Thread: Live from ms Ryndam - Sea of Cortez/Mexican Riviera 13-23 FEB 09

THU 12 FEB 09 - Leaving for San Diego

Left home at approx. 11:30 and got on the 405/I-5 southbound. Traffic was surprisingly light for a week day and before we knew it we were passing Pendleton and stopped in Encinitas for a quick lunch at Chipotle’s. A couple of blocks next door was a Barnes & Noble book store so we decided to spend about 45 minutes in there. Maria saw a major chick flick DVD called ‘Nights in the Roadium, Forum’ or something like that (Richard Gere, the dude from ‘Officer and a Gentleman’ is in it and so is Diane Lane from ‘Under the Tuscan Sun’, yet another perennial “ooooh, so cute” movie) and just had to have that because she and her sister missed that show completely when it was out in the theaters, sooooo ‘happy days are here again’ (hey, Valentine’s coming up – what’s Valentine’s without a major league chick flick, right? Besides, I brought the “Generation Kill” mini series on DD). From Encinitas, it was a quick hop, skip and a jump to the ‘Old Town’ off-ramp of Interstate 5 and a somewhat mandatory stop at the ‘Mexican tile & pottery’ place at Old Town San Diego. Yes, the child bride got herself some more pots for the backyard, life is good!

From there, we drove to the Embassy Suites across from Seaport Village (The Holiday Inn on the Bay was sold out – waited too long to make a reservation, story of my life) and got us ourselves checked in at a nice room on the 12th (top) floor overlooking the Bay and the USS Midway (CV-41). You can’t beat the Holiday Inn on the Bay when it comes to a view of the cruise ship terminal but this one, although set further back, is nice also. Noticed a huge new statue, just south of the Midway on the stretch of land where a seafood restaurant is located. Don’t know how new it is (maybe one of the local San Diegans can answer that one) but it’s a replica of that famous VJ pic in 1945 of a U.S. sailor having a nurse in his arms and planting a big kiss on her while celebrating the end of the war. Very cool and in a great location just on the other side of a famous carrier that started her life during World War II. There was one cruise ship in port today, a Carnival ship, looked to be the Elation or one in her class of ships. She pulled out close to 6:00 PM on her way out of the Bay and then southbound to Mexico (without looking at her itinerary on line, not sure if she’s doing a 7-day Mexican Riviera or a shorter trip to Catalina and Ensenada, possibly having started in L.A./Long Beach). The weather today was cloudy and a little on the colder side but definitely not uncomfortable and, I’m sure, not the same as y’all in the North East, the Great Lakes and Mid-West.

Had an 8:00 PM reservation at Ruth Chris located at the base of said Holiday Inn on the Bay, one of our favorite steak houses. We both had something called a Peartini at the bar before being taken to a nice window table. Had an as usual excellent Ruth Chris dinner (petite filet mignon and filet mignon with salad, side dishes of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach and an after dinner drink). Life is still good!

FRI 13 FEB 09 – Embarkation Day

Happened to wake up around six forty five; took a look out of the window only to see Ryndam turning the corner alongside Naval Air Station North Island, on her approach to the B-street pier and her ‘normal’ berth on the north side of the cruise terminal. She was safely tied up by 7:30 AM.

Back at the hotel around 12:20, picked up the bags and Maria, checked out, and drove passed the security guards at the entrance into the terminal area in order to drop off the luggage with a porter. Made a quick stop at the Ralph’s Market a couple of blocks east of the Embassy Suites and then parked in the large public lot across the street from the cruise terminal. We walked back across the street at about 1:30 PM to check in.

Once aboard Ryndam, our cards were electronically swiped by one of the ship’s uniformed security guards at the gangway. There were some dining room stewards plus one of the two Yum Yum guys standing near the rear elevators and the elevator itself had another steward “operating the buttons”. Our room, a verandah suite on Navigation Deck, was ready to go and we soon met our room steward, Bambang. Did some unpacking and then attended the always interesting muster/lifeboat drill at 4:15. This particular drill took exactly eighteen minutes, amazing how that works when everyone pays attention. Our Boat (#7) commander turned out to be one of the Filipino chefs and he was assisted by two room stewards, one of which used a small bullhorn to repeat the room numbers (and their occupants) he was still looking for when calling roll/taking muster.


