DAY 17--AT SEA OFF MAINLAND MEXICO

Happy Fat Tuesday

        Enroute to Cabo San Lucas where we will be arriving around 10:00 tomorrow morning.  Seas are smooth yet again today.  Not complaining mind you!  Sunny skies and a very pleasant 75 degrees.
I sat out on the balcony this afternoon and enjoyed the ocean air and views.  We are approaching area where we should be spotting some hump back whales.  It was cool out there so wrapped a towel around my shoulders.  Got these bird photos.

           I saw this bird fly up behind a very small flying fish just above the water and catch it.

                                              Ocean is smooth as pond this afternoon.

What We Did Last Night:

                  We enjoyed cocktails and dinner with Susan & Mike from Myrtle Beach, SC.

                                                       My roasted prime rib.
Here are 7 photos I took at last night's production show, "World Beat".  Dancing by cast was very good.  I think the singers were good but sound track recording of pre-recorded other voices covered them up at times.  All-in-all cast is much improved over other casts when NCL initially took over entertainment on Regent and Oceania ships.  (BTW, if you click on these photos they are enlarged)

What We Did Today:

        There are 4 enrightment lectures scheduled throughout the day.  They are replayed on our tv later so will watch a couple this afternoon.  For lunch today at the pool grill they have a Tex-Mex buffet set up.  Shouldn't have, but I did, go up and enjoy a plate of it.  Afterall it is "Fat Tuesday"!

                                                        Staying away from desserts.

 

                                                              Rebecca had a tough day.
      At 5:30 this evening we have been invited up to one of the Grand Suites for a en-suite cocktail party.  Don't know the couple well as just spoke with them one time.  They were fascinated that we had been on 87 cruises.
        Because today is Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras, I asked Chef Sean to prepare a big platter of fried seafoods for dinner tonight in Compass Rose.  Pictures will be on tomorrow's posting.
        Tonight's show features headline entertainer, Jason Black.  (never heard or seen him before).  Guess he plays the piano and is a sort of comedian.  Will give him a try.

DAY 16--ACAPULCO, MEXICO

        We docked here in Acapulco at 8:00 this morning right on schedule.  Going to be a hot, sunny day here.  The crew had another emergency drill this morning as ship is expecting an inspection by the Coast Guard upon arrival in LA.  They are also expecting an inspection by US Health Dept.  Reason is this is first US port for Explorer in almost a year.

Historical/Background
        Acapulco is located 240 miles south of Mexico City on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial days of Mexico’s history.  It is Mexico’s largest and oldest beach and resort city.  It came to prominence from the 1940’s through 1960’s as a getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires.  Now most of the tourists here are from Mexico itself.  Cancun and Cabo San Lucas are now the choices for American tourists, especially spring break teenagers because the drinking age in Mexico is 18 not 21.  Unemployment and poverty has resulted in a large number of locals trying to sell everything on the beaches and streets.  Local corrupt police also try to extort money from tourists with threats of jail.  Garbage is also filling the bay polluting it and some of the beaches. Violence is also on the rise due to poverty and drugs.  Now you know why it is not a great idea to come here.
        The main attraction of Acapulco is its nightlife.  We are sailing at 6:00pm which is still way too early for the nightclubs to open.  Probably the most famous attraction here are to see the La Quebrada Cliff Divers.  I saw this show on our stop here during our 2017 World Cruise.  We will be calling on this port again on March 14th  during our LA to Miami cruise segment.  Our friends, Jane VanHarlingen and Melissa McRoberts, will be on that cruise with us so booked the cliff diver’s show for that day with them.  You will see the photos then.
        I think you may recall the old tv show, “Love Boat”.  There were many episodes of the old Pacific Princess cruise ship with Acapulco as a port of call.  We, too, were here on a Princess cruise ship many years ago now so this will be our 3rd and 4th  stops here on cruise ships.

                                                              Cruise terminal

                          Band is playing as passengers head out on tours.  Not a very good band.

                                                         Couple guys on stilts.

 At least our pier in not in an industrial/container dock.  This is an old fort, Fort San Diego, across the street from cruise terminal.

                                     Photos of Acapulco taken from top deck of our ship.

                                               Pedestrian bridge to cross highway.

 At 4:30 this afternoon the "Antonio Ramirez's Mexican Forklorico Festival" dance and mariachi company came on board and performed pool side for us.  We had seen them on other Regent cruises.  Of course the pool bar was serving margaritas!

What We Did Last Night:

                                      Igor, the bartender in small bar just outside of Prime 7

                                                              Prime 7 bread basket

                                                       My ribeye steak that was excellent.

                                               This is the 14 layer chocolate cake in Prime 7
        After a very nice dinner we went to see Mark Preston's show.  It was fantastic as usual.  He is leaving the ship today here in Acapulco. 

