Saturday, January 1, 2011

l - Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

And so as the glistening lights of Acapulco receded and the pink in the
sky faded, so did we. Off we went to the cabin for a snooze till the
show of the evening. This time it was a magic/comedy show with a guy
that is very good....... but maybe we were just not in the mood the give
it all the credit the show deserved. It was fun, but the walk around
the very very windy deck and the glass of wine afterwards was better.

The next day was a full day at sea and it slid gently by with a few
dolphin, a good many birds and the distant sight of Mexico off our
Starboard side all day long. We people watched, snoozed, enjoyed the
balcony, walked around and watched a pool volleyball competition between
the passengers and the crew. The crew members won again and they played
in their uniform - yup, jumped into the water fully decked out. The
atmosphere on board was really good.

We met up with Nena and Hal for a chat and some whale watching - the
chat was great and we ended up having lunch together, but the whale
watching was a bust. Ah well. Another lovely sunset and our first
night again with the sliding door closed - its getting chilly as we head
north.

This morning, the wake up call came waaaay too early! 5.30am. We had
to meet in the Theater at 7.15am today because we had to be tendered to
the shore. There were three other cruise ships due in the port today
and we were just going to hang out at anchor in the bay. The tender
boats are the life rafts too and it was interesting to imagine being at
sea in rough weather in one of those things.........and if they were
filled with panicked people, that would really be something else. Two
of the other cruise ships in port today were of the Holland America Line
and I think the other was Spirit of the Sea - Carnival, I think. They
filled the sky. We watched one of them come in right at sunrise this
morning - it looked beautiful all lit up against the dark water and
lightening sky. Yup - got photos.

Anyway - we sat on the top floor of the tender boat - hmmm, that does
not sound right...... but we did, and it was lovely, and cold and windy
and I would not have gone downstairs for anything :) A short trip to
the shore and we found our tour group - a total of 7 of us! Glorious.
So off we went in an SUV, through the town and into the SIerra Madre
Mountains - up and up and up..... Around tiny little roads that
sometimes fell away into the abyss below, being handed the most
beautiful views of mountains all layered just like the Smokey Mountains
in Tennessee..... It has a blue/gray haze and looked as if it belonged
in a fairytale. The shades of green covered the whole range, from
light, almost dusty green, to a lush deep rich color that almost lit
up. We saw many birds around, a few unfortunate racoons in the road,
but the view was the best!

Every now and again we would pass a little village and seeing how they
live here makes me really grateful for everything I have. Actually, it
makes me feel spoiled and ...well, very spoiled. I know life is really
very tough for most of these people, and everything is covered in a
thick layer of dust and there is no grass for the kids to play on and no
shiny bright plastic toys in the yards either - but they all have a
smile and a wave for us as we drive by. Maybe its a 'see you in the
USA' wave, but still, the friendliness in these poorer countries far
outdoes anything back in the States.

After about an hour traveling, we stopped at a Tequila processing
place. I thought it would be a big place, but its small, really small
and very interesting. As they saw us arriving, they quickly put out all
the goodies to show us and I am sure we saw a few still wiping the sleep
out of their eyes.... but I could not be too certain of that - I was
still doing just that! We were given the walk through on the process of
making tequila. One Agave plant will produce about 3 liters of tequila
- pure, 100% tequila. It takes the plant 8 years to reach maturity and
after it has been harvested, the land then stands for two years free of
anything so that it can recover.... only then is the new plant put in
and another eight year cycle begins.

The equipment used here is........ I want to say old, but that implies
dirty or not good and this is not true. Its made of solid wood and
brass fittings and the finished product drips into a glass jar standing
on a little wooden bench just 6 inches off the floor. Everything is
done by hand and there is no electricity there at all. And so we came
to the tasting part of this demonstration.

Now tequila has never been something I really enjoyed drinking. I dont
like the taste and don't like the smell, so I stood there a little
reticent when we were told that we were going to be taught the right way
to drink 100% pure tequila.. 100% alcohol too! We were each given a
small shot glass with about a quarter inch of this tequila in it and the
process of correct drinking was explained. Toss it all in your mouth
and zip your lips. Drink it down at your own pace - close mouthed
still. Then breath in sloooooowly though your nose - hooolllld
it........ and breathe out sloooowly through your nose and enjoy the
experience. Eyes closed.

And so we did - me of course peeking to see what the others were
doing..... the owner of the distillery was the one demonstrating and he
was really enjoying it all - he seemed to go into a trance as he drank
his part. What an experience! It was simply wonderful - the taste, the
smell of that tequila, the feel in my chest and throat was gentle and
vibrant all at the same time. All our eyes came open in mute (mouths
zipped!) surprise... It was really a great experience. By the 5th
tasting, we all had the correct process down pat and were slightly
swaying and much friendlier :) And it was only 9.30am! Our lips
started tingling too by now and it was generally agreed that we had
better not taste anymore or the tour would end right there and we would
go no further :)

We tasted about 6 different types of tequila as well as the 100% pure
agave syrup and bought two bottles to take home and some syrup too. Got
some lessons to give when we get back home! :) Party time anyone?

