Our day in Acapulco is a good example of how combining specific objectives with a flexible mindset can result in a great port stop without spending a lot of money.
Along with our friend Eddy, we envisioned a panoramic tour of the city, including visiting the Princess Hotel to watch the divers, which was something he enjoyed on several past trips to what he calls "Little Rio," although I don't think he's been to Rio de Janeiro yet.
Eddy freely shares stories of a time when celebrities were approachable in the 1950s and 1960s in Hollywood, Las Vegas and Acapulco.
Olympic swimming champion-turned-actor Johnny Weissmuller is venerated in Acapulco, where he spent many years after becoming enchanted by the area when filming his Tarzan movies. Eddy said Weissmuller was also a celebrity in residence and "muscle" at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Ed said Tarzan would sit down and have a drink with him on occasion.
It was Eddy's encounter with his idol, Frank Sinatra, in Las Vegas, however, that was captured on a photo he gladly shows to new acquaintances along with his photo of his late wife Patti. Eddy's a pretty good crooner himself, and on the first night of the cruise, he got up to sing "I've Got You Under My Skin." He didn't want to get up there alone, so I volunteered.
Somehow, after a few hours on the ship, Ed had already become ingrained into a Wisconsin family headed by a genial man named Tom. One of Tom's cute teenaged daughters also got up to dance along with Ed. Unfortunately, neither she nor I knew anything beyond the title phrase, so we weren't much help other than giving Ed courage.
We got off to a rocky start, as Ed didn't realize he needed to wait for the words on the screen to change colors to signal him to start singing, and the girl and I didn't know the tune.
Ed also wasn't close enough to the microphone for about half the song, but by the end, he was doing Sinatra proud.
The evening before we arrived in Acapulco, Ed told us he would be leading the Wisconsin family on an expedition to the Princess Hotel, so he wouldn't be joining us. That's how cruises are. Once onboard, you find yourself in the company of new friends
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For Julie and me in Acapulco, those friends were fellow passsengers Glenn and Marilyn plus the taxi driver they brought us together, Carlos.
Julie and I had been waiting at a gift shop in the modern cruise terminal mall while a tour group tried to find four other passengers to join us at $25 per person when Glenn and Marilyn approached us to split a cab.
The price would be the same for us as it would have been for six with the other tour, and after meeting the well-dressed and polite Carlos, we agreed to join them.
It turned out to be a great decision. Carlos loves Acapulco, and you could sense his pride in showing us the wonderful areas. In Las Brisas, we saw the panoramic views, beautiful homes, cantilevered swimming pools and giant cross.
We also went to the hot pink Hotel Los Flamingos, where celebrities like John Wayne enjoyed great times during the peaks of their careers.
The round-fronted Tarzan house where Weissmuller entertained friends was on the site of Los Flamingos.
Of course, the entire tour led up to watching the cliff divers.
For 35 pesos or $3.50 (this was the only time where buying pesos in advance saved us a little money), we gained admission to stone steps from which we could watch the young divers scale dangerous cliffs and then dive into the turquoise water at exactly the point when the waves crashed in.
Amazing! The show only lasts a few minutes, but it is impressive. The divers stand at the top of the steps at the conclusion of the show, and most people contribute to their tip jar.
Carlos also took us to some other fascinating spots, like an old hotel where the estate plan intended to preserve family wealth had resulted in a dilapidated structure in a prime location with incredible views.
Nearby was the last mosaic mural created by artist Diego Rivera, who used to love to go to that very same hotel in his prime.
Carlos recommended a little seafood restaurant on a sandy cove between Hotel Los Flamingos and the diver cliffs for lunch, but we headed back to the ship for a great meal onboard. After lunch, Julie didn't want to brave the heat for further adventures, so I headed back into Acapulco on my own.
Carlos had pointed out a beautiful plaza by a Cathedral not far from the ship, and I planned to walk there. A guy hustled me to a cab promising to take me to the plaza for two dollars, which in the 80-plus heat sounded like a good deal.
It turned out it wasn't his cab, but an old battered cab driven by his "brother." As we drove off, he asked if I really wanted chicas or marijuana, to which I said no. He repeated the pitch a few times on the short drive.
When they made a right turn, I knew we were heading away from the plaza I had seen off the main drag. He said he was taking me to his brother's store where the real bargains were, and that he would take me to the plaza afterwards at no additional charge. I let him drag me around between a few stores, all of which asked if I wanted a complimentary beer and some of which asked if I wanted chicas or marijuana, which I kept declining. After about fifteen minutes, I realized I was going to blow my chance to see the plaza, so I asked about getting there. My "guide" pointed down the street and said to turn left at the next corner. I reminded him of our agreement, but he just walked away.
I had a general idea of where I was, so I didn't follow his instructions exactly, and eventually I saw a sign with an arrow pointing to "Catedral." I went inside the historic structure and said a quick prayer of thanks for getting me there safely, and then I headed into the beautiful plaza shaded by large trees. This was indeed, as Carlos had said, a nice place where Acapulco residents stroll around or enjoy drinks at sidewalk cafes.
I had a Coca Cola Light and watched the world go by for a few minutes. Across the street from the plaza is a marina. To the right, away from the ship, is a little strand of sand filled with sun worshippers, but I turned left and stopped at a cantina on the marina for a Negra Modelo cerveza.
While sitting there, a truck double parked to make a beer delivery, and I found it interesting to see several deliverymen hoist four cases of bottled beers at a time up behind their backs to carry them in. Talk about back breaking work. Do they not have dollies in Mexico? I thought about my friend Sam who used to deliver Coors and wondered what he would think of a company that would rather break backs than buy a $50 dolly.
I meandered back toward the ship, and along the way I came to a bridge leading to the historical museum. The museum turned out to be the cool old fort that protected Acapulco from pirates and other invaders. There were many interesting exhibits, including one about pirates. Since I had been reading "Pirate Latitudes" while at sea the day before, this fit perfectly, and in fact the scale model of the Spanish ship looked exactly how I imagined one described by Michael Crichton in the novel.
Eventually, all good things must end, and I knew I needed to get back to the ship for sail away. Another evening of great dining and entertainment awaited. The four singers on this particular voyage of Radiance of the Seas combined for the best harmonies I have heard on a cruise ship. In fact, this combination of four singers had no weak spots, delivering great performances every time.
By the way, if you want to contact Carlos Martinez Garcia to arrange a tour, you can reach him by e-mail at Carlos_2_2@yahoo.com.
In Acapulco, his cell phone number is 75 44 29 03 54. (Carlos was the great driver/guide from the morning tour, not the guy who took me off track in the afternoon.)
