Acapulco-o-o-o-o!

Arriving 8am we began searching for an anchorage…well, the cruising books are not completely up to date and there are basically not many places in Acapulco Bay to drop anchor. Petty theft is a problem in Acapulco and we were advised to not leave the boat unattended if not at a safe (guarded) marina.

While I stayed at the boat, Nancy, Jeff, and Denielle went on a hunt to secure a mooring ball. They managed to find a mooring ball at Marina Acapulco for $350 pesos per day (about $30 US). The Yacht Club Marina was $180 US dollars per DAY!...No thanks!

New Years Even in Acapulco is unforgettable with the largest fireworks display we’ve ever seen...except for Nancy who slept through it all! I counted huge firework displays being shot from over 12 different places along the huge Acapulco Bay…and folks, this is one continuous fireworks show you’ll never forget.

At 10am New Year’s Day we went to see the famous Acapulco cliff divers…but as it is New Years Day, special times were scheduled and to have many more divers than normal for a spectacular show, so we had to come back later for the show. Let me just say, these young boys are crazy! They climb straight up the steep rocky cliff, give a prayer, then leap FAR below into the 12’ deep narrow channel below. One of the most famous divers dove 37, 348 times from the cliff…But, of course, no mention of how number 37,349 turned out for him.

There is a restaurant at the top of the cli\ff where you can enjoy cold drinks, great food, and watch the divers. Inside the restaurant is an old wooden wall covered with photos and autographs of famous people who have watched the divers as we did…Bob Hope, Roy Rogers, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Cockrell (well she WAS there!)…and the list goes on and on.

We did have an “incident” that needs to be mentioned, especially for our cruising friends…while Nancy and I were at the cliff diver show, Denielle and Jeff were late meeting up with us…and for good reason…Windfall broke free of the mooring ball just as they were leaving and rowing the dinghy back to shore! One of the dock employees yelled and pointed at Windfall heading toward the rocky shoreline and they sprang into action to save the day! Jeff dove into the water, lost his sunglasses, and got his wallet wet. He and Denielle stood at the rocks and pushed Windfall’s heavy 18 tons to the dock, and with the help of Acapulco Marina’s employees Windfall was secured to the nearby dock. Whew! A BIG BIG “Thank You” to Jeff and Denielle! Way to go CREW!!! And a special thank you to our friend Luis Ramirez Magdaleno, Harbor Master at Marina Acapulco, for his generous help in getting us a place to moor Windfall. The beautiful Marina Acapulco is currently being built and will be a great place for our cruising friends to stay while in Acapulco. Thank you, Luis.

Upon inspection of the mooring attachment, which at the time was a jumbled-up mess of chain and large diameter rope, it was noted we had tied to an improper attachment point and not to the correct point. Learning experience #100,276! We now check, double check, and put a secondary safety line for mooring attachments.

With Windfall now SECURED to the dock, the four of us took a 5 hour bus trip to Taxco (sounds like Cosco with a T) . The bus station is clean and busy as Portland’s airport terminals, and the bus are very clean, air-conditioned, and have very comfortable seating. I must say the five hour bus ride was very relaxed and I enjoyed watching the mountainous and scenic countryside pass by.

We stayed in Taxco 3 nights, it has over 300 silver stores to choose from, so if it’s silver you like this is the place for you. The town, with it’s silver mines and churches, date back to the 1600’s and has a European feel when you first arrive and view the buildings and architecture. The cobblestone roads are very steep, very narrow, and are defiantly NOT the place you want to rent a car for the day…use one the approximately 300 white Volkswagen Taxis that zoom around the town for about $2 fares. We could only feel sorry for the poor burrows who once carted goods up these steep windy roads.

While at Taxco we took a bus to the Grutas de Cacahuamilpa Caverns, this was a treat and should defiantly be seen. The cavern was a very comfortable 70 degrees, I couldn’t talk Nancy into riding the zip-line that went across a canyon…Hmmm, maybe next time.

Denielle and Jeff caught a 6am bus for the Mexico City airport, while Nancy and I took the 10am bus back to Acapulco. We sat in the front seats for a “better view”, and after seeing how the bus driver surely raced cars on weekends Nancy kept her eyes shut. At first I thought she was sleeping, but I’m sure she was whispering a few Hail Mary’s and confessing to sins that I couldn’t quite hear well enough!

With only a couple days remaining of our Acapulco adventure, it was time to finally check-in AND check-out with the Port Captain, we tried to check in earlier…but with holidays and Mexican “Manaña” attitude….why rush.

With our new course set for Puerto Escondido, 175 miles south, it’s time to fuel up and kick the tires…. See you there!