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November 16, 2009: Acapulco, Mexico |
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November 14, 2009: Puerto Chiapas, Mexico |
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Return to the Index for Our Panama Canal Cruise |
Arriving at Hualtulco, Mexico
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As we came in closer, we could just barely see the dock ahead of us, and then we came abreast of and passed the lighthouse on the north side of the inlet to our port side. I could watch the crewmen in the flying bridge monitoring our slow progress into the harbor.
If you want to click on the thumbnail images below you can see some more of the pictures I took as the ship nosed into the harbor at about seven this morning:
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After we passed all the headlands, we could see the dock up ahead and some of what I assumed were resort condos up on the hill to our starboard side. The captain brought us closer to the new dock and I could see some guys waiting there for our lines to be thrown down. Our shore excursion wasn't going to be until after lunch, so I thought that I'd go back to the room, collect Fred, have some breakfast and then go ashore into the small beach town for a while.
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I thought that the slow way the captain was bringing us into the dock at Hualtulco was interesting, so I made a movie of part of the process. |
Walking Around the Port Town at Hualtulco
When we got off the ship, we walked down the dock towards shore. Once we had gotten far enough down the dock, I could turn and see the Oosterdam tied up at the dock. Just before the walkway ended at the shore, there was a monument dedicated to those locals who make their living going out to sea, so I took a picture of Fred and the giant anchor. From the dock, Fred was able to use the facility of his camera to stitch together a beautiful panorama of this particular bay, and you can view it in the scrollable window below:
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If you'll click on the thumbnails below, you can see some of the other pictures we took from the dock and pier:
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Pretty quickly after we got off the ship I made a movie of the surroundings, including the ship, the inlet and Hualtulco. |
I was just playing around, here, but the result was mildly humorous. Have a look. |
In our walk around Hualtulco, we came off the dock and could look down the row of beachfront shops. In the colonial era, Hualtulco ("place of beautiful wood") served as the major port for the lucrative Pacific Coast trade between New Spain and Peru for 20 years. Later, Acapulco was used instead, and Hualtulco fell prey to pirate attacks and looting by such figures as Francis Drake in 1579 and Thomas Cavendish in 1587.
Mexican citizens have long known about the Bahias de Huatulco. As international visitors converged on Acapulco Bay, Mexican vacationers slipped away to Hualtulco and its secluded beaches- far from the crowds of the developed resorts. There are nine distinct bays here- collectively the "Bays of Hualtulco." This particular one is the "Bahia de Santa Cruz Hualtulco." Only half the bays are developed, and each is different from the other.
We followed the inlet around to the marina. It was very pretty, with the blue water and the boats riding at anchor. It was a small marina/harbor, perhaps the size of Bahia Mar in Fort Lauderdale. No huge yachts here- not like Acapulco or Cabo San Lucas. The whole feel of this marina was that of an out-of-the-way haven for small fishing boats and the occasional excursion catamaran. I took two more pictures of the marina, and you can have a look at them here and here.
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I thought I would take a movie here at the Marina at Hualtulco, panning across it from hillside to hillside, and having a look at the boats bobbing at anchor. |
In the center of town there was a small park with a pretty gazebo which, apparently, is also a small coffee bar. Another interesting sight was right over on the beach- an open‑air chapel. I thought it was very well-done, and since it was open on all sides save for the very back, I can imagine that it stays as cool as possible year-round.
For some more views of the town, the new condos on the south side of the inlet and the Oosterdam, click on the thumbnail images below:
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Our Shore Excursion: The Motorcoach Tour
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While we were waiting in line, I saw an odd sign nearby. You've looked at the picture now; what do YOU think "Do Not Feed the Corruption" means? From the very beginning, the apple confused me. At first I thought it meant not to bribe officials, but that didn't make any sense, unless boat owners are in the habit of doing that to get good slips or something. And what would the apple mean? Then I thought it meant not to deal with shady hucksters or panhandlers, but I wouldn't have thought to use the word "corruption" to describe that activity. I finally concluded with the simplest explanation- "Don't Litter." This interpretation was based almost entirely on the half-eaten apple. But your guess is as good as mine.
The description of this part of the excursion that we read on the Holland-America website was sadly much more interesting than the actual tour. While the ride was nice and the scenery was certainly pretty, most of what we got from the tour guide at the front of the bus was a description of how new development is coming to the area ("And this is where the new [fill in the blank] hotel and resort is going to be."] The very pretty road we were on had definitely been designed to carry a lot more traffic than we ever saw, so I guess the developments he talked about were still on the drawing boards.
We didn't get a chance to take many pictures, except towards the furthest point the coach went where we pulled off to the side of the road at a viewpoint where we could see another of the Bays of Hualtulco looking south. It was here that some local women had brought their tame birds for people to hold and photograph (for a small fee, of course). There were also the occasional roadside item of interest, such as the Tipsy Blowfish.
Click on the thumbnail images below if you'd like to see some other pictures from our motorcoach tour:
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The tour took about an hour, and then the coach brought us back through Hualtulco to the marina, where we disembarked and immediately trooped over to a dock and boarded our catamaran for the second part of the shore excursion.
A Catamaran Cruise Up the Coast
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So as the catamaran started out of the harbor, Fred and I had excellent views out ahead as we moved out of the harbor.
The catamaran slowly moved into the harbor inlet and then headed out. Soon, we were passing the Oosterdam. In the thirteen days of the cruise so far, Fred and I had gotten used to the ship, and it didn't seem so large now as when we first boarded. But going by it in the catamaran, it once again seemed incredibly big (which it is, of course, being a good deal longer than Titanic.)