We returned to our cabin around 4:55 to hear the phone ringing. On the other side was Melanie, the Guest Relations Manager. So she says “I have a surprise for you, a nice one”. So, I immediately think that we’ve either won the lottery and/or a free cruise. She tells me; however, “I have a deluxe verandah suite available for you, all the way forward on the opposite side”. Well, we of of course, won’t say no to that so we throw everything we have unpacked back in the suitcases and wait for a knock on the door. A Housekeeping supervisor soon did just that, helped us carry our stuff, and off we went, moving on up to the eastside. Having arrived there, we unpacked one more time and settled in – Life is still good as we know it! Made a quick stop in the Neptune to meet Angel and Jenna and to get temp. door keys/I.D. cards.

Sail-a-way was around 5:01 with Capt. Vincent Smit slowly backing his baby out and away from her birth and into the bay taking care not to back up all the way and run into the USS Nimitz (CVN-66) or the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76). He then proceeded down the Bay towards open seas where he dropped off the local San Diego pilot. Ryndam’s navigators then set a southerly course alongside the Southern Californian, and soon Mexico’s Baja California’s coast.

We decided to do something new tonight and that was having (alternate) dinner in the Lido Restaurant, arriving there at about 7:30 PM. They have changed things around a little bit again in that they no longer have a podium set up where one of the dining room stewards would take your order for entrees. It is now basically the same set-up as for breakfast and lunch with you getting your tray and then “going down the line” picking up your rolls, salad, fruits, drinks, dessert, etc. until reaching the soups and entrees which are served by the chefs. The atmosphere in the Lido is still the same with white table clothes, little covered candles and soft “mood music” playing from the speakers. Dinner was really good and the entire “casual dining” experience, jeans and all, is a nice experience.

Dinner selections tonight were as follows:

Appetizers:
Tropical Fruit Medley
Scallop Ceviche with Lime and Coconut Cream
Captain’s Antipasto Plate
Steamed Black Mussels

Soups and Salad:
Broadway Basil Tomato Soup
Pepper Pot Soup
Chilled Peach and Ginger Soup
Mixed Greens Salad with Fresh Pear

Entrees:
Penne with Plum Tomato and Basil
Ginger Grilled Breast of Chicken with Mango Lime Relish
Prime Rib of Beef au Jus
Grilled Pork Chop with Pineapple Rum Glaze
Sesame Coated Wahoo
Cobb Salad
Eggplant Cannelloni Parmigiano

Desserts:
Caramel Chocolate Toffee
Coffee Cheese Cake
Strawberry Romanoff
Black Forrest Cake
Sliced Fruit Plate
Assorted Cheese Plate
Assorted Ice Cream

After dinner, had a drink in the Ocean Bar and met Maria, one of the bar stewards in there, and did some chatting. We checked out the shops and then went to the Vermeer Lounge. The show tonight consisted of a welcome aboard number by Ryndam’s cast called “Let us entertain you”. This basically consisted of one quick singing/dancing number after which the cruise director, Drew Smith, introduced his heavily reduced staff of the D.J., Party Planner and Travel Guide to his audience. He then introduced the Ryndam cast two at a time, followed by three ‘audience participating’ games called “Stack those plates” (they put a hockey-looking helmet with a plate attached to same on the guy’s head, the wife starts stacking plastic fruit one at a time, on top of his melon – he then takes about five-six steps and had to dump that plastic fruit in a bin – the one with the most “fruits’ wins), “Hit that Ball” (two ladies – from the audience - trot out on stage dressed like “Scottish golfers” and proceed to hit a soft plastic golf ball into the audience with an oversized plastic golf club – the one who hits it the furthest without chopping off the head of a member of the audience. Wins) “Make that Bed” (two couples race the clock – one minute – to make up one bed each, rolled out on stage, plus put together a towel animal). It all looks and feels kinda Hokey Pokey’ but it seems to be standard fare now on the dam ships on embarkation night.

