Acapulco

It took us approximately 17 hours to get here. As we are entering this large Bay our friends from S/V Wanderlust are leaving and S/V Gijima had arrived one hour before us. Acapulco has the reputation of not being a very friendly bay to cruisers. There is a Yacht Club with all the amenities that I wish to have, but it would have cost us US$160 per night.. outrageous! Instead we opted for renting a buoy for less than US$25 a day. Anchoring would have been our choice, but the only spots available were at 60 feet deep. A rule for anchoring is 5 to 7 feet of chain for each foot of depth. We only carry 150 feet.

To get to shore we had to take our dinghy to the dock of a Marina that is under reconstruction and pay 80 pesos for the day with nothing included. Just the security.. (ironically it has been the only place were we felt threatened as I will describe later). On our first day, along with the crew from Gijima, we headed to “El Zocalo” (downtown). We walked through the plaza, covered with foliage. It would have been a pleasant walk except for the stressful debate in my mind of weather to give or not to the people begging every couple of steps. Pass the plaza, we walked in the side street full of taquerias, ladies selling cut up fruits, hot chocolate, aguas frescas, pirated Cds and Dvds, jewelery, etc. We all sat down on a street corner and had the always well desired ice cream. After getting our hands all sticky, a few drops on our clothes and a ring of cream around the children’s mouth, we hopped in a white and blue Volkswagen beetle (the taxi) and headed to La Quebrada, the place were the divers jump off the cliff. For 35 pesos, we could watch the nerved racking show of seeing 6 young men jump. They say a few prayers, then they turn around, stand at the edge of the cliff and… oh my God! They go down. I wonder if during those seconds it takes them to get to the water slamming against the rocks develop any regrets?. The girls were amazed and so were we. I have heard about them, seen pictures and videos, but nothing compares with the adrenaline I felt being there.