And on we went - higher and higher into the mountains. Although they
are beautiful, I just know that my liking of them could change in a
heartbeat if I were left to find my own way, no roads, in the middle of
nowhere. They are not friendly mountains at all and go on forever in
all directions. I would really hate being lost up there. Finally we
came to a cobblestone road that led to San Sebastian - the mining
village we were visiting for the day. By now we were all happily
chatting away in the SUV, all knew each others names and much laughter
was happening. The road to this point was really lousy - so maybe this
is why they do the tequila stop first!

San Sebastian is really something else... very narrow roads of
cobblestones that were originally laid in the 1800's.... high stone
walls with beautiful thick wooden doors, high windows with potted
flowers hanging down everywhere. Bouganvilla plants of all colors
leaning over the tops of the high stone walls narrow lanes leading in
every possible direction - all filled with the same splashes of color.
The old church was again in the center square of the town - just lovely
inside. The decorations here are all hand made. In the church were
huge bells and balls and baskets and other decorations - all made from
grasses and reeds. The nativity scene was also all done with natural
things and it made us think. Here is a village of people that has so
little and they spend a lot of time making stuff - they seem so grateful
for what they have, thankful and willing to put in the effort to make
beautiful things out of virtually nothing. Its very humbling to see
this life and to think of just how much we have, how relatively easy we
have it all.

There were so many beautiful doors in San Sebastian that I filled Gypsy
up - she did not complain at all. I think I must put together a series
on old doors and their hardware. I was not the only one with a door
craze. One of the other ladies, Margie, also got a gleam in her eye
when yet another old, battered and bruised door was spied. We walked
around the town just soaking the clean air in and the doors and all too,
for about an hour. The cobblestone roads made one have to go slowly and
watch carefully where we walked.

Now this all sounds quaint and I can almost hear the clip clop of donkey
hooves on those shiny cobblestones............ but no! Not a donkey in
sight at all. There were cars of all shapes and sizes - mostly new and
well looked after cars. This was a huge surprise to me and the contrast
was stark. We were treated to a very tasty lunch in a very peaceful
restaurant. We all agreed that we wanted to sit outside in the
sunshine...... it was not very hot today and the other couples were from
Canada and UK and needed all the sunshine they could soak up before next
week.

And then, sadly, it was time to head back down to the ship. It was a
good 90 minute drive back down the mountain. All of us on this tour
agreed that it was just lovely, and the most relaxed, less pushed tour
of the whole trip. We had time to wander around and in a village where
there were virtually no other tourists and not a single tourist shop to
see either! Oh wait - we did stop at a coffee place too and were given
a sample of the local coffee. It was not bad and I think I was not
supposed to keep the little earthenware cup! Only after leaving there
did I notice that I was the only one still to have one clutched in my
hand - well, it was small and .......... now I have a very small, very
pretty little coffee cup as well. We also found some guava wrap
there...... not quite sure how to describe it, but its guava rolled into
a thing that looks a bit like a swiss roll - but tastes much better
'cause it's guava :) And some coated peanuts of sorts - very good too.

Anyway - down the mountain we went, back through town and straight to
the port. We were about 10 minutes late so the driver did not play
around at all - we zooted at a fair clip all the way. Only to find a
huuuuge delay in the boarding of the boat. The tender boats were not
handling the load and people from four different cruise ships were
milling around the square. But there was so much to see while snaking
along that line so it really was not a problem at all. The ship left a
good 45 minutes later than planned and was still pulling the last of the
little boats up on deck as we pulled up anchor, turned around and headed
out to sea again.

I just have to stand on deck when we do this.... staying on our balcony
is just not enough for me - I think I am a 'view glutton'.... just gotta
try to see it all. So up we went and watched Puerto Vallarta slowly
fade into the distance. The sunset was spectacular, but quickly
forgotten when some whales were spotted. One breached right in front of
the ship and then breached again four times down the length of the ship,
giving everyone a beautiful sunset show.

After dinner we headed of to the "Music of the World" show, put on by
the Celebrity Cast. Wow - that was spectacular. I also finally found
the perfect setting on Gypsy and took some really great photos from the
very back row of the theater!

Right now we are heading to Cabo San Lucas, Baja, which is right on the
bottom end of that thin strip of land right below California. We aer
just south of Mazatlan right now in the open water and the waves are
about 5 feet high, giving us some gentle rolling motions... We drove
through Cabo a couple of years ago and its going to be good to spend a
day there tomorrow. We have a glass boat tour along a reef and then the
rest of the day free to walk the beach. We are hoping that the tide is
out and that we can walk to the arches at the end of the peninsula.

Its definitely getting cooler - fast. I have stopped my nightly walks
up on deck - its just way too windy and the other night I was almost
blown off my feet up there... and I was on deck all alone too. Not a
nice feeling at all. Sadly my evening quiet time on our balcony is also
over, it seems. The wind whips the spray and the chill and damp in the
air does not make for a good relaxing late night sit. It was fantastic
while it lasted and I am not complaining. It's probably good that we
are slowly being led back into reality - the cold reality of winter back
home. But not yet - Cabo waits!

Oh yes! Happy New Year to all of you! I hope this will be your best
year yet, only to be outdone by the many other years still to come.

Seeing as we are still traveling west, we get a time change and it will
happen on New Years Eve - and that means we get to celebrate twice - one
hour apart. So its going to be a late night tomorrow night - but the
boat is fully stocked up with balloons and streamers all ready to party.

Love and light
Annie

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