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Published: August 6th 2007
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Acapulco!! Yesterday we docked at 8 am. I was awake, so I was lucky enough to see the city as we pulled into the bay. It was so pretty. I had always pictures Acapulco as a small resort town, like you might find on an island. I was so wrong. Acapulco is a city, and a big one at that.
After the city briefing a group of us decided to explore. As we left the dock we were all bombarded with taxi drivers. It was a bit overwhelming. One guy approached us, and after some discussion he agreed to take us to the market for $1 per person. Thinking that was a great price we all jumped into the van, and pulled into traffic. All I have to say is that I am so thankful that my first drive was in a van and not the normal blue and white little VW bugs (those are the most common taxis.) If I had been in one of those I don’t think I would have gotten in another taxis. The driving here is unbelievable, and not in a good way. I think the best way to describe it would be NYC
or Chicago traffic, but with no rules. If you want to pull out into a busy street, you don’t look for a break in traffic, you just pull out. There are no pedestrian walks, so if you want to cross the road you actually have to stop traffic, and then there is no guarantee that they will stop. One tour guide said that there are no pedestrians, only survivors. The people in this city really don’t care if they hit you. In fact, I have actually seen cars speed up when we were crossing the street.
So, we get to the market and realize that the market was all of about 5 blocks from the ship, but we of course didn’t know that. After paying the driver he quickly hurried us into a store where we had jewelry, cloth and little souvenirs shoved at us. It didn’t take us long to duck out of there. The market was so interesting. Everywhere you looked there were little shops, even down side alleys. It was so fun to get lost in the market. The looks we got from a lot of the people were great. If they weren’t trying to sell
us something they looked at us in shock. I’m certain we did stick out too. In a group of 5 people I was the only one with brown hair and eyes. We made it into one little arcade that had a lot of goods. Lauren wanted to buy a little leather purse and I saw a plate that was really pretty. We purchased both those items, but I’d say our bartering skills are not quite up to par. We weren’t ripped off, but we probably could have gotten them for a bit lower. Maybe by the end of this trip I’ll be an expert.
After making our purchases most of us needed to find an ATM machine. The man at the arcade offered to take us there. We agreed, but didn’t realize that on the way there and on the back he would take us to everyone of his friends shops. We didn’t want to be rude, but that was the only way we could get rid of him. As annoying as it was, it was still amusing.
Last night we decided to go to Palladium. Palladium is one of the hottest clubs in the city, and probably
the nicest, and maybe the most expensive. We went last night because it was ladies night. It was about 150 pesos for women (about $15) and 400 pesos for the guys (about $40). It was not cheap, but your door fee covers all domestic drinks. That was good but they get you with the water. 60 pesos for a small bottle water! I took my chances and ordered water in a glass ( from the tap). So far so good, besides I figured to club was in the rich part of the city. The reason that Palladium is so amazing is the view. The whole back wall of the dance club was a window, and since the club is at the top of the city on a cliff you could see everything. It was amazing and so pretty!!
Today I had an excursion with the school. I went to a hotel to learn about Mexican cuisine. I thought that we were going to actually be doing the cooking, but instead we watched our hosts cook. Still it was very interesting. I know how to make the most amazing guacamole ever! At the end we were given little diplomas and
a book of the recipes they used.
Tonight was so cool! We went to see the cliff divers. We decided that we wanted to see the show where they dive into the water with torches, but we ended up going to an earlier show, the 9:30 pm show. We were able to get a perfect spot on the balconies. The cliff the guys jumped off of was probably about 120 ft up. They say that the pain they feel when they hit the water is indescribable. I believe it. At the start of the show the divers walk down through the crowd. I thought that they just started at the top of the cliff. I was wrong. Actually they jump off our balconies, which are about 50 ft up, and swim across to the cliff. They climbed their way to the top of the cliff! No ladders or stairs or safety gear. What amazed me was their age. They were all so young. No one was older than 25, and I think one guy was only about 15 or 16. All the divers jumped from different heights on the mountain. Only one guy jumped from the top, and it
The market
These buses are so cool. They are more like party buses. Each has horns that play music and each one has its own name. was amazing. He was the last one to dive. When it was his turn, all the lights were turned off, except for the lights on the Holy Mary and Jesus shrines. After a quick prayer he jumped in complete darkness-they lit torches right as he jumped. It was one of the greatest things I have ever seen, and I am happy to say that he survived!
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Taylor
non-member comment
Wow
Hey there sounds amazing! I can't believe how much is going on and I'm loving reading the blog. Also. When you return you MUST teach me how to make that guacamole!!!