Huatulco, Mexico

 January 26, 2023

The Zaandam was just pulling up next to the dock in Hualtulco when we got up a little after 7:00. The lido buffet was pretty busy so we grabbed breakfast and ate in the covered area by the seaview pool. (I am enjoying our al fresco meals because it will be a LONG time before we can eat outdoors at home!)

The view from our cabin was to the back of the ship. To see what was in front, we turned on the TV to a channel broadcasting views from the bow cam.

The beach just to the left of the pier.

Our 9:30 am tour met in the theater at 9:15 and we had just barely sat down and they announced our group was ready to go. I had purchased the "Sailing Adventure" excursion several months ago and it was sold out before the cruise even started.

All of the ship tours met in the theater.

Bob and I walked down the long dock to the marina where we boarded the Luna Azul sailboat. There were about two dozen of us on the tour including several people Bob had met playing pickleball.

Everyone in our group getting their tour stickers.

A band was entertaining passengers as they walked down the pier.

Boarding the sail boat, Luna Azul, for our Sailing Adventure excursion.

We motored away from the small town and past the cliffs where waves were breaking. A blow hole at one cliff was sending spray far up into the air. 

Blow hole along the edge of the cliff.

Huatulco is known for its beautiful bays and one such bay was our destination. We anchored off the shore of a secluded beach where we could choose to swim. When I booked the tour I thought we would be docked at the beach, but we were quite aways off shore and anchored in water that was about six meters deep.

Interesting patterns from the boat engines.

The beach.

Most of the people chose to stay on the boat, but not Bob and I. Bob jumped right in and headed to the beach. I took time to blow up my inflatable noodle. I wished I didn't have to get my hair wet, but saw no alternative so held my nose and jumped in...hat and all. The water felt so refreshing! I started swimming towards the shore behind Bob and was almost to the beach before my toes even touched any sand. The waves were fairly big and I realized I would probably get knocked down by the waves if I tried to get on the beach so I turned around and just swam back towards the boat. 

I saw that they had lowered a ladder from the other side of the boat and if I had just waited, I could have climbed down into the water without soaking my hair and hat. The water felt heavenly and I floated for quite awhile before climbing back up into the boat. 

I probably wouldn't have stayed in the water as long as I did had I know there were jelly fish all around the boat. One other lady got several stings while swimming. I felt bad for all of the people who chose to stay on the boat because it was hot and not everyone was in the shade. Bob spent time exploring on the beach and was one of the last to return to the boat.

Bob swimming back to the boat.

Once everyone was back onboard, they offered bottled water, soft drinks, beer or margaritas. A table was set up and a platters of Oaxacan cheese, crackers, and papaya were served. The winds were pretty calm, but the sails were raised and we sailed part of the way back (and then motored the rest of the way.) It was our first time to sail!

Raising the sails.

We were back on the Zaandam around 1 pm and we (and most everyone else on the ship it seemed) went to the buffet to get some lunch. The indoor seating area was so crowded that once again we chose to eat outdoors. A sail away party was just getting started and the music was blaring. Sailing away from Huatulco was very scenic.

While we were eating, the captain made his daily announcement and mentioned that we were going to run into some winds that afternoon. Bob changed and went to play pickleball and I went to the cabin to shower. He came back in a short time saying an officer had told them they couldn't play because the winds were coming. It was still fairly calm, but crew were running around tying things down and removing cushions from the lounges on the promenade deck.

About the same time as this was happening, an announcement was broadcast into all of the cabins for a medical emergency. The captain was requesting that anyone with type O positive or O negative blood who had a donor card showing their blood type, please go to guest services if they were willing to donate. A passenger needed a blood transfusion immediately. I have no idea the circumstances, but it seemed odd that they couldn't turn around and go back to Huatulco since we had just left a few minutes prior. Bob does have type O blood, but checked his wallet and didn't have his donor card with him. Hopefully someone was able to help.

And then, just like that, the winds hit! They went from strong to stronger and the ship was rocking and jerking back and forth. Bob and I went out on the back deck and it was a challenge to open the door. The winds were whipping up the sea spray something crazy! We walked up the outdoor stairs to the pool area and ALL of the chairs, tables and lounges were gone. The pool was sloshing back and forth.

The still photo doesn't convey just how strong the winds were blowing!

We went back to our cabin and each took some meclazine (motion sickness med) just to be safe. Bob laid in bed watching a movie to give his pill time to work while I worked on my blog notes.

We had just enough time to get some dinner at the buffet and make it to the 7:00 show in the theater. Jose Sarduy was doing comedy for the 2nd time during the cruise. As we came out of the theater we overheard a small group of people talking about a woman that had just fallen.

The classical duo was doing an 8:00 set so we walked through Deck 5 to the Explorers Lounge. Again we overheard another couple talking about the woman who had fallen. They commented on how hard she hit her head and said she probably should have gone to the medical center. The duo had only been playing for a short while when another announcement came over the speakers for a medical emergency on Deck 1. All medical responders were to report to such and such a cabin. I couldn't help but wonder if the medical emergency might be for the woman who fell.

In all of our cruises, there have been only two instances prior to this that we experienced emergency announcements being made ship wide...including into the cabins. The first was in 2012 when we were on a Carnival ship during spring break and a passenger went overboard during the night. The second time was last spring on the Eurodam in Alaska. That announcement came at 2 am for a fire on the ship. Believe me, that will wake you up fast! Fortunately that turned out to be smoke from a worn mechanical belt and there was no fire. Now today we had two emergency announcements within a few hours of each other. 