After the dinner, we made our way up to the Crow’s Nest for a Tia Maria and a White Russian. Actually, for a first night, there were some folks in there plus the DJ. The Crow’s Nest still looks the same as last time with two sets of white drapes, which can be sectioned off in three different areas for semi-private meetings. The bar is located on the starboard side of the CN (it and the DJ station have swapped locations). Next to the bar are two long podiums (no chairs) where guests can have a ‘standing drink”. Similar to Rotterdam, there is a fake Greek-looking pillar next to the dance floor that looks out of place and will present itself as an obvious unmovable stationary obstacle after the consumption of one or more Wang Wangs. …….we shall see! Behind the dance floor against the center wall is a projector screen (which was not in operation tonight). Called it a night at around 11:30 and discovered that we actually loose an hour tonight with the clocks being set forward by one hour. Rediscovered those awesome Signature of Excellence mattresses.

SAT 14 FEB 09 - Day Two – At Sea (Valentine’s Day)

Woke up to pretty smooth seas (just a bit of gentle motion) as we’re making our way southbound in the Pacific down the coast of Baja California (still alongside the state of Baja California). The skies were still somewhat overcast but we are fast outrunning the front that came down the California coast from up north and the sun was making attempts to break out. Breakfast for us was at about 9:55 in the Lido restaurant. Trays!! Yes, there are trays on Ryndam in the Lido and they (along with the customary saucer and bowl) are handed out by two asst. dining room stewards, one each at both sides of the restaurant.


Allllllrighty then, today being Cupid’s Day also know as Valentine’s Day, tonight was the first of three formal nights (the others being seven smart casuals) with the captain’s champagne toast scheduled at 7:30 (for our seating, so pre-dinner) and at 8:30 PM (for the first seating so after dinner for them). The Vermeer Lounge itself was pretty much filled to capacity when we got there at just about 7:30 so this was an eager crowd. They had trays of glasses of champagne at both entrances.

The captain was duly introduced by CD Drew, took his place behind a podium and gave a short speech which, at times, showed his obvious sense of (“Dutch”) humor. Btw, Seattle luckily has left the officer’s formal uniforms alone for now with those still consisting of the short white tux jacket with brass buttons, black bow tie, white tux shirt and black dress pants. Capt. Smit then called up on stage and introduced his hotel manager, chief engineer, chief officer, environmental officer, onboard cruise consultant, cruise director and the employee of the month, an Indonesian gent working in the Engineering Dept.

Now then, the Capt. goes “Ja shore, I tink it is tyme for da toost now butt I sea da glaaces on sum of you’s “r” embthea, whot to doo, nou?” Well, before anyone could say “Holy Moly”, marching up to the front of the stage come about eight wine stewards all dressed up to the nines in tuxes complete with tails, each holding their individually supplied regular size champagne bottles at port arms. Next thing you know, up on stage marches the ship’s cellar master holding the by now familiar a gigantic fake champagne bottle.

This turned out to be a huge mistake because as soon as the fair captain speaks words of “the captain’s welcome aboard toast”, the cellar master starts the launch sequence of the giant bottle by manipulating some kind of ingenious triggering (by a string) device at the bottle’s base which didn’t take very long (a short fuse, I presume). “Bang” went said bottle and out comes a cloud of silver confetti storm which for an instant hung stationary in the show lounge air only to then completely cover the eight or so bar stewards standing in front of the stage, all having looks on their faces like “Merde (or likewise sentiments in Tagalog) I know what’s coming, why couldn’t I be a room steward or a quartermaster” So, the hair, faces, tuxedos, shirts and whatever else of those stewards as well as those unfortunate enough to be sitting in the splash zone of the first eight rows of the theater get drained in silver confetti, the Capt. and staff disappear exit stage right and the party is over.


The entertainment tonight was the first full production show by the cast and was called “The hits of Broadway, the designs of Mackie”. It was basically a concert of songs made famous by the various Broadway shows, and costumed by Bob Mackie.

So next on the schedule were dinner and the chance to meet our table mates. The entrance to the Rotterdam dining room was all decorated with red and white balloons as well as screamers, sorry, streamers, kinda like the Black & White Ball but then in Red & White. We introduce ourselves to Lanney and Larry from Omaha, Neb, he, a retired Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army and Korean War vet, as well as to Bob and Jan, a couple from Portland, Ore, he a sitting (but also sometimes standing) judge specializing in corporate as well as OSHA laws. I make a mental note to myself that I better be on my best behavior here. Bob is also a longtime University of Oregon Ducks football season ticket holder. (I am a UCLA Bruins football season ticket holder so we will definitely have things to talk about). The Indonesian dining room supervisor had told us that our table would be hosted by a staff member tonight and that turned out to be Mr. David Opperman, the onboard cruise consultant. David turned out to be an excellent host as well as a very interesting gentleman with, besides “OCC”, being, or having been, a land-based owner of several travel agencies that specialize in the Dam ships, the band leader (and piano player) of a six-eight piece jazz band and a former news anchor/broadcaster in Saginaw, Michigan. Our table proceeded to have some great conversation.

