Puerto Vallarta

It was overcast this morning as we arrived in Puerto Vallarta, but warm and humid.  Two other ships in so along with the Christmas vacation tourists staying in town it’s very busy! 5 of us took a taxi in to downtown. Some confusion over price, we thought it should be $20.00 to $25.00 and it ended up $30.00 They have really fixed up the waterfront area with a lovely Malacon making it easy to walk along with out traffic. Very crowded today though. We walked over as far as the Marsol, the hotel we stayed at in 1985. Don’t know if I would stay there today! Lots of Mexican families on the Los Muertos beach, and all restaurants looked pretty full.  We walked through the marketplace along the river, lots of nice things but we weren’t in a shopping mood. We headed back to the ship for a late lunch and a relaxing afternoon to get ready for the Gala New Years Eve. Alan, Rowena , Jenya & Iyla were doing an all day excursion to  Yelapa & Majahuitas so we’ll hear about that when they get back.

Mazatlan Sunset

 Everyone else went to the old historic downtown of Mazatlan. They had it very well organized for tourists, with many blue shirt volunteers to answer questions. There is a historic blue route marked for walking in, about a half hour walk. Jenya & Iyla were very impressed by the cow and pig heads in the market. Mom Karen & Aaron had a very good late lunch of shrimp, a specialty of Mazatlan. The Nordin/Vincents went to the beach as well, and Iyla did some bodysurfing.

Once again there was a beautiful sunset for sailaway. Only 4 of us made it to the dining room for dinner, everyone else was too tired or getting up early. 3 of us did make it to the Rat Pack tribute show.

Mazatlan Shore Excursion

I had booked myself a “Jungle Tour Ecologico by Boat” with a private company. No one else in our group was interested, so I went by myself. There were about 30 people, all from the Veendam. It was a great tour, we saw the tuna and shrimp boat fleet in the port, then lots of birds (over 40 species) as we cruised through the estuary and the mangroves. We disembarked on the far side of Stone Island, and took a “Mexican limo” which is a cart with bench seats pulled by a tractor. It took us to the Ocean side of Stone Island, and along a long beautiful beach. There was quite a bit of surf. We passed some groups of ATVs and also horseback riders. After several miles we came to the swimming beach with many restaurants, and stopped for a wonderful lunch with salsa and chips, garlic fish served with tortillas, rice & beans, salad and sauces. We had about an hour free time, so I went for a walk on the beach, wading through the water. It felt quite warm, but I decided not to swim. It was about 21C today, comfortable when dry but a little cool if you’re wet. Lots of kids in swimming though! We went back a different way, much quicker, and our guide Polo fed the birds on the way back. They look for him, and will eat out of his hand.  Back at the port I looked through the little marketplace they had set up. There looked to be some nice things, but I wasn’t in the mood for shopping today! I’ll need to meet up with the rest of the group to find out what they got up to today.

Cabo Sunset

A beautiful sunset over the bay with the lights of the city and boats coming on as it got darker.

Cabo

We arrived in Cabo earlier than our scheduled time, having made up for our late departure from San Diego.  Sunny with a light breeze and about 21C. The Nordin/Vincents went on a kayak and snorkel excursion. The rest of us tendered in after a light lunch (some tried the Dive in hotdogs) Cabo has grown enormously, it’s unrecognisable from when I was here in the early 80’s. Very much a party town, and with lots of tourist stores.

Ian & I did a Los Arcos glass bottom boat tour for $10.00 each, great view of the spectacular rock formations if a little choppy, then Karen & I walked over to a small beach the other side of the Marina. I walked around a little more, then  went back to the boat for a swim as the ocean felt a little cool.

Day at Sea

Our first day at sea went by quickly! Breakfast in the dining room (Ian had his favorite kippers), walking the promenade deck, going to cooking demonstrations, checking out the shops, watching Mexican entertainers, going to dance or fitness classes, or just lazing around. All of us had a different idea of a fun day! Now to get ready for the Captains toast, and our Gala Dinner.

We celebrated Alan’s 60^th Birthday on the first Gala night. Escargot and Rack of Lamb were the top choices for dinner. Broadway music show to follow with very glittery costumes.

Embarkation

We had a shuttle van to take the 9 of us from Karen’s to the pier. On arrival we found out they were doing a super cleanse of the ship due to a suspected Noro virus, and that check-in was delayed. We dropped off our luggage and went to Seaport Village just down from the cruise pier. Very busy on the waterfront because of the holidays!

We got onboard about 4pm, and to our cabins about 4:45pm. There was a spectacular sunset around the time of lifeboat drill.

Afterwards we headed up to the Crowsnest to try out some of the special cocktails. As we have a beverage plan this trip we’re being more adventurous! We’ll keep you posted on the best drinks.

A fabulous dinner, the seared scallops for an appetizer with ahi tuna to follow was the most popular choice. After a walk on deck  to see the almost full moon, most of us called it a night. (we are losing an hour tonight)

Around Karen's House 26/27 Dec

Boxing Day morning was mainly spent tiding up, dealing with leftovers and making Turkey stock.
We did get out for a walk in the afternoon, another sunny day but a bit cool in the wind.
Checked out a few stores for Boxing day bargains (like a $10.00 pair of shoes!).
Lots of leftovers for dinner, even better the 2nd day as usual!
Now busy repacking for the cruise. We have a van picking us up at noon.
The pictures are from Karen's house and around her complex

Christmas Day in San Diego

It was a beautiful sunny Christmas Day. Ian arrived just before 1am, the first one to arrive early this trip!
We had a relaxed morning, and a lovely brunch.
We had a fair bit of work to get Christmas dinner ready, and the house set up for 13 people for dinner.
We did manage to get out for a walk in the middle of the day.
The Putnam's; Cheryl, Mike, Ted and Natalie, came over for dinner with us. Karen has known them ever since she moved to San Diego 30 years ago. We have met them many times over the years, and they are like family!
The 4 "youngsters" really got along well, and ended up going out to watch the sunset and later to see the town.
We spent a very long time over the wonderful dinner, both turkey and ham with all the trimmings. Later we celebrated Alan's 60th birthday with birthday cake and Karen's homemade limoncello.

Christmas Eve

We've had a lovely day prepping for Christmas dinner, going for a walk at Mission Beach, then having a Mexican barbecue dinner at Karen's.
So far Ian's flight is on time, so we have our finger's crossed!