Day 06 East - 01/07/22 Huatulco, Mexico

We arrived right on time at Huatulco at 8am.  This was a new port for us so we didn't know quite what to expect.  I had booked us on a 5 Bay catamaran tour that had a swimming portion so we brought our snorkeling gear with us to use.

 

The tour on the Tequila was good.  I found it amusing that we had to don our life jackets (but not buckle them) so the harbormaster would see us in our life jackets as we left the port area.  

 

We scenic cruised to the south with our guide giving commentary about each of the bays.  He indicated that there is a plan to build a significantly large number of new condo units in the next ten years which will destroy the pristine nature for sure.  At one beach we saw the remains of Club Med which was popular back in the 1970's but has struggled through the years.  It's also worth noting that these beaches are the home to thousands of sea turtles who come each year to deposit their eggs.

 

Heading north to past the lighthouse, we passed the harbor entrance and soon spotted dolphins and a humpback whale.  At another small bay, the boat pulled close to shore and anchored.  We donned our snorkeling gear and I jumped overboard.  Oops, my iPhone SE was in my pocket.  I climbed back out and dried it off and everything seemed to be working (it was in a plastic case), so I re-entered the water and we made our way over to a rocky shoreline where we were treated to some great snorkeling.  Finally we were summoned to return to our boat with a GoPro camera hopefully filled with pictures. Yes there were some great shots.  The coral was alive and beautiful and the fish were plentiful.

 

Back at the dock, we had about a 2 hour window before needing to be back on the ship at 2pm for our early departure.  We quickly changed clothes and hired a $5 taxi ride into the little town of La Crucecita which was 10 minutes away.  It was like stepping back in time and very non-touristy.  The Catholic Church was beautiful, and we walked around a bit before hailing a cab for ride back to the port.  At the port, I was hankering some Mexican salsa and chips, so we stopped at a local restaurant and enjoyed some salsa and Orange Frescas with a view of the ship.  

 

We were number 6 & 7 from the end to reboard, and on time the Captain backed the Zuiderdam out into the bay and did a 180° clockwise rotation before sailing into the waiting ocean.  We decided to eat in the dining room for the first time since our October, 2021 cruise.  I had a hankering for escargot and it was on the Gala menu.  When we received our wine order of Moscato, it was bitter.  So we returned it and the sommelier returned with the bottle and said it came out of this bottle. She poured a sample, and we tasted the replacement which was perfect.  She refused to accept that there could have been a mistake.  I assured her this replacement was different.  I think someone else got some sweet Moscato and we got their dry wine.

 

Dinner was good and we chatted with a couple from Minnesota at the next table.  Afterwards it took two attempts for me to see the entire Blue Planet II in concert.  In between we enjoyed the comedy of Marc Laffey. And just like that, our day was done.



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