Blogs from Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico, North America

We had a pleasant taxi ride to Manzanillo from Cuyutlan...it's very close geographically, but there is no direct road along the coast. You have go south, inland and then north again. Our hotel is full of Canadians, which is no surprise...they've locked up this area! The beach is white sand, and the water quite calm...no undertow, so you can swim as far as you like. But when I ran on the beach this am, there was a wide band of trash at the hightide line and more in the water. However, I didn't see any body parts, medical waste, or poop, so I decided I would still go swimming this afternoon. Surprisingly, the beach was almost completely clean, and the water clear too! We are right on the entrance to Mexico's biggest port, and there is ... read more

Today is the last port day with my Uncle Allan, Aunt Renee and cousin Kelsey. We’re in Manzanillo. We decided to go on the excursion that would take us to an all-inclusive resort for the day. Karmina Palace is a popular spot for crew to go to for the day too. I’ve been told lots about it but hadn’t actually been yet. The resort is gorgeous. As we walked through the elaborate main lobby building and out through the beautiful grounds, I said that being there made we want to be on vacation! At least I had a few hours to feel like I was on vacation. We picked some chairs near one of the quieter pools. A waiter came to our chairs all day bringing us nice icy drinks. The sun was scorching hot. We ... read more

Today we’re in Manzanillo and a crew tour was offered. Of course I signed up. I was especially excited that the tour was offered in this port. Manzanillo is an industrial port, so there’s nothing to do right by the ship. You can take a shuttle into town for a bit of shopping, but not much. This port has been a solid internet day for me - either at a local restaurant or at the internet café. So I was very happy to get out and actually see something. It was a nice group of crew who had also signed up for the tour. We boarded a double-decker catamaran and sailed for about an hour to a peninsula. The sun was shining but there was a slight breeze. Perfect weather. I mostly sat out at the ... read more

Transfer time has come again! I finished things up on the Ecstasy. Brian is set to "take the training wheels off" as we joked. I did all my sign-off stuff and got packed. Chris and Brian took me to the crew bar on my last night for some wine to see me off. I've really enjoyed working with the two of them, and really, they'll be what's missed from the Ecstasy. But I was ready to go! I had one night in a hotel in Houston. I had all sorts of ideas for work I'd get done with my blog and with work things. But instead I just crashed! I was so completely exhausted and useless! But never having a day off will do that to you I guess. Yesterday I headed off to the airport ... read more