Santa Cruz and La Crucesita are both Mexican resort towns, but targeting Mexican holidaymakers not American ones. You can tell the difference: It’s all far more relaxed, the food is better and there aren’t pharmacies every 20 yards selling generics to people living with a broken healthcare system.
They also exposed the hidden third side to Mexico. We were escorted to the pier by a Mexican military vessel, I’m not sure to which of their naval forces it belongs. The pier had armed marines and other guards on it, the port containing more. Mexico can be a very violent place.
I’m cynical enough to wonder whether they were there to protect us from criminals or to ‘protect’ us from ‘criminals’.
I like Mexico anyway. I’m biased though, I like anywhere that’s hot and quiet.
A call to my cabin, Guest Services following up on the email I sent earlier to their head office, reminding them that I was still waiting for a response to them upsetting me in Australia. The lady on this ship had merely been told, “The customer has a problem” and no details, so I provided an explanation to her. I was kind, didn’t add in Athe other issues – loyalty scheme rewards absent on the last cruise and this, dining issues on this cruise, their inability to provide unbiased news sources (or UK news at all on this cruise), etc. I’m perhaps too binary, I let most things slide to a point then the switch toggles..
As we left port the captain warned us it’d be windy. “We may have to close the decks” level of windy. I do though feel the need to apologise to the people on the Deck 7 balcony watching over the stern as we left port. I accidentally set my camera to use its mechanical shutter not the electronic one to capture seabirds diving into the sea so they left port to what must have sounded like a press conference.
Worth it though. I have photograph sequences showing gliding, diving, tucking in to hit the water, hitting the water and subsequent splash.
Before sunset a quick trip to the aft deck to check the wind, see how the sea looks, why the ship’s moving around so much. The wind is indeed strong, you have to brace against it, the waves aren’t high but are capped in white and enough spray is reaching ten storeys above sea level to make me glad my camera is weather proof. Back in the cabin I hold the lens under the bathroom tap to clean off the salt; I’ll clean it properly once it’s dry.
A nice nap and I decided to grab some dinner. I’d had a large brunch but that was nearly nine hours before and I needed an excuse to leave the cabin.
I saw the maitre’d immediately, no queue, but had a few minutes wait to be shown to a table. Even the maitre’d got impatient, took me along with another couple through the restaurant. He seated them in the two seats spare on a table for four, offered me a two person table to myself. Half an hour later someone finally took my order.
I should’ve checked the menu beforehand, saved myself the wait. In the end I gave the Ziti a go, my dislike of pasta never tested in a good restaurant.
It was edible.
Returning to my stateroom I walked past the two men that clean it. One of them asked if I was ok, if I had any problems with the cruise, the ship, with Holland America. That last question was very odd, nobody’s asked me that one before in 38 days on one of their ships. Even more interesting, when I responded with “I have an issue I’m discussing with Guest Services regarding one of your other ships” he took out a piece of paper, went to write a note. Interesting.
Another 2am walk. The wind has dropped, the sea is flat, no small birds in sight. Nothing in sight. We’re in open seas, crossing the Pacific Ocean towards Guatemala. I took a photograph.
