Acapulco, Mexico~3/14/09

Acapulco, which is virtually synonymous with luxury, is a place where the rich and famous come to escape. Take the scenic highway for a striking panoramic view of the beaches and mountains, and note the beautiful homes and lush gardens as you pass through Las Brisas. And make sure you take time to see the thrilling cliff diver’s plunge into the turbulent waters of Le Quebrada.

Both Ruth and I have been to Acapulco, Mexico many times so we took our time getting up and getting off the ship. We let all the passengers on tours and first timers to this port get off first and then we followed slowly behind around 10am.

The Splendor was docked right across from Port San Diego in a most beautiful spot ~ where from any angle you can see the shoreline of Bahia de Acapulco and its ocean lapping at its shores of the bay with fishing or pleasure boats bobbing in the water or people getting ready to go swimming or just coming back in from a pleasurable dip on a very hot day.

We headed into the terminal stopping to look in a few shops & noting that the internet café upstairs was already plum full with a line awaiting their turn, so we headed outside and began to head for the shops where we were greeted by a young man who asked us what we wanted to do and when we told him we wanted to walk to the flea market and also find a internet café on the way back he said he would be happy to walk along with us to show us the way to his uncle’s shop.

Ruth rode along in the street most of the with our guide walking along side her & in approximately 10 – 15 minutes we arrived and they had a homemade ramp already waiting for Ruth to get up 2 steps into their shop.

We looked y everything and then continued looking at the other multitude of stalls selling there wares. Neither of us bought anything but it was fun to look.

Next we walked about 1.5 blocks to an open air internet café where it cost $1.00 / 1 hr of time. I used 45min to upload pictures to this blog & then we headed back to the ship.

When we crossed the last busy street we were again on the malecon and we tipped our guide and told him we would be ok on our own from then on.

We turned left and walked along the malecon for about 1 hour. Watching people scurry here and there, colorful busses whipping past us, fisherman gutting and preparing their fish for sale, girls cleaning out their catch of mussels, people on the beach sitting on lanai’s under bright blue umbrellas, people resting in restaurant’s right along the beach eating something delicious & or sipping ice cold beer, and from anywhere you stood or sat you could see the bright colors of the “Splendor” against a gorgeous blue sky.

After about a mile or two we turned around & headed back the way we came and past a girl carrying bowls with veggies on a tray on her head ready for anyone who was hungry to pour a hot scoop of broth over them making a wonderful lunch to sit & eat where ever your heart delights.

We saw several venders selling shaved ice drinks and 3 guys with a long pole clipping Mangos out of the tree tops & filling their bag for later on.

The day was hot with a scrumptious breeze ~
We stopped and sat on benches in a park under the trees not far from the terminal and enjoyed watching a mother swing her baby in a hammock, while other women were cooking meat and preparing sopas, and other people were getting ready to board a sight seeing boat that would take them around the bay.

All in all ~ an absolutely wonderful day.

Later on = 3pm after we had boarded the ship and had lunch Ruth caught sight of what appeared to be a new bridge with a ramp leading up 2 floors and across towards Fort San Diego and never being able to get into the fort before due to steep stairs in the front ~ Ruth curiosity got the better of her and she headed out once again on her own to see if she could get to Fort San Diego via the ramp. And she discovered that ~ absolutely, yes she could get to Fort San Diego via ramps all the way ~ if only she had enough battery power left over in her scooter battery to get her there.

So, with that knowledge tucked under her hat ~ she turned around & headed back to the ship with a blinking battery light.

Next time we come to Acapulco, Mexico we will turn left and head for that Bridge made specifically for walkers and scooters and the like & see what Fort San Diego has to offer.