North , South and Central America on the Nieuw Amsterdam photo travelogue. Easter 2022 .

scubacruiserx2 · May 24, 2022

19 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Love your thread. Thank you.

You're welcome , and thank you for contributing .

scubacruiserx2 · May 24, 2022

After about an hour the whale stopped near the surface and relaxed for a while . We took the cue and the nap also . Dinner was once again at the Tamarind .

We loved the Tempura vegetables

And the wok Lobster

And Penang Curry

It was a pleasure to be able to meet and thank the man behind meals

A quick sunset and desert

scubacruiserx2 · May 24, 2022

We were up early as is our norm but with another new port we wanted some comfort food before beginning the day

Pat wanted toast instead of an English Muffin and we were done early and ready to go . All I knew of Mazatlán was stories of point break waves from the 60's when me and my surf buds dreamed of surfing the world . Today the visit ( but not the surfing ) became reality .

The port was busy and unless you booked one of the ship's tours you had to ride a tram to leave the busy port . This arraignment and the look of the port gave me an eerie case of déjà vu .

In San Antonio , Chile we had to board a bus to reach the Zaandam in port - but not before surrendering our passports for an undetermined amount of time to the authorities - NO EXCEPTIONS !

Edited May 24, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 26, 2022

A view from the aft of the ship

The return ride on the tram

Where to meet guides or cabs outside of the port

We would not be riding the Pulmonia around town this trip

Edited May 26, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 26, 2022

A few from above

Fishing for sea urchins

The light house on the top

The Nieuw Amsterdam in port

This mural was painted above us and you can see another viewpoint just above the mural

scubacruiserx2 · May 26, 2022

Our next stop at beautifully colored Mazatlan was the Liverpool Alley , something fairly new in Mazatlan .

Mazatlan means " Place of the Deer " and the deer statue predates the Beatles statue by several years

https://themazatlanpost.com/2021/12/09/the-beatles-arrive-at-olas-altas-in-mazatlan/

Please notice that there's always someone out of step

scubacruiserx2 · May 26, 2022

Paul is the only one leading with his right foot instead of his left . It's called goofy foot - on a surfboard .

scubacruiserx2 · May 26, 2022

Eduardo suggested that we walk along the Malecon and from here we saw a huge statue of a boy with a boy and a telescope . It was made for Carnival of Paper Mache .

When we got here Eduardo had talked to one of the divers just before a cruise bus lined up

He did the classic Swan dive with his head landing very close to the rocks !

We did drive past a couple of other Carnival attractions

https://themazatlanpost.com/2022/01/19/soon-the-paper-mache-giants-will-arrive-to-dress-mazatlan-for-carnival/

Edited May 26, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 26, 2022

Forgot this photo

scubacruiserx2 · May 27, 2022

A Walk around

scubacruiserx2 · May 27, 2022

The recently refurbished Angela Peralta Theater

scubacruiserx2 · May 27, 2022

A little further was the Immaculate Conception Cathedral began in 1856 . The tall church entrance was cover with a net to keep the birds out .

We had walked in at about noon which was just before closing

They did allow us about 15 minutes which was fine

Note the spikes to discourage bird roosting

A very large Bougainville

Edited May 27, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 27, 2022

Lunch was at La Costa Marinera

We were next to the trumpets and they were loud . They were behind a net screen like in the Blues Brothers movie maybe to keep things from flying near the stage .

Edited May 27, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 27, 2022

Our sunset and dinner was at the Canaletto

Usually when we go to Mexico it's Cozumel for a cruise or to meet friends and say in an apartment for SCUBA diving . When we go I like to play an old ABBA song to put me in the mood . It wasn't their last song recorded but it was their last song that was mixed and released . Seeing the little boy and his hat by the church reminded me of the song - White Sombrero .

Edited May 27, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 27, 2022

One thing that we had noticed on the map was that Mazatlán was further North than Puerto Vallarta but we went there first and headed South to PV on the next day . As I looked at the cruise time tables I noticed that Puerto Vallarta had a couple of large cruise ships in on the same day . I wonder if the Captain changed ports so we could avoid traffic there ?

oakridger · May 28, 2022

I sure am enjoying your report! I'll be down that way in October bringing the Nieuw Amsterdam from Vancouver/Alaska back to Ft. Lauderdale for the winter Caribbean season. Your picture and music clips are really getting me in the cruise mood!!

Thanks,

~Nancy

scubacruiserx2 · May 28, 2022

10 hours ago, oakridger said:

I sure am enjoying your report! I'll be down that way in October bringing the Nieuw Amsterdam from Vancouver/Alaska back to Ft. Lauderdale for the winter Caribbean season. Your picture and music clips are really getting me in the cruise mood!!

Thanks,

~Nancy

Thanks , thanks Nancy . We also hope to be joining the Alaska/Vancouver cruise in September/October on the Nieuw Amsterdam to Fort Lauderdale .

scubacruiserx2 · May 28, 2022

The Port of Puerto Vallarta seemed to be very busy as we watched while having breakfast at the Pinnacle . There was also hybrid Hurigruten ship , the Ronald Amundsen in port . The small , crowded boats are what we would refer to as Cattle boats in the dive industry and with the current state of health we try to avoid crowds and sharing masks and snorkels . Today's guide was Gina our only lady guide on this cruise .

Edited May 28, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 28, 2022

We had a long walk through the cruise port which resembled an airport with many options , especially on boats , with things to do . We met Gina at the Shell gas station on the main road where she had parked a rental car as she had some problems with her van . She showed us a quick ride around the port area before stopping at the Malecon .

While they shopped at this store I took some other photos

The story of the boy on the seahorse

https://www.puertovallarta.net/what_to_do/sculptures-00-1-seahorse-zamarripa-malecon

Edited May 28, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 28, 2022

The boy is wearing a local hat

Crossing the street from the seahorse to the rocking horses and restrooms

And the Cathedral with it's crown

Edited May 28, 2022 by scubacruiserx2

scubacruiserx2 · May 28, 2022

Pat had wanted to by a pair of Huarache sandals so we stopped near a drug store and Gina suggested that we shop by the Mercado Municipal Río Cuale .

A bridge over a scarce river

We didn't see any shoes like she wanted in her size here

scubacruiserx2 · May 29, 2022

Our next stop was a ride up to Gringo Gulch . This was where Richard Burdon and Elizabeth Taylor lived when he was shooting the movie The Night of the Iguana .