The dinner selection for tonight – the dinner itself was known as ‘The Captain’s Gala Dinner’ – consisted of:

Appetizers:
Melange of Tropical Fruit
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail
Beef Carpaccio
Baja Fish Cakes

Soups and Salad:
Cream of Four Mushroom Soup
Chicken and Callaloo Soup
Chilled Mango Gazpacho
Salad of Arugula and Frisee

Entrees:
Fettuccine Frutti Di Mare
Oven Roasted Tender Chicken Breast
Filet of Beef Wellington
Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb
Baked Mahi-Mahi Filled With Shrimp Mousse
Seared Beef Tataki Salad
CousCous Florentine

Desserts:
Master Chef Rudi’s Double Strawberry Cheesecake
Chocolate Souffle
Couple more but I lost the menu
Sliced Fruit Plate
Assorted Cheese Plate
Assorted Ice Cream


After dinner, we made our regular jaunt up to the Crow’s Nest where tonight was 50’s and 60’s Prom Night with the cruise activities staff. Similar to the dining room, the entire place was decorated with red and white balloons and streamers. There were several officers out and about and standing right next to us was a one striper (plus Nelson loop signifying Deck Department). We struck up a conversation with this gentleman that wound up lasting over an hour. He was a Dutchman by the name of Walter who served as one of two third officers on the Bridge with prior experience (up to chief officer) on cargo ships, sailing all over the world. He has been with HAL for over a year now and is pretty close to marrying a Canadian girl from Vancouver, BC whom he met on one of the ships. The funny part is that he comes from Schagen, a small Dutch town in the province of Noord Holland. Schagen is situated just south of, and about a 20-minute drive away from, an even smaller coastal town called Callantsoog, a town where my family and I spent just about every summer vacation while growing up in Holland. He went to nautical school in Den Helder, the Dutch main naval base north of Callantsoog and the city where my dad was from. What do they say, it’s a small world? Called it a night about 12:10 AM and withdrew forthwith to our cabin.

Nice review, John!

I'll be watching for the rest of the story.

SUN 15 FEB 09 – Day Three – At Sea

Ryndam has been heading south-east since early morning while basically paralleling the coast of now the state of Baja California Sur at a distance of about fifteen nautical miles. In the Lido both sides are divided into “semi stations” along the same line as they have on the Vista’s (but with obvious limitations due to space) i.e. an omelet/eggs/toast station, a “hot” breakfast station, a juice/yogurt station, etc. The kitchen staff guys encourage you to “move on” and “jump line” when you don’t need and/or want an item from “their” particular area. In doing so, however, the folks you pass by at times catch up with you at the next station and now you’re ahead of them. Some, by the look on their faces, don’t like that but spontaneous riots and garbage can throwing hasn’t materialized yet!

As far as live entertainment, there are Jenny and the HALCats (they played at the Lido Pool from 1:30 ‘till 3:30 and in the Crow’s Nest during the “Valentine’s Ball”. Pianist Alan Christie in the Ocean Bar from 4:30 until 6:30 and in the Piano Bar from 7:00-8:00, the Neptunes in the Ocean Bar fro 6:30 ‘till 11:30, Adagio (Strings) in the Explorer’s Lounge from 7:00-7:30 and 9:00-11:00, and Ryndam’s ‘regular piano gal’ Fritzie, in the Piano Bar from 9:00 PM until 1:00 AM. Adagio has been playing live (as opposed to dead) classical music in the Rotterdam dining room at the beginning of dinner each evening so far.

