Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

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Sunday, April 29

It was still dark out, but I was awake before the alarm went off. As quietly as I could, I got dressed and put on a little makeup. There is a curtain separating the closet area from the beds so I could keep the bathroom light from waking Bob. Unfortunately, I didn’t get the wake-up call cancelled in time and that for sure did wake him.

Breakfast was two poached eggs on English muffins, some fruit and one of the small shot-sized glasses of yogurt and muesli. Back in the cabin, I was double checking to make sure I had everything ready for the day and I missed seeing the arch in the rock formations as we sailed in. I did go out and take photos once the ship had anchored and the early morning light on the rocks was so beautiful. Anchored next to the Zaandam was the Nieuw Amsterdam, the ship we had been on last fall.

Bob had booked a 2-tank scuba diving trip so I decided to join Danny and Stan for the Coastal Highlights tour they had booked through the ship. All of us were to meet in the theater at 8:15 where we would wait until we were called for our tender. Bob’s tour left first, but then there was a delay because the seas were getting rough and it was complicating the tendering process. When we did get called, getting into the tender had to be timed just right as the boat rose and fell with the swells.

Tours waiting to be called for a tender. 

Lowering the tender boats.

The walk from the tender dock took us past a marina full of nice boats and a mega yacht or two. 

As seems to be our fate on this cruise, we ended up in the back of the bus for our tour. Our guide, Rudy, pointed out resort after resort after resort as we drove to a restaurant with a panoramic view of the ships in the bay. We had a chance to take photos and our choice of a free drink…beer, pop, or in my case…a bottle of water.

Our first stop...drinks and a view.

The drive from there to San Jose del Cabo, a short distance away, took us past even more huge, high end resorts and some fancy golf courses…all designed by big name golfers. Our guide, Rudy, explained that Cabo had been hit by a hurricane last fall which had done a tremendous amount of damage. Average rainfall for the region is 11”, but the hurricane had brought 42”!

Most of the town square (Plaza Mijares) had been rebuilt since the storm…a government building and the Mission San Jose del Cabo church were the only buildings dating back to the earlier colonial times. Mass was just getting over as we arrived and we were able to step into the back of the church and observe for a minute or two. Outside the church were ice cream vendors and a man selling balloons.

Being Sunday, many of the shops were closed and those that were open were pretty much all selling the same stuff…table cloths, blankets, t-shirts, etc. The hour we were given to shop was too long for most of the group and left everyone searching out shady areas to wait.

Not many shops were open on a Sunday morning.

Our last stop was at a glass blowing factory. We were given a demonstration which was interesting but I didn’t feel compelled to purchase anything from the store. No space in my luggage and I don’t need any more chotchkie to dust. (The Urban Dictionary defines “chotchkie” as:  A small piece of worthless crap, a decorative knick knack with little or no purpose.)

Making a Mexican glass turtle...wearing a sombrero!

Some views of the glass-blowing factory building.

The tour wasn't one of my favorites and not one I would recommend. It was basically a bus ride past the back side of many resorts with stops to shop interspersed throughout the day. If we ever return to Cabo, I will be searching out some other type of activity.

The tenders were getting backed up when we returned so the boat we were on had to circle the ship twice before it was our turn to unload. It was 2 pm by the time we stepped foot on the ship and we went straight to the buffet. Bob met us there shortly after we sat down.

Bob rated his scuba dive as “just OK”. The visibility had not been great but even worse was the water temperature. Being skinny, Bob gets cold easily. They had provided him with a full 5 mm wet suit, but with water temps of 60º he still froze. He had seen some new species of fish (for him) including  guitar shark but decided diving in the Caribbean is more to his liking.

Bob rushed off to get to the 3:00 scheduled pickleball game. Since the court is marked for tennis, Bob has been marking new lines using black duct tape that he got from guest services.

I intended to go to trivia at 4:00 but decided I would rather watch sail away and get some photos of the rock arch as the Zaandam sailed by. The Nieuw Amsterdam had left earlier while we were eating lunch.

Once the ship started to leave the port, the arch came into view.

As soon as the ship sailed past the rock formations and left the protected waters of the Sea of Cortez, the winds and waves picked up and it became quite chilly…enough that I decided it was time to get inside! And even though lunch had been very late, it was time to get dressed for dinner…a formal night.

The arch from the "other" side. The winds and waves picked up immediately after we rounded the end of the rock formation.

Buildings perched on the edge of the hill.

Bob and I both had the tomato soup and filet mignon and he had a couple of extra appetizers…the portobello mushroom and the salad with dates and goat cheese. For dessert I chose the lime and coconut souffle and Bob had the berry tart.

To get a decent seat for the 8 pm show we arrived at the theater around 7:30. To fill the time we had gotten into the habit of looking back over the day’s photos that I had taken on my iPhone. Of course Bob never takes any photos of his dives (although I wish I could convince him to start) but I showed him all of my pictures so he could see what we had done on my tour.

Bob enjoying his mocktail pina colada.

