As I've stated all throughout the week, traveling by way of the MV Explorer is eerily familiar.
Our 1-day port stay in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico was proof of just that. I began the day as I did many times before, rising early to head up to the 7th deck forward, always happily surprised that some new beautiful city is waiting ahead of the bow. This was hardly the exception- Cabo stood out, glimmering in the early morning sunlight. The most recognizable of the features was the rock formations that were centered at the northernmost point of the city. The formations jutted out of the water hundreds of feet high, and took my breath away (well, it was either that or the ship's monster horn that I forgot to be prepared for). Check out the rocks:
Unlike any port I've ever visited aboard the ship, we had to "Tender" to land- that means that instead of pulling alongside a pier, the ship anchors a mile or so off shore and then uses it's lifeboats to shuttle passengers from the gangway on the second deck to a marina a few minutes away. While this was a common practice that is well rehearsed by the crew, we ran into some unexpected issues when a small yacht-carrying ship was not out in time for our arrival. From the 7th deck forward, I could see and hear the captain and the officers on the bridge yelling down to sailors on the smaller craft. Some heated words may have been exchanged as frustrations rose... eventually port security came out by small boat and coerced the other boat to, well, "get the F out of our way."
Within an hour or so, we found ourselves on the gangway on deck 2, boarding MVX lifeboats headed to shore. It was an interesting experience, and provided some amazing sights of the ship from the water. We arrived on land, and I was awash with all sorts of emotions. My good travelers sense that I gained while on SAS last year came back like instincts. I found myself brushing off hagglers 3-at-a-time, and using my mediochore spanish to barter for taxis into town. We settled on a horse buggy that took Jill, Win, Heather and I to the main beach for a measely 5 bucks... gotta love it.
After a fantastic lunch... god I love mexican food... we hung out on the beach, all the time watching the beautiful ship sitting right out in the middle of it all, just under a mile off the shore sitting there in the water. One of the highlights of the day was the way in which Win was awoken from his afternoon beachside Cabo nap. Apparently 3 chihuahuas got loose and decided to start licking Win. Win, never known for his cool demeanor, instead opting to be a jumpy... spirited individual, freaked out, apparently thinking he awoke in some crazy nightmare where tiny mexican dogs attack humans. I watched this all with quiet amusement 10 feet away under the protection of my umbrella.
Finally, we gave up and got in the water, which was beautiful and refreshing. While wading there, I realized that I had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity before me... to rent JetSkis and fly out to the ship and circle around it on the water. Everything on the logical side of my head told me not to do it- sketchy mexicans, unsafe machines, the margarita I had at lunch... but as Semester at Sea taught me, sometimes you just have to shut up and go.
30 minutes later, Heather, Win, Jill and I were on two waverunners, flying around the MV out on the water. We dodged the harbor traffic and the ship's tenders, stopping often to just sit up and look at what we so easily call "home" against a stunning Cabo background. What a moment. It ranks right up there with some of my favorite memories on SAS... and I'm truly happy I did it. We julled back up on the beach, excited to find most of our fellow reunion voyagers hanging out on the beach partying. We joined in the fun for the last hour or so, and then caught a water taxi to the marina where we grabbed some last-minute tacos before boarding the tender back to the ship.
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Back on the ship, the famous 7th deck BBQ was set up, along with the band that has been with us all week long. I spent a lot of time hanging with my friends watching us sail from Cabo, so happy that I have the good fortune of being connected to the program, and even happier I was back on it again- even if for just 5 days.
Cabo was a great experience, and I really enjoyed being in Mexico. The cultural differences are palpable, and it was yet another fun time exploring a new place. Stay tuned, tonight's the "Captain's Dinner," and the farewell stuff as we prepare to disembark tomorrow morning.
I'll write again later.
Greg
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