Today:
        We are meeting Mike & Susan for cocktails and dinner.  We had sailed with them a couple times including our 2017 world cruise but had never had dinner together.  Not sure if we will be dining in Compass Rose or up in Setti Mari (Italian).  Tonight's show is the 3rd production show, "World Beat" featuring the ship's young singers and dancers.
        We sail again at 6:00 pm and tomorrow is a day at sea enroute to Cabo San Lucas.

DAY 15--AT SEA OFF MEXICAN COAST

        Today we are cruising up along the Mexican coast on our way to Acapulco where we will be docking tomorrow morning around 8:00.  At noon the Captain said we have another 320 statute miles left to sail before arriving at Acapulco.  Sunny skies and 82 degrees today with smooth seas. 

        Joining us for dinner last night was Terry Breen (on right).  She is Regent's expert lecturer on South America and Alaska cruises.  We have cruised with her several times.  Next to her is Marcia Rector from Toronto.  We have also been on several cruises with her.  Standing next to me is Maria, the Restaurant Manager.  She is in charge of all the dining venues here on Explorer.  Obviously, very lovely and super nice lady.  We've also cruised with her previously.

                      Rebecca enjoyed the broiled teriyaki salmon with bok choy and garlic rice.

                            I had the roasted Angus beef strip with sauteed scallops and veggies.

What We Did Today:
        Not much!!  I went up on deck and did my 4 mile fast walk in an hour.  Rebecca went to gym to do an hour on the treadmill.  I called my mother again to check up on her.  We get 9 hours of free phone time now on each cruise segment so got gobs of time to make calls.  It was 22 degrees and she had some snow earlier today in southern Illinois.  She is 91 and still living by herself in her house.  One of my sisters lives in area so checks up on her daily.  We took car from her end of last year.
        At 3:00 this afternoon I am going one of Terry Breen's lectures in the theater.  Her talk today is on "Deciphering Maya Heiroglyphic Code".  The Mayan civilization dates back to several centuries BC and inhabited southern Mexico and the northern half of Central America.  They are noted for developing the most sophisticated writing system in the pre-Columbian Americas.  This is the topic of Terry's lecture.
        We have reservations this evening for dinner in Prime 7, the steakhouse.  After dinner we will be heading to the theater for Mark Preston's second show of the cruise.  I believe he is leaving the ship tomorrow in Acapulco.  Sure was good to see him again and catch up.

DAY 14--PUERTO QUETZAL, GUATEMALA

Historical/Background Info:
        This is a port we have visited several times over the years on cruise ships.  Back in the 1980’s and 1990’s I flew many trips into Guatemala City from Miami as a check pilot for American Airlines.  Due to the hazardous terrain around the airport a check pilot had to fly with all Captains flying their first trip into the airport for Guatemala City.
        Puerto Quetzal is the largest Pacific Ocean port for Guatemala.  Guatemala was part of the Mayan civilization until being conquered by the Spanish in the 16th century.  It became independent from Spain in 1821.  It has undergone several dictatorships then a bloody civil war lasting from 1960 to 1996.  Today Guatemala has a representative democracy with its capital being Guatemala City.  The colonial city of Antigua which lies just 15 miles to the west of Guatemala City served as the capital city to all of Central America from 1543 to 1773.  The city was destroyed by an earthquake then so the capital was moved.
        Today the country of Guatemala has an estimated population of 16.6 million making it the most populous in Central America.  It is about the size of the state of Tennessee with only about 2% of its landmass being urbanized.  Consequently, it offers some superb scenery and great tourism opportunities for zip lining, white water rafting, trekking through jungles, hiking in volcanoes, and many more activities out in nature.  The country is mostly mountainous, and unfortunately, its location makes it subject to natural disasters.  It is in the path of many hurricanes, is on a fault line so subject to earthquakes, and the latest volcano eruption occurred June 3rd, 2018.
        This is a very poor country with most of its people in the lower middle class with an average annual income of just $1620.  There is no oil production here so propane is imported for cooking and gasoline imported resulting in price per gallon of around $3.50.  Unfortunately, because of drug trafficking and poverty, there is quite a bit of crime.  Most businesses have an armed guard.  At an emerald factory we once visited there were 6 armed guards.
        Tourism has become one of the main drivers of the economy.  In the Pacific lowlands the volcanic soil is very fertile so Guatemala exports fruits, vegetables,  and flowers.  Guatemala exports a lot of coffee.  Sugar cane and palm oil are also exported for use in producing biofuels.  Corn is a major ingredient in Guatemala’s diet so it has to import half of it from the USA.  There is also mining here for gold, silver, inc, cobalt, and nickel.

What We Did Last Night:

                                     Adrian is a assistant head waiter who just arrived on the ship.

 Georgiana is the head sommelier and making sure no one else is drinking the wine I had put ship for us.

                                        We both had the wiener schnitzel for our entree last night.

 Sorry this photo not good.  This is our friend and tonight's entertainer, Mark Preston.  Love his shows.  He will be having a second show in a few nights.

