Mexican Riviera

Where would we all be if it weren’t for Starbucks? The hotel offered full Asian, American, or Continental breakfast but all we wanted was a cup of coffee and toast. However there was a Starbucks within the Otani Tower so we were able to get the Sunday LA Times, split a piece of crumb coffee cake, and enjoy our coffee as we read the paper.

Checkout was very easy… very efficient; and the Shuttle Bus driver was already waiting for us fifteen minutes early. We loaded up the luggage and sat back as he drove us the 20 or so miles to San Pedro and the World Cruise Center. Only two cruise vessels were in port but the entire shipping facility is the largest I have seen. The piers and towering cranes seemed to go for miles in either direction. I think I saw a sign that said “Piers 200 and above turn right.” Therefore there must be 199 piers to the left. The port is huge!

We were early and the major activity was disembarkation of passengers from the cruise that just finished. We could not board for another two hours. There was some grumbling in the line as word passed down that the ship had to drop two ports of call.

“A change of itinerary is being made to this week’s cruise because of damage to the forward thrust bearings of the ship’s ABB-manufactured azipod propulsion system. Norwegian Star’s engineers have been running comprehensive inspections on the pod and the results show that a reduction of speed is necessary to prevent further deterioration to the bearings. Although the ship can still travel at the 20 knot pace that is typical for most big cruise ships, she cannot perform the maximum 25 knots that is a feature of the new NCL ships and that is necessary to operate the published Mexican Riviera itinerary.”

/s/ Captain Sverre Søvdsnes

253 One of the men nearby complained that the entire reason he came on this cruise was to enjoy some sport fishing in . But most of the complaints seemed to be that the cruise line notified some but not all passengers before they arrived at the ship. Had they tried to reach us we were already on Amtrak and would not have turned back. Besides, Manzanillo and Mazatlan are ready to accept shore excursions too.

We processed and boarded the ship shortly after one o’clock. Being one of the first aboard held no particular fascination until later when we saw lines still at the terminal at four o’clock. We, on the other hand, went to the Versailles Dining Room for a lovely lunch beside one of the large windows overlooking the harbor.

The Versailles is a gilded, almost Baroque representation of the French palace. Portraits of French kings, queens, and courtesans are on the walls between mirrored arches. The staff is extremely helpful and pleasant. And provided us a much better choice than a serve-yourself, steamed buffet.

After lunch Christina, the International Desk Manager from Austria, gave us a guided tour of the ship (less the engine room, galley, and bridge). Soon I will remember which elevators cover the decks I wish to visit. Liz and I then toured areas of the ship on our own until our luggage was delivered. Then we set up our very comfortable stateroom.

Of course, by then it was time for dinner so we returned to the Versailles. We were joined by a couple from Sacramento and exchanged our stories of how we selected this tour; were we disappointed at the schedule change (no!); and other cruises we had taken.

Liz ordered the salmon and I selected the prime rib. We exchanged portions and both were excellent. We enjoyed half a bottle of Valley of the Moon Syrah with our meal. They will hold the other half-bottle for us… where are Tina and Roger when you need them to help share a nice vintage?

Because people were still getting their luggage and settling in to their staterooms only one show was scheduled. Mike Szwajkowski, our Canadian Cruise Director, introduced the Norwegian Star Show Band and several musicians that perform in the various lounges throughout the ship. Stan Sykes, “…recaptures Moments of Motown Magic” was the spotlighted performer. Tomorrow we will be able to select between two performances each evening.

254 We had coffee and tomato juice delivered to the room at seven o’clock. Then after we cleaned up and got dressed we went to breakfast. Liz had salmon and I had an apple-walnut waffle. And great coffee! The dining room was hardly full even when we left. Then we walked out on the promenade for our morning exercise.

Today is an “At Sea” day. Liz went to The Art of Making Sushi class. She enjoyed watching the preparation of Ebi Nigiri, California Roll, and Asia California Roll. She said that Sushi is considered an art form. It usually is prepared quickly in front of the customer’s eye by the Sushi Chef. Liz learned some of the easier techniques and is sure we will like some dishes. She will try them at home.

