Excursion Versions

Mexico is not really the place to go if you want to wander around and find your own fun.  It is more of a “stay with the pack” (of tourists, that is.)  I would have loved to see where the locals shopped and ate and lived, but my gun-less companion would not comply.  We opted for Princess Cruiseline coordinated excursions to entertain us on land.

They had offered many different cooking oriented options.  Many of them included tequila drinking.  We figured the prices on those excursions reflected the drinks, so the most bang for our non-drinking buck would be the one that did not advertise the alcohol.  We were wrong.  In Puerta Vallarta we rode a tour bus from port into town where the guide pointed out every large hotel and American business. While I looked the other direction and saw empty store fronts with bashed windows, covered in graffiti.  The tour guide was rambling about how Puerta Vallarta was such a paradise and declared there was no crime.  I wondered who was doing all the vandalism, Jarom guessed it was the tourists.  

Unnerving...

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We were dumped off in down town, where thousands of tour buses drop off.  It felt like Sun City more than Mexico.  We tried to haggle in the shops to no avail and paid American prices on sunglasses, a bottle of vanilla and souvenirs for the kids.

Then we were led to a restaurant for out cooking “class.”  It was an upscale tourist restaurant similar to our Café Lorado.  The tables were set up with a small assortment of ingredients, a cutting board and a bread knife.  We were instructed to chop the small amounts of ingredients and mix them together to make pico de gallo and guacamole.  Next, two tortillas, a bowl of mole sauce and a chunk of cold chicken.  Cut the chicken, put it on the tortillas and spoon cold mole sauce over it.  No recipes.  The tour guide told us to make the mole sauce you by a can of it from Wal-Mart and add water. 

That night Jarom looked for an excursion to sign up for in Mazatlan, rather than going off of the alcohol promotions he found one with a recommendation from previous Princess passengers.  This proved to be better criteria since we had a blast.

We took a catamaran to a small island, laid on the beach, played some sand volleyball, rode some horses and had lunch at a clean but very rustic restaurant.  The horseback riding on the beach was such a good time.  The guide only spoke Spanish, so it was fun trying to communicate and having Jarom to clue me in. He got off and took pictures for everyone and had a great sense of humor.  It was a short walk on the beach and the guide let us run back. The horses were so engrained with the route that there was no steering that they would adhere to.   It was a beautiful day and we were having so much fun that we lost track of how much sun we were getting.  We both got a terrible sunburn that was hurting for the rest of the trip.

The next day at Cabo we had to stay out of the sun because of out stupidity, so we didn’t do an excursion.  We got off the boat for a short time trying to find a phone to call home and got to do some haggling in the shops.  By then were so done with the men on the streets trying to get us to ride on their boat that we just went back to the ship.  It was a beautiful place, and we could see that just as well from the ship’s deck.

Culinary Adventures

The biggest surprise of my first cruise was how extraordinary the food was.  Being a total foodie, having high standards for freshness, striving to use the highest quality ingredients and favoring whole foods, you could say I am “picky.”  I expected cheap cafeteria and diner type food that was soggy, greasy and, uber-processed.  I expected the apples to be mealy and the green beans frozen and microwaved.  I admit to bringing my own homemade granola, a bag of AZ oranges and organic apples for survival.

 I was skeptical when I read the first dinner menu; they made it all sound so excellent.  But excellent it was!

Pan-Fried Barramundi

Giant Perch with Green Asparagus, Brown Butter, Lemon and Rice Pilaf

Cajun Spiced Crawfish Crockpot with Black Mussels and Tomatoes

Creole Rice

Moroccan Vegetable Ragout with Pita Bread and Read Oak Leaf Salad

Cauliflower, Carrots, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, Pea Pods and Potatoes in Tomato-Yogurt Sauce.

How on earth was I going to choose?  Oh, how I wished my stomach was stretched out more that night because I could have had all three, if I had room.  Each night they had a completely different selection of about 4 appetizers, 4 soups and salads and 6 main courses.  They also offered 2 pastas (one that was the same every night) and 7 alternative choices that were the same every night.

Yes, my stomach stretched and accumulated some extra “padding”, but a week of culinary adventure drove me to set good judgment aside and enjoy the ride.

Breakfast was the trickiest.  I started off having a lot of poached eggs.  Scrambled eggs are often made with powdered eggs, so I stuck with what I could see was real. I don’t do homogenized dairy, non fat yogurt, cold cereal or sugary pastries.  A couple mornings at the buffet I stacked an egg on a small waffle with a slice of smoked salmon.  By the last few days I was eating my (dry) granola and a couple oranges.  I was fine with eating light in the morning, because dinner was always over the top.

Lunch:

Doesn’t that salad look amazing?  It was!  I also tried borscht for the first time, which was not bad and had a very tasty blueberry roulade (yes, dessert at every lunch, shame.)

Finally, here is what I learned at the dinner table;

• I don’t like pate of any kind (seafood, meat or vegetable.)
• Frog legs have the texture of chicken and the flavor of crab legs
• Escargots is delicious (but likely anything doused with lots of garlic butter would be.)
• Caviar is worth eating again if I get the chance, but not worth the hefty price tag.
• Soufflé’s make great desserts after a hefty meal, they are light and not too sweet.
• It only takes sharing three meals with someone before I feel comfortable asking them for the vegetables off their plate.
• Thankfully, the bread was awful.
• Jarom can eat a lot of meat L
• Spending 2 hours at the dinner table never tired.
• Six days of stomach stretching allowed me to enjoy a soup, salad, pasta, entrée and 2 plates of lobster in one sitting.
• Although I was over eating every day, I felt good and never had digestive problems.
• I love seafood.

Ship Bliss

I am typically not a vacation type of person.  I don’t like to be away from the comforts of home.  I like my soft water to shower in, I like my kitchen to cook in, I like my bed and dark, quiet room to sleep in, I like to have my clothes in drawers and hangers… I hate the hassle of preparing for a trip, trying to remember everything that I might need or will surely need, getting the house and kids ready for a lengthy departure, making travel arrangements...

For the first time, it was all worth it!

First off, after years of traveling with small children, traveling alone was not so bad.  Packing snacks; simple, Airport security; a breeze, Waiting to board; almost peaceful, Carrying our luggage; no problem.  We had super helpful family members that took great care of the children.  They all enjoyed the week, got spoiled with toys and fun activities and ate their vegetables.

Aboard the ship, I really didn’t know what to expect; what we would do, how we would feel and if there would be any food worth eating.  We quickly found out that you sleep when you are tired, eat when you are hungry and look in the Patter (the daily schedule of activities and shows) when you are bored. 

I was most impressed by the clean entertainment and delicious food (which will get a lengthy post all of its own).  They had dancers, comedians, an awesome illusionist and showed mostly PG and PG-13 movies in the theater.  We participated in a latin ballroom dance class each day we were at sea.  There was a fruit and vegetable carving and culinary demonstration that we enjoyed.  We played games, took naps and met some really great people.

It was relaxing for sure, we didn’t have to lift a finger.  Joselito made our bed, folded our clothes, wiped down the counters, took out our trash, got us ice, changed the toilet paper roll, wrapped up the chord on my blow dryer, washed our towels.  We were able to truly enjoy every second.

Happy Anniversary!

Mexican Riviera

Aboard the Sapphire Princess

Puerto Vallarta

 Mazatlan

 Cabo San Lucas