Oh to get outdoors again! Another sunny port, another sunny day. After a hearty breakfast I gave Paul a kiss and a parting wave and headed down onto the pier to meet up with an excursion group I was assigned to.
The excursion vehicle looked like a bus with no windows but at least would be sheltered from any rain (not that any was in sight for the day). Whilst I was waiting with the guide (Moberto) and driver (Fernandez) for guests to board the bus Fernandez suddenly reached for his mobile phone and opened it up. After reading something he spoke to his colleague who in turn translated for me. Fernandez asked us if we had felt something – I had felt nothing other than a buzzing feeling through the concrete under my feet, thinking it was the vibration from the bus’s engines next to us. Apparently Fernandez had felt something then checked his phone – he had a warning there had been an earth tremor. Moberto and Fernandez glanced back at the ship and could see it slowly rocking in a swell. Moberto telephoned his wife – she had not noticed anything because she and the baby had been sleeping. Apparently if she had noticed anything she would have been hysterical so Moberto was relieved that she sounded calm over the phone. None of the guests in the bus seemed to have noticed a thing nor did anyone mention it.
As soon as the final guests arrived we were on our way into Manzanillo, a few minutes away and within walking distance of the ship. We were dropped off in the town square so that guests could do some shopping. Over the next 45 minutes I took a wander through the streets. Being a Sunday most shops were closed but towards 10am some started to open up. Guests must have found a few treasures because most of them came back to the bus with something in their hands.
The next part of our journey involved a drive through the countryside to see banana and papaya plantations. For this part of the journey we had a motorbike police escort. It was explained why to the guests who took it very well. The tracks that we went along were dry and a layer of fine dust soon coated everything. We stopped for a few minutes outside the fence of a banana plantation and our guide explained about the growing and export of bananas. The police also stopped and stretched their legs for a bit, talking to our driver whilst waiting for us to re-board the bus. A nearby papaya plantation was relatively young so we couldn’t see any fruit growing but it didn’t matter. We also saw coconut tree plantations in the distance, and sometimes the plantations would be mixed – either bananas and coconuts or papaya and coconuts. Sadly some of the banana plantations looked unkempt, becoming a jungle. Their owners had abandoned their farms and gone to the cities to work. Possibly in time someone will take over the farm or buy it, and clear it properly.
Once back on the main road Fernandez tooted the bus’s horn and waved goodbye to our police escort. We headed back towards the coast, stopping at the Best Western Hotel for a bit of swimming or relaxation beside the swimming pool or beach. There was a bit of a chilly wind so I didn’t swim in the end. I sat and relaxed beside the pool but some children discovered that I spoke English and soon the family were trying to practice their English language skills on me. Mum and son were in the water, her husband sat near me. The 1½ hours we were allocated by our tour guide passed swiftly by!
Once the guests were back on the bus we headed back towards the ship. Since the Maasdam was last in Manzanillo even more work has been undertaken on the roads and railway. The railway used to pass through Manzanillo but as the town has grown, it is in the process of being diverted. A tunnel for the train had been blasted through the mountain and now the finishing touches were being made. The road was being rebuilt and it will take a few more weeks or months yet for it all to be finished. If the Maasdam comes back here next year it will be interesting to see the further progress.
Back at the quayside some guests headed back into town, others headed back onto the ship. I took a brief walk around some arts and craft stalls that were just inside the harbour entrance. The wind was getting up and some of the stall-holders had to hold onto the canvas roofs of their stalls to prevent them from blowing away! I left them to it and headed back to the ship for a late lunch and a nap.
The Maasdam had left Manzanillo by the time I woke up. It was also too close to dinner time so in the end Paul and I didn’t go for a walk on the promenade deck. Poor Paul is just so busy of late that he’s not finished in time to go for a walk before dinner. And it’s difficult to go walking on a full stomach …
Rumours had been going around that the Maasdam was being sold. Well, it was true, but the sale has not gone through. The ship will be going into dry dock next year for her usual routine maintenance overhaul but there are plans afoot to make some big changes too. As yet I cannot reveal what these are but I can tell you that she will be able to offer guests something different in the way exploration cruising to make her “stand out”, bearing in mind stiff competition from other more modern and larger cruise ships. At the moment the Maasdam still has an edge over the larger ships – getting into ports that larger ships can’t.
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| Route to our next distination: Huatulco, Mexico |
PHOTOGRAPHS
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| Our bus into the plantations |
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| Banana plantations |
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| Plastic around the bananas protects them but also acts like a 'hot house' |
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| You can see our police escorts on motorbikes towards the front left of the bus |
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| Papaya plantations |
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| Coconut tree plantations |
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