Before breakfast, we watched a team of paddle boarders cross Acapulco Bay - what a workout!
After the French toast, tocino and huevos rancheros, Jerry and I decided we needed to walk off a few calories. We were already feeling pretty safe in our little neighborhood, so we put in about 2 miles on the hills. This is the only iguana I saw during the trip.
Our driver had offered to take us to a safe market and on a tour of "downtown" Sunday morning and Fredo had arranged for a boat to take us to La Quebrada to see the cliff divers on Sunday evening - we had an exciting day ahead of us. The big travel safety issues are staying out of the clubs, knowing who you're riding with and avoiding certain areas of town. We were advised to avoid the El Mirador and to see the divers from the safety of our own boat instead. More on this later ...
While waiting on Carlos - which became another favorite activity - we enjoyed the view
Amazing ...
Birds of Paradise that attracted a hummingbird every morning
We kicked off the tour at Capilla de la Paz, a beautiful memorial at the top of the mountain.
Hands of the brothers
The cross that can be seen from almost any point in Acapulco
Dallas Brewers
The chapel, or capilla, is constructed of stone with carved wood benches. The "windows" are onyx and alabaster and have a beautiful glow when the sun shines through them.
Stunning view of the bay - you can't tell where the ocean ends and the sky begins.
After the Capilla, we headed to the market, where I bought a beautiful wooden bowl, Melissa bought a fantastic dress and Zach made the deal of the day on a chess set - which he has used every day since! Impressive that someone his age has such an understanding of the game.
We left the market hot, sweaty and ready for a change of scenery and some fresh air. Jerry wanted to check out the view at The Flamingo Hotel, which is now a run-down, shadow of its former self. The view, however, is unchanged by time.
Amazingly powerful waves crash against the side of the cliff and the water is a deep, brilliant blue.
Here's a snap of our gang out on the restaurant deck.
We left the Flamingo and headed back to a public beach where we had considered having lunch on the recommendation of Carlos. It was crowded and we weren't in the mood for a "tourist trap" so we continued on to Paradise - also a tourist type restaurant, but less crowded. Of course, there would be parrots in paradise ...
This shy guy was too cute
Beautiful red feathers
Rugged coast line
Boats on the horizon
The boys with a BIG WAVE coming!
Running from the wave after it washed the entire beach
Another big one headed in
After lunch, we headed back to Casa Tres Palabras for a swim and Zach showed us his moves.
Luke with a near-perfect dive
Brothers having fun
Carlos was back at 5:30 that evening to take us to the marina to meet our charter - we left port early and took a tour of the entire coast line.
Pretty white sailboat crossing the entrance to the bay
As we neared our side of the bay, we located our little villa on the hillside. You can click on any of these photos to see a full sized version.
A closer look
Acapulco Bay is sort of horseshoe shaped and as we neared the open end of the bay, we began to experience significant swells. And when I say they were significant, I mean it. Our 51 foot cruiser was bobbing like a cork in a stream and by the time we were half way across the bay Zach was sea-sick and Melissa was right behind. Although they never actually got sick, it was not a pleasant experience for either of them.
The quote of the day came from Luke when he returned to the upper deck and Jason asked him how Zach and Melissa were doing. He said that Zach was better, but "Mommy has a serious look on her face". Indeed.
We were able to enter a channel that offered some protection, but as we emerged to round the point towards La Quebrada there was discussion about turning back. Melissa made the call to "soldier on" and so we did. We were the first boat to arrive at the cliff.
As the minutes wore on, 3 or 4 additional boats joined us and we began an interesting "dance" of avoiding the rocks and each other, while taking turns at being in front. In this photo the famous cliff divers are making their way down the rocks. They'll swim across the inlet - doing battle with a constantly changing "tide" of at least 5 feet - before climbing up the rocks on the other side.
Jerry, Luke and Jason had climbed out on the bow of the boat and there was a stable feeling in the center, even though we were still rocking and rolling. Zach felt better and came out onto the bow with us to watch the show. Unfortunately, Melissa wasn't up to climbing out a window and crab-walking her way out there.
First dive of the night ... picture perfect (look closely for the diver)
Next was a double dive - first frame
... third frame
... and just before they dropped to the water - feet first!
The last dive of the night is the premier diver who jumps from the top of the cliff. He's barely visible in the photo, but I wanted you to see the cliff in full frame. Click the image to see a larger version.
After the show, we immediately headed back around the point along with other boats from the area.
Brewer men (Jerry's on top deck)
Headed out into the open channel
Waves crashing onto the rocks
As we exited the protected channel, we began to experience some unpleasant rocking so Jason, Zach and I sat on the bow of the boat singing Beatles songs and making jokes about being sea-sick. It got us into port with everyone's spirits in tact.
As we arrived at the dock, the bottom fell out (so to speak) and it poured rain. Timing was good, even if we did get soaked. It rained most of the night and the next morning I took a look at my hurricane sites - learned that a Tropical Storm (actually Hurricane Eugene) had been named early that morning. It formed just south of Acapulco and was the source of the sizeable swells we experienced crossing the open waters.
All in all a great adventure!
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