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Vacation Recap - The Finale
Mar. 17th, 2010 12:48 pmI have my first mammogram ever this afternoon. No, I am not excited. I don't expect it to be terrible, just uncomfortable as hell. We'll see.
So, the vacation. Which I got back from over a month ago! Yes, I realize I am quite the slacker these days. Let's just say that life has gotten in the way and leave it at that, hmm?
Our next to last port was Mazatlan, Mexico. Since the day before was the 18-hour Copper Canyon odyssey we wisely decided to take it easy and booked a Shrimp Feast lunch instead of one of our usual adventures. Although on the drive to the place we were wondering if this might be an adventure anyway - we went up one of the hills right in the middle of downtown Mazatlan with really narrow streets, not so great looking buildings, etc. When we turned down this dirt & gravel alley and parked everyone was kind of wondering what the hell was going on. Well, the villa where the Shrimp Feast is held is a private villa in a residential area. Once you get past the outside of the building (kind of scary) the place was absolutely beautiful. Owned by an 86 year old woman (turning 87 the weekend after we were there) she decided several years ago to share her love of the city by renting out the place a few times a year for this lunch. The food was great with locally caught shrimp fixed three different ways and lots of traditional mexican food. And while some people complained that the margaritas were weak, Dad and I both had Pacifico beer which was all kinds of awesome.
The company at our table could have been better. You know how some people just are not pleased no matter what? Well, those were the people we sat with. The drinks were weak. The food at the lunch was so much better than the food on the ship. The quality has gone down hill. We didn't get an upgrade. Wah, wah, wah. I was not impressed and excused myself to go explore the house as soon as I was done eating. Why go on a vacation if you are just going to bitch about everything? If nothing makes you happy stay home so I don't have to f!cking hear you, OK?
Anyway, after getting back to the ship we pretty much just hung out for a while, reading. I skipped dinner that night as I wasn't feeling all that fantastic - too much food! Dad went by himself and evidently had dinner with a very nice couple from England. I probably would have had a good time but I wanted the time alone. And there was no way I could have eaten another bite that day. Dad said our table stewards were beside themselves that I was skipping dinner. They were very happy to see me the next night. So sweet!
Our last port day was Puerto Vallarta where we went snorkeling (Majahuitas) and to a small seaside village (Yelapa) for hiking and the beach. Dad hiked, I did the beach. It was my first time snorkeling and I'm already hooked. I can't wait to go again! The water was about 75 degrees F and it was a warm sunny day. Just lovely. I could have stayed out there all day. The big excitement of the day was getting to the beach. We let the hikers off at a dock and then had to take tenders to the beach. The tenders were the size of a small fishing boat and the only way to get to the shore was to beach them. That was super fun! Yes, I know, I'm easily amused. After getting to the beach I just snagged a beach chair and chilled until Dad got back from the hike. Took a walk on the beach and then time to return to the boat. On the way back to Puerto Vallarta the crew entertained us with music, dancing, and an open bar. I was even up doing the conga and YMCA with the crew and some of the other passengers. Me! I was dancing! In front of strangers! And no, I hadn't had a lot to drink, just one beer. What can I say? I was having fun.
The best part of the day was the crew. If you are ever in Puerto Vallarta and want to do some sort of tour definitely look up Vallarta Adventures. They did an excellent job and took such good care of everyone from the smallest child to the octogenarians. Really first rate service and a ton of fun to boot. Carlos was in the water snorkeling with us, diving down to the bottom and bringing up different sea life. He brought up a sea star and a baby puffer fish, both of which I got a good look at. He also was the guide ont he hike Dad went on. Kind of part tour guide, part naturalist. And the boat we were on is registered as a whale watching vessel as well so if we'd seen any whales we could have broken off our course to go watch them - from a respectful distance. We didn't but wouldn't that have been cool?
Our last two days were at sea so nothing much was going on. Dad and I both spent a lot of time on our balcony in the sun. On our last day I got a cold. At least I waited until the last day to get sick!
I'll post some pictures and maybe one or two of the short videos Dad took soon. Hope you enjoyed the recap. It was a wonderful trip and I know I haven't done it justice. I could go on and on, describing every single minute and posting tons of pics but nothing really beats being there, you know?
