BrØnw3n’s World

I just got back from vacation, a cruise to the “Mexican Riviera”, including Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan, and Puerto Vallarta. Let me tell you, I had a blast, and met some great people while I was at it!

Tuesday morning:

We are coming close to our first port, Cabo San Lucas. So far the trip has been great! My room is right next door to my friends, Joan & Allen, who are the only people on the ship I knew before leaving port in Los Angeles. They are no longer the only people I know on the boat, though. Our group totals some 80 people, all of whom booked this trip through Joan’s travel agent, a man named Phillip Powell. What I have learned since coming aboard is that Phillip has an extensive and loyal following of travelers, and they all seem to be really nice people.

This trip has been very different from others that I have taken for several reasons:

1. Because I’m on a cruise ship, I don’t have to worry about packing and unpacking. That has made it much simpler than past trips where I was in a different location every night!
2. The “cruise mentality” means that there are many activities available, but I don’t have to do anything unless I want to.
3. And then there are the party animals…!

Several members of our tour group are hard-core partiers, including Phillip. Man, but he’s got some moves! And, in addition to the spa and the dining rooms and the shuffle boards and the pools, there is an on-board casino (so far I’m up about $8 on a $6 investment) and several lounges (read: bars), one of which turns into a night club, complete with flashing lights and glow-in-the-dark shot glasses. The good news is that between walking the track on the upper deck and dancing at night I might actually break even in the weight department. (Yes, I actually got up on the floor and danced – boy, am I out of practice!)

The disadvantage to traveling with other people, however, is that I really don’t have much time to myself. Not in a bad way, but it means that I haven’t been able to do any writing before now, and I have yet to take a single photo. That will change today when we go ashore, but I plan to do some shopping and mindless tourist things, too.

Wednesday:

Remind me to pack a swim suit next time I come this far south!  It was been one hot motor-scooter! And humid, too. I mean, I’m used to Southern California where the heat is a dry heat. I cannot believe how much of a difference it makes. With the humidity I find myself sweating like crazy, but not getting any cooler. Thank goodness I remembered to pack a hat!

On the plus side, everything has been going really well. I have some nice photos from Cabo and Mazatlan, but the ship’s wireless system makes sending them problematic, not to mention expensive. Fifty-five cents a minute adds up really fast! Remind me to write a letter when I get home expressing my disappointment in their geek support features.

On other fronts, today’s adventures included a visit to Señor Frog’s… or “Mr. Frog’s”, as our taxi driver calls it. Oh, my god!!! That place is insane!!! Whatever wild stories you may have heard about the place are bound to fall short of the reality. The place is a den of massive alcohol consumption and crazy peoples. They keep the music so loud that hearing yourself think is out of the question. Conga lines and line dances are almost mandatory, whether you want to participate or not. Several staff walk around with leather rigs kinda like what a gun fighter would wear, but instead of firearms and bullets these kids are sporting shot glasses and bottles of tequila. And if you are foolish enough to volunteer for a shot, first they pour it down your throat, then they shake your head vigorously, fluff your hair, and put a balloon hat on your head, all while blowing on high-pitched whistles that made my ears feel like they were about to bleed.

If I ever go back, I will make sure I have friends with me whom I trust because the staff there make it way too easy to get completely smashed, which may be fine when you’re in your twenties and don’t know any better, but… And I’ll be sure to bring ear plugs!

Thursday:

Buenos dias Amigos!

Today was our third and last call at a port, and as I write we are headed north for San Pedro with two days of rocking and rolling as the cruising forecast. For some reason the trip northward is always more, shall we say, adventurous than the trip south. It has something to do with the direction of the current and the waves as they interact with the ship. Whatever the reason, the gentle swaying of the ship makes me immensely glad that I don’t get motion sick. Others on board are not so lucky, and I’ve passed more than one of my fellow travelers who was looking a bit green in the gills.

Puerto Vallarta was definitely the highlight of the cruise. The city is newer than either Mazatlan or Cabo, and it is understandably wealthier and cleaner. Another difference was that rather than explore the city on our own (read: walk around aimlessly and hope we find something interesting), Joan and I talked Allen into going on the tour of the city that had been arranged by the tour organizer, Phillip Powell. The result was a fabulous day that included a visit to a small tequila distillery and lunch at a restaurant that looks over a roaring river and features “zip lining”.

