3 Days in Mexico.
Day 11
Huatulco, Mexico
Another brilliant day.
Super pretty. It’s full of up market resorts.
It was originally a port under Cortes, a vantage point for the Spanish galleons and a distribution point for supplies.
Resort development really kicked off in 1980’s, slowed down with the GFC and had kicked on again.
It was a late arrival in port so we had a half sea day. It was quiet weird. A normal sea day. Till 12 non. Then a normal port day.
A group photo.
Progressive Trivia.
Choir practice then a rush around to get ready to go.
The sail in was so pretty, through a slot with land close on both sides. If hadn’t just been through the Canal the close land would have been amazing….OK it was still really good!
Today’s trip was called “From Sea to Sky”. You’d think I liked mountains and cool air or something.
We marched the long walk to the buses. A really long walk in the stinking hot sun. But the harbour was lovely, and off we went.
The town was amazingly pretty. Absolutely nothing like I was expecting for my first Mexican stop.
It was immaculate, with wide roads and huge median strips with great trees. 
We headed out of town, past the International Aero Puerto.
Next to the town was a national park. No shooting signs were on the side of the highway.
Soon we turned off the fancy highway. Onto a smaller road. Then a smaller. Yep, it was rough. But excellent. We climbed and climbed and went to very agricultural area. Coffee being the main crop.
People lived in remote houses along the road – close to the coffee plantations. We saw many coffee pickers coming back up to the road. The land was really steep. They go down the 45 degree hills ad pick a basket of coffee. They earn about 5c per kg that they pick. Carefully selecting only the very red berries and NOT damaging the stalk. If the talk is damaged that berry will rot when it is soaked in water for three days.
An efficient picker can earn up to $4.00a day.
The coffee needs 60% shade cover to grow. Sometimes they use Eucalyptus trees. In many places they plant fruiting crops to stop the birds eating the coffee berries.
We headed up the mountain. Right up the mountain. To 1333 metres. We could see the village of Pluma Hildago perched on the top of the hill like a castle. The road twisted n turned to get up there.
And what a delightful little town it was. Only a few hundred people. Of course there was a very grand church. And a lovely town square. At the end of the square was the official building. There were nine businesses around the square. Eight of them were cafes, grocery stores etc. The only one that was not related to coffee was the clothes making shop, but I’m sure they would have made me a coffee if I asked.
We went into the main coffee shop for a demonstration and tasting. It’s a family business that is many generation old and employs much of the town. The kids are all involved in the coffee and are happy to do so. They have negotiated with the school to move the year around giving them a month of school during coffee picking season. Kids start picking at a young age.
There was a huge covered sports area. Basketball is very popular as the grounds are too steep for soccer fields…or even playing in the street.
We were way up in the clouds and the rain came and went. They really needed the covered sports area – even if it meant playing on concrete.
One of the cafes had wifi. There were huge crowds around it paying to use it.
Less than 10 houses in the town had wifi. They need to put in their own lines and satellite dishes to get it.
Coincidently they have a large number of young mothers in town.
The town is so remote that they don’t even speak real Spanish. They speak a dialect so many cannot communicate when they go down to markets and so on.
There are no modern medical facilities up there. Not even a clinic. We asked what happens and he said “People die”.
Then a giant full moon farewelled us as we sailed away.
After having time to wander around we went to the coffee plantation of the owners of the coffee shop. Stunning place and a great Mexican meal of food from the area. It was great.
The rain bucketed down and we had a lovely time.
The drive back was just as lovely.
Huge day!
Day 12
Sea day
Damn. Life on a ship is hard. So busy.
9.45 Bridge tour. Had a lovely time. Captain Michael came up to say hello.
10.15. I had to run from the bridge tour to Progressive Trivia. We are still doing well. But 5 of us had to leave as soon as the questions were done. We couldn’t wait for the answers. We had another engagement.
10.45 We had a mystery tour. We had to meet in the theatre wearing closed shoes and socks, no skirts or shorts.
We were taken down to ‘tween decks 1’, that’s the decks below Zero. Below the water line. To the laundry for a champagne tour of the laundry. Awesome. Many of the officers were dressed up in bath robes with their hair in towels.
We drank our Mimosas and walked around chatting to the staff. They were so proud to be on display.
The sheet folding machine is awesome. Two guys lift up a wet sheet and feed it onto a huge roller. It sucks into the giant machine and comes out about 60 seconds later dry, ironed and folded.
Inside the giant tumble dryers.
12.00 noon was time for the Meal with an Officer in Giovanni’s. Another sensational feed. I sat with the Captain, who was very entertaining.
1.15 Choir practice. I was both late and had to leave early for the next thing.
We are starting to sound OK. But it is fun to have the professionals running the choir and singing with us.