I returned to the room to work on my journal. We got together again at the cinema to hear the destination lecture, ’s Ancient History with Douglas Basil. Dr. Basil is a multi-degree professor and lecturer. He began this first of three lectures concerning the early natives of central and South America. Showing Mayan and Aztec pyramids, he described the time line against that of Egyptian pyramids. He also discussed theories that Africans arrived before Leif Erikson or Christopher Columbus. His research of this theory is not conclusive and he discusses that. He also compares the development of the calendar which is remarkably similar to that of the ancient Chinese.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in further explorations of the ship. We thought we would attend a future cruise briefing but there was no presentation, only brochures and schedules. Tomorrow there will be an actual briefing.

Tonight was the formal dinner and photo opportunity. People were in line in the Atrium to have pictures taken with the captain and/or formal portraits. The lines were long, as they would seem to be all evening, at all events. We had decided to go to an early dinner in the Versailles Dining Room in anticipation of the crowds. Even then we were asked if we would accept community seating but opted for a table for two for our celebration.

Our waiter brought us the remaining Valley of the Moon syrah from last evening and then took our order. For starters Liz ordered the Crab Louie and I selected the escargot. Both of us had spinach salad and for the main course Liz chose the lobster and I ordered Beef Wellington. The dinner was excellent. Each of the dishes was done to perfection. For dessert Norwegian Cruse Line provided a complementary birthday cake with a side of vanilla ice cream. Six wait staff gathered and sang Happy Birthday.

The only drawback to the evening was the fact that when full the Versailles sound level was high. Additionally, a four or five year old at a table twenty feet away had launched into a crying fit and was unable to be calmed for fifteen minutes. I enjoy the fact that this has been a much younger group on this cruise but I would have recommended that one of the parents take their son outside for a few minutes and resolve his unhappiness so he would not disturb others.

The Jean Ann Ryan Company provides entertainers for Norwegian Cruise Line and we have seen their companies on other ships. This group of nineteen singers and dancers was like the others; very spirited and energetic and provide a fifty minute routine that wears one out just to watch.

255 Tonight’s theme was Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Music of the Night . Musical numbers were selected from Webber’s many Broadway hits. Solos and duets provide the pause between extravaganzas in order to allow for many costume changes.

Here too the evening’s delays caused by formal dinning and photographs overlapped in the Starlight Theater. Some people decided that their entry halfway through the performance might not be viewed as being rude to those who showed up on time. A fairly large number of people stumbled through the dark auditorium, even mixing in with the cast who were performing in the aisle, and forcing people to stand to let them pass to seats. My recommendation to NCL would be that once the performance has started people should select the second performance.

After the theater we went to the Pearl Martini Bar for cocktails. The drink menu offered many concoctions of vodka or gin martinis with what I would call non-traditional mixes – I special ordered a gin martini with vermouth straight up. Liz had a brandy Alexander. It made for a lovely evening, a grand celebration.

Today is another At Sea day. After breakfast we joined with four other people to play Morning Trivia. As the Know Nothings we were playing for a free cruise… brochure. Actually, we won the competition and won real leather NCL bookmarks for each team member. Prizes are very modest on the ship. Probably that will be the best we can do, we don’t go to the casino.

Liz attended the cooking demonstration with Chef Joseph, the Austrian born chef who supervises the specialty restaurants on board. He and his culinary team advise, “Non cooks think it’s silly to invest two hours work in two minutes enjoyment, but if cooking is evanescent, so is the ballet.” Chef Norbert and two assistants demonstrated crayfish tortellini. They also prepared a fire- star which was interesting but more of a commercial for the subscription Le Bistro Restaurant because no individual home cook has the equipment to place the beef and pork medallions on the fire-star, place it on the hook and then flame it with brandy.

We then met for an actual future cruise presentation which was interrupted twice; once for a pod of whales passing down the port side and secondly a few minutes later for dolphins on the starboard side of the ship. The briefing basically described the various ships of the fleet and which routes they are sailing next year. Later we met with Duncan Fouche, the Port and Cruise Consultant, to discuss a possible cruise to Spain and the Mediterranean next fall. We haven’t made any decision yet but it is under consideration - despite Duncan’s poor representation for NCL.

