Puerto Vallarta

Today I went on a Grayline Tour of Puerto Vallarta where we visited 2 tequila factories and I had a mango margarita for lunch. Ai! Carumba! The dark tequila has 18% alcohol. It includes coffee, chocolate, cinnamon, and tequila and it was my favorite.

I used the banos at City Hall.

We visited a leather shop. Here I am holding ostrich foot leather.

A view of our restaurant in the mountains from a bridge over the stream.

While drinking my mango drink and eating veggie fajitas, I saw a Greater Kiskadee. Actually we saw 3 of them flitting around in a tree.

 

The child on a sea horse symbolizes Puerto Vallarta as it is a young city that grew from a poor fishing village.

I had a great day here in Puerto Vallarta. For the next 2 days we will not stop at any ports. No Internet access until we get to port.

 

Mazatlan

Mazatlan differs from Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. Matazlan is less of a tourist destination and more of an actual city. The prices are lower and the situation is real. In Mazatlan orphans are cared for in orphanages unlike Mexico City and other towns.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cliff Divers In Mazatlan

The divers earn money from tips.

 

Cabo San Lucas

According to the sailing couple I had dinner with the other night, in 1979 Cabo San Lucas was a poor fishing village. Now Cabo San Lucas prides itself on being the second most expensive marina. Only the marina in Morocco is more expensive.

I went kayaking on a glass bottom kayak and snorkeling near Pelican Rock.

A guy named Gary was my partner. We are both experienced kayakers and were able to synchronize our paddling.

The view through this rock shows the Pacific Ocean from the Sea of Cortez.

Our boat, the Norwegian Joy is shown on the left in the distance.

A young sea lion waits for Mommy to return so it can nurse.

What a great view!

Cabo San Lucas at night.

 

Mazatlan Coastal Promenade

 Today I had a really great tour of historic Mazatlan and modern Mazatlan. Along the way we passed a yellow condo building. Our guide, Umberto, said this yellow condo is the place where El Chapo was arrested for the final time. Umberto was glad El Chapo was behind bars. Here is the story about the criminal, El Chapo.

Baja Peninsula

 Today I woke at 4:30 a.m. At 5 I went up to the 17th floor to sit by the window facing south and out toward the Pacific. We were sailing along the Baja Peninsula. As I drank coffee dawn arrived and gradually I became aware of the waves and the sky. I looked for whales and dolphins. I asked a waiter if he ever saw whales. He said no, whales are shy. I had a baking powder biscuit, a hard boiled egg, and a banana. The banana was to cure me of the 3 Charlie horses I endured in my right calf last night. At 9 I joined an exercise group where 60 people followed the instructions of a woman from the Philippines in salsa dance and zumba. At 10:30 I went to a travel lecture with Brenda McGuire. She spoke about international travel. Now I want to go to Vietnam to see the biggest cave in the world.This cave is so big it can fit a 40 story building inside. This cave has it's own ecosystem and weather. For lunch I had delicious cream of mushroom soup and a Mexican bowl for lunch. I sat next to a couple from Portland, Oregon and we are all three going snorkeling in Cabo San Lucas tomorrow. They told me whales and sharks are out there but they haven't seen any yet either. After lunch I took a class on origame and made 3 paper hearts. I went back to the pool area after that to enjoy some sunshine and mango juice. The country music and sun got to me so I had to leave.

Pure Hedonism

 On Jan. 5th, the 5th year anniversary of my retirement, I got up early to take a plane to Los Angeles. I was happy to leave from the HHH terminal thinking it was easier than the main terminal. The line for TSA was so long I had to take 4 moving sidewalks to find the end and I was across the bridge over the street in the parking garage. Fifteen minute estimated wait my foot. It was a 45 minute wait. I made it to my plane on time but no time to fill my  water bottle. We landed LAX and I used the airport WiFi to read emails and to look at the news. I took the cruise bus to the port and boarded the Princess Joy. I checked my backpack and had a Caesar salad for lunch. I explored the ship. My stateroom is on the 8th floor. My room was not available until 4 p.m. but my luggage had not arrived yet. I watched the sunset on the ocean from the pool deck on the 17th floor. People were drinking and dancing. Pure hedonism. After a dinner of baked ziti and fresh fruit I returned to my room. After an hour I used my Tile tracking device and discovered my backpack was outside my door. I took a hot shower to rid myself of the airplane germs. Exhausted I was asleep by 7 which was 9 p.m. in Minneapolis. I met my room steward. His name is Moon and he is from Indonesia. He is a very nice guy. Food and most drinks are free. Expensive items are Internet access and alcohol. A woman named Ginny warned me to put my pone on airplane mode when sailing. She didn't do that on her last cruise and she had to pay dearly for every message she received from family and friends.