demonstration in Tapachula, chocolate pods are at the bottom of this picture.

Chocolate demonstration in Tapachula, the individual beans tasted sweet.  I sucked on them until the sweetness was gone.  

On board the Insignia, Mariachi dancer from Sunday.

Mariachi dancers from Sunday onboard the Insignia.

Today's characters in Tapachula, I don't know the story behind the man with the mask and head dress.

Dancers today in Tapachula.

Mariachi Band that played on Sunday on board the Insignia.