Our first port of call was the resort town of Cabo San Lucas,
a sleepy fishing village turned celebrity vacation haven. We tendered from the
ship to the wharf area which is populated by million-dollar boats and yachts
and surrounded by expensive apartments and holiday units and made our way through
hawkers as they attempted to sell us taxi rides and boat tours.
We headed along the tiled boardwalk past numerous restaurants
and bars and stopped at a lovely island style restaurant called Solomon’s
Landing where we dined on delicious Cobb salads and a glass of Italian Pinot Grigio. The staff were not only friendly but efficient, even if we didn’t
understand everything they said...
After lunch we continued along the boardwalk where women
sold tiny painted timber animals and gorgeous glossy painted bowls and
platters, and men carried real iguanas or sold silver jewellery. Jim purchased a beautiful silver bracelet for Penny, which he managed
to barter down from US$45 to US$20!
One surprising discovery was the empty shell of what was
surely destined to be a massive hotel complex right on the boardwalk, now completely
overgrown with weeds. This was the first of several we were to see in Mexico.
The afternoon weather was divine with the balmiest of breezes as we stopped for
coffee/beer at another restaurant and then finally made our way back to the
wharf, and the tender to our ship. What a lovely way to spend the day!
Lunch at Solomon's Landing
Abandoned hotel building!
Puerto Vallarta
Puerto Vallarta is similar in style to Cabo San Lucas, but the
ship was a considerable distance from the centre and there was no shuttle. At
midday it was already 30°C
outside with 70% humidity so walking over a kilometre to the resort area and
beach was not, for us, an option.
Instead we left the ship and walked through a local
orchestra, heads covered with enormous Mexican hats, as they serenaded us with
their violins, guitars and horn. Then we walked across the road to the Galerias
Vallarta shopping centre and found Starbucks.
Coffee for Penny, iced coffee Jim at a cost of $133… in the
local currency; about $10 in ours, but the docket certainly looked impressive. It
was a great opportunity to check emails and catch up before making our way back
to the ship via some local arts and crafts stalls where we perused more of the beautiful
silver jewellery found here in Mexico.
The orchestra
Huatulco
Our final port of call in Mexico was Huatulco, a lovely
village on the water with million-dollar homes and rustic thatched roofed
restaurants. Our shore excursion took us and ten other passengers for an hour’s
drive and canoe ride across crocodile infested waters to an island which is now
an animal refuge. There, iguanas - young green ones and mature orange ones -
crawled around us quite unperturbed by our presence as several crocodiles, who
fortunately appeared to be well-fed, looked on.
The refuge is also home to donkeys, monkeys, birds and deer who
are well cared for by the people who were once poachers, and several lovebird-type
parrots were awaiting release back into the wild. We fed the enthusiastic and
friendly deer and iguanas with French beans.
We then dined on Quesilladas, soft tacos containing melted
cheese, but steered clear of the salsa which the Americans told us was
extremely hot. Ice cold beer and water refreshed us temporarily from the
stifling heat before we headed back to the canoe and eventually our bus.
Back at the port we stopped in at one of the rustic
restaurants for a beer and wine and the owner’s father, who comes from Aruba
but spent 15 years in Holland working for the tax office, told us his life
story! Then it was back to the ship and the very welcome air conditioning.
Tonight, we cruise towards Central and South America!
I couldn't help myself...
Our guide showing us a termite nest
On the walk to the river
On the canoe
Thatched roof made from palm fronds
Back at the port - we had wine and beer at the thatched roofed restaurant to the left
Our beautiful ship, the Celebrity Eclipse
We won't share that photo with the girls, who are doing fine.
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