Subject: FW: Report # 132 Huatulco, Mexico May 11, 2016 Wednesday Sunny (partly cloudy) & a steamy 86 degrees Part #1 of 2 87 Pictures
Huatulco, in the state of Oaxaca, is a subdued tourist destination since being developed in the early 1990's. It is located 425 miles south of Acapulco and has a population of 23,000 people. Spanish galleons sailed these waters under Cortes, and were often attacked by pirates that resided in these hidden bays. What we see today is a series of villages and towns that span 20 miles of Mexico's Pacific Ocean coastline. Thirty-six beaches are in this area, and are never crowded because the area is so small and remote. If you are looking for a laid-back vacation, nine bays, a myriad of activities, and pretty good food, then Huatulco is the place for you. Out of town and into the mountains, the coffee industry has taken off. And nearby La Crucesita has a quaint church, many shops, and plenty of restaurants. We read in a tourist booklet that La Crucesita is THE place for the nightlife….music, dancing, food and drink.
Our stay here was only from 8am to 2pm, with the all aboard time at 1:30pm. Not fair….as it is a very nice place to relax on the nearby beach with some ice cold margaritas or beers.
Obviously all of the tours were 3 ½ to 5 hours in duration, with a rather long walk on a hot pier. The shore excursion booklet has been very detailed with every aspect that might affect getting to the buses or tour boats in this ports. Good idea, so no one is blind-sided when booking an excursion.
Some examples of tours today were La Crucesita & scenic drive for $60, Huatulco – land and sea for $70, or Rural Communities for $90. We did this tour several years ago, and found it interesting. We learned how the locals grow their food, and cook cactus. We even tasted prickly pear cactus in a salsa and also in a scrambled eggs. Not bad with the thorns removed of course.
Continuing on, Tropical flowers and fruit was $70, Sail, swim, or snorkel ran from $60 to $75, while you could go on a hike in Copalita Archaelogical Park for $60. We did that also a few years ago. A fun tour if you like boating and swimming was Five bays by Catamaran for $60. We also went on the Bird watch Eco Adventure for $70, but saw only a few doves as the season for bird watching was over….duh. Deep sea fishing was $190 (catch and release), or you could go to Las Brisas Resort with a lunch and water sports with the price of your ticket - $70. Not a bad idea…….
From the looks of it, it was going to be one hot and steamy day. Cruise director Gene announced we were cleared by the local authorities by 8am, and we should all be careful because it was going to be a sunny day. Going outside, we discovered big black clouds hanging over the nearby mountain ranges. At least that horrible smoky haze was gone from the skies, like we saw in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and even in Puerto Chiapas. Just a guess, but since this area is not heavily agricultural, there is no burning of the fields, thus no smoky haze. Fine with us. By the way, the clouds did go away later in the morning.
We were in no hurry to go ashore, so we had a nice breakfast in the dining room. Not a big one, as we are trying to cut back. Since most of the shore excursions left early, the dining room was not crowded. Service as always speedy with the best waiters.
Leaving the ship by 10:30am got us to town when the shops were mostly opening up. At this point, we are just about "shopped out", which is a good thing, since our bags will have little room left for any more treasures. But it is always a pleasure to window-shop, seeing what is new in the Mexican marketplace. Not much from what we saw.
We walked around the marina, where dozens of boats were moored. Several local guys were trying to sell boat trips for swimming, snorkeling, glass-bottom boats, or sport fishing. We might have considered doing an independent water tour, but there simply was not enough time to do it right today.
There is a general market with many stalls with assorted stuff like clothing, beach toys for the kids, ceramics, and jewelry….lots of silver and turquoise stones. One vendor was very pushy, as they are sometimes, although the majority are welcoming. We inquired to the price of a cotton top, which we knew cost $5 in Phuket, Thailand. He wanted something like $30, and would not settle for even $10. When we said no thanks, he yelled out…..what do you think you are buying…a tomato? With that attitude, we would not even buy a tomato from him. Guess you could consider this guy a modern day "pirate". His mistake, as there are dozens of other vendors who were a lot more friendly, without attitude.
From here, we strolled through the central plaza, full of mature trees which provided wonderful shade on such a warm and humid day like this one. Not many folks were out and about, with the exception of a couple of ladies selling an assortment of beaded jewelry and some clothes. One gal had a beaded necklace quite similar to one we bought in Guatemala. The big difference was she wanted $33, where we had paid $10. That tells us a whole lot of tourists stop here and spend money easily without bargaining.
It was a good place to stop, sit on one of the benches, and drink some of the water we brought with us. It was way too early for beer, although the hawkers for the beach cafes were trying to drum up business. They must have been somewhat successful, because they had many customers. Looked to us like they were sipping sweet drinks like pina coladas or margaritas. Those work for the morning time right? Hey, anything that is cold would work today.
