As we made our way away from Costa Rica we went to a small port town in Guatemala. We didn't have a ton of time here, but managed to find a hammock, a margarita, and some great coffee, which was more than enough to make me feel satisfied. I spent the day blogging and enjoying a simple, slow day on land. We followed that up by making it to Mexico. Port Chiapas was our first of three ports in Mexico and it was Sarah's (one of the singers) birthday. The port happened to have a really nice pool with a sand volleyball court, bar/restaurant, etc. sitting right by the ship. It wasn't the most adventurous way to spend the day, but it was fun. We tanned and swam all day long and just got to hang out together and have a little pool party to celebrate Sarah. Honestly, it was just what the doctor ordered and we had a blast.
The next day we went to Huatulco, Mexico. It was a nice port, but somewhat touristy and I wanted to get away from the ship, so we took a taxi into the bigger town a few miles inland. It had a nice town square with shops and restaurants around it. We took a second to look in a cathedral and shop a little bit before finding food. I love Mexican food, so I was thrilled when we found a good spot to eat. It was an open-air cafe on a balcony overlooking the town square and since it was early enough we were able to order breakfast. I got chilaquiles, which is a dish my Texan roommate makes sometimes at home. It was awesome in all of its cheesy, chickeny, fried tortilla-y, eggy goodness. The day was pretty hot so iced coffee was the perfect treat as I wandered around the town on my own. I ended up walking back to the port town, grateful for sunshine and a full belly.
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| Jorge, the captain. |
We celebrated New Year's on the ship over the couple sea days following Huatulco. It was a fun party with a 40's Swing sort of theme. We sang a few songs, including Auld Lang Syne, after the Captain did the countdown into 2014. The next day we were excited to reach Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. I got up pretty early to head into the port with Sergii and Anastasia, our dancers. We went walking through the really nice port. It's a funny mix of old-school boats and shops and very modern, corporate resort town. We headed to a restaurant called Solomon's Landing for breakfast that had been featured on the Food Network. Sergii had remembered going there and how amazing the food was, but didn't even know it had been on tv. He just had good taste, I guess. Ha ha! Anyhow, I ordered my meal and some coffee and didn't pay attention to Serg and Nastia's order. When the food came, however, I died laughing. My one plate was swamped by their four! They had been a little overeager, but I reaped the french toast benefits. The food was ridiculously good and a great start to the day.
Soon we walked through the harbor, fielding various offers for boat tours out to the rock formations and beach that have made Cabo such a destination. We quickly found ourselves in a pretty rundown glass-bottom boat captained by Jorge, a guy who just perfectly looked the part of Mexican tour boat captain. His big smile was only highlighted by an intense mustache and leathery skin. He spent 45 minutes driving us all around some spectacular rock formations, pointing out funny shapes, crabs, pelicans, and giving us tips of where to go after the ride. It was a really amazing experience to be out in the ocean right up against those huge rocks, including Cabo's signature arch. Just a beautiful site. We were dropped off at the large sand beach, where I only had a little time before meeting the rest of the cast. It was great, though, to climb those rocks and go snorkeling in crystal clear waters. I can see why Cabo is such a destination for so many. I wish I had even more time, but another adventure awaited.
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| Beautiful dancers, Sergii and Anastasia. |
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| So you can get a sense of just how HUGE these rock formations were. |
The ship had organized a crew tour and there ended up being only 11 of us to sign up. The 5 singers and a few others joined for an excursion to go "helmet-diving." We were taken to a platform floating in the water not too far away from the beach. At that point we put on wetsuits and learned about how our helmet-diving would work. Basically, these helmets each weigh 75 pounds. There is a hose from an air compressor that is attached to each helmet, sending oxygen in for you to breathe under water. As we climbed down a step ladder into the water, once it reached our shoulders, just as we were about to go underwater fully, they would place the helmet on our heads and we would continue our descent. The helmet sits on your shoulders, but is open at the bottom. You can feel water up to your chin, but as long as you remain vertical, the helmet acts as an air bubble, keeping the water from filling the helmet. If you lean forward or back it will fill with water, but as long as you stay vertical, you can breathe just like normal and your head remains dry. It is one of the strangest things I've ever done and I can't explain it any better than that. Ha! Underwater we looked like we were right out of a sci-fi movie, weighted down to walk on 20 feet beneath the water's surface on the bottom of the ocean, but in slow motion, like an astronaut on the moon. While under water for our 30 minute tour, the guide caught a large blowfish we were able to play with, along with a small octopus. We also saw a large school of fish, etc., but the most interesting part of the whole experience was just being underwater and breathing normally. It was so bizarre and I never did get used to the sensation of the whole thing, but it was fun!
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| Just bizarre. I'm the fourth in line. |
Our day in Cabo was one of my favorite on the cruise thus far, but I'm getting really excited for this next cruise, as we are heading to Hawaii, French Polynesia, New Zealand, and eventually Australia! It's going to be great fun. All the best to you all. Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the remnants of the polar vortex I've been hearing so much about. I have to go put on more suntan lotion and drink another pina colada now. Bye!
Tripp
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