On February 12th 2011, the ship I traveling with went to Cozumel, Mexico, a small island near the continental land. It was one of the first times we have had bad weather since I have been working here. But of course, I did not check the weather before I left the boat, nor did I go outside to see what it was like. Every other time I have been to Mexico the weather has been better there than anywhere else. So this time I decided to wear some flip flops, shorts and a very light T-shirt. When I got off the ship, I could not see the sun even though it was around noon because of how cloudy it was. I thought it was raining, which it might have been very lightly, but most of the water that was hitting me was from the very high wind propelling all of the salt water from the waves crashing into pier. Whenever I opened my mouth, all I could taste was the saltiness of the sea. I had also forgotten my sunglasses that day, which I thought I would need because of how bright it usually is in Cozumel but this time it would have come in much more handy just to block all of the sea’s salt water from my eyes. At the time, I didn’t think it would be necessary to change into some weather appropriate clothing, so I didn’t. While I was wandering by myself, looking through all of the amazingly offensive and suggestive memorabilia at the outdoor mall right next to the port, I ran into Bruno, the Argentinean pianist in the Celebrity Orchestra that we are both a part of. We decided to go to our usual lunch spot called Mama’s Backyard.
Before we got there we decided to check out the other restaurants on the way in order to avoid being in semi-nasty weather. We must have stopped by three restaurants before we ended up at Mama’s. The only place I remember stopping into was this really small restaurant on the corner of two very small one way streets. We went in and everyone who was there were the workers and some of their family. This place stands out to me because while we were there we had been really pressured to stay. We asked for the menus and we saw that they had some seafood for a fairly good price. The gentlemen, for a lack of a better term, informed us of all the good deals they had going on today just for us. They would give us a discount on seafood, beer, octopus, tacos and hookers… and an extra discount if we had all of the above. Needless to say, we left in a hurry saying “thanks, but no thanks amigo.” We were back in the rain, still hungry, but at least we had a good laugh. By the time we got to Mama’s Backyard we knew we would be able to rely on them for a great meal for a great price, friendly faces, and yes of course some wireless internet so Bruno could check his Facebook. When we got there they had informed us that it was closed on this day. We took a look in and it seemed like there were lots of people eating and drinking and we were confused. We proceeded to ask why they were closed and they had informed us that they were having a party. We were getting ready to leave, back into the bad weather with low spirits, and then Mama, yes, the “Mama” from Mama’s Backyard saw us. It turns out it was her birthday. And as usual she remembered us by name and invited us to stay for her birthday party. She was very insistent that we stayed, and of course we were happy to do so.
The thing about Mama’s Backyard is that this place is her home. She makes great traditional Mexican dishes and serves it to the locals. This place is also out of the way of the tourist area so it is a fairly legitimate place. She makes the food in her kitchen and you get to sit in her backyard and enjoy an as close as it gets to a real Mexican home. But this time we were part of her family. Mama introduced us to all of her friends and family and then sat us at a table and made sure we ate as much food as they were eating. They brought us about five or six different small plates giving us a chance to try everything that they had made for this very special occasion. After about an hour and a half of visiting, sharing stories, meeting everyone in the immediate and extended family, dining and drinking we had to go get ready to go back to the ship before it sailed off without us. Although we wanted to pay for the food like we always do, this time it was not about money, it was about family and friends. Bruno and I felt very welcomed. We returned to the ship and the weather coming back was even worse then when we had left. We were completely soaked.
This was a very special day, and just goes to show that there are very nice people around the world and I am so appreciative to have been a part of it. Thank you Mama, you made one memory for me that I will never forget.
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