256 After the Latitudes cocktail hour we saw the Tom Cruise movie, War of the Worlds . The special effects were absolutely astounding but I thought the story was not laid out as well as the 1950s version. One nice thing was a very brief cameo of Gene Barry who played the star in the early version. I mentioned that when we were in the elevator and a young woman said, “Oh, they made the movie before?” Liz and I laughed at me being put in my place so nicely.

The extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it. Ray Ferrier is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife and her new husband drop of his teenage son Robbie and young daughter Rachel for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down. (Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, Justin Chatwin, Tim Robbins: 2005)

Our dinner was in Endless Summer, a subscription restaurant but without cover charge. Featured for Tex-Mex style dining, we began with an onion blossom and Tapas. Both were very nice but then the rest of the dinner went downhill. I ordered the Quesadillas with skirt steak and Liz ordered the shrimp fajitas. The fajitas were very good but the other dish was marginal. On top of that the waiter was busy talking to other patrons and forgot to bring our Caesar salad until after our main course was served and we asked about the salad.

Tonight’s entertainer was Dave Heenan, who has opened for Rodney Dangerfield and also worked with Bill Cosby. He was very funny and I was glad to see him poke fun at latecomers. This has been the second night that more than a few people have come to the show even when it is half over. A Bronx comedian, Dave traded comments with the latecomers and while he probably didn’t shame them enough to cure them I enjoyed his jokes at their expense.

Our new excursion tour this morning was Manzanillo. It is an industrial port with 16 miles of piers and cranes.

Manzanillo Bay was discovered in 1527 by navigator Alvaro de Saavedra, naming it Santiago de la Buena, or Santiago’s Bay of Good Hope. I became a departure port for important expeditions. Cortes visited the bay twice to protect his galleons from Portugese pirates. Over the next 300 years, the Pacific Coast’s history is filled with accounts of pirates from Portugal, England, France and even Spain assaulting, looting and burning ships for their rich cargos. In 1825 the port of Manzanillo opened, so named because of the abundant groves of Manzanillo trees that were used extensively in the early days of shipbuilding. It was rraised to the status of a city on June 15, 1873. The railroad to was completed in 1889, and other amenities, such as electricity and potable water soon followed. In 1908, President Porfirio Dias inaugurated the railroad linkage with Guafalajara, and designated Manzanillo as an official port of entry. It was the state capital from February 20 to March 1, 1915, while Pancho Villa’s troops were threatening to capture the city of Colima.

As we began to climb out of the port we saw new construction everywhere. Two land roads are being augmented with new lanes to make a four lane expressway. The four lane highway is being expanded to eight lanes. The railroad is adding another set of tracks and passenger service will be restored in two years according to our tour guide. All of this new effort is reflected in the fact that the port capacity has doubled since the 1990s and new port terminals will add another

257 46 miles of piers on the other side of the bay. But even today the flow of trucks inland was continuous.

Our tour took us 60 miles inland to Colima, the capital of the state with the same name. Climbing the 1,000 meters from sea level we saw crops of watermelon, guanabana, bananas, mango, and coconut trees. We passed sugar cane fields being burned and made ready for harvest. The city itself lies in the shadow of the active Colima Volcano.

The driver parked the bus in the plaza and we went to the museum where our guide showed us displays of excavated caves with pre Colombian artifacts. Then we observed the history of the coming of the Conquistadores, the Mexican Independence, and even through Christian Wars of the 1930s. Next we went to Basilico Santa Maria which was established as a diocese by Saint Leo XIII on December 11, 1881.

Liz and had the opportunity to shop for a few minutes before re-boarding the bus. We then proceeded to the neighboring town of Comala for lunch at Ristorante Don Camilión. We were given chits for two drinks and our meal was served family style as waiters brought plates of tacos, chulupas and taquitoes in order. That was followed by plated of watermelon, cucumber,

258 hincama, and pineapple chunks. It all was very tasty… especially with cold bottles of Pacifico beer.

