2/15/09
Hello from Acapulco, Mexico. Due to the fact that we have been here several times, we are not going to be doing any sightseeing today. We have already worked out in the nearly empty gym on board, and after we eat we will go find an internet place to post this. Our last port was Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We were supposed to dock at Puerto Caldera but ended up in Puntarenas instead, which was a real improvement in the itinerary. The dock at Puntarenas is right off the beach and the town, so it was easy to sightsee, shop, find an internet, enjoy a beer in a beachside restaurant, and just enjoy the ambiance. There were lots of stalls set up near the beach selling all sorts of goods made from Costa Rican hardwoods, coffee, tee shirts, hats, etc. The surprising thing was that these goods didn’t cost a lot more than they did when we were last in Costa Rica in 2004. The most original items we found were some belts made out of various colors of wood, so we bought two of those. Joe & Carla did the zip lines, in the rainforest canopy, and said that it was really fun. We also did that in 2004 in Monteverde, and we thought it was awesome.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day so we had reservations for dinner at the Italian restaurant on board called Portofino’s. Madelyn and George were supposed to go with us and Joe & Carla, but Madelyn was sick so other friends, Ed & Janet, joined us. Although our friends had rated it highly, we were somewhat disappointed with the service and the food. The meal we had at Chops, the other specialty restaurant, was SO much better. After the evening entertainment was over, there was a buffet and dance up on the pool deck and that was lots of fun too. The music was by a Latin band, so it was lively. The weather has been really beautiful, with sunny skies and no rain, so dancing under the stars was perfect because of the warm evening. Today it is going to be hot here in Acapulco, with temps in the high 80’s or low 90’s and lots of humidity.
People on board are starting to develop the necessary mindset for ending this lengthy cruise. Darran will be picking us up at the terminal in San Pedro on Thursday morning. I’m sure it will be cooler, so that will be an adjustment, and we will also have to start dealing with real life things, like doing our own cooking and cleaning, dealing with the backlog of mail, etc. Sigh….. It’s been fun and we have been thankful every day that we have been fortunate enough to do this.