December 31, 2012:
In port Acapulco, Mexico – Beep,
Beep, Bang, Bang
This is the view when you walk on deck at 7:00am.
Acapulco from Acapulco Bay
The city is deceptively tranquil in this image.
After an overnight sail from Huatulco, Mexico, Silver
Whisper docked at the Terminal Maritima
de Acapulco--across from El Fuerte de
San Diego, built in 1616 by the Spanish to protect Acapulco Bay, and, more
specifically, the treasure brought by the Manila Galleons, from attack by English, Dutch, and French privateers.
Regretfully, the fort (and the Museo
Historico de Acapulco that is inside the fort) was closed. Rats and Curses!
Instead of an easy walk across a pedestrian bridge and
emersion into the early history of Spain in the Pacific, it was into the Tour Bus
and out on the congested streets of Acapulco.
By electing to go on a ship’s tour, entitled “Sights of Acapulco &
Cliff Divers,” we were destined to spend a large portion of the day sitting in
monumental traffic jams created by the enormous number of Mexican tourists over
from Mexico City to celebrate the New Year.
These traffic jams were made even more exciting by approximately every
tenth vehicle being a pickup truck carrying one form or another of Mexican
Security Forces. Nothing makes traffic
jams more exciting than sitting next to a pickup truck, mounted by a machine gun
and carrying six or eight 18-year-olds armed with assault rifles. (The city looked like an NRA convention.) This probably contributed to the Silver
Whisper being only the ninth cruise ship to dock in Acapulco in all of
2012. However, the armed security forces
did allow our guide a continuing topic of conversation -- reassuring us that
Acapulco was “very safe.” Actually, J
could not help thinking that these 18-year-olds were probably descendants of
the Federales, in “Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” who
reassured Humphrey Bogart “I don’t need no stinkin’ Badge.”
View from Inside the Tourist Bus
Guide is saying, "Acapulco is perfectly safe."
Our first-intended stop was at the Mirador Hotel on La Quebrada to watch Acapulco’s cliff
divers try to commit suicide. We were
taken to front row seats and given a free drink to watch this spectacle. Our guess is that Acapulco’s reputation as a
“party town” inspires tour operators to provide free Margaritas at every major
stop. However, it may be based on the
thinking that, given enough alcohol, tourists won’t care or know that all he
has done is ride around from traffic jam to traffic jam in a 60-passenger tour
bus.
Cliff diving was the signature event of Acapulco during
its prime as an international tourist destination. Especially for the LA movie set. Think John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, etc.,
etc. Basically, young men jump from a
cliff top into a shallow bay at the base of the cliff. It is interesting but repetitive, and
somewhat like a bull fight. What
everyone is waiting for is the matador (or diver) to make a mistake and
splat. But, this is highly unlikely with
cliff diving. Divers have a union and
enforce strict training guidelines. So,
about six or seven times a day, the divers do their thing, and the tourists
wait, drink and hope. After an uneventful
30 minutes of cliff diving, it is back on the bus and off to our next stop.
Acapulco, Cliff Diving Made Easy
Step One: Climb the Cliff.
Acapulco, Cliff Diving Made Easy
Step Three: Prepare to dive and check for birds.
Acapulco, Cliff Diving Made Easy
Step Four: Dive -- Will it be splash or splat?
Our “next stop” was actually the last of six stops (five in traffic) of about 10 to 15 minutes each. The planned stop was on the cliffs at Punta Guitarron and only differed in that we were given a free drink (again) and provided an opportunity to photograph Acapulco Bay. We had spent an hour and a half travelling Costera Miguel Aleman Boulevard from one side of the bay to the other, covering a distance of less than 5 miles. Burros of Spanish times could have done better than that!
Acapulco Bay from Punta Guitarron
Where is the Manila Galleon?
Another 45 minutes of stop-and-go traffic and we arrived
at the high point of the trip -- a drink at the “famous” Acapulco Princess
Hotel. This is a large, destination
resort operated by Fairmont Hotels. In
its heyday during the 1970s, it might have been worth a short visit, especially
if you were a celebrity-stricken teenager.
Its high point, according to our guide, was that Howard Hughes died
here. Now, the resort is just another
very large, slightly seedy, hotel property that has passed its prime. As usual, we were given a free Margarita (politely
refused by J and E) and 20 minutes to wander the hotel’s public area. This was such exciting touring that it was
lucky that there were extensive (large) restrooms available to us. Then, it was back on the bus. At this point, J and E were a little
concerned that our Margarita-fueled fellow passengers might burst into
song. We were spared this entertainment. Following another two-hours of Mexican bumper
tag, the bus returned to the cruise terminal, and we re-boarded the Silver
Whisper.
The "crowd" in the pool says it all about the state of tourism in Acapulco.
Our four-plus hours of touring Acapulco had gained us a few
insights about the city: young people
will jump off cliffs if given money; a city where you are rarely out of sight
of heavily-armed men is “perfectly safe”; and, you are in Acapulco if you spend
four hours on a tour bus for three “free” drinks.
After our return, we had lunch on the pool deck in the hot
Mexican sun, and then napped. We
departed Acapulco at 4:00pm bound for Cabo San Lucas on the southern tip of
Baja California, Mexico. Thankfully, all
the passengers and crew got back aboard without incident. In a city as “perfectly safe” as Acapulco,
there was a collective sigh of relief.
Since it was New Year’s Eve, the ship had a large
dinner/dance party; however, J and E are not much given to such parties,
especially “large” ones, so we dined in our suite on pizza (yum) and watched a
James Bond movie. Not a terribly
exciting New Year’s Eve, but too much excitement is bad for us seniors.
New Year's Decorations, Main Bar, Silver Whisper
Needless to say, this photo was taken before the celebrations began.
No comments:
Post a Comment