(Days 4,5,6) .. Sailing to SEA OF CORTEZ (on Zuiderdam)

[MisterMatthew]

Day 3 ended, and I took some snaps of the "tip" of CABO.  These are the rocks, and some kind of an arch (or something) I think is in there.  Supposedly, it is pretty famous ... as I see in a lot of online brochures & posters in airports.

 

 

 

 

 

Okay... got a good nite's rest. & got the Lido Buffet for breakfast.  A woman.. I want to say "Jean", or "Joan", sat at my table.  She was a solo.  I believe an east-coastie (like from Maryland I believe).  She made mention her intention to go to several pharmacies.  Anyhow, after a short talk, I went and got my food.  For the first couple of mornings, I noticed that the buffet had pancakes.  But, as I looked in the warming tray -- there was always just one pancake in it.  Hmm, maybe I just did not catch them when a fresh batch came out?  Sigh.  No, wrong.  WRONG.  It turns out they only make them when you "order" them!  So, that warming tray, is just for display. 

 

 

You have your choice of banana or blueberry.  They were pretty good, actually.  Okay, I went back to my stateroom.  I lathered up the sunscreen.  I forgot to do that for CABO, lol.  And, made my way down to the tender.  This was about 10:20AM.  I liked Loreto. There was a famous church there of some sort, and I liked how it looked.  I did not go in as there seemed to be a pretty long line just to get to the welcome center --- that is attached.

 

 

To get to "this" part of town... you walk past the colored letters, and then (as I was told by a police officer) "keep walking until you come to an arch, then make a right!".  Oh, the colored letters spell out LORETO.  Several ports have these kinds of 3-d letters.  Once you go through the arch, you are then on a cobblestone street.  I am told it is one of the oldest "paved" streets in the America's. 

 

 

Eventually, I took my place, at a courtyard setting (near the church) and watched some dancers as well as mariachi's perform.  Kind of nice.  Loreto gets 361 days of sunshine a year.  Well, that's what the announcer said at the courtyard.  It was a fantastic day... perhaps 77 degrees? 

 

I continued down the road, and, it looked like the "tourist" area was about to end -- and, the start of the more "local" area began.  I did not have anything to drink or eat in Loreto. up until now.  I looked to my right, not sure what was down there.  I looked straight ahead, and saw a supermarket.  I was getting ready to just make a u-turn.  But, then thought "eh", let me explore.  Well I did, and mind you.. two minutes later I ended up at a very small / plain / simple taco stand.  On Google maps (I researched when I got home) it's name is listed as SOME LADY MAKING TACOS.  Oh my gosh, lol. 

 

Oh, by the way, as you walk through Loreto, at some of the intersections with crosswalks.. there seems to be a policeman.  I cannot say for sure, if this was for the fact that there were ships in town & to enhance safety... or, they are always there.  But, you sort of sensed that they watched out so you did not get hit!

 

The tacos place was pretty good.  And, not costly.  I began to use a bit of the Spanish that I knew & ordered.  No, I'm not fluent .. but, have learned a good handful of words!  There is no soda here.  There is no bottled water here.  Just Aquas Frescas.  I chose pineapple it was good.  Anyhow I had some of the birria tacos & carne asada tacos.

 

 

 

 

When you walk through Loreto, you get a sense of calmness.  Like it is really laid back.  Very refreshing compared to yesterday at CABO.  As I walked back, I took another route, which allowed me to see more of the locals.  A school was just letting out... and, happy children (all dressed in school uniform) sprung out into the streets. 

 

Oh, I bought some Dr Pepper at a market.  I figured I might as well take advantage.  No, they did not have Mountain Dew!

 

 

 

This allowed me to get my first Pesos in change.. and I kept every Peso (paper, and coin) that I got in change as a souvenir.  So, I wrapped up the day & went back towards the ship.  I am near the colored letters that spell out LORETO... and I hear 2 voices "Matthew, Matthew".  Hmm, I don't know anyone in this city, country, etc.  It turns out it is Wadee and Melya from the ship.  They smiled.  I told them "Don't get lost!", and they started to giggle.  Then, Wadee wanted to do a selfie on her I-phone, so we bunched up.  (Click.)

 

Back on the tender, and back on the ship.  For the most part, that was the day.  The evening, I went to the casino & tried some dice.  I played 20 minutes, and won $35.

