WHAT'S UP IN HUATULCO, MEXICO

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

As I write this at 5:52 EST on Wednesday, we are facing a storm force (Force 11) wind of 68 knots. This means we are rocking and rolling, but on a ship this size we are not in danger. Our cabin is on the port side and that is the side that is receiving the force. As I look out onto the balcony, I can see waves of about 10 ft. The captain announced that everyone should be careful walking around because it is a little difficult. The sea does not seem as bad as the night on I was on the Niagara on the Atlantic Ocean in 1996 and a severe storm hit. The Niagara is a little smaller than this cruise ship. TK likes studying the sea, and he is remarking that there are no clouds in the sky and no rain, just wind. He surmises it is coming off land.

As we go further south it is getting warmer and warmer, just as the east coast and Pennsylvania is getting a lot of snow! This morning we arrived in Huatulco, the “Cancun of the Pacific,” at 8 a.m. (pronounced wah tul co). Distance from Los Angeles is 1800 miles. In 1984 the Mexican government purchased 52,000 acres of land with the intention of building another tourist destination like Cancun. There are 9 bays and 36 different beaches here. It is also a critical bird habitat and no trees can be cut down unless they are farmed trees. Huatulco’s ecological practices have won awards. The lectured also said that 20 varieties of bananas are grown here and there are 6-8 waterfalls in the area. As soon as we got off the ship we could see beautiful white and black sand beaches. The port area is relatively simple with little restaurants, a few shops, taxis for tours, and “panga” boats to take people to other beaches. The population is approximately 7,000. TK and I realized that we have not followed our past practices by taking a tour the first time we are in a new port. We need to get back on track because an overview is important. We strolled along the nearest beach and I explored some of the shops. The silver jewelry, handcrafted in Taxco, is very beautiful. I think I have made a few good purchases in the last few ports.

We were back on the ship by 10:30 and I did some laundry ($1/ wash; $1/dry—very reasonable when we paid $3 per load in the hotel). After that I went to the pool to read and moved to the shade because of the heat. Someone asked me if it was too hot in the sun. I replied, “Yes, and I hate to say that since I am from Pennsylvania.”
At 3 p.m. I went to the Panama Canal Transit lecture that really inspired me yet again about our voyage through the canal. I will write more about this later (much to Son B’s delight, I am sure-she wrote smiling).

More later….the captain just announced that he is making a special maneuver to the starboard side to counteract what is happening.

The exciting weather lasted about 4 hours, but by the time we went to dinner at 7:30, the wind had subsided. Just as I trusted Captain Walter Rybka on the Niagara, so I trust Captain Mariana Manfuso on the Coral Princess!

Antonio, the head waiter who has been checking in on us each evening, brought us a supreme fried shrimp and fried calamari appetizer from the “Chef’s Table.” We had signed up for the experience of dining at the Chef’s Table on the first day. The experience consists of ultimate dining and touring the galley. We were put on a waiting list, but Antonio is going to check to see if we can be selected.

We also had tomato/mozzarella salad, pineapple/raspberry salad, chilled tomato/cucumber gazpacho, Chateaubriand, peanut butter pie, and a chocolate sundae. (I combine my choices and TK’s so it doesn’t seem like I am eating so much). The meals are exquisite and the service has been impeccable. We finish dining about 9 p.m each evening and depending on the night’s entertainment we just walk around and enjoy the music.

TK’s takes: the poolside music is driving TK crazy. He expects to listen to island music/Jimmy Buffet style. I do not have the same musical sophistication that he has and I am just happy with live music. He also really wants to know what kind of storm we had---it just blew in and blew out.

Aside to Donna and Lawrence: I forgot to mention that when we were in Hollywood, TK took a picture of Pierce Brosnan’s star, in remembrance of our 2008 MUTS experience on the Grand Princess when Lawrence said that “007” and the James Bond movies were ruined for him forever after seeing Pierce in Mama Mia.