Puerto Vallarta
NOT CONTENT with a program of mere panel discussions, lectures, and fruity, girly drinks, a group of STANDARD cruisers met up at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday to strike out into our final port of call for various adventures. Some people went on hikes, others went swimming with dolphins, others flashed along zip lines on the forest canopy. And some of us rented dune buggies.
Four of us hitched a bus to a hacienda 20 miles inland and took a dune buggy tour of the towns and hills at the feet of the Sierra Madres. Despite a few mishaps–some of us had never driven stick before–we finished in one piece, albeit it caked in dust and mud. At least we hoped it was just dust and mud; the cattle do run pretty free. There are pictures of the lot of us wearing goggles and kerchiefs. I would post them, but I still have a tiny scrap of dignity laying around somewhere.
Afterwards, it was back to the Oosterdam for showers and afternoon presentations from Phil Terzian and Christian Lowe.
For dinner, I went back into Puerto Vallarta and caught a taxi to the old town which, despite a large McDonald’s at the entrance and what may be the world’s biggest Hooters taking up a big chunk of the waterfront, is a gorgeous place. Centered around the Iglesia de Guadalupe, the clean, lively downtown is full of beautiful buildings and good restaurants and shops.
After making the last tender to the ship, Steve Hayes, some of our cruisers, and I met up and waited for the Oosterdam to get under way because the casino stays closed when the ship’s in port. Once the tables opened, we had a good run at the craps table–I made four points on my turn with the dice and hit a bunch of hard numbers for Hayes, who calls them “the best bet on table.”
Blackjack went less well. The less said about it the better.
We’re on the two-day journey back to San Diego now and the rest of the trip will be heavy with STANDARD sessions. If you’d like to get on the list to receive information about next year’s cruise, send us an email at [email protected] with your name and address. (And no, we won’t use your email for anything else.)
–Jonathan V. Last