The region around PV has lots of mountains, and for the tour we went about 5km from the port, and climbed about a thousand feet up into the mountains. The vegetation is beyond lush, reminding me very much of the rain forests of Peru. The elevation also meant that the temperature was about 20°F cooler than anything we have had for days, which was a welcome respite from sweating constantly. The sights included rivers and waterfalls, and the ubiquitous vendors selling trinkets and mementos. Then around 12:30 we reached Chico’s Paradise, nestled in the rain forest and perched to one side of the river I mentioned earlier. Our timing was perfect, as our group commandeered all the best seats in the restaurant, overlooking the river and enjoying the entertainment which included a rock diver and the zip lining.

For those of you who don’t know about zip lining, it is probably considered an “extreme sport”. They put you into a harness, attach you to a pulley and send you “zipping” down a cable with nothing more than a helmet and your harness to protect you. Naturally, I loved it and I surprised a number of folks with my enthusiastic whoops and hollers. Joan says she got several good photos on her camera, too. I’ll post them here when I get them.

The tequila factory/distillery was another fun part of the tour, and not just because of the free shots they generously poured out. If the company made beer, I’d call it a micro-brewery where they make “straight” tequila, tequila that has been aged in oak barrels for over a year, plus almond and coffee flavored versions that are cordials with a tequila base. FWIW, the coffee flavored was far better than Kahlua, but I opted for a bottle of the aged liquor, the Añejo. The problem is I’m probably never going to open it, claiming that “I’m saving it for a special occasion”. <sigh />

So now we’re winding down and soon it will be back to business as usual. Tomorrow (Friday) we have our second formal night, and Saturday is our group’s pajama party!

Friday:

I definitely like formal nights! It’s not just that I get a chance to dress up and put on my “glad rags” and fine jewels. There is something about how everyone acts a little different, in a good way. Mental Note: I need to make time to go to the theater or other “high society” functions more often.

After dinner a bunch of us went to the Masquerade Theater and saw a midnight comedy show. The comedian, Darrell Joyce, was hilarious, and his material for this very adult show dealt with male/female relationships and kids behaving badly. I laughed so hard there were moments I couldn’t breathe! Then it was up to Phillip’s cabin for more partying! (Did I mention that he’s a party animal?!?!?) I finally quit around 4 a.m. and went topside to see the stars. I think it was around 5 a.m. when my head finally hit the pillow.

Saturday:

Today is our last day, and I find myself torn between wanting to return home to my doggies, and wanting to stay and keep the party going. It has been a great trip, and I’ve met some wonderful people. I can only hope that I’ll be able to stay in touch with some of them, or maybe that we’ll see each other on a future adventure.

Part of traveling with Phillip and his posse is that the last night of the cruise there is a pajama party. Supposedly, the tradition started years ago when Phillip packed all his clothes except his PJs on the final night. The rest is history!

Fierce Competition!	The Finalists
Nice PJs!	The Judges Confer…
Monique and Bobby	Robert and Chaz

I wonder if any of these photos would be good for blackmail?!?!?

Home Again:

As you can tell from the subject line, I’m home safe and sound from my adventures in the Mexican Riviera, and I can honestly say that the trip was a smashing success! Now if only the ground would stop swaying… And I haven’t even had any tequila…  

I’m between assignments for a day or two, so I’m taking advantage of the time to get caught up. With any luck I should have more photos and maybe even the traditional music video posted online in a day or so. First I need to decide on the soundtrack… I’ll keep you posted.

Finally, a big Thank You! to my friends Joan and Allen for telling me about this cruise, and to Phillip, Monique and Bobby for all their hard work making sure everything went off like clockwork!

Phillip has an assortment of other cruise destinations and itineraries, and from what I saw and heard on this trip I am more than happy to travel with him and his posse again. In fact, I’ve just put down a deposit for a Mediterranean cruise with him in October 2009. Rome, Naples, Venice, Sicily, Florence, Barcelona, Monaco, Croatia… I’m definitely sold!  And in case some of you might be interested, I’ve included Phillip’s contact info below. Just make sure to tell him I referred you.

Catch you later!

Bronwen
~~~~~

Phillip Powell
Carlson Wagonlit / Executive Travel
25129 The Old Road  Suite 205
Stevenson Ranch CA 91381
661 254-6028 / 818 361-1300
800 676-3932
phillip@cwtexecutive.com

Remember, tell him Bronwen sent you!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 at 4:12 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.