We entered our last port of call on this cruise this morning. This port is still well south of the Baja Peninsula and appears to have a larger commercial influence than any of the other Mexican ports we have visited. We could see a large container facility opposite from where we docked.
Our berth was right in the heart of the shopping district or malecon (boardwalk) as the locals refer to it. Here they have a large sailfish statue that pays homage to their history as the sailfish capital of the world.
I took a short walk through town while Chris took a tour.
Chris – Reflections of Mexico - As we pulled out of our last port of call in Mexico I thought I’d share with you some thoughts I had about Mexico and what I did today on tour. I can’t say I was initially very excited for so many Mexican stops, but I must say I have really enjoyed the ports. I didn’t have the trepidation about Acapulco that Paul did for two reasons. First, if there was anyone more concerned for our safety than us…it was Holland America. I figured they couldn’t afford to lose any passengers as it’s bad for business and we were on their tours. Secondly, the research I did said that the taxi drivers that were killed were being paid by the cartels and it was still a turf war (course you didn’t see me in any taxis either!!) I felt very safe and the ports were very well protected. I loved seeing Acapulco as I had heard about it all my life, particularly from Mark. I was impressed by all their sculptures down by the harbor and of course their fabulous harbor. My favorite Mexican ports were the smaller ports of Huatulco, Zihuatanejo and today’s Manzanillo. Huatulco had beautiful bays we explored by boat while Zihuatanejo was special as we were able to see Ixtapa and their Club Med, where, if I’m not mistaken, Kay vacationed. Today on the way to a beautiful, quiet beach I saw gorgeous scenery…both the houses and the vistas.The expensive houses (one belonging to Julia Roberts) were white and had spectacularly colored flowers draped on them. It reminded me of Greece, but with more plentiful and colorful flowers. We were way up on a mountain so we had some stunning scenery as we overlooked a number of bays and saw the incredible houses. In general, I found the Mexican people very proud and friendly. I respected they needed to make a living selling us their wares, but when you said “no thanks” they left you alone. It appeared there was an all out PR campaign in every port to welcome tourist and to promote how beautiful and safe their port cities are. With all the hotels/condos and ongoing building there is, I’m sure they are concerned about the drop in tourism. I, for one, enjoyed very much our hot and fun days in Mexico. Now, I have a dessert buffet to get to on the Lido deck!
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