2.15 Crew talent show where a number of crew sang, piano recital, tap danced and Bollywood danced. Excellent and again so lovely that the staff are shown so much respect.
They chose this moment to announce to the Coffee Shop Girl that she had been successful in her application and interviews for a promotion to Cruise Director staff – so that was very exciting.
There is a guide dog on board who is such a good boy. He goes to all the shows and lies on the ground in the front row. He doesn’t even move with all the clapping and cheering.
And the day continued like this. I was exhausted.
Day 13
Puerto Vallarta.
Another brilliant day. This time I went …… up to the mountains to see coffee plantations. Hahahha and a whole lot more.
A tour up to the town of San Sebastian.
A tour in a small bus, up into the mountains, to a coffee place, with glorious cool weather. It’s up at 1480 metres so delightful weather.
San Sebastian del Oeste, was founded as a mining town in 1605 – Gold, Silver and Lead.
It now has 5,500 inhabitants. Due to its isolation it has maintained its characteristics and was really lovely.
But first the drive. Until 2007 San Sebastian was an eight-hour drive from the coast. A new bridge brought the trip down to 2hrs.
Progreso Bridge was built in 2007 – a beautiful concrete arch bridge. 132 meters above the gorge and a 144 metre span.
A temporary steel arch was built and the concrete poured. The steel frame was then taken away. Apparently it’s the 8th biggest arch bridge in the world.
It really was beautiful and over a stunning gorge. We had a stop there for food and photos.
They had coke in glass bottles! And amazing food.
Empanadas filled with Dolce de letche (– the glorious caramel), usually filled with meat but these were great.
And a flat biscuit like thing with a pina (pinapple) jam. YUM. Chewy and sweet!
Then onto San Sebastian. The last 20 ks of the drive up were on cobblestone roads. I’ve seen plenty of cobble stone streets in the towns but never out in the country. Must cost a fortune in car tyres for the people who live here.
The old part of the town was first with the coffee plantation. Here they companion plant (for shade) with citrus. They had many hybrids – some with a totally different taste. Oranges that looked like grapefruit. Lemons that were so sweet. And everything is organic so mobs of chickens were on pest control duty.
I was then across the road to an Avocado farm for lunch. Another beautiful place. You could certainly see where our obsession with alfresco/back decks had come from. Every old European based place has a great area.
And a great authentic meal.
The bean soup was delicious. Beans and lots of garlic. You then added things like cheese and ham bits.
The mains with meats and potatoes and of course fresh made empanadas to make taco rolls.
After food we go coffee or the best hot chocolate. Made with real chocolate (that also grows up here), it’s thickened with corn flour and cooked up with cinnamon sticks and brown sugar. AMAZING!
And of course desert. Sheets of fried pastry with sugar. You could have sat for hours eating and drinking and looking at huge avocados everywhere.
We then headed up into the main part of town. And it was so good. It was a real town with real people out having a real Sunday afternoon. Not a town living on tourism like every other old town you go to.
The Church was built in 1608 and is Spanish Colonial Baroque with the huge vaulted ceilings and very grand.
We then visited a museum, Conchita Incarnation. It’s a family owned home. The owners are the decedents of Pablo Encarmacion and Jose Rogelio Alvarez. These were Spaniard who came out here early. Children born in the colonies were classed as Creole not Spanish and each generation was another category. This family devised a plan to keep the blood Spanish and married and inter married for many generations. The family portraits were very funny.
“This person was the wife, the aunty and the granddaughter. While the man was the husband, the cousin, the uncle and the …….”
Lots of great things in the house.
The town was set around a central square with everything built of cut stone or abode. Beautiful. The town was on a slope so the square and the rotunda overlooked the main building. Kids ran around playing, people sat around eating and drinking and men warmed up for the basketball game on the town sports ground.
People at one place were drinking what looked like Margareta’s or Bloody Marys but in giant glasses – with prawns in it.
Men were paying cards. People were taking photos on the “Mexican Pavilion”. The Sunday markets were running with arts and crafts and tourist things.
One stall was extremely busy. A lady would chop fruit and veg. Cucumber, apples, pinas, and things I didn’t know. She chopped and peeled like lightning, cutting things into small cubes. They then went into a big container and spices and different juices were added – each person had a different mix. She then put on another contained and shook them vigorously – like a cocktail being made.
Then off went the person munching on their fresh spicy fruit. People – adults and kids were eating them everywhere.
By this stage the basketball game was in full swing. Most of the town were around the court watching. No uniforms or anything but definitely teams with followers.
We then headed off, to our final stop – a tequila distillery. This was another small family owner operation. Haciend Don Lalin. Our host was Lalo, the grandson of the founder. And such charming guy.