 

Day 5 -- La Paz

 

I was up early, like, hmm... 4:45AM for no reason at all.  I see room service delivering food to a neighboring cabin.  I let him pass with his cart & such.  He says, "Good morning, Matthew".  Umm.  Hmm?  Umm?  How does this guy know my name?  I have never seen him before.. plus I was a good 25 feet AWAY from my own cabin.  Oh well, appreciated it.  "My friend, you're doing an outstanding job" I say.  I walked around, then got cleaned up.

 

Breakfast was back at Lido. 

 

 

 

Then, I caught a snipped of the Masters Gold in my cabin.  Soon, downstairs to get moving.  There is no tender.  You leave the ship at the port & then, board a shuttle.  Very easy. 

 

 

 

Choices:  Stay on the bus and go into LaPaz (which takes about 20 min).

Choices:  Get off the bus early and go to one of the beaches (which takes about 12 min).

No one got off the bus at the beach.

 

There is a guide aboard the bus that kind of explains what La Paz is like & some of the things to look for.  Plus, if you are on a tour -- what to do in the way of organization. 

 

I liked La Paz.  This is, where I did my most walking for any of the 5 ports. 

 

 

 

The city reminded me, slightly, of San Francisco.. as it has it's share of elevations.  Be mindful of how and where you walk on the sidewalks.  You will come to places where there should be a utility cover & so froth, so your foot CAN simply drop into a hole.  Plus, some sidewalks are not "even" with the street.  A step "off:" may be 2 inches, where some others will be 20 inches.  Some corners had a railing, and some did not.  It was not a big deal -- just be mindful. 

 

La Paz, is known for it's seafood.. at least that is what I read before taking the cruise. I ended up at a good restaurant.  I do not eat a lot of seafood, but will dabble here and there.  But, wait, it is time for ice cream. 

 

 

 

 

This place is on the Malecon.  Good stuff.  Many of the flavors I could not pronounce, nor even identify, lol.  But, did see one that was Pina Coconut.  I went for it.  It was delightful.  The malecon has many families/locals just out for a stroll -- mixed in with everyone else. 

 

I walked about 3 miles along the Malecon, then came upon a place that looked pretty swell.  I asked for a table & they had one available adjacent to the sidewalk.  The restaurant is called Bismarkcito.  In fact, the guide on the bus, mentioned it was one of his most favorite restaurants.  So, I had to give it a try.  Over my shoulder was the beach, and, the place seemed to have a good vibe.  I ordered my food, which turned out to be:  Strawberry margarita, guacamole and chips, and lobster tacos. 

 

 

 

 

 

This stuff was just plain amazing.  I did not want to leave.  Also, there were some fellers at an adjacent table that noticed me... "You're on the Zuiderdam, right?", they asked.  Yep.  Turned out they were college students from Santa Cruz, California.  Okay, time for the bill.  He dropped it off.  I asked him to kindly convert it to american dollars.  He, looked confused.  Then, he called over his partner.. and the partner said, "What is the conversion rate, Senor?".  Now, mind you -- I did not know EXACTLY what it was, but I said "I think it is 19 mex pesos equals 1 american dollar".  They looked at each other & just went "with it", LOL!!  So, he did some math on a calculator.  AND, i owed them $11.70 (U.S. $).  Wow.  Enormously affordable.  I just gave them $20, and went on my way.  SCORE!!!!

 

I got on the bus, about forty minutes later, and went back to the ship.  I had a wonderful day & hope to return to La Paz soon. 

 

The evening was somewhat of a repeat.  Went to the casino, saw Michelle again... played some dice.  This time I won $46.00. 

 

Soon, I retired.

 

---- Matthew

 

 

 

 

[westcoastsue]

My husband goes to La Paz often on business. Bismarck is one of his favorite places to eat.

[Kristal Blade]

Those lobster tacos look great!

We will be in Vancouver in August and sometimes you can get a serving of lobster at Subway there. I’m living in hope.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Sounds like you are having fun.

[quilty964]

Sounds like you had a great time! 

 

[0106]

Good job imbedding the photos!

 

[MisterMatthew]

Thanks everyone. 

 

Yeah, I'm getting a better hang of it (re: posting here). 

 

I decided to break up a few posts.  I was kind fearful that a huge amount of media would stall .. or just not load at all.  When I clicked "submit" it was a good 23 seconds before it actually TOOK IT & the spinning thing on my puter stopped spinning, Lol.

