Up early – WHY! Maybe
my body is telling me it is time to get ready for going back to work and very
early shifts? But I read for a bit and
wake slowly. Bernie has gone to get the
coffees and we sip and read for quite a while.
Yesterday was the first time I took out my IPhone and looked
at my upcoming work schedule for next week.
So last night I was thinking about work and returning to reality. This morning it is the same – what do we need
to do on Sunday to get ready for our work week?
What routes am I doing? What days
off do I have next week?
Also what is more tragic is we don’t have another cruise
booked before we get off this one. That
hasn’t happened in a long time. It isn’t
that we don’t want to sail again. It has
more to do with this trip took most of our vacation this year. We still have a few weeks late in the year
but are hoping to do a land vacation (famous last words). Also we will probably book the Royal for next
January/February just not sure of the dates.
Both Bernie and I head up to Horizon Court for our
breakfast, I refuse to go back to the dining room for breakfast as I much
prefer to grab something quick and hot than slow and cold from the dining
room. I enjoy a hot bagel with hazelnut
cream cheese and an apple. Just right!
We are not docking in Puerto Vallarta until noon so we still
have a lovely morning to enjoy. There is
a lot of sea life out there today. Lots
of whales, turtles, and tons of dolphins, and as we approach the Bay of
Bandaras millions of jelly fish.
I attend the speed Sudoku in Adagio Bar at 10 am. This is the first time I have been to one as
they only hold it on port days when we are normally on shore. Today I arrive a few minutes early and oh my
do you ever feel the vibration up here.
It is horrible. I know we feel it
in our friends cabin A747 but it doesn’t feel this bad. I have to say this ship you really feel the
vibration, more so than the Emerald, and not sure why. Okay back to Sudoku I suck normally at trivia
but I am good at Sudoku and I come in second and win a lanyard.
The ship is crazy – one thing about docking at noon people
are chomping at the bit to get off and have converged in the Piazza near the
gangways.
I walk out to the Promenade deck and watch as they set up
the gangways and the vendor are setting up.
A Mariachi band is starting to play and the photographers and some
locals dressed in full Mexican costume are there to pose with those coming
off.
My favorite thing was watching so many of the crew who were
having family come meet them and tour the ship.
The crew were so excited, I see them running all over the pier trying to
find their family and once they do meet up the hugs and kisses and tears. Lovely and I am touched.
The gangways are packed with people when they open them
up. I am glad we decided to gather at 1
to go off and even then it is still quite busy.
Today we decided to go to Bucerias which is a town about 20 minutes by car north of the port. We
offer to our friends Jan/Michael and Barb/Craig to join us. Since we are docked at pier 3 (new to us as
we are normally at 1 but a Carnival ship is there and a Holland ship is at pier
2) we see we have a very short walk to the main street. There is now a brand new mall right there
too! We cross the street so we can catch
the buses going north. Right away a bus
comes by and we flag it down. Cost was
just around $1.50 US each.
We get off right near the town center of Bucerias and wander
around looking at the vendors and the shops and giving the others a chance to
see the town.
Our restaurant was one that we had found on line and also a
friend on board had recommended. El
Burjo is right on the beach and offers us the opportunity to enjoy a great meal
on the beach and to go swimming too.
A bucket of beer, a few margaritas, chips, salsa and some
amazing dishes and lots of laughs. Oh
and the vendors constantly floating thru with their items for sale. I did buy a pair of earrings and we did enjoy
a Mariachi band but that is all we paid to the vendors.
We stayed here for about two hours and it was a great time,
and I am glad the other two couples liked it too.
We all agreed to a walk so we cross the little foot bridge,
also known as the kissing bridge and started walking South along the road we
use to take to get to the hotel we once stayed at. We didn’t walk for too long, maybe a half
hour before heading up to the main street and catching the bus back to
town. Just look for the bus that has the
Walmart on it’s windshield.
When we arrived back at the port the others went inside the
gate but we decided to do a bit more walking and walked to Sorianas, which is a
large grocery type store. I wanted to
pick up some more Maja soap that we can’t get in Canada any more.
We then head towards a small ice cream place we use to go to
but it is no longer there. So we enter
the port at the gate near the Carnival Ship and walk back to our ship. The HAL ship has already left.
All aboard is 7:30 and at 8 we are off, sadly…. As this is
our last port of the trip. Two sea days and
then Los Angeles.
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