Then we received a lovely surprise when our guide took us to La Compana but, “the real name is Atulian, which means the river crossing.” This site is a one acre excavation of an estimated 125 acres of pyramids and structures from an ancient site thought to be over 5,000 years old. The ruins look nothing like those around Cozumel and the archeologists do not yet know who the people of this civilization were, what language they spoke, or how long they lasted. We walked through the tournament court, the palatial quarters and presumably religious edifices. Stopping here was a real treat.

The ride back to the ship was anticlimactic. We had enough time to re-board, drop our things off in our room, and then go to the red Lion Pub to join our teammates for another trivia game before dinner. We won again and now have two decks of NCL playing cards to go with our leather bookmarks.

The Aqua Restaurant has a much different atmosphere than that of Versailles. It is a lot quieter and the wait staff was much more efficient and pleasant. I suspect they might just be better staffed and not as stressed out as the larger, main restaurant. Flavia, our waitress of choice, was already managing a full section so we were seated at a table in the next section where she could come by and talk to us on occasion. We will come back here on Friday as we have reservations at La Tratoria for tomorrow.

The Jean Ann Ryan show this evening was It’s Fame, a tribute to Bob Fosse. Like their last performance, it is very energetic with many costume changes but the music was not as memorable as other Broadway medleys. Except for a couple of songs from Chicago, I didn’t recognize most of the music. But the choreography was very enjoyable.

It was necessary to go to the Market Café for breakfast as we needed to go to the Starlight Theater at 7:30 to assemble to catch a tender for the shore. We then left the ship for the 10 minutes trip to the dock in .

Puerto Vallarta is a relatively new city, founded in 1851 by the Sánchez family who came across a stretch of land near what is now called the Rio Cuale River. Within 35 years, word spread about this idyllic location and people started building around the area. Originally called Las Peñas by the families, it wasn’t until 1918 when the name changed to what it is today. Puerto, coming from the word “port” and Vallarta for Ignacio Luis Vallarta, who was governor of . In 1964, legendary film director John Houston decided to film his adaptation of Tennessee William’s The Night of the Iguana . At that time, Puerto Vallarta had roughly 2,000 residents. Once word spread through Hollywood and the rest of the world that Vallarta was a tropical playground, visitors started flocking. Today Puerto Vallarta still retains much of its original charm, with cobblestone streets, red tiled roofs, and white washed buildings. [Population 325,000]

259 José Cavasos, our tour guide, introduced himself and gave us a briefing about the history of Puerto Vallarta. He pointed out that Mexico is a land of contrast and that the city was fairly well to do but there were very poor in the province as well. He claimed that the making of the film The Night of the Iguana really was he beginning of the boom here. As we drove to our first destination he pointed out the former homes of Elizabeth Taylor, Peter O’Toole, and John Houston. “Hollywood and you (tourists) have built this city.”

The bus drove to our first stop, a shopping district that specialized in jewelry, especially opals. As we arrived people were sweeping the street in front of their shops and a security guard removed a rope barrier where our bus could park. “The beer, sodas, and bottled water are free.” It was too early for beer but we did have a soda. Liz discovered some silver earrings and I bought a gold ring with a 1-peso coin.

Then we drove to the center of town along the Malacon (boardwalk) that fronts the city. We saw a procession of children (Las Pasadas) dressed for a Christmas parade as we continued to the plaza. We opted for the tour of the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is a local parish not a cathedral. The bishop for this region is only a few miles away in another state.

As we have seen in the past few days, the altars were covered with fresh flowers. The priest has asked for this instead of the former tradition to light candles. Over the years the smoke has endangered of the frescos and this helps preserve them. This parish is but one of over two hundred churches named for Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico with the main cathedral in Mexico City.

We left the church and walked back to the area where the bus would meet us along the Malacon. We were able to comparison shop before boarding the bus. Then we drove over a bridge to the other side which is called, “the other side.” We saw iguanas lazily sleeping on the trees by the bridge. Then we went to another shopping sector which featured the promised tile factory stop. We bought a couple of tiles, two wine glasses, and two beer mugs. Across the street Liz found a silver ring shaped like two mountain peaks with slashes of opal along the side.

