Bus No. 1 or Bus No. 2

Dos Bocas was touted by the excursion chief as a port without merit. "There's not much. It's Mexico's biggest port but it's commercial and that's it." she said. At the evening show the night before we were told there would be a "shuttle" to transport us into Paraiso, a small town about fifteen minutes away. Sounded good. The ship docked in the wee dark hours at 6 am to a fanfare of drums and recorded rhythmns. Dancers in costumes of dimly flowing white were accumulating in the shadows. A stage shape was directly below our balcony but the reception moved to the gangway which was midships. As the sun rose in front of us, people began to flow from the ship and we could read the shuttle bus schedule posted on the dock. Buses were leaving on the hour beginning at 9. We decided to take the bus at ten and spend the first hour exploring the thatched huts on the pier. By 9:30 we were becoming overheated and seeking shade. We began moving from one bit of shade to the next while we waited. Temps were already in the 80s F!

The bus felt gloriously cool. We'd boarded a number 1 bus with the promise to be delivered into town. A bus number 2 was also ready to go and we were pleased to learn that the buses were making a loop that wouild have four stops. Two were in Paraiso, one was at a chocolate factory and the fourth was a Mayan ruin with museum. Wow! All for $20. Hop on, hop off and expect a bus every hour. It sounded too good to be true. Most ship excursions started at about $50 and often cost a hundred or more! As scheduled, we stepped off in the delightful town square and enjoyed the shops and took pictures of the beautiful church and the local dancers. As the hour lapsed, a bus number 2 arrived which was heading for the chocolate factory so we happily boarded. Once again the air-conditioning was glorious. Outside temperatures were moving upwards toward 100 F as noon approached. The drive to the chocolate factory was longish and another stop at a beach area surprised us. We hadn't expected any tours or stops beyond the town. At the chocolate factory the blast of hot air whacked and wilted us as we stepped off the bus. We sweated our way through a warehouse, checked a museum set up in an authentic plantation house, sat in a hammock and sampled chocolate products. Time marched past the noon hour. We had a great debate with the volunteer helpers about whether we should take a bus 2 or bus 1 to get back to the pier. Some other passengers were convinced we would go directly back if we took a number one, so we passed up a number two that was ready to leave immediately. We waited. And waited! Thank goodness the gift shop was air conditioned. It was more than an hour before another bus arrived. It didn't go directly back. It was a number 1 going the wrong way. I soon became apparent the route and numbering was unreliable. Some folks saw nothing but the chocolate factory. The bus got us back to the ship with a mere five minutes to spare.