Our two room stewards, Aji and DWI (not to be mistaken with Driving While under the Influence) have been taken excellent care of our room. They share all the Deluxe Verandah suites on port side – Bambang, by himself, takes over with the mini-suites on port side. 12:00 Noon found us at the entrance to the Pinnacle Grill for what was called ‘The Indonesian Suite Luncheon”. Outside the door was a welcoming committee of GRM Melanie and both the NL concierges Angel and Jenn while inside we found Capt. Smit, HM Wood, CD Smith and Future Cruise Consultant Opperman. Also present were PG manager Peter and Culinary Operations Manager Santosh Chandrasekher Nair. By the looks of things, there were about 26-34 guests at this function. We were escorted to a couple of adjoining tables for eight and soon joined by GRM Melanie and COM Santosh for lunch. All the stewards were wearing those great-looking Batik shirts. The set menu consisted of Soto Ayam (Indonesian chicken vegetable soup), Gado Gado (Indonesian salad with green beans, cucumber, cabbage and hard boiled egg, served with peanut sauce), Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Ayam Goreng (a fried chicken drum stick), Beef Sumatra (spicy beef), Sate Babi (pork sate with spicy peanut sauce), Acar (pickled cucumber), Krupuk (shrimp crackers/chips) and Pisang Goreng (fried banana). For dessert, there would be Puding Gula Jawa (rice pudding with caramilised brown sugar). On each table there were three small dishes with chopped coconut, soy sauce and the always interesting Sambal - if anyone is interested in clearing out their sinuses, that stuff works wonders, problem is, if you take too much, you will be punished right away by tears streaming from your eyes and folks might think you’ve been watching Nights in Rodanthe which just can’t happen!


At approximately 12:25 PM, Ryndam passed Cabo San Lucas at a very close distance to port and entered the Gulf of California adjusting her course to the southeast. From pretty close away, a pot of whales and a school of dolphins were observed, Good stuff! We were guilty of pretty much doing absolutely nothing worthwhile for the rest of the afternoon.

Entertainment was another pre-dinner show at 7:00 PM (I guess after dinner shows for the 2nd/traditional seating is no longer an option!). The entertainer was Ken Groves, a comedy ventriloquist. Now, we like ventriloquists a lot, especially when they have the ability to make their ‘dummy’ come alive. Ken was able to do just that with his ‘friend’ George, even down to the southern accent! Great job and a very funny show!

Dinner tonight was back to the six of us, no guest host. We had a nice dinner conversation at the table and time went by fast. Dinner has so far been averaging about an hour thirty-thirty five. Our main dining room steward is Rio (easy to remember) – I have to write his assistant’s name down as well as our area supervisor’s. The dining room manager is Tri Wyono, who has been with HAL for quite some time. Dinner selections tonight were:

Appetizers:
Watermelon Cocktail
Sweet Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella
Tuna Tartare with Prawn
Beef and Chile Quesadillas

Soups and Salad:
Polynesian Fish Chowder
Pasta Fagioli
Chilled Apple Vichyssoise
California Gourmet Greens

Entrees:
Home-Made Lasagna
Baja Chicken Breast
Korean Kalbi Short Ribs
Calf’s Liver with Apples and Bacon
Seared Flounder Fish
Santa Fe Salad
Asian Vegetable Noodles

Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Chocolate Avalanche Cake
Stawberries Pavlova
Caramel Peach Melba
Strawberry Shortcake
Sliced Fruit Plate
Assorted Cheese Plate
Assorted Ice Cream

Just for those who are worried about potentially losing another HAL tradition; the two Yum Yum Men, in full uniform, are standing at their post(s) at the exits of both floors, dishing out their mints, figs and apples. We did some meandering from Explorations Café, through the Casino and wound up in the Ocean Bar for a night cap – Tripple Sec straight up with a little ice. Then called it a night since tomorrow starts the first of six ports of call in a row, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. There was, btw, a line dance party in the Crow’s Nest going on where they were electric slide dancing and boot scooting boogies.

MON 16 FEB 09 – Day Four – Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco

Ryndam pulled into the Terminal Maritima at approximately 7:05 AM.

