Usually the ship approaches the bay of Huatulco around 9am or later. Today we arrived before 7am. This has always been a nice sail into the bay with the bow opened for viewing. We have seen numerous dolphins, birds, and even turtles on the approach. Today we were lucky to see some pods of lazy dolphins before we docked.
By the way, Happy Easter to all! It is going to be a hot and humid one for us today. We started the morning with Easter mimosas in the Pinnacle Grill. There were perhaps eight other diners in there, since at 10:30am, an Easter brunch was planned, with the charge of $25, or $35 with unlimited mimosas. Those who will do "unlimited" will probably spend the afternoon with a long nap. Anyway, when the tray of tempting pastries arrived, we had to laugh because there were little candy-coated chocolate eggs on them. Our waiter brought us each three more of the eggs, which was nice.
Talking to Mercedes, we asked about possibly using our complimentary dinner vouches for lunch in the Pinnacle Grill. She checked on it for us, and came back saying it was not allowed. The normal cost for lunch is $15, but a dinner costs $39. The manager said that was in the favor of the company, then said she would make an exception for us, and accept the free voucher. On the Amsterdam, we always had lunch for the price of one voucher. Things have changed, haven't they? We thanked her, and admitted that when we eat a good breakfast, we seldom have lunch until after 2pm……long after the PG restaurant is closed.
While we had the manager here, we inquired about our ability to look at the daily dinner menu on the room TV. Recently, it has not been posted until late in the day. She immediately went to her desk, and pulled out the menu for this evening. Bringing it to us, we decided it was a good evening to go here instead. With that, she made our reservations, keeping this same table for us. How's that for service?
Back in our room, the florist, Joseph, presented us with a new stunning bouquet of flowers. Now we will be able to enjoy them until the end of the trip. All we need now are the 17 diet sodas, and the PC perk will be completed.
Tours today included many water-related activities such as a catamaran to five bays with swimming breaks for 2 ½ hours, deep sea fishing for 4 hours, or a bird watch hike for 3 hours in the hot sun. Lastly, there was a foodie tour at the nearby town for 3 ½ hours. Prices went from $60 to $190.
We went off of the ship by 10:30pm while watching several double-decker catamarans leaving the marina filled with locals. The guides were speaking Spanish, so we knew they were not HAL tours. We had hoped there would be a deep sea fishing contest happening, but once we rounded the corner of the marina, we saw nothing. After all, it is Easter Sunday, and the time for families to spend the day having fun.
We checked out the central park where a band of young musicians were playing for the crowd. Very upbeat, it made the littlest ones of the families dance in place. In the meantime, a pair of pretty birds flew overhead, ones we have never spotted before. They resembled a large quail with long tail feathers. We will have to "google" them when we get back onboard.
Next to the park was their marketplace full of souvenirs, much of which is beach-related for the little kids. Going through the stalls, we exited the opposite end. Wearing masks made it difficult to breathe in the humid shops, so we left without buying anything. From here we continued towards the beach.
Food is a big deal here. The port area has to have the largest concentration of outdoor eateries than most of the places we have visited. Their menus lean heavily towards the seafood items, but chicken and beef dishes are available too. The most sold drinks are Margaritas, mojitos, and beer. Lots of beer. The best restaurant in our opinion is Vel Mar, a tiered restaurant off of the beach. Where else can you enjoy Mexican cuisine while dogs, cats, and even chickens walk under the chairs and the tables looking for scraps? On past visits, we ordered a platter of assorted wood grilled meats and chicken. One serving was enough to feed an army. Too early for lunch, the vendors tried to seat us at a premium table, even though we were just looking at the menu. On the walk here, we must have been approached by a dozen people trying to seat us in their cafes. There were so many families out and about today, we would hesitate going into a crowded restaurant. No social distancing here, and few locals were wearing masks.
By now, we were melting from the heat, and decided to go back. Our veranda was in the shade with a nice breeze, the best place to be for the afternoon. It was fun watching the banana boats being pulled by speed boats. They could fit up to ten people, mostly grown men. We never saw so many speed boats, jet skis, water bikes, and kayaks as we saw today. Water taxis brought folks around the starboard side of the ship, getting rather close at times. Doing computer work, we looked up those birds we saw and learned they were white-throated magpie jays, a dry forest native bird. They can live from 15 to 25 years, and be tame in captivity if given a large aviary in which to fly. Funny with all of the times we have been here, we never saw these birds before.
We had a light lunch in the room, then the ship left the port by 5pm tooting the horn as we passed another bay with a huge resort in the center. Once we were 15 minutes out to sea, we began to see dolphins, but this time they were not lazy, they jumped and cavorted around within the pods. Always nice to see. Then we spotted what appeared to be a large group of sting rays right under the surface. The ship was moving at a faster clip now, and we passed the rays rather quickly. Hard to film, they never surfaced. The hunt for turtles turned up with none.
The final photo of the day was the setting sun, a most unusual one in the sea mist. An unexpected sighting of more dolphins surprised us this far out off of the coast. Good way to end the day. Oh wait, a better way was a gala dinner in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. It certainly was not crowded, since most guests choose to dine earlier these days. More room for us and a handful of officers as well. Mercedes came by to see how our day went. Her Easter brunch went off well, and she hinted that there was a surprise for Bill before we left. Of course, we sort of knew where she was going with that, and we were correct. The waiters brought a birthday cake to our table, even though it is not until tomorrow. Knowing we were not ordering dessert, they also brought a lid with 2 sets of silver wear. We thanked them, and called it a night. Another nice day.
We will have a day at sea tomorrow, a well-earned one, we might add.
Bill & Mary Ann
Monday, April 18, 2022
Report #121 Huatulco, Mexico Easter Sunday April 17, 2022 8am-5pm Sunny, Hot And Humid 85 Degrees
