Oh, Mexico. It sounds so simple, I just got to go

Day 9: Off the coast of Guatemala, approaching Huatulco, Mexico

Today was a beautiful day with sunshine and blue water. I spent the morning doing laundry and watching the sea turtles and dolphins frolic alongside the ship. The sea turtles would be floating, and when they felt our wake, they would dive below the surface to avoid the turbulence. The dolphins stayed about a half mile or so off the boat, and whenever I would see one jump or spin, I couldn’t get my camera up in time to get a picture, so I finally gave up and just enjoyed the moment.

Sea turtles were easy to spot and photograph - they aren't too fast and stay close to the surface.

We still have a fun and growing group to meet up with for meals and drinks. I will be sad to see some of them leave us in Los Angeles (And maybe one or two I wished were leaving us).

Tonight, there is an awesome storm blowing. Oh, how I love a good storm. The winds are high and bumping us around a bit. The smoke from the stack is swirling down along the port side of the ship, dancing with the mist that is coming off the waves. The roar of the wind combines with the crash of the waves to create an awesome sound. The mist is coming as high as the top deck so it seems to be raining but the skies are clear and the stars are out. The wind is roaring past my door, and when I open the balcony door to go outside, I create a wind tunnel through the room and have to shut it quickly. I stand amid all that power and fury with my hoodie and a beach towel wrapped around me reveling in the power of nature. I get so excited, like a kid on Christmas. I would stay outside for hours, but I have an early start in the morning when we arrive in Huatulco, so I will leave the curtains open, and snuggle into my warm bed, letting the ship rock me to sleep.

Day 10: Huatulco, Mexico

Huatulco (pronounced waa·tool·kow) is a cute little resort town that started up in the seventies trying to fashion itself after Cancun and never really got finished. In the morning I joined some friends and wandered around the main square where there was an open-air market, with locals hawking their wares, like organic herbs and spices, fruit, coconuts, handmade crafts, and food carts.

There was an adorable chihuahua puppy that I made friends with because I let him chew on my finger, who lived up to its reputation by barking at any dog or motorcycle that went by. We wandered through the shops admiring all the beautiful dresses and coverups for sale.

After a few hours I headed back to the ship to get ready for my afternoon excursion. I brought a slice of pizza from the pizzeria on the Lido deck back to my room and made the mistake of putting my feet up and closing my eyes “for a minute”, waking at the exact time I was to be meeting the group shoreside. Uttering a not-nice word, shot out of bed, grabbed my stuff and ran out the door, all the way down to the dock, where I found a rickshaw/tuk-tuk thing that gave me a ride to the end of the pier, and I managed to get to the vans before the rest of the group, which was walking.

The tour, Rural Communities and Traditions, was very interesting and well done. We went into the countryside a bit, and met with four different families, each of whom showed us something about their culture. At the first stop, we met a family that showed us how to make tortillas in the traditional way and served us tamales on those tortillas. Their kitchen is the first house that the husband built for his wife when they married over 50 years ago.

We then had a Mezcal tasting (better than tequila, but much more potent), and were shown the embroidery work of the daughter, who is physically disabled but learned her craft through a state-run program. Now she acts as an advocate to bring training to other special needs people in the surrounding areas. Here needlework was exquisite.

Our second stop was at an herbal garden, where our guides showed us all the plants and trees that the native people use for medicines and cooking. Everything was so fragrant and rich! When we first entered, we were cleansed with basil incense to purify us before we went through the healing garden. I liked that incense better than the stuff they use at church. Our guide told us that they don’t really use basil for cooking, just ritual incense.

Basil-incense guy

Our third stop was at a family home where they showed us a traditional taco meal. The filling was scrambled eggs and chopped prickly pear cactus, a salad with green beans, tomato, red onion and garlic, on a corn tortilla, topped with different types of salsas. I gave it a try but was not a fan of the prickly pear – it was a bit slimy after cooking. They also roast whole portions of the prickly pear and just top with some salt for a quick snack.

Lunch stop

Our final stop was at a weaver’s family home. They have been doing this for many generations, and weave beautiful wool rugs. They showed us how they card and spin the wool, then dye the wool different colors with things like indigo, moss, fungus, and nuts, then weave beautiful patterns that the children of the family begin learning when they are old enough.

Things used to dye the wool Master at work

At each stop, the family and neighbors featured their crafts for us to purchase, but there was no pressure to buy anything, and we were welcome to take as many pictures and ask as many questions as we liked.