Distance from Mazatlan to Acapulco, Mexico: 595 nautical miles
A beautiful, sunny day in Acapulco, Mexico. Up early enough to catch a beautiful sunrise and the arrival of another cruise ship.
When it is this nice in the morning, there is no other option but to eat breakfast on the back deck.
We are on tour today: “Historical, Traditional, and Picturesque Acapulco”. The tours today do not involve standard busses but a convoy of 18 minivans (each holding about 8 persons). This makes it a lot easier for escorts. It’s great for me since the guide asked me ride “shotgun” on our van. No carsickness today.
I catch up with Ellen at La Quebrada, where we again are treated to the Cliff Diver show. This time, unlike the last time, the divers do not spend a lot of time meditating before their dives. It’s climb and go – the only thing that they wait for is the right amount of water rushing in from the sea. I take some of my tour folks up to the hotel area where there is a good view and plenty of shade – the only thing they don’t have are their cameras.
From La Quebrada, the vans makes its way through the Acapulco Gold area (hotels and shops plus plenty of traffic) to the ritzy Las Brizas area (million dollar plus homes). Here, we enter a gated community known for the “Chapel of Peace”, a non-denominational (sort of) church built by the wealthy family that constructed the housing complex. The church is easily spotted due to the 150 foot tall cross near its entrance.
We noticed a lot of large birds circling in the area – the guide said they were vultures – I confirmed that with a picture of one of them perched on the cross.
The Chapel of Peace has a great sculpture at the entrance – an open hand.
The view from the Chapel of Peace is spectacular. From this vantage point, we can see the entire Acapulco Bay.
Azamara Journey docked near the old city of Acapulco
Acapulco Bay from the Chapel of Peace
From Las Brizas, the van heads back through the congested downtown area and back near the Cliff Divers for a final stop at the Flamingo Hotel.
The traffic is very heavy and it takes almost 45 minutes to get through it. Lots of construction – in Acapulco, there are not warning signs of upcoming construction. Must lose some workers every year. The main street also has all the familiar stores including a massive Walmart.
The Flamingo Hotel used to be a favorite hangout for Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan fame) – his pictures are all over the lobby. It is still a nice place with great views of the ocean. Many of the tour folks are hungry at this point and have nachos, beans, and salsa (again, braver than me). I do try a Pacifico Beer (complimentary), which was touted by the guides in Mazatlan as the best. It was a good beer made even better because it was quite hot in the open air restaurant.
View from the Flamingo Hotel Restaurant
We were pretty hungry when we returned (another tour that went past lunch with no lunch provided). After a snack, we watched the sail away from Deck 5.
After a nice dinner, we headed up to Deck 9 for the Dance Party hosted by Justin Nurse and the Cabaret Singers. It was a beautiful night and the music was good – also did a little dancing.
Stephanie belting (that’s her style) out a song
Justin and Linda performing a duet
The dance party was very nice…
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