We had our customary breakfast in the Lido and then got ready for our shore excursion for which we had to be at pier-side by 0850. We’ve been to PV many times now, so decided to do something entirely different and that was called a ‘Mini 4x4 Adventure’. On shore, we met our guide, Luis, and were then guided to a waiting bus, along with those pax and guides taking the ‘Sierra Madre Hiking Adventure’, the ‘Countryside on Horseback’, the ‘ATV & Village Adventure’ and the ‘Off Road Bicycle Adventure’ excursions. The bus (driver) drove us north-bound past McDonalds, Subway, Burger King, KFC, Home Depot and other typical Mexican landmarks, until a right turn was made and the landscape started changing into small farm houses, all kinds of repair shops, agricultural lands, etc. After an approx. 45 minute drive, we reached our destination, the Hacienda Dona Engracia, a combination (tequila) distillery, restaurant, bar and ranch. Parked out in front was a white Chevy F-150 pickup in the markings of the Policia Municipal y Transito de Puerto Vallarta, both of it’s occupants were seated on a bench on the hacienda’s grounds, one of them carrying a Heckler & Koch MP-5 sub-machine gun similar to the ones we use at work. Luis would later comment that the coppers were assigned to the Hacienda and its excursions and would be joining some of the groups moving out. Memories of our ride from Alexandria to Cairo, Egypt made an appearance!

As it turned out, there were only three of us doing the Mini 4x4 shorex, Maria, yours truly, and a gentleman from Boston, Mass (via New York City) by the name of Bernie. The other four groups soon departed after getting their respective equipment consisting of their feet, various horses, red-colored ATV’s (All Terrain Vehicles) and mountain bikes. Luis led us to the back of the hacienda past some real-life ostriches to our mode of transportation, some green-colored Yamaha Rhino 4x4 two-seaters. We took our seats in one of them, Bernie in a second and Luis would lead in a third. We were handed blue-colored bandanas (to cover our mouths and noses), a pair of (mandatory) goggles and a white-colored (mandatory) helmet. We buckled in, were given a simple safety brief of what does what, started up the Rhino, and moved out through a side-gate following Luis convoy-style. What followed was an approximate two-hour ride down Sierra Madre’s foothills’ (mostly) dirt roads, some (village) cobble-stoned, some not. We made three stops enroute, two at small farming villages, one of them called ‘El Colorado’, a ‘Communidad Saludable Certificado’ of about 700 inhabitants where we were able to purchase a bottle of water or soda. We soon took off again via very narrow farm roads, past all kinds of vegetation, cows walking around loose, loose sand, streams, etc. We would encounter sporadically, locals either on foot or in trucks and/or motorcycles. Our clothes (t-shirts/jeans) within short times, were covered in a layer of sand, dust and mud and it was a good thing that we wearing the helmet, goggles and bandana. What matter more, however, is that we were having a great bunch of fun. After approaching one of the streams, Luis stopped us and asked if he wanted us to take our picture as our 4x4’s crossed the stream. “Sure” we said and, after he had crossed and got out on the other side, it was our turn. So, full speed ahead we went, whipping up the water and getting a cool shower in the process.

Another stop was made at the modest home of a local farmer deep in the middle of the Sierra Madre boonies where all four of us had a cold Cerveza and tried to getfriendly with a mule, that is to say, tried to pet the mule. After this 20 minute stop, off we went again, until slowly heading back to the Hacienda. All in all, a very cool shorex if you like a little bit of off the beaten pad and/or have seen all there is to see in Puerto Vallarta. We got a chance to wash our hands and faces and then got a Mexican lunch in The bar/restaurant consisting of two tacos with either beef or chicken (or both). Next up was some Dona Engracia tequila tasting in the ‘tasting rooms’ of the distillery complete with learning a Mexican toast: “Ariba, ariba, abajo, a centro, a dentro” followed by the voluntary entry of the liquids.

Basically, all of us got one shot each of Tequila Blanco (white, best for making Margarita’s), Tequila Reposado (rested) Tequila Anejo (aged) and Tequila Peach (for lack of a better word). Needless to say, everyone in our group who participated felt pretty good afterwards and on the bus ride to ‘el barco’.

We had some time to ‘vege’ but not too much because in our infinite wisdom we had signed up for a second shorex called “Rhythms of the Night” which met at 3:50 PM on the pier, shore-side. We had done that one once before here and liked it, a lot. It wasn’t offered on-line pre-cruise but, once onboard, we received a flier advertising it in our mailbox so we jumped on it. There were about 30 or so in our group and we were led to a medium-size two-deck cruiser that already contained another group of folks, not from the ship, but staying in PV. The one-hour sunset cruise across took us to the isolated cove of Las Caletas, the former hideaway of movie director John Huston, where we were welcomed by “natives” dressed in ancient Mayan garb and by a whole bunch of flickering tiki torches. The pulsing beat of native drums (BTW, I’m not making this up) summoned us to follow a torch lit path to an outdoor amphitheater. What was different this time from last is that we would see the show first and still in daylight (the last time, we had dinner first and saw the show as it was dark).

