Mexico
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Mexico City – Acapulco Monday 10/3/03 Slept well and did not wake too early. Had breakfast downstairs and then walked back to the markets. We spent a slow hour and a half browsing carefully, looking for hidden gems. Leila picked out a beautiful blanket. We went back to the hotel for a mini-siesta and then checked out just after midday. We still had a few hours to kill so we had a last beer in the restaurant. The taxi driver battled through immense traffic as he took us to the airport. Checking in for our flight was rapid and simple. Find our gate was a little complex, but asking around got us on the right track. The flight to Acapulco was good, flying relatively low we passed over some very mountainous terrain. Just over half an hour of flight brought us to the pinkest airport on earth. Leila organized transport while we waited for our luggage. Had a huge surprise as we bumped into Robert and Lisa. They were flying out back to Chicago and had been staying at the Hyatt. Robert warned us that spring-breakers were in town and that the Hyatt had been filled with them. He asked us what hotel we were staying at and said that we were safe there. He was right. The shuttle drove us through town, dropping off a few other travellers on the way to the Zocalo where our hotel, La Mision, was situated. The hotel was beautiful and old, centered around a fantastic courtyard shaded by a couple of magnificent mango triees. The room was large and very old world. Leila was volubly pleased. It was all very very cool. In shorts and sandles we stepped out into the afternoon and went looking for my ocean, the Pacific. After a bit of a stroll past the marina and a giant american cruise ship we found the beach. The light faded slowly as we wet our feet and then just sat on the sand for a while. This must be a local beach as we were the only gringos around. There was plenty of life all around. Kids playing soccer, joggers and walkers and a few people swimming in the darkening sea. Very nice. We were a little hungry and so we had dinner on a narrow pier over the water. We sipped on giant daiquiris and chatted until well after dark, even got serenaded by a guitar-toting lothario. A little tipsy we staggered back to the hotel and crashed. Lullabied to sleep by chirping geckos.
 Tuesday 11/3/03 Lingered in bed for a while listening to the hustle and street noise. Walked to the Zocalo square and had breakfast beside the church, Leila people-watched as I maintained the daily ritual of writing out the previous days events. After breakfast we wandered through a maze of tight little alleyways trying to find the fort by a route that was NOT beside the main road. Traffic here is not dissimilar to that in Mexico City. Found the fort eventually and went into its air-conditioned museum. Highly sophisticated presentation in both Spanish and English, so we spent quite a while going from room to room and learning about the local history. Afterwards we went up to the top of the fort and had a good view of the bay and Acapulco. Another very bright and warm day. Away from the fort we found a nearby supermarket so I could buy a hat and boardshorts, Leila picked up some avocado and fruit. We brought it back to the hotel and lay down for a brief while. Back in harness we walked in the opposite direction towards the La Quebrada cliffs where the clavadistas (cliff divers) do their thing. It was at low tide so nobody was jumping. We had lunch in a restaurant overlooking the cliffs and then went looking for another cove (Playa La Angosta) where we sat on some isolated rocks by the water and watched the sea for a while. Walked back to the hotel for a long nap.
 Stirring once more about an hour before sunset Leila decided it was time we did some serious beach walking. So we walked almost the full length of Acapulco beach (about 6 km). It was full dark by the time we dragged ourselves up through some anonymous hotel and onto street level. Hungry, thirsty and dog-tired we found a space in the restaurant there and had some light italian for dinner. Lots of gringo spring-breakers, lots of traffic noise – not wonderful. Walked back towards the Zocalo, passing lots of loud and dark bars, gringos everywhere, kids trying to sell sweets, cigarrrettes, whatever they can. The walk back to the beginning of our beach-walk, following the footpath by the street, was loooong. We stopped at the 100% Natural restaurant for some daiquiris … but we think they may have forgotten the rum that night. Dragged our tired selves back to the hotel and, after a cold shower, collapsed. We had walked about 16 km that day. 
Acapulco Had breakfast near the Zocalo square and discussed our plans, deciding that we would take a day-trip away from Acapulco. Less than 20 km away the guidebook mentions another little bay which sounded pretty good, Puerto Marques. After not finding a bus for 30 min I twisted Leila’s arm into a taxi. The beach at Puerto Marques is very pretty, except it is a hot bed of grass roots commercialism. We purchased a parasol-shaded spot and sat in some chairs facing the sea. A steady stream of hawkers passed us, each of them stopping to ask if we could buy everything they had. Occassionally you would get a 10 to 15 min stretch of peace, but no more. Time, however, passed and as it did the steady flow of vendors reduced to a trickle and we enjoyed a long slow day of watching the tide come in a little and then go out a little. Leila went for a swim and I just lazed in the shadows. By about 2.30 or 3pm we decided, reluctantly, to leave. Besides I was roasted red and so was she. Couldn’t understand it at first because I had been in the shade all day. But water reflects even UV, doh! We caught the bus back to Acapulco, shopped for some bread, avacado, fruit and (most important) skin cream, and then hid in our room. It was after 9pm when we snuck out for a cheap and basic dinner just around the corner. Sleeping was delicate. The mango trees dropped a few heavy ones in the night too. Boom.
Acapulco Slept in, had avacado and cheese sandwiches for breakfast in the room. Decided to at least check the Boca Chica hotel to see if we wanted to plump for a little more luxury in our last days. The Boca Chica is out on the Peninsula de las Playas and, as it turned out, about an hours walk from the Zocalo. Along the way I discovered a blister and an unwillingness to continue. Leila put up with it for a bit. We rested in the shade and debated our exact location for a while. It was only another 5 min walk that brought us to the Caleta, quite close to where the Boca Chica was supposed to be. We pondered checking into the first hotel we saw, but our target had to be close. A few minutes along the beach and we could see it. Turned out to be an awesome place. Great room, nice view, private pool, sea-side bar and restaurant. It took us about a nanosecond to make up our minds. Grabbed a maniac bus (fast and only under nominal control) back to the Zocalo to the Mision where we packed up, checked out and netted the first cab back to the Boca Chica. Had a very nice lunch down in the restaurant and then walked around looking at the rest of the facilities. The hotel was fairly empty and quiet, very nice. Retired to the room to laze in the cool, watch tv and read on our balcony which overlooked the water. In the evening we went down for a light meal and later that night we messed about in the pool. Slept very well. 
Acapulco Woke late, went down for breakfast. Lots of cats around begging loudly for scraps. Back to the room for our morning siesta. Hit the pool for half an hour before noon and then thought we should try and do something with the day. Caught an air-conditioned bus to the far end of Acapulco beach looking for a place which might sell english-language books. Found a small selection in a big, almost empty Sanborns department store. Leila spotted that they had a big cineplex AND Daredevil was finally playing. We checked the start time and found that we had three quarters of an hour to grab a fast lunch and daiquiris across the road. After the movie, which we watched with about six other people … hmmmm, we walked for a while looking for shopping. Gave up and caught a bus back to the Caleta and then walked the last few minutes to the hotel. Watched too much tv. Walked to some other place not far away for dinner.
Acapulco The next day we caught a bus heading north of Acapulco to a place called Playa la Piedra. Very hot day but a pretty nice beach.
Acapulco This was our last full day in Acapulco and we didn't do very much with it, just hung around the hotel by the pool. At lunch we walked to the nearby markets and had a look at the beach. That afternoon a taxi took us to the airport and we started the long journey back to Switzerland and home. It had been a fantastic trip, Mexico is great.
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