260 Discussing the education system and introducing how farming is done in the province, we proceeded to the Hacienda Doña Engracia. This is a working ranch which also serves as a Tequila factory, restaurant and tour stop. José explained how the Blue Agave cactus takes ten years to grow and then the fruit, which grows underground and looks much like a very large pineapple (some can reach 200 pounds), is cooked and crushed to make Tequila. Then he took us to the tasting room where he dispensed shot glass samples of the three grades (aged a day; aged three months – one year; and aged over a year). Then he offered us samples of flavored tequila, which I never knew existed. There was almond (tasted much like amaretto), lime, peach, quince, and a combination chocolate, coffee and vanilla. They all tasted like an after-dinner liquor rather than Tequila but the one that was most interesting to us was the quince.

The tour included lunch and we walked to a covered open area where one woman was patting corn tortillas, pressing them, and cooking them on a griddle. Another woman was grilling skirt steak and a third was chopping the steak and taking orders for two tacos per plate (you could come back as often as you wished). Condiments and salsas were at another table and more than a few put salsa on their tacos without tasting it first… and they had used the hottest salsa they had ever tasted.

After lunch four young men in very colorful costume came out and began climbing a 60 foot pole. At the top was a square frame which pivoted around. It was draped with rope and as each of four individuals reached the top they tied the rope off around their waist. Then one climbed to the pivot point and played the flute while playing a very small drum. When he finished the four men took their place and spun around the pole and wound up all the rope. Then the Papantla Flyers (Totonac Indians) leapt off the top and the ropes played out as they spun down to the ground. It seems to be a very ancient form of bunji jumping.

261 On the way back to the ship José had the driver divert through the wealthy district to see the million dollar homes. It was his intent to provide yet another example of his land of contrast. His was the best briefing and the best tour we had on our entire trip.

When we returned to the ship we relaxed for an hour and then went to the Aqua Restaurant for dinner. We had asked Flavia to bring her photo of her 10 month old daughter. She just beamed as she spoke of her family and showed us her pictures. She is a lovely young woman and a joy to speak with each evening.

Our entertainment was Fallon Magic , a husband wife team. Matthew Fallon interspersed three major illusions with close up magic and a humorous patter. His wife, Mystia, is an aerial performer who did an acrobat routine 25-feet above the stage. She was also Mike’s assistant for the illusions and escape routines. It was a very nice show.

We decided to get up early again this morning. We will tie up to the pier so getting off the ship will go quickly and our tour for today is a walking tour so that too will be easy. We did have enough time to have a relaxed breakfast in the Versailles Restaurant. Most of our time will be spent in downtown Mazatlan, “the Pearl of the Pacific.”

First settled by the Chibcha Indians, Mazatlan was named the “place of the deer” because many deer once wandered through the area. In their memory there is a large deer statue which stands proudly on the waterfront with the city’s coat of arms. The elements of the coat of arms date back to 1531 when the city was founded as a port for Spanish galleons to ship gold and silver from the Sierra Madre Oriental. To this day the rumors of buried gold and silver left in the city as a private stash for pirates who preyed on the treasure-rich ships that frequented the port in the 1500s.

Mazatlan was officially established as a municipality in 1837 and shortly thereafter the population soared. There was a large influx of German immigrants who established strong agricultural and mining equipment trades. The port has been active ever since and is Mexico’s main west coast port. Shrimp exporting (40 million pounds annually), tuna fishing, and vegetable canning and freezing account for half of Mazatlan’s major industry. The other half is tourism based. The dual personality of industry and tourism account for the unique flavor of the port city and it’s hospitable, hard working people.

262 Our walking tour began with a trolley ride from dockside across a large holding area of containers and automobiles. Then we reached the control point, shopping area, and taxi stand. We boarded two vans and a taxi and proceeded along the waterfront and beach to a sculpture entitled Continuation of Life , a figure of a man and woman together in harmony with both animals and the sea. At the base of this statue our guide introduced us to his city.

We walked further down the boardwalk and came to the point where divers leap from the cliffs. While we waited one man climbed the steps up the cliff and positioned himself to dive. The guide said he was diving from fifty feet into six feet of water. After he dove he returned to accept gratuities from those of us who saw the performance. He said the water was very cold. I’m sure it was… and that he is crazy. It is a very dangerous way to make a few dollars.

