Cabo...our Favorite Port

 Our favorite port by far was Cabo San Lucas....at the very tip of the Baja Peninsula.

 We chose to get away from the masses on the main beach and hire a boat to go to Lands End...

 ...literally the tip of the peninsula.

 It was so incredibly beautiful,

 ...this place where the Sea of Cortez meets the Pacific Ocean.

 The water on the Pacific side is not only a different color...

 ..but a lot colder.

 Parasailers enjoyed the view from the sky....

 You are allowed to go swimming on the Pacific side because of the fierce undertow...

 ....so we tried to capture the waves and surf instead.

 ....what an absolutely perfect place that we hope to go back to some day!

A Different Side of Puerto Vallarta

Although we had never been in Puerto Vallarta before, we decided not to do the traditional bus tour of the city but instead rent a boat with several other couples and head up the coast to a private beach. It was definitely an adventure...and began with us waiting here at this outdoor restaurant for our guide and captain.

 We wondered which of these boats might be ours.

 Finally our guide arrived and we climbed aboard.

 We were off on our adventure......

 ....unfortunately there was a haze in the air so the shoreline wasn't as clear as expected

 ...but it was still beautiful, complete with a pair of whales swimming alongside of us.

 The large homes dotting the shoreline were built right into the rocks.

 Our private beach.....

 ...our boat dropped us off and then dropped anchor in the bay.

Nancy and I were just enjoying being on the beach together when a wave hit us as Dave was taking our picture!

 It was incredibly peaceful and relaxing...

 ...a spiny sea star and a sea urchin

 Lunch was eaten in a beach restaurant around the next cove...

Too soon it was time to head back to the ship and the commercialism of the city...but for a few hours, we had a wonderfully relaxing time with old friends and new friends, making some amazing memories!

Welcome to Manzanillo

 After two wonderfully relaxing days at sea, our first port was Manzanillo, Mexico.

This is a relatively new stop on the Mexican Riviera Cruises, added when the unrest in Mazatlan resulted in the Cruise Lines not stopping there anymore.

 You could tell that they were still in the process of getting ready for cruise passengers.

 I guess you could call the flavor of the town, rustic.

 But it was warm and we were enjoying relaxing with friends.

 The little city park looked like it was planned around this one large sculpture in the center.

 People enjoyed just sitting in the shade of the trees along the edge.

 Our ship was the only one in port on this particular day.

 The little fishing boats were everywhere in the harbor.

 Rustic....sleepy.....and not at all commercialized....a great first stop on our Mexican Riviera Cruise.

Carnival Spirit

 The Carnival Spirit would be our home for the next 9 days.

 Once we found our room it was time to check out the rest of the ship(the luggage mat on the bed was waiting for our luggage to be delivered by the porter)

 There were water parks for the kids,

 water slides of all sizes,

 and beautiful swimming pools and hot tubs.

The Pharoah's Theatre was the perfect place for watching shows and performances.

Dinners and some other meals would be served in the Empire Room.

And in the evenings when we would head for our room, there to greet us were a wide variety of towel creations....

 ....of all shapes and sizes!

The hanging monkey over the mirror was my most favorite...it still makes me smile when I think about it!

What a wonderful place to relax with my sweetheart and our friends!