vango

We have heard about Cabo San Lucas for years but never took the time to go there. We were somewhat surprised at what an artificial place. On our tour we learned that sometime in the past the Mexican government decided that Cabo San Lucas would be a resort. They closed the fish cannery and rebuilt the town making it into a resort. Actually it had came a long way from being a Jesuit outpost to playground for the rich and famous.
The name Cabo San Lucas means the Cape of Saint Luke. It is located in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur which is a sliver of land separating the Gulf of California from the Pacific Ocean. The city is located on the eastern side of the tip of the peninsula on an crecent shaped bay. A few miles to the North East San Jose del Cabo founded in 1730.
At the end of the bay is a huge set of rocks that mark the boundary between Gulf and Ocean with a rock arch among the formations. Between us and the rocks was another cruise ship in for the day. It was the Oceana Regatta which holds about 680 passengers. Cabo has long been a destination for cruise ships but here isn't a grand pier so we had to take the ship's tenders to shore. For really big ships there is a fleet of Cabo Tenders.

Here we are all dressed up for dinner on the ship.



It was a beautiful night.

We returned to the port. Along the walkway to the ship was a collection of statues representing Mexican Hairless dogs, Xolo for short, that had been painted in artistic ways. In fact, these dogs could be seen all over the State of Colima. There were a half dozen on the pier. Called Los Tesoros Bien Perros, Treasures of good Dogs, there are 21 reproductions of Xoloitzcuintles decorated with various techniques by local artists. They were originally displayed in the Plaza de San Franando in 2014 but many of them seem to have migrated to the cruise dock perhaps hoping to be fed.

La Compaña was the largest prehispanic population center in western Mexico. This archeological site shows a relation to the classical period Teotihuacan culture. The Spaniards discovered the place in 1524 but it wasn't opened to the public until 1995. That site is about 134 hectares between the Colima River and Pereira creek but archaeologist think they have only explored about 1% of the site.



The ancients built a lot of stepped platforms and walls with good drainage. There are some shaft burial sites on the property but the one we visited was hard to see and enjoy.
Large stairways and platforms abounded. One near the parking lot had sets of steps coming from each of the four directions. It was thought to have a religious purpose. All were made of stones with some kind of cement to connect them. It was an interesting place to explore.

The Basilica sits next to the Government Palace on the square. This Neoclassical church with two towers and it dome in the front was built in 1894. The door is graced with a motto that seems rather disturbing until you realize that the translation of Misericordia is Merciful.



The inside is rather plain but I didn't do a lot of exploring because the priest was saying mass. I found the inner doors very interesting in that they had elaborate wooden designs over the glass.



Outside flanking the main door was a couple of carvings. One was St. Sebastian complete with arrows. One arrow was missing as evidenced by the plain round hole. I don't know who the other carving depicted but he is shown with a sword and a horse.

I was a 100 kilometers to Colima but via a four lane toll road it went pretty fast. Manzanillo is situated between two curved curved bays. Our ship was parked in the west bay. We made our way up and over the hills and headed inland toward the volcanoes of Volcán de Fuego and Nevado de Colima. Guess which one is the active one!



We drove to the center of town where we were dropped off at the central square, Jardín Libertad.It was a pleasant tree filled space with a gazebo in the center. Diagonal walks crossed the park with a fountain at each entrance. It was either a goose or a swan I could not really say but the neck was stretched upward and spitting water.






Our first stop was at the Government Palace for a look at a mural by Colima painter Jorge Chávez Carrillo. The work called ¨México Independiente¨ was painted in 1953 runs up the staircase leading to the second floor and the Governor's office depicting scenes of Mexican History. It shows people like Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata. One wall depicts Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla , a local priest who lead the peasants and miners in a rebellion in 1810.












Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla

Tuesday was another day at sea. People love or hate these but are never very neutral about the subject. A lot has to do with the reason for sailing in the first place. If you are there to see places then a day at sea seems a waste. If you are there for relaxation then it is a gift to have no where to go. People who have sailed more tend to stay on board even in port. I spoke with some passengers who sailed this same route for three years in a row. They couldn't be bothered to get off the ship.
One tour that is offered occasionally is “Shopping with the Chef.” He visits the local produce market and buys food for the ship. You get to see him in action as he haggles with the locals and picks the freshest of fish and vegetables. That tour would be impossible with a bigger ship but with 450 passengers there are only a few who get to go and he doesn't have to buy the quantities that would be required for a bigger ship.
There are multiple tours so it is possible to have a different adventure each time you visit a port. Even the same adventures are different each time. I think of the port visits as an overview. I get to see the place and if I like it sufficiently then I can return for several days in the future.
The ones that confound me are those who sail for the shopping. While it is nice to have a few exotic things from exotic ports, it is very difficult to get them home. And if you are traveling then you are not home to enjoy them. In the end things don't make you happy. Memories make you happy.
Sea days are necessary to be able to sail the distance. It is 500 miles from Huatulco to Manzanillo. The ship sails roughly 15 miles an hour. The fastest in can do is about 20 mph. Sometimes they slow a bit for dinner service especially in rough seas. So it takes 36 hours to go the distance. In the mean time the staff keeps the passengers occupied with trivia games and shuffle board tournaments. Tuesday was another day at sea. People love or hate these but are never very neutral about the subject. A lot has to do with the reason for sailing in the first place. If you are there to see places then a day at sea seems a waste. If you are there for relaxation then it is a gift to have no where to go. People who have sailed more tend to stay on board even in port. I spoke with some passengers who sailed this same route for three years in a row. They couldn't be bothered to get off the ship.
One tour that is offered occasionally is “Shopping with the Chef.” He visits the local produce market and buys food for the ship. You get to see him in action as he haggles with the locals and picks the freshest of fish and vegetables. That tour would be impossible with a bigger ship but with 450 passengers there are only a few who get to go and he doesn't have to buy the quantities that would be required for a bigger ship.
There are multiple tours so it is possible to have a different adventure each time you visit a port. Even the same adventures are different each time. I think of the port visits as an overview. I get to see the place and if I like it sufficiently then I can return for several days in the future.
The ones that confound me are those who sail for the shopping. While it is nice to have a few exotic things from exotic ports, it is very difficult to get them home. And if you are traveling then you are not home to enjoy them. In the end things don't make you happy. Memories make you happy.
Sea days are necessary to be able to sail the distance. It is 500 miles from Huatulco to Manzanillo. The ship sails roughly 15 miles an hour. The fastest in can do is about 20 mph. Sometimes they slow a bit for dinner service especially in rough seas. So it takes 36 hours to go the distance. In the mean time the staff keeps the passengers occupied with trivia games and shuffle board tournaments.

We sailed out of Guatimala and into Mexico docking at Puerto Chiapas in the state of Chiapas. It is about the size of South Carolina and borders Guatamala which is two the south.
Puerto Chiapas has developed a cruise port that is very nice. It is acrose the bay from a beach with thatched huts so not to be outdone the terminal has a thatch roof as well but is about 6 times the height of across the bay. There is a wide promenade next to the cruise ships with a round fountain with the port name spelled out so it can be read from your balcony should you ever wonder where you are. Inside there is a dance space which is a large pit under the peak of the roof and there are a dozen shops selling jewelry, clothing and souvenirs. It was an easy walk to the front where our tour buses were waiting.