Another stop was at a silver jewelers shop. I suspect this tour provided a kick-back to the tour guide or his company but it diverted us before walking to the center of town. Here we discovered many buildings vacant and an area that seemed no longer viable. The guide said the hurricane in the 1970s damaged much of the area and it hasn’t recovered completely. We did go to the Teatro Angela Peralta which had been built as an opera house but serves at a theater and school of the arts. Then we went to Casa Machado, a museum furnished with the equipment and furniture people would have used in Mazatlan homes100 years ago.

Our last stop was at the cathedral and we could opt to return to the ship or go to the Gold Shopping District. We chose o do that and visit Diamonds International to collect another charm for Liz’s bracelet. We shopped for a few other Christmas presents and joined another couple for a twenty minute ride back to the port. All in all, being twice the size of Puerto Vallarta doesn’t put Mazatlan anywhere near the charm or interest of that smaller city.

We dined in La Tratoria, the Italian specialty restaurant. As it turned out the theme of the main restaurants was also Italian this evening but we had reserved this choice ahead of time. Starting with proschutto and melon, minestrone, and Caesar salad Liz ordered seafood pasta and I had tenderloin with vegetables. Coffee and tiramisu finished the dinner with enough time to go to the show.

263 Tonight’s performance in the Starlight Theater was Jeri Sager in Concert . She had been featured in the 25 th anniversary production of Fiddler on the Roof and also played in Cats among other musicals. For this concert she sang Broadway tunes but we opted to go to the Spinnaker Lounge and see Dave Heenan again. His comedy routine was different than the other night and most enjoyable. Unfortunately two children had been left unintended by their parents and supposedly Dave and the rest of us were tasked with the job of babysitting. They should have been refused entry to the lounge. Dave’s routine wasn’t blue but he was still hampered by children being present.

Saturday, December 17

We were up at five as our disembark time is seven o’clock. Only the Market Café is open at six and their buffet is much less interesting than a sit-down breakfast. So it goes.

Once sought after by pirates for its safe harbors, Los Cabos (the Capes) region of the Southern Baja Peninsula is now home to the bustling towns of San José del Cabo and Cabo San Lucas. Each offers travelers an exciting, fun-filled destination. The town of Cabo San Lucas is situated at the southern tip of the peninsula, approximately 20 miles west of San José del Cabo. This once sleepy fishing village has been transformed into a full scale tourism destination. Championship golf courses, world deep-sea fishing and water sports abound.

We had a short ride on the tender to the pier and then assembled to board one of three very comfortable busses. Margarita was our guide and as we drove through town she pointed out the different regions of the community. She also briefed us concerning the first stop to a glass blowing factory. Here we were able to get close to the artisans and watch how they form the molten glass and shape it into figurines, glasses, ornaments, vases and platters and plates. Of course, we were given the opportunity to shop here too.

Then we set out to the neighboring city of San José del Cabo. Along the way we learned that each town has a population of 60,000 people. The main business is tourism with sport fishing, golf, snorkeling and scuba diving, and boating driving the industry. As we drove the 25 miles to San José Margarita showed us several world class golf courses and one course which was being dismantled to build luxury apartments… up on Gringo Hill. Almost 10% of the permanent residents are from the United States and Canada. There were many luxury yachts in the harbor representing

264 almost every state in the union. I thought one from Delaware must seem like a long way from home.

When we arrived in San José we went directly to the mission which was founded in the 1700s. The first missionaries had been dragged to death by the native Indians and a fresco on the front of the mission depicts that event. There is a lovely, open plaza and while we were there the school children walked by (Las Pasadas) carrying the small figures of a manger. Two children were dressed as Mary and Joseph.

We were able to visit the local shops before departing for Cacti Mundo. The owner of this private cactus museum gave a briefing and described the thousands of cacti he has assembled from all over the world. He also mentioned that he has many varieties which are indigenous only to the dessert area of the Baja Peninsula. There were so many that the differences began to blur. I was more than ready to stop at a restaurant overlooking the bay and drink a complementary bottle of Pacifico Clara.