So, the vacation. Which I got back from over a month ago! Yes, I realize I am quite the slacker these days. Let's just say that life has gotten in the way and leave it at that, hmm?
Our next to last port was Mazatlan, Mexico. Since the day before was the 18-hour Copper Canyon odyssey we wisely decided to take it easy and booked a Shrimp Feast lunch instead of one of our usual adventures. Although on the drive to the place we were wondering if this might be an adventure anyway - we went up one of the hills right in the middle of downtown Mazatlan with really narrow streets, not so great looking buildings, etc. When we turned down this dirt & gravel alley and parked everyone was kind of wondering what the hell was going on. Well, the villa where the Shrimp Feast is held is a private villa in a residential area. Once you get past the outside of the building (kind of scary) the place was absolutely beautiful. Owned by an 86 year old woman (turning 87 the weekend after we were there) she decided several years ago to share her love of the city by renting out the place a few times a year for this lunch. The food was great with locally caught shrimp fixed three different ways and lots of traditional mexican food. And while some people complained that the margaritas were weak, Dad and I both had Pacifico beer which was all kinds of awesome.
The company at our table could have been better. You know how some people just are not pleased no matter what? Well, those were the people we sat with. The drinks were weak. The food at the lunch was so much better than the food on the ship. The quality has gone down hill. We didn't get an upgrade. Wah, wah, wah. I was not impressed and excused myself to go explore the house as soon as I was done eating. Why go on a vacation if you are just going to bitch about everything? If nothing makes you happy stay home so I don't have to f!cking hear you, OK?
Anyway, after getting back to the ship we pretty much just hung out for a while, reading. I skipped dinner that night as I wasn't feeling all that fantastic - too much food! Dad went by himself and evidently had dinner with a very nice couple from England. I probably would have had a good time but I wanted the time alone. And there was no way I could have eaten another bite that day. Dad said our table stewards were beside themselves that I was skipping dinner. They were very happy to see me the next night. So sweet!
Our last port day was Puerto Vallarta where we went snorkeling (Majahuitas) and to a small seaside village (Yelapa) for hiking and the beach. Dad hiked, I did the beach. It was my first time snorkeling and I'm already hooked. I can't wait to go again! The water was about 75 degrees F and it was a warm sunny day. Just lovely. I could have stayed out there all day. The big excitement of the day was getting to the beach. We let the hikers off at a dock and then had to take tenders to the beach. The tenders were the size of a small fishing boat and the only way to get to the shore was to beach them. That was super fun! Yes, I know, I'm easily amused. After getting to the beach I just snagged a beach chair and chilled until Dad got back from the hike. Took a walk on the beach and then time to return to the boat. On the way back to Puerto Vallarta the crew entertained us with music, dancing, and an open bar. I was even up doing the conga and YMCA with the crew and some of the other passengers. Me! I was dancing! In front of strangers! And no, I hadn't had a lot to drink, just one beer. What can I say? I was having fun.
The best part of the day was the crew. If you are ever in Puerto Vallarta and want to do some sort of tour definitely look up Vallarta Adventures. They did an excellent job and took such good care of everyone from the smallest child to the octogenarians. Really first rate service and a ton of fun to boot. Carlos was in the water snorkeling with us, diving down to the bottom and bringing up different sea life. He brought up a sea star and a baby puffer fish, both of which I got a good look at. He also was the guide ont he hike Dad went on. Kind of part tour guide, part naturalist. And the boat we were on is registered as a whale watching vessel as well so if we'd seen any whales we could have broken off our course to go watch them - from a respectful distance. We didn't but wouldn't that have been cool?
Our last two days were at sea so nothing much was going on. Dad and I both spent a lot of time on our balcony in the sun. On our last day I got a cold. At least I waited until the last day to get sick!
I'll post some pictures and maybe one or two of the short videos Dad took soon. Hope you enjoyed the recap. It was a wonderful trip and I know I haven't done it justice. I could go on and on, describing every single minute and posting tons of pics but nothing really beats being there, you know?