The Zaandam singers and dancers performed a production show called “Dance.” It amazed me to see the extent of the choreography that went into the show. The crew was all new for this cruise so each of the shows we saw were being performed for the first time. If there were any glitches, we didn’t notice. (Except we did find out that one of the male dancers had to leave due to medical problems so there were only 2 guys with 3 girl dancers.)

Even though the “chocolate surprise” had been listed in yesterday’s schedule by mistake, it took place this evening. (I guess that really makes it a surprise!) Bob and I went back to the cabin for awhile and then returned to Deck 5 a little after 9:30 pm Waiters were walking around carrying trays with all sorts of small chocolate treats. There was no problem getting any…they were begging us to take more and more. I suppose they had to empty their trays before they could quit serving! I was quite surprised to see how busy the piano bar was. We had been returning to our cabin right after the evening show and didn’t realize all of the fun we had been missing!

Our waiter, Lala, serving chocolate goodies.

A letter was waiting in our cabin that night explaining the process we would have to follow as “in-transit” passengers once we reached San Diego in a couple of days. Although we booked this cruise as a single itinerary, it was also offered as two separate legs so many people would be disembarking in San Diego.

For the 2^nd night in a row, we turned our clocks back…yippee! I could get used to 25-hour days.

Puerto Vallarta

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Saturday, April 28

My day began in panic mode. I turned on my phone and immediately the time switched to an hour earlier. I was sure that the ship time and local time were different and this was going to be a big problem. Our scheduled (and prepaid) tour was to begin at 10 am LOCAL time but if that was actually 11 am “ship time” then it was going to be cutting it too close to get back on board the ship by our designated time of 3 pm.

We stopped by guest services on the way to breakfast and they said ship time and local time were the same. Still not convinced, I texted my kids at home and asked them to please check online and tell me what the current time was in Puerto Vallarta. My daughter-in-law texted back right away confirming what I had just been told. This should have been good enough, but I went one step further and called the tour company just to make SURE. With their reassurance, I finally relaxed and quit worrying.

The welcoming committee.

Months earlier, I had booked (and paid for) the Original Downtown Tour with Vallarta Food Tours.  The tour began in the old town of Puerto Vallarta, about a 15-minute drive from the ship and our plan was to use Uber. I was concerned they couldn’t get into the secure port area to pick us up so we started walking. The Walmart across the street seemed like a good place to request a pick up. 

A trip to Walmart was the excursion plan for many passengers!

On our way, numerous taxi drivers offered us rides, but none spoke English well and their prices seemed high so we pushed on. We saw the public buses lined up in front of Walmart. I knew they would be cheaper than Uber and that it was possible to catch one to downtown. We started walking back and forth trying to figure out which one might be headed in the direction we wanted. I’m sure we looked like clueless tourists because another taxi driver walked up and offered us a ride downtown for $10. He spoke fluent English and I knew the Uber rate would be close to that so we gave up on the bus and went by cab. (Turns out that was a good move since we found out the bus we wanted was going in the opposite direction of those we were contemplating.)

The driver was familiar with where we wanted to go (the gazebo in Cardenas Park) and even gave us a little commentary on what we were seeing on the drive. It was 9 am when we arrived, an hour before the scheduled time for the tour. A farmer’s market was just getting set up and we walked around looking at some of the booths. Vendors were selling food and crafts and I think I could have been content just browsing there and sampling the local foods.

To kill some time, we walked down to the beach and sat watching two groups of young people playing some type of game where they had their ankles tied together and were trying to walk as a group. (A team-building experience perhaps?) The weather was absolutely beautiful…bright blue skies and not too hot or humid.

As the time for the tour got closer, we walked back towards the gazebo. I was getting desperate to find a bathroom but the only thing we had noticed was a sign next to some steps leading down below street level…”Baños 7 Pesos.” The stairs led down to a dark, underground parking garage and on the far side I could see a baños sign. We walked across the whole garage and found a lady behind a table. Using hand signals and a couple of Spanish words, I explained that we wanted to use the restroom but only had US dollars. Seven pesos was equivalent to a little over 30 cents so I pulled out a dollar bill and she shook her head yes. I then motioned that the dollar was for BOTH of us to use the facilities. She hesitated for a second, but then agreed and handed me two wads of toilet paper. The restroom wasn’t great by US standards, but much better than some that we had seen over the last few days!

Feeling quite relieved, we returned to the gazebo and sat down to wait for our tour. At precisely 10 am, a gal named Amanda walked up and asked if we were there for the food tour. This surprised me because the park was filled with people shopping at the farmers market but yet she was able to pick us out! Amanda also found the other 2 people who had booked the tour and off we went…walking at a brisk pace through the streets of the city.  

Our first stop was a food stand on a street where construction work was being done. At each stop, Amanda explained what we were going to be tasting and gave a little history behind the food. Using the map they provided AND the Vallarta Food Tour website, here is a description of where we ended up.

Stop #1 - Robles Birria Tacos – Originating in the state of Jalisco, this slow-cooked meat stew is marinated in aromatic red chiles and served up in delectable tacos.

