Huatulco

 October 19, 2022

Cerca del cielo...Close to heaven

Early in the morning, before the sun burned away the clouds, the Eurodam glided into the sheltered Bay of Santa Cruz so we could call on Huatulco. I continue to be amazed at what a mountainous country