Panama Canal: Day 10 - Acapulco, Mexico

May 20th, 2008 - by Beci

We arrived into the port of Acapulco around 10:30am – a bit earlier the expected. One good thing about arriving after the crack of dawn is  we were awake and preparing for the day so had a chance to really enjoy the scenery as we slowly pulled into the bay.  We pulled up the dock and were greeted by waves and cheers from the locals. The Captain parallel parked this baby like it was no bigger then a VW bug. And there were plenty of those around!

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Todays agenda?  No… not cliff divers. Not even Senor Frogs… That would be way too predictable. Chris and I opted for the wonderful world of High speed shot-over jet boats! Our friend and client Sandy came along and we boarded the bus for the site of our adventure.

We winded our way up thru  the golden zone and along the cliffs to the canals. Along the way we stopped at an overlook that takes your breath away.  Sandy and I posed for a pic then it was back on the bus.

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The ride was about 45 minutes past markets, beach front bars and restaurants and other traditional Mexican wonders like…  Costco, Sams Club, KFC, Burger King, and many versions of the American embassy – aka… McDonalds.  ya.   I know.  The bus guide happily pointed out that they do not, under any circumstances allow a Taco Bell franchise in the area.

Moving on.

We arrived at a eco park and were told they had two boats that each held 9 or 10 plus the driver. We had a group of 36, so the first group of 18 got off the bus and the rest of us continued on a city tour that included the Fairmont Princess – site of a few movies and was the resort of choice for the Hollywood elite.

Once we returned to the dock the second group got all suited up and were boarded on our boat. When you first arrive you do notice a sulfur like odor and the water is brownish so you do have your suspicions on how clean the water is in the canal.  However our guide explained the eco systems and the natural causes for the conditions. Its much easier to accept after a little education.

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The guide changes between slow moving natural science lessons where we learn about the giant termite nests as well as the wildlife in the area.. see the baby bird in the nest?

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…. and flying down the narrow channels that once hosted the film crew of African Queen among other s… at 30 – 40 mph.

Wanna see what happens when he signals with his index finger in the air in a circular motion?

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It was a blast… and I will be looking for other shot-over boat excursions on future trips!

After a long day getting soaked, we returned to the ship and went to an early dinner. After checking out the menu at our dining room,  Deb, Chris . Linda and I opted for Palo.. again.

Check our Chris… he cleans up nice….

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OH!  and did I mention – they have chocolate souflees?!

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We ended the night by gazing at the lights of the city.

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Tomorrow… Day at Sea!

 

4 Responses to “Panama Canal: Day 10 - Acapulco, Mexico”

  1. Annette Says:

    hmmm….. starting to see a new pattern starting! Daily Palo! :)

  2. scooby86 Says:

    Thanks for sharing your trip with us. I have a question - is the ship using the same time zone as the ports? We are on the next repo cruise and I am trying to make cruise reservations with on shore companies and they keep telling me that the cruise ship is not on their time. I called disney to check this out and they are telling me they are in the same time zone as the port.

    Many thanks

  3. Tacey Says:

    I’m up for that (says the girl who has yet to try it…lol)

  4. Chris Says:

    Scooby, I believe we are on the same time zones. We were on Central time for Panama and the first two mexico ports, and now we’re on Mtn time for Cabo, and of course we’ll be switching to Pacific for LA.

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