After his show we met Mark for drinks in the Meridian Lounge.  Ended up closing down the bar at 12:30 this morning.

What We Did Today:
        The ship docked at 8:00 this morning.  As we did not get to bed until 1:00 am we scheduled room service breakfast for 8:30.  My tour to a macadamia nut farm as to leave at 9:15.  I almost did not go but got ready and headed down for the tour.  Glad I did!  I will let the captions on the over 60 photos I took on it explain the tour.  I think you will find it most interesting.  Carla, the tour guide, was excellent and the tour bus not even half full so lots of room and very comfortable.
         I returned to the ship at 1:30 pm and started trying to download the photos.  Initially, had some problems but all squared away later.  I went up to the pool grill to grab a hotdog and slice of pizza for late lunch.  Still downloading photos then will take quite a while to add captions.  So here is the link to photos when I finally finished at 3:30.  Same procedure to view link as in other postings.  Copy and paste link to "new tab" on browser.  Click on first photo to enlarge it and then you can read my captions in upper right corner.  Arrow mid way down photo through rest of them.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xrNufzAsPJJUJ4S1A

        Tonight we are meeting Terry Breen, the lecturer, and our friend, Marcia Rector, at 6:30 for cocktails in the Meridian Lounge followed by dinner in Compass Rose.  We are not sailing until 8:00 pm and tomorrow will be another day at sea enroute to Acapulco.  The show tonight is featuring Linda Lavin and Billy Stritch for their second show of the cruise.

DAY 13--NICARAGUA (ALMOST)

Background and Historical Info:
        This is a new port for us.  It is located in southern Nicaragua just about 20 miles from the border with Costa Rica and 87 miles from the capital, Managua, to the north.  Back during the California gold rush it was a popular resting place for the prospectors heading there.  Now it has a population of 15,500 who work either in fishing or the tourism industries.  At the northern end of the bay is a statue of “Christ of the Mercy”, one of the tallest Jesus statues in the world.  It has also become a hot spot for international surfing competitions.  The town is near the site where the TV show “Survivor” was filmed for seasons in 2010, 2011, 2014, and 2015.  Also of note is this port is the location of speculation that a modern day canal may be built to connect the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans as does the Panama Canal.  It is just 10 miles from the port to Lake Nicaragua and another less than 30 miles from the lake to Atlantic.  So far, just a lot of talk!
        2018 saw a sharp increase of violent protests of the government led by President Daniel Ortega for his increasing taxes and reducing benefits.  He is serving a 4th term as president and the 2016 election results may have been rigged.  Over 300 people have been killed so far in the first half of 2018. This violence has resulted in many cruise lines cancelling Nicaraguan ports of call in 2018, including Regent.  As a result of the corruption and killings the United States announced sanctions in July of 2018 on three Nicaraguan government officials.  More sanctions are expected from the US if the violence continues in Nicaragua.

Bypassing this port:

        At 7:15 this morning the Captain came on the PA and said he had dropped anchor in the bay here but the winds were gusting in excess of 35 knots and forecast to increase as the day went on.  There is no dock here and passengers were to be tendered from the ship to shore today.  A tender is one of the ship's life boats used to transfer passengers to and from shore when there is no dock.  We are also scheduled to use tender operations in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.  Due to the wind conditions the Captain said it was unsafe to do tender operations here today.  There was another passenger medical emergency that required him/her to be evacuated from ship here.  As soon as that was completed, we continued sailing on up to our next port, Puerto Quetzal, in Guatemala.  So today is another day at sea.

What We Did Last Night:

 My normal evening drink is a Woodford Reserve bourbon Manhattan but I tried this Old Fashioned.

Next I tried this drink called "Splendor" after the new Regent ship coming out next February.

This is Faith serving canapes in the Meridian Lounge.  With her is our good friend, Marcia Rector.

I took one of my tomatoes to dinner in Compass Rose.  We enjoyed it with our wedge salad.  Must admit it attracted a lot of attention from people sitting around us and the crew.

What We Did Today:
        Usual morning workout for us.  At noon the Captain said we would be arriving at Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, at 8:00 am tomorrow instead of scheduled noon arrival.  This port is 1 1/2 hour drive due south of Guatemala City.  We are still experiencing a smooth ride and doing 18 kts speed.  It is 84 degrees outside today.  Rebecca finished another book today.  I am waiting to meet with the Purser as Marge emailed me and asked if I could get them to email her a copy of their ship's doctor bill for an insurance claim.

         Planning dinner in Compass Rose again tonight.  Menu is above.  Tonight's headliner entertainer is Mark Preston.  We ran into him last night in the elevator and said hello.  He is one of our favorite entertainers and a great singer.  He does shows in Las Vegas and is a 3 time Grammy Award nominee.  We'll definitely be on front row for his show!  Other than that we are enjoying another leisurely day at sea.