Shore Excursions at Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo

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The morning mist was just rising off the coast as the cruise ship moved into the harbor at
6:00 in the morning. We had traveled about 150 miles to the North of Acapulco along the Pacific coast and were entering the bay at Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. These two villages are close together but in reality are very different places. Zihua is an older fishing village which is a little more laid back and still retains the flavor of old Mexico. Ixtapa is a more modern development with newer hotels and resorts which were promoted by the governmental tourist agency. We waited for a few minutes in the morning sun while the life boats were lowered into the water so they could tender the passengers ashore who wanted to do some local exploring.

There were a variety of shore excursions available for us to choose from and our friends were off in all sorts of different directions. Several of us decided to get a feel of the local culture and took a tour into the country side. We began by driving up the intercontinental
highway for several miles and then off into a local coconut plantation. We learned all about growing and harvesting coconuts from a very interesting guided tour (coconuts are probably the largest seeds in the world). Then we were given a demonstration of how roofing tiles are made and fired in brick ovens.

As the day wore on we were driven to a small seaside village where we were treated to lunch on the beach and of course the ever present vendors came to see us with their handfuls of souvenirs.

As we returned to the cruise ship that afternoon, another of the passengers became sick on the bus. When we were back on board, the captain made the announcement that several persons had come down with the flu and it was time to take more strict action to keep the flu bug under control. A few people with symptoms were quarantined to their rooms and everyone entering any of the eating areas had to sanitize their hands. None of the passengers was allowed to come to the drink dispensing machines and the staff took care of filling all glasses with the different beverages.

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Travel & Events

Tags:

• Ixtapa
• Ixtapa shore excursions
• Mexican Riviera
• Zihautanejo
• Mexico shore excursions