For the next hour or so, we watched stories of an ancient civilization revealed through music and dance including scantily dressed beauties, one ‘Selma Hayek-style’ with a pretty good size snake around hr neck and a second one, carrying a duo of cool-looking parrots on a perch who were having a loud argument with each other (the birds, not the beauties). After the performance, we were then led to secluded individual candle-lit beachside tables for two among the swaying palms and under a sky of a thousand stars (you just don’t see that back home). We then enjoyed a candlelight dinner of, among others, grilled steak, chicken, fish, vegetables, beans, rice, salads and hand-made tortillas, followed by dessert and coffee. A pretty romantic little getaway – highly recommended! On the way back to PV and Ryndam, the rum punch flowed generously from the open bar and the crew did a great job entertaining with acts from Grease, the Blues Brothers while getting all of us to do some dancing on the fore deck. A nice night and a great day in PV!

We were back onboard about 7:30 PM and Ryndam shoved off from her Puerto Vallarta berth at about 9:00 PM en-route to Mazatlan, Sinaloa. At about that same time, we had made it to the Vermeer show lounge where tonight’s entertainment consisted of the ‘dynamic entertainment of George Solomon’. George came running on stage and never really slowed down! He was basically non-stop energy while singing a wide variety of music with lots of audience participation. He was obviously well-received by the audience, a good show! We made a bee-line for the Ocean Bar where we ordered a night cap from Maria (the bar waitress, not my spouse) and called it a night afterwards. See y’all manana!

Always great to hear from you John.

Reggie

TUE 17 FEB 09 – DAY Five – Mazatlan, Sinaloa

Woke up to clear blue skies and sunshine around 7:00 AM as Ryndam sailed slowly by El Faro (the lighthouse), perched on its 515 foot hill at the approach to Mazatlan harbor.

We didn’t have any shorex’ planned here so it was nice to be able to have a leisurely breakfast around 10:00 AM while most of Ryndam’s passengers were happily ashore already. The one thing we had planned today was to take a cab to a store by the name of Sea Shell City, located smack in the middle of that Golden Zone. You see, Sea Shell City is where the child bride gets her ‘suns’. These are hand-painted (we think) colorful decorative images of the sun in sizes, ranging from small to huge. Maria has several of them hanging against the rear wall of our back yard and was in need of ‘just one more’ for an empty spot. Hey, if it took me out of having to watch ‘Nights in Rodanthe’, I was a happy camper!


Actually, a cabbie literally picked us up and took us to his taxi, known locally here as a ‘Pulmonia’, loosely translated in English as “Pneumonia”. You see, Mazatlan has a whole lot of these open windowed, open air taxi’s, basically glorified golf carts, painted white with Volkswagen engines in the back. Usually the cab comes complete with a local driver who has made “blowing his horn” a self-proclaimed work of art. The horns produce all kinds of sounds including one very familiar and, once heard, would lead me to immediately pull over to the right side of the curb and produce my driver’s license. Other tunes that can be lovingly produced sound like loud whistles, Ludwig von Beethoven fifth symphony (but uncompleted), Quasimodo ringing ‘the bells’, and the Entrance of the Gladiators minus the lions. Overall, an experience not to miss! We headed north-east down Avenida del Puerto, through Viejo Mazatlan and down Avenida Las Gaviotas to Seashell City.

