November 20 - There’s a storm brewing!

We stopped in Puerto Chiapas, Mexico today and once again I stayed on the ship.  The tour I wanted to take didn’t clear the waitlist so I hung out here taking care of some business things.  There is literally nothing but a dock and a tourist information building at the port.  There was a shuttle bus that took a 45-minute ride to the nearest town of consequence where I was told the highlight was a Wal-Mart.  From the ship I could see a few houses on the opposite shore of the inlet and there was a fishing boat harbor around the corner somewhere because I saw boats coming in.  When we sailed we passed what might have been a golf course, but it didn’t look like there was any development associated with it.

The tourist center

The houses across the inlet

The Don Antonio Perez XXIV coming in to port

I swear this looks like a golf course here in the middle of nowhere

The fishing harcor round the bend

I watched the pilot jump off to the little pilot boat as we passed the breakwater.  There were flights of pelicans flying along with us and I got a so-so photo of a few.  Pelicans are some of my favorite sea birds to watch.  As we set sail the captain came on in an unusual in-cabin announcement telling us that tonight we’re sailing into some weather.  He told us the winds are forecast to be about 70 mph (not quite hurricane force, but close) and pretty heavy seas.  He told us to be careful moving about and to secure loose items in our cabins.  I think dancing is not in my future tonight.

The pilot jumping off the ship. I'm fascinated because no way on God's green earth would I leap from a moving boat to another moving boat.

A flight of pelicans

If this is going to be a big resort they'd better get cracking on building because there's nothing but flat land.

Storms building to the west.

Tomorrow we’ll be in Huatulco, Mexico, and I’m going ashore!  A friend told me that we dock right in town and there are shops and cafés (or should I say cantinas) right there.  Al and I stopped there 32 years ago when the Mexican government had just decided to create a resort there and at that time the only thing built was a dock.  Obviously time has brought changes.

Hasta mañana!