 

[MisterMatthew]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

Good job imbedding the photos!

 

Thank you so much.  I think pictures help tell a story.

 

---Matthew

[MisterMatthew]

1 hour ago, ktbraun said:

Sounds like you had a great time! 

 

ktbraun, I really was... it was a fantastic voyage.  More to come!

 

---Matthew

[MisterMatthew]

4 hours ago, Gail & Marty sailing away said:

Sounds like you are having fun.

Absolutely.  Absolutely.  Relaxing, and worry-free.  :)

[MisterMatthew]

5 hours ago, Kristal Blade said:

Those lobster tacos look great!

We will be in Vancouver in August and sometimes you can get a serving of lobster at Subway there. I’m living in hope.

They were REALLY great.  In fact, I may have a video to offer -- just a slight bit of food-porn, he he he.

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by MisterMatthew
quick edit

[MisterMatthew]

5 hours ago, westcoastsue said:

My husband goes to La Paz often on business. Bismarck is one of his favorite places to eat.

Westcoastsue .. it's a wonderful venue to eat at.  Very memorable.  Part of me wants to go there tonight!  Lol.

 

 

---- Matthew

[MisterMatthew]

Day 6...

 

Alright.. this morning the ship arrived in Mazatlan.  By the way, I think it's pretty awesome that they know juuuuuuust what speed to move at & get to the next port at a certain time.  Cool.  :)

 

I do not have a huge amount to report here, and soon you will know why.  Okay, first I skipped breakfast.  And, last night, I had a few of these.  Somewhere on the bridge of the Zuiderdam there is, probably, a conversion chart that better explains the word "few".

of these.  Yes, the Mojito.  In addition, I woke up at 12:20pm.  Yikes.

[Dunmore2]

I’m curious to know if the cruising bug bit you? You seem to have enjoyed your trip, hopefully this is the start of a new “hobby”.

We are definitely enjoying your reports.

Edited May 11, 2022 by Dunmore2

[QuattroRomeo]

Enjoying your review, thank you! We haven't done this itinerary yet so it is very interesting.

[westcoastsue]

I’ve been to all these ports multiple times but it is always interesting to hear about them from someone else’s perspective - especially a new cruiser. I’m so happy you had such a memorable experience.

[MisterMatthew]

On 5/10/2022 at 5:26 PM, Dunmore2 said:

I’m curious to know if the cruising bug bit you? You seem to have enjoyed your trip, hopefully this is the start of a new “hobby”.

We are definitely enjoying your reports.

 

Dunmore, yes... the bug has gotten to me.  I can feel it in my fingers, and in my toes.  It was really placid, and I'm a fan now.  In fact, I miss my Zuiderdam crew already.  (I know, they are not MINE, technically -- but, feels like a family).  So many outstanding people, not just for their level of service, but for being genuinely nice persons. 

 

---Matthew

[MisterMatthew]

On 5/11/2022 at 10:53 AM, QuattroRomeo said:

Enjoying your review, thank you! We haven't done this itinerary yet so it is very interesting.

Well, thank you so much QuattroRomeo.  It is a good itinerary.  One of the reasons I chose it --- was it allowed for a person to sail WITHOUT A PASSPORT (nor a VISA).  I'm so glad I did. 

 

Yes, my next step is to obtain one... so, I can sail all over the place!

 

---Matthew

[MisterMatthew]

3 hours ago, westcoastsue said:

I’ve been to all these ports multiple times but it is always interesting to hear about them from someone else’s perspective - especially a new cruiser. I’m so happy you had such a memorable experience.

Sue, I'm sure you have a vast wealth of knowledge of what to see & what to visit.  As the future approaches --- and (if I do this sailing again) --- I will be a bit more prepared.

 

----Matthew

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

51 minutes ago, MisterMatthew said:

 

Dunmore, yes... the bug has gotten to me.  I can feel it in my fingers, and in my toes.  It was really placid, and I'm a fan now.  In fact, I miss my Zuiderdam crew already.  (I know, they are not MINE, technically -- but, feels like a family).  So many outstanding people, not just for their level of service, but for being genuinely nice persons. 

 

---Matthew

I agree with you

[Hobcat]

Thank you Mister Matthew for taking us along on your first cruise. Love your writing style. DH and I enjoyed this itinerary a number of years ago & were looking at doing it again when the pandemic hit. Still on our list.