The little food stand was very busy and had a long line of customers waiting to be served (a sign of a good food!) but Amanda was able to bypass the line and put in our orders. (A second stand just feet away served the same type food, had lower prices but yet almost no customers.) 

While the food was being prepared, Amanda returned with small cups of broth from the meat that had been cooked overnight. Amanda said that often she drinks the broth for breakfast! It wasn’t necessarily something I would want first thing in the morning, but it was very tasty. The tacos made from the stewed meat were also very good…probably my favorite of all we tasted during the tour.

Stop #2 - Mariscos Cisneros. Known for their stuffed pepper tacos.

While we were at this food stand, there was a very, VERY loud “boom”. Being in a large city, my first reaction was “was that a bomb?” Before I had a chance to run for cover, Amanda explained that it was from a celebration at the Catholic church across the street.

As we were walking...

What a mess! We have seen some sketchy wiring in our travels and
Puerto Vallarta ranks right up there with the messiest!

If you have been reading my other posts, you know we always have to get a photo of my paramedic husband in front of any ambulance we see!

Stop #3…Roadside Flavored Water. Although we were walking on the sidewalk, most of the business seemed to come from drivers who would pull up and order from their car.

Orange containers:  Lime with chia and peppermint, plum, passionfruit, pineapple and basil.  

The very large silver container had the speciality drink:  horchata. A drink made from barley, cinnamon, vanilla and sugar. This was Bob's favorite!

On our way to the next stop...

Stop #4…Tacos El Cuñado. Carne asado tacos. This place has been in business for over 45 years. The stand did have a few outdoor tables which gave us a chance to sit down. The first two places we just ate standing (or sitting on the curb.)

Stop #5…Vallarta Factory. After crossing over a small stream on a very wobbly suspension bridge, our next stop was at a chocolate shop where we got to choose a sample. 

Getting across this bridge was hard. Amanda told us to walk straight down the middle, but with the bridge swinging, I was back and forth and must have looked as if I was drunk!

Connected to the store was a coffeeshop where you could also buy hand rolled cigars!

The man in the background is hand rolling cigars.

Bob is not a coffee drinker but did like our sample...cinnamon & chocolate were added to the coffee.

Stop #6…Mariscos El Guero. A seafood restaurant where we sampled different kinds of ceviche and hot sauces. This was a sit-down restaurant...much appreciated after all of the walking we had done.

Amanda led us towards the Malecon (the Spanish name for an "esplanade along a waterfront") for our next stop.

Stop #7...Tuba by Concepcion – This was a sample of a refreshing drink made out of coconut cream and topped with a mix of apples, walnuts and a “secret” ingredient that no other Vallarta tuba vendor has.

Stop #8…Church of Our Lady of Guadelupe, one of the landmarks of Puerto Vallarta. This was close by and is one of the iconic landmarks in Puerto Vallarta.

Stop #9…Gaby’s Restaurant – Our seating was upstairs and we were served two different kinds of moles. We had a trio of drinks that Amanda instructed us to drink in a certain order...lime juice, then tequila, and finally a chaser of sangrita.

After several attempts, I've decided I'm not a fan of mole.

The colors of the Mexican flag!

Stop #10…La Azteca candy store. Amanda gave us samples of several kinds of candies and the we each got a wrapped piece of coconut candy to take with us.

It was around 2 pm when we finished and Amanda took care of requesting an Uber for us using the app on my phone. She walked us out to the street and talked to the driver when he arrived, making sure he knew where we were going. This was a big help since the driver spoke no English. When we got within site of the ship, the driver turned…but not at the correct place. Bob was trying to do hand signals to indicate that we wanted to go to the “boat”, but the driver wasn’t understanding. I quick pulled up Google translate app on my phone and it told me that cruise ship in Spanish was “crucero”. It must have been correct, because he did a U-turn and took us right to the entrance of the port.

By the time we walked onto the ship, I was tired and very hot. I checked the app on my phone and discovered that we had walked well over 12,000 steps during the tour…far more than my recent foot surgery was up for! Bob, on the other hand, headed outside to start walking laps around the ship to get MORE exercise!

With the earlier departure, we were able to make it to the Crow’s Nest for the 4 pm team trivia. No win for us, but a fun time. I returned to the cabin to shower and get dressed for dinner. And what did Bob do? He went to the gym!

Dinner (for me) was mushroom soup, seafood pot pie, and a “no sugar added” chocolate dessert that was extremely rich. Not sure how that works, but I enjoyed it.

Getting to the theater 30 minutes before show time meant we got some of the last seats in the balcony. The show was a performance by Chris Pendleton…billed as a comedian and violinist. Sort of a strange combination of talents, but what was even more surprising was that Christ was a female! She had the whole theater in stitches with her humor and then switched gears and amazed everyone with her violin and vocal talents. One of the best shows of the cruise!

The clocks got turned back an hour before bed. I’m not sure I could ever do a Panama Canal cruise in the opposite direction and LOSE time instead of gaining it! Tomorrow the Zaandam will be in Cabo San Lucas…the last of the Mexican ports and one that requires a tender.