Aboard the MS Ryndam

In the Pacific Ocean just outside Acapulco Bay, Mexico

Saturday, May 1st, 5 pm Central Time

Another day ashore and this time in a large city. Acapulco is home to over 2 million people and many more visitors, and today being Labor Day in Mexico and the middle of a 3-day weekend, the city was at capacity. There was noise and people everywhere, all very festive and happy. A police boat patroled around the Ryndam all day and there were city, state, and federal police in evidence on nearly every corner, mostly trying to keep the masses of people and vehicles apart.

The natural setting is gorgeous--a large bay with craggy promontories and small rocky islets at the edges, beautiful clear water, and miles of sandy beaches. Most of this is ringed with high rise condos and hotels, private villas, and restaurants and bars, nearly all high end luxury establishments. The main boulevard circling the bay is palm shaded and lined with smart shops selling the usual international brands from Rolex to Mercedes Benz, but in old Acapulco on the north end of the bay, there are the small street shops, fast food joints, and bars of the locals on the ground floor of modest 3- and 4-story apartments houses. In some of the smaller side streets and alleys there was a mishmash of separate single story houses and shops, most with a tangle of wires leading to TV antennas or satellite dishes cocked at every conceivable angle on the walls and roofs.

The Ryndam docked across from old Fort San Diego, built by the Spanish in the 18th Century to protect the city from pirates. We walked a bit along the malecon, bought a few souvenirs, took a bus tour, and ended up watching the famous Acapulco Cliff Divers from the patio restaurant of the Hotel Mirador, also famous as a watering hole for Hollywood stars of the 40’s and 50’s. The weather was very warm (80’sF), but the humidity was noticeably less than our stops farther south, and a steady cooling breeze blew in off the Pacific. But the sun was still very strong.

We’re now off for our final port stop before disembarking in San Diego Wednesday morning. After a day at sea tomorrow, we spend Monday in port at Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, followed by another day at sea to reach San Diego. Disembarking should be a relatively easy affair since nearly half of the ship’s passengers are Canadians heading for the final stop in Vancouver. The Ryndam then gets a thorough cleaning and replenishment before starting her Alaska cruises all summer.