Sea Shell City is exactly what the name implies, more shell-covered decorative items than you ever dreamed could exist, from the tacky to the sublime. It's located between Las Garzas and Avenida del Mar on Avenida Rodolfo T. Loaiza. So Maria is out scoping the interior for her sun while I hold her purse as any well-trained, fully-domesticated husband would do. She zeroed in on a combination sun/moon with a rod-iron frame around it for easy attaching to the aforementioned wall (they have to have friendly faces, otherwise the whole deal is off), I paid the 600 Mexican Pesos ($60 U.S.) and everybody concerned (specifically Maria, the nice senorita sales person and, no doubt, the owner of Sea Shell City) had smiles on their faces. We decided to make a left turn and within a block ran into a restaurant by the famous local name of “The Shrimp Factory” (they have the in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta also). In, we went for a seat on the open terrace and we soon ordered a Margarita each and a bowl of Chips, Guacamole and Salsa and did some serious ‘people watching’ from our perch. Lots and lots of North American tourists in the Zona Dorada, folks! Btw, the Margarita’s turned out to be ‘Grande’. The Shrimp Factory is kinda like ‘Bubba Shrimp’ from Forrest Gump’s ‘Life’s just like a box of chocolates’. They have Shrimp Salad, Shrimp Soup, Shrimp with Rice, Deep Fried Shrimp Tacos, Cocktail Shrimp, 3 Quesadillas with Shrimp, Butterfly Breaded Shrimp, Beer Batter Shrimp, Grilled Shrimp, Ranchero Shrimp, Shrimp Fajitas, Coconut Shrimp, Imperial Shrimp, Diablo Shrimp, Shrimp Spaghetti, Grilled Fish with Shrimp. We were kinda surprised there weren’t any shrimp swimming in our Margarita’s. Interesting place!

All aboard for pax today was at 3:30 PM but at 3:45 PM, two P/A announcements were made requesting a total of four passengers to contact the Front Office immediately, usually indicating that they weren’t aboard yet. Sho nough, at about 3:53 PM, a shuttle pulled up to the small gangway and out, in no particular rush, were two passengers. At about the same time these two, obviously on their own time schedule, finally boarded, Capt. Smit let go with a loud blast on his ship’s whistle. Couldn’t help but think that he was trying to convey a ‘message’ here.

7;15 PM meant the private Mariners Society Reception, this time being held in the Half Moon Room, one of two meeting rooms on Deck 7 behind the Wajang Theater. Present there was a welcoming committee of Capt. Smit, H/M Wood, C/D Smith and Onboard Cruise Consultant Opperman. Also present inside was the Beverage Manager and several Bar stewards with trays of white wine, champagne and orange juice, later followed by hors d’ouvres. Capt. Smit gave a little speech and those that earned new copper or silver (on this cruise) were called forward for a pic with the Capt and H/M. At the conclusion, those already owning certain hardware were invited to do the same.

Dinner was next and tonight, we were the only ones at our table of six since Larry and Lanney were scheduled to go to Copper Canyon tomorrow, meaning a early night to bed, and Rob and Jan were dining at the Pinnacle Grill. Dinner selections tonight were:

Appetizers:
Seasonal Fruit Kebab
Trio of Salmon with Jumbo Prawn and Pearls of the Ocean
Garden Symphony with Montrachet
Almond Fried Chicken Tenders

Soups and Salad:
Smoked Seafood Chowder
Lemon Turkey Spinach Barley Soup
Chilled Watermelon Gazpacho
Salad Caprese

Entrees:
Tri-Color Rigatoni with Roasted Garlic
Oriental-Style Rotisserie Duck
Prime Rib of Beef au Jus
Braised Lamb Shank
Roasted Filet of Sole with Ribbon Vegetables
Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Grilled Polenta and Eggplant Napoleon

Desserts:
Hazelnut and Chocolate Chip Soufflé
Bourbon Pecan Pie
Sizillian Cassata
Cherries Jubilee
Chocolate Mousse
Sliced Fruit Plate
Assorted Cheese Plate
Assorted Ice Cream

For post-dinner entertainment tonight, we wanted to see the cast’s second production show entitled ‘Street Singin’, an “all-new production show that would bring us back to a simpler time when skirts had poodles and every gas station was full service!” (and wait until you see the car-wash ladies in their yellow-colored outfits!)

Since we could once again sleep in tomorrow, we finished the night in the Crow’s Nest where Jenny and the HALCats were playing good old ‘Motown’ music in front of a pretty decent crowd, even though about 200 of our fellow pax, I’m sure, had called it an early night due to a 4:00 AM Copper Canyon departure the next morning. See ya tomorrow!

Lots of shrimp! I'd love to try them all!

Love this Review. Keep 'em coming and THANKS!!!