The beach was not too crowded yet. Appears that many folks took advantage of the ship's tours, which is good for business. The turquoise water at this beach was crystal-clear and very inviting. Such a contrast to the brown sand and murky waters we encountered since we left the Panama Canal. Again, if we had more time, we may have stayed for a swim. Maybe next time.
We did take the time to look over the menus at each restaurant or beach café. Most all of the menus had typical Mexican fare, of course. But we were looking for pizza, and guess what? We found the perfect place with a wood-fired oven even. The bad news was they did not open for business until much later in the day. Figures…….
We made one more sweep past the street vendors, the little church, and past the dozen or so shops on the way back to the pier. One embroidered poncho-style pareo in lime green caught our attention. It was a perfect match for one of the Guatemalan necklaces we found a couple of days ago. So it got added to the collection.
If we planned it right, we could still make it back onboard in time for lunch in the dining room. It has been closed while the ship was in port for several days, so we were happy to see they were opened today. We must have drank three glasses if ice water and ice tea before our most delicious mixed salads and cordon bleu hamburgers arrived. For dessert there was a special chocolate pudding on the menu, so we both ordered one. It sure was good….creamy and rich, the one that our buddy Barb likes. We sure miss her, and we know she misses being here.
Sail away was after 1:30pm, although we think a tour was a bit late in getting back. A breeze had popped up at the aft deck, making the sail out of the harbor more bearable. The Captain backed the Amsterdam all the way out of the bay, then turned her around to head northwesterly towards our next port of Puerto Vallarta in a couple of days.
The rest of the afternoon, we spent in the coolness of our room working photos. Before we knew it, it was dinnertime once again. And it was good. The minestrone soup was as hot as could be only because our waiter had to bring a heated bowl with some of the soup in it. Then he adds the hot broth and more of the ingredients. All because the new soup bowls are wider and thinner. Wonder whose brain storm that was to switch to this style?
Anyway, the rest of the meal was fine. One of us had the ribeye steak, which was as good as it gets in this dining room, and the other ordered KFC-style chicken. That was also tasty. Sure it going to be hard going home and creating meals like this every day.
The entertainer this evening was a young lady by the name of Shayma Tash. She headlines comedy clubs across the United States, including going overseas to entertain American troops in Afghanistan, Japan, Hawaii, Bosnia, Korea, Guam, Singapore, and even the Marshall Islands. She gets a "thumbs up" from us.
Bill & Mary Ann
Welcome to Huatulco, Mexico
A real ship's anchor
Sailboat anchored
Small boat landing
Santa Cruz Beach of Huatulco
Another side of Santa Cruz Bay
One road to the water's edge
Some of these condos were not completely done
Pleasure boats in the bay
Hillside condos or time shares
Hillsides of Santa Cruz Bay
Cruise ship pier
Fishing boats
Secluded area
Hut-covered restaurants on the beach and the little church
Stand-up surf boarding
A local gull
The long, hot walk to the shore
Amsterdam docked
Santa Cruz Beach
Close to sunning and swimming
There was a breeze blowing across the pier
Many small boats in the harbor
Walkway to the white sandy beach
Nice shops on the waterfront
Many souvenirs for sale
We are seeing more wooden giraffe figures, wonder why giraffes?
A fountain in the village
The Marina in the bay
Boat tours to the nine bays of Huatulco
Bet the shore tours were reasonable
Shops were just opening at 10am
Fishing tours available too
Yep, another giraffe
This pipe structure is used for weighing huge fish for competitions
Very quiet today
Plenty of boats for hire
Very nice facilities in the marina
Public restrooms near the marina
Dedication to the development of this area
A food vendor sets up his stand
More shops
Hotel close to the beach and boats
Some exotic souvenirs (papier-mache)
Nice hotel
Bright and airy clothing – good to wear in this heat
Vibrant colors for cat figures
Tree-filled central plaza
Wonderful shade
Gazebo in the plaza
Locals selling treasures
A different type of BBQ grill
Gazebo
Fountain in the plaza
More shops
Convenient benches everywhere
Patio and fountain
Grocery store on the corner
Typical Mexican arches and stores
Open-air theater
A loom for weaving outside a shop
Dated 1918, but still works
The local open-air theater
The start of the restaurants
Very inviting
But too early for beer or lunch
It was way too hot to sit outside
These chairs were the best
The beach was very close to the ship
Had to go over early because all aboard time was 1:30pm
Could have spent longer in this port
Lunch would have been good
Many choices of restaurants
Most guests were working on their computers here
Great place for a concert at night
Palapa huts for the beer-drinkers or soda or margeritas, etc.
This place sold pizza, but not until much later
This building held a craft market
Entrance to the little church
Small, but functional
Open-air seating with a good breeze
A restaurant display
Wood-fired oven outside a restaurant
Drink beer, eat fajitas, and go swimming
A few happy customers
Another wood-fired oven – good place for it
A pair of grackles