We asked the bus driver to drop us off in downtown Cabo on the way back. Liz picked up another charm for her Diamonds International charm bracelet. Right down the road we received another free, silver charm I can add to my watch fob. Then we started to walk back to the pier. A young man from La Paz came by on his bicycle taxi and gave us a lift the rest of the way. We were back aboard for lunch in the Versailles Restaurant.

We joined eight other couples in the Spinnaker Lounge at 5:30 to renew wedding vows. Brian and Connie Thomson, ordained ministers from Canada, will serve in missionary assignments in Kenya, Japan, and South America this year alone. I am not sure how they are invited to be on the cruise along with their daughter and son-in-law just for this brief 20 minute service. The introduction and tips of marriage management seemed odd but that was followed by a brief, lovely ceremony with couples renewing their promises to love and cherish each other.

After snail-paced service in the Aqua Restaurant (Flavia’s section was already booked) we went up to the Spinnaker Lounge to watch the parlor magic of Matthew Fallon and Mystia. Here the tricks involved slight of hand with rings (joined three individual audience member wedding bands together); a telepathic reading of a person’s “special time” which he “guessed” and wrote on a tablet and another audience member randomly set on his pocket watch; and a cards selected

265 secretly by three people which he then produced from inside his newly encapsulating straight- jacket. All of this was astounding and most interesting.

Today is an “at sea” day as we sail back toward Los Angeles. Clocks we set back an hour last night and we will spend most of the day preparing for Immigration and Customs checks tomorrow, filling out guest comment cards, and later packing luggage to set in the corridor to be collected. We also had time to play one last trivia game (our Portsiders lost) and to visit with some of our new acquaintances. It also is a time to slow down the pace of the shore excursions and even walk the deck and enjoy the sun.

After lunch we went to the crew show in the Stardust Lounge. It was most impressive. The show began with a back-stage director coming out and singing. She had a beautiful voice and I thought she would be a hard act to follow. But others danced, played classical piano, sang and played guitar, and performed native Indonesian dances. One of those dances was similar to those I have seen Dutch and Austrian dancers present. Two people click long poles together at ankle height and a couple of dancers jump in and out of the path so as to not get caught by the poles. The crew should know that they have excellent representatives who demonstrate professional talent.

After the show we went to the cinema to watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith . We knew why we didn’t see it when it came out. It had a very rudimentary plot and used so much violence it seemed to be one explosion or shooting after another. By the mid-point we could no longer see how they could fill another hour with no story left to tell… so they just shot up more people.

John and Jane Smith are an ordinary suburban couple with an ordinary, lifeless suburban marriage. But each is hiding something the other would kill to know: Mr. and Mrs. Smith are actually highly paid, incredibly efficient assassins--and they work for competing organizations. Mr. and Mrs. Smith both discover a new source of excitement in their marriage, when they're hired to assassinate each other--and that's when the real fun starts. The result is a total action spectacle, as Mr. and Mrs. Smith put their formidable skills to work and their marriage to the ultimate test. (Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Vince Vaughn, Adam Brody, Kerry Washington: 2005)

After the movie we went to the Aqua Restaurant for our last full course dinner. We talked to Flavia and exchanged e-mail addresses. One of the other waiters took our picture and I promised her I would send a copy of the photo to her after I finish writing up our trip report. That will probably be after the 1 st of the year.

Tonight we packed up our bags and set them out in the hall to be collected. We are taking a bus tour of Los Angeles tomorrow which means that we will be leaving the ship in the 2 nd group to disembark. I think this will be a good tour and I know I will be glad to get off the ship early… the remainder of our deck will have to wait 2½ hours longer. The dinning room was open early so we were able to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee before returning to the cabin to listen for disembarkation announcements. The “walk-off group” was first and those of us on scheduled tours were then directed to go to the Spinnaker Lounge to go through immigration and submit our customs declaration. Twenty minutes later we were off the

266 ship, had secured our luggage, and loaded it on the bus. As we left San Pedro our guide informed us that the San Pedro docks and adjoining facilities in Long Beach make up the third largest port facilities in the world.

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