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This movie, perhaps more than any other I've taken, really gives you an idea of just how big the Oosterdam, and today's mega-cruise ships actually are. |
Click on the thumbnail images below and take a look at some of the pictures that Fred took as the catamaran sailed out of the harbor, past the Oosterdam and out past the lighthouse and headlands:
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Once clear of the headlands by the harbor, the catamaran turned west. Even though we are on the Pacific side of Central America, the coast at this point runs basically east-west. The catamaran hugged the coast, staying within a half-mile of the shore (and at times much closer).
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To view the slideshow, just click on the image at left and I will open the slideshow in a new window. In the slideshow, you can use the little arrows in the lower corners of each image to move from one to the next, and the index numbers in the upper left of each image will tell you where you are in the series. When you are finished looking at the pictures, just close the popup window.
I knew Fred's pictures would turn out well, so on the way out on our trip, I concentrated more on scenes on and around the catamaran (although I took some of the shore as well).
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I made my first movie just after we cleared the Hualtulco Harbor and were rounding the point on which the lighthouse sits. |
The ride on the catamaran heading outward was really enjoyable. One of the items we'd seen in the description was that there was an open bar, and this was, indeed, the case, although they served only one alcoholic drink- a mohito-like affair. It was pretty good, and I had a few of them. Greg and Paul stayed mostly in the area of the boat under the awning, so I went back to chat with them for a while. Fred and I stayed out on the front of the boat in the sunlight, the better for taking pictures. It didn't occur to me to wander around the boat until a ways into the trip.
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Our Lifeboat When I started wandering around the boat, I headed back to the stern to one of the stairs that lead down onto the hulls on either side. (You can see the side opposite me here.) That's when I noticed the boat we were towing behind us. |
If you will click on the thumbnail images below, you can see some of the pictures that I took on our way outbound on the catamaran excursion:
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When I went down the stairs onto the port side hull, I could peer underneath the boat between the hulls, and by holding my camera out I could make a movie of the water rushing underneath. |
The first effort turned out OK, but I wanted to try another, so I hung off of the stair rail as far as I could, and was able to get the camera entirely underneath the boat. Getting the camera entirely into the shadow of the boat gave me a different view. |
Eventually, we came to a very large, very secluded beach- the northernmost (westernmost, actually) of the nine major bays along this part of the Mexican coast. There was also a very pretty island offshore, and it was in the bay between the beach and the island that we slowly turned around to head back to Hualtulco harbor.
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On the way back, I went upstairs to the catamaran's flying bridge. There, I found that there was seating for perhaps six people, plus a pilot's station. Seated there I found one of the excursion passengers and our pilot. Apparently, the passenger had some experience with piloting, for the excursion pilot was letting him steer the boat for a while. Certainly not hazardous; we were pretty far from shore and the actual pilot never left the station. On either side of the flying bridge there were observation wings that extended perhaps eight feet out to either side, and these were perfect for viewing and photography. I chatted up some of the passengers sitting up here, and had one of them take a picture of me on an observation wing.
When I came down from upstairs, I went back down onto one of the hulls to watch a small power boat that seemed to be keeping a position alongside us. I didn't have any idea what the boat was for, but eventually I saw the excursion employee that had been wandering around the catamaran taking everyone's photo come down the stairway opposite me. The small boat moved in close and the photographer jumped onboard and the small boat sped away. I found out by asking one of the other crew that the photographer was taking his camera in to the harbor where the pictures would be printed and available for sale by the time passengers disembarked.
I got a last drink, found Fred, and had him come to the back of the boat to see the swim platforms and go upstairs if he wanted. He did both. He took a couple of pictures of me on the swim platform, and you can have a look at those here and here. On the way back to the harbor, Fred took some more good pictures, this time from upstairs, and I thought I would include some of them here. If you'll click on the thumbnails below, you can have a look at them:
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We got back to the harbor about three-fifteen, and as we passed it coming in, we got another good view of the Oosterdam.
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The catamaran came through the inlet into the harbor at Hualtulco, and I made a movie as we moved past the other boats towards our dock. |
Returning to the Oosterdam
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Then we walked out the dock and pier to re-board our ship.
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When we got out to the ship, we found that there were some musicians playing for the returning passengers, and I made a short movie of some of that performance. |
The Oosterdam Sails from Hualtulco
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Once we were back on board, we didn't have a lot of time before we were to meet the other guys for another dinner in Canaletto, the Italian restaurant on board. So Fred and I headed off to the Fitness Center where we put in our usual routine. Then, just before seven, we met the guys in the Vista Lounge for a Variety Show performance.
This evening, there is no new performer, but we are having the theatrical equivalent of leftovers. Dolores Park, Elliot Maxx and Jim Curry returned, and each did a few new songs or comedy routines.
Both Fred and I took more pictures this evening. Take a look at a couple of pictures of Dolores Park here and here. There are two pictures of Elliot Maxx- a closeup that you can see here and a distance shot that you can look at here. And Fred got two more good pictures of Jim Curry that you can have a look at here and here.
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In this short clip, Elliot tells a Viagra joke I hadn't heard before. |
Jim Curry performs the John Denver hit "Lady." |
When the show was over, we went up to Canaletto and had a really good meal. After that, Fred and I walked the decks for a while, taking pictures of some of the ship decoration. You'll be able to see some of the pictures we took this evening, along with others taken throughout the cruise, on the Ship Decoration Page.
You can use the links below to continue to the album page for different day.
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November 16, 2009: Acapulco, Mexico |
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November 14, 2009: Puerto Chiapas, Mexico |
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Return to the Index for Our Panama Canal Cruise |