Before going back to the cabin we went up to the buffet for a cup of tea. The staff was always cleaning the buffet at that time so we took our cups and went outside. We sat at one of the tables in the covered area so most of the wind was blocked, but from the sound we could tell it was howling! We checked the back deck before going to our cabin for the night. It was dark so we couldn't see much, but we could feel the spray all the way up on Deck 7!

Huatulco, Mexico

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Wednesday, April 25

I was vaguely aware of Bob getting up and leaving the cabin, but I snuggled in for a bit longer. Today’s tour meeting time wasn’t until 10:20 so there was no hurry. The clock said 7:30 when I got out of bed and when I pulled back the curtains, I realized the ship had already docked.

Once dressed, I left a note for Bob and headed to the buffet. Poached eggs on an English muffin and 2 strips of bacon was my choice. And of course,…coffee. I was just starting to eat when Bob showed up and joined me.

Our tour tickets had specified that we were to wear long sleeves and long pants, but knowing that the heat and humidity would be unbearable, I wore shorts and a t-shirt. My reasoning was that my chance of getting yellow fever, Zika, or malaria from a mosquito bite was far less than me having a heat stroke from being overdressed. Bob agreed and dressed similarly. Danny and Stan, on the other hand, took the directions more as a warning than a suggestion and wore the recommended long sleeves and long pants.  Stan would have dressed like that regardless because he was always cool, but Danny was suffering by the end of the day.

The tour (Rural Communities & Traditions) met right by the gangplank, but then we had a very long walk to reach the bus. 

Our route took us out of town and onto a portion of the Pan American Highway before turning off to head to the rural areas we were to visit. The paved road led up into the mountains and eventually became a dirt road. Our guide joked that we were getting a free Mexican massage…the ride was very rough and bumpy.

At our first stop, we saw how several generations of women from one family made beautiful woven goods…fans, baskets, etc. from palm leaves and exquisite and woven shawls. These were for sale and I couldn’t resist purchasing one of the shawls as a gift for a close friend.

Our tour guide demonstrating how the women would carry the baskets on their heads while making a sling out of the shawl to carry their baby. 

The girl whom I purchased the shawl from.

At the next village, we stopped at the home of one family...a typical dwelling for the area. There were covered outdoor areas and the kitchen was separate from the house. 

The wife had prepared (from scratch) tortillas and several dishes made from prickly pear cactus (nopal in Spanish) for us to sample. These had been cooked over an open fire in the “kitchen.” There were a couple of different hot sauces as well. After we finished eating, Bob and I walked back to the kitchen to thank the woman for her work. Using Google Translate on my phone, we were able to ask her a few questions on how she prepared the cactus.

Demonstrating how to remove the spines from the cactus.

The third place we stopped at gave us a chance to see how woolen rugs were woven, beginning with the spinning and dying of the yarn using all-natural dyes. The rugs were vivid colors and so beautiful. The prices on the rugs were not cheap, but they were willing to bargain a little. I was tempted but wasn’t sure where I could display one in my home even if I could mange to fit it into my luggage.

Explaining how the dyes are created from natural materials.

Showing the red dye.

Continuing on, we arrived at another home where we watched as the 79-year old grandmother made tortillas…again over an open fire in a small outdoor kitchen constructed of adobe. We sampled these along with delicious homemade tamales.

Looking through the kitchen window.

Using a tortilla press.

Cooking the tortillas over a wood fire.

In our travels, I don’t think we have ever seen the level of poverty that we witnessed on this tour. The families we visited depended on the income they received from the cruise ship visitors, but our guide said that usually only one ship a week comes to Huatulco for nine months out of the year.

I was reaching my limit on how much heat and humidity I could tolerate by the time we made our last stop. This was at a garden with many different native flowers and plants…many which were used for medicinal purposes. It was tempting to stay in the air-conditioned bus as some did, but I was afraid I would miss something, so I wiped the sweat from my face and kept going. The reward to doing so was seeing all the beautiful plants and getting to sample some fresh mango!

Normally we don’t take ship tours but have been very pleased with the ones we have done on this cruise. (And having a large sum of onboard credit to pay for he tours made them even better!) I do prefer smaller tours because so much time is spent getting on and off large buses, but this was the type of tour that probably would not have been done for just a few people because of the time it took to prepare the food. Bob made sure to leave a tip at each place we visited.

Back on the ship, Bob walked while I went to the Lido for an ice cream cone. I wish I was more motivated when it comes to exercise, but I really did enjoy that ice cream! When Bob finished walking, he joined me in the teak loungers on the promenade deck right outside our cabin and it wasn’t long before we both fell asleep! I’m sure we looked like the stereotypical senior citizens on a cruise.

At dinner we saw that some of the menu items were starting to repeat. The wiener schnitzel and shrimp/chorizo jambalaya were both main dishes that I had previously ordered. To try something new, I ordered the sword fish but honestly the wiener schnitzel would have been a better choice. Each night Bob and Danny ordered the crisp and so far, it hasn’t repeated flavors. Tonight’s version was blueberry-mango.

STARTERS, SOUPS, SALADS

MAINS

The main show tonight was singer and multi-instrumentalist, Salvatore Hasard. At the beginning I wasn’t sure the guy was going to be well received, but by the end he got a standing ovation! It is getting harder and harder to get a seat for the 8 pm show without arriving 45 minutes early. Tonight we arrived at 7:30 and there were no seats left in the balcony.

Bob and I popped out onto the promenade deck before returning to the cabin. Just before we sailed, the captain had announced that there might be a lightening show over the mountains tonight and sure enough…there was. The flashes didn’t come frequently, but when they did it was impressive.

Off to bed with a relaxing sea day tomorrow.