Cruisin' the Mexican Riviera

Sunday, February 1st, was another beautiful day in Southern California and we left the Marriott Courtyard in Long Beach where we had spent our last night prior to sailing on the Carnival Pride. We arose early and completed our final packing and had breakfast at the Long Beach Cafe, owned by the Stanitsas brothers, it is a very popular Long Beach landmark. Unfortunately, not all classic diners are good - this one was overpriced and the food was mediocre. However, the locals seemed to flock to the LBC which dispells the myth that you should always eat where the locals eat.

After breakfast I drove Shirley to the port where she would wait while I returned to the hotel and parked the car where it would stay for the next several days. I walked the four blocks to the bus station in downtown Long Beach and caught the red shuttle bus which navigates throughout the city and eventually winds up at the Queen Mary, our embarkation point. When I returned to where Shirley was patiently waiting with our luggage, I discovered that I had left my cell phone and eyeglasses in the hotel room. Fortunately, I had, as usual, scheduled sufficient time between leaving the hotel in the morning and the actual departure time of the ship, so it was back to the hotel on the red shuttle bus. An hour later I returned to the port and we made our way through the processing-in line. The process was very smooth, most of the other passengers had already boarded and were in the Lido room enjoying the first of many bountiful buffet meals.

We carted our bags on the ship and went directly to our cabin, number 5235, an obstructed balcony. We quickly unpacked and then, we too, headed to the buffet. We tried to minimize our consumption since dinner was but a mere three hours away, but, alas, Shirley managed that objective while I ate to my heart’s content. After we ate we returned to the cabin to watch the Super Bowl. It was a good game and the Cardinals were certainly not an embarrassment despite their loss.

We had scheduled the early dining so we made our way to the Normandie Restaurant at six o’clock. Our dinner mates soon joined us. Argie and Ed Pitcock were in their mid-seventies and lived in Daly City, south of San Francisco; Abe and Cecilia Brower , the other elderly couple, were from Queens, New York. On very few occasions do I feel young these days, but sitting at the table with these folks, I really did feel a superior sense of youthfulness. Ed was the table talker and we learned a great deal about his life, actually, a good deal more that I would have preferred. He also harbored very strong opinions about the affairs of the day and I took great pleasure in encouraging some of his more extreme views. After a fairly long day we decided to make an early evening of it and retired to our cabin.

Our first port was Puerto Vallarta and we scheduled a morning hike in the Sierra Madre Mountains. This was, of course, at Shirley’s suggestion. We met our guide, Geraldo, at the pier and boarded a bus that would take us several miles to a base camp where the adventure would begin. Once at the camp we were joined by Baltazar, a heavily armed member of the local policia. Apparently his presence was a security precaution in the event some errant banditos decided to waylay us on the trail (a comforting thought!). The hike was challenging, but not that arduous and after about an hour of steady walking and observing the flora and fauna, we arrived at a natural hot springs where we soaked our feet. After this brief stop we continued on our trek crossing a river and traversing a very steep and narrow descent. About an hour later we arrived back at base camp none the worse for the wear. It was an interesting and invigorating hike in the hills.

When we returned to the port, we grabbed a bite to eat and then decided to take a paseo (walk) along the shore. We followed several side streets until we reached the Malecon, a paved walkway along the seashore. Contemporary sculptures line the walkway, all associated with the sea. Along the beach we admired many sand sculptures that the locals produced and in many cases they rival the more permanent structures. The Malecon was extensively rebuilt in 2002-2003 following damage from hurricane Kenna. After a leisurely afternoon that included the usual window shopping through the myriad of tourist-oriented shops, we made our way back to the ship.

The next day we docked in Mazatlan and walked from the ship to the Golden Zone, an area of high rise hotels and pristine beaches. We walked nearly ten miles today as best I can judge. The best part of the walk/hike was walking along the beautiful sandy beach. The fishermen were busy preparing for tomorrow's catch and the locals were getting some beach time with the children.

We also visited the local farmer's market and got a taste of grocery shopping Mexican-style. I doubt if Shirley could come up with a palatable menu comprised of hog's heads or chicken claws, but I'll bet the Mexican's can put together a mean menudo. We experienced our fill of the local culture and headed back to the Pride.

Our final port was Cabo San Lucas on the Baja Penisula and I remembered this beautiful port from a previous visit and I was looking forward to a few hours on the beach. Land's End arch layed straight ahead as the Pride made her way into the marina.
Once anchored, we took the tender to the dock and walked through the very modern, western-style mall and passing Johnny Rocket's and other American made hot spots. We reached our objective: the absolutely stunning sands of the Sea of Cortez. We arrived early and the main beach, El Medano, had not yet filled with tourists. We rented an umbrella and two lounge chairs for ten dollars, half the opening price, and found ourselves lolling away the day watching the surf and being innundated by the multitude of beach peddlers.
We spent the better part of the day enjoying the beach, the surf, the boat traffic and our fellow beachgoers. It was heaven.

We paused for a few minutes at the fountain in front of Senor Greenberg's and Johnny Rocket's and then headed back to the ship for our journey home. It was a gorgeous sunny day in Cabo San Lucas and we could have stayed for a month.


The following day was our last day at sea and we did what we usually do on a sea day: eat, read a book, nap, walk around the ship, eat, check out the ship's library, visit the gym, tour the kitchen, eat, attend the evening performance and finally, eat some more. Sound like a pattern? Anyway, after seven days, I'm ready to get back to solid ground. We arrived at Long Beach Port about seven the next morning and we were off the ship by eight. Our next stop was a return to Coronado Island and so we grabbed our car and drove the two hours south.