Locals grow the Blue Agave plants. The really common decorative garden plant that we see everywhere.
When ready the plant I harvested. The leaves are cut off leaving the heart of the plant looking like a pineapple. Lalo buys them. He doesn’t grow them. Doesn’t even own land.
This was a tiny operation set up in the front yard about the size of any front yard.
A giant ‘pizza oven’ had pride of place. It is filled with oak and burnt. When it reaches temperature the pinas are thrown in and it’s sealed off for a few days. They do not burn, but cook inside to a consistence like sweet potato. Honey can be made from this stage.
He then mashes the pinas and lets them ferment for a few days. Then fires up the first still. He calls it his ‘moonshine machine’, and it’s an ancient looking beast with a wood fire. The juice evaporates and goes up the spiral pipes where it condenses and comes out at about 90% alcohol at 180 proof. This will kill you at worst and blind you at best.
It ten goes through the second still. A modern stainless steel job controlled by propane to have exact temperature controls. This turns his ‘white lightning’ into drinkable alcohol – tequila at about 40%.
He ‘rests’ it in oak barrels for a few months. Some of it he flavours. One was with the ‘honey’ and almonds. Mandarin, Coffee.
He then bottles it in his front yard and sell it to passing trade. No shop. No shipping. Just his front yard.
We had a tasting and I have been very wrong about Tequila for a long time. It was wonderful.
What an excellent visit that was.
On the way down the mountain we saw a relay of people running a flame from one parish to the next. It is a ceremony where the flames comes from some important place. Very like the Olympic flame running across the country. 10 ks down the road the next pariah were waiting to take over.
It was another great drive back with so much to see.
The little cantinas were all busy with people having Sunday afternoon out.
Yet another great day out.
Day 14
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Right in the middle of the Mexican Riviera and pretty stunning. No wonder people like it so much.
I’d booked a whale trip for today. I booked it through the ship and was less than happy to see I had been moved to a “Coastal Cruise”. In the end I decided that I would just grin and bear it. The whale season didn’t officially open for a few days, Nancy and Carlos where on this trip, and I was exhausted from my huge days every day. I would enjoy it.
The dock area was pretty crazy with tour groups everywhere.
And then I saw the boat we were going on. A giant, old clunker of a boat.
They put us in lines and marched us on. We went out to the front …… and were extremely surprised to see it not a front deck where everyone wold be crowded, but a lovely area set up like a resort with lounges and comfortable chairs. OK. This would be nice.
Then they came walking around with drink trays. “Oh, what’s this one?” “Punch.” “Gracias” and I skulled it. It was hot.
Then they came back and had more. “Gracias, is this aqua?” “No 7Up”. That would do me. It was so hot. I skulled that too.
Nancy walked over and said something about free the cocktails! “No, it’s soft drink!” “No, I saw them make them!” Oops!
Now I was going to have a really good time.
We headed out of the harbour. I was sad when they gave the talk and said that this was not a whale watching trip but we would see other things.
Two skolled cocktails made that OK.
We sailed, well chugged out, past the ships. There were three ships in that day, and a tender port so it did look pretty.
We then went along the coast line. We were on the very southern point of the Baja Peninsula.
We were in the Sea of Cortez. The rocks were beautiful. Huge sandstone cliffs with golden beaches. But not long beaches. Heaps of tiny beaches. You could walk to them, or get lift out in water taxis. The rea was so crowded, but some of these beaches only had a few people on them.
The water was a different story with dozens and dozens of small craft zipping about.
The playground of the rich and famous, back packers and luxury resort. And 7,000 cruise ship people.
Water taxis, dive boats, snorkel boats, yachts, sight seeing boats, par saiing boats, jet skis.
We chugged along ‘Lands End’ the peninsular on the peninsular, looking at famous landmarks like “El Arco” – the Arch of Cabo San Lucas.
And Honeymoon Beach, that faces both the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Ocean, as around the point was the Pacific.
We saw a group of sea lions.
It really was stunning.
By this time I was drinking Pina Colada and having much fun.
We then headed out wide because…………. we saw whales blow!
We found two Humpbacks. And hooray, I got good fluke shots so I now have two whales more logged with HappyWhale.com.
One was CRC – 11834 last seen off Sacramento in August 2017
and the other, her calf is new to science. Now logged as my baby! And now they know she is female!
Very exciting.
We then headed back into port.
I spent a bit of time wandering around the port, looking at the markets and went back for a much needed sleep.
We had a birthday dinner for Nancy #1. There are three Nancy’s in our drinking group so there is #1, #2 and #3.
I then had to go and do the choir show. It was lots of work and very intense but it did sound good. We sang a medley of Jersey Boy songs and it was fun to have the professions singers join us. But singing at 9.45 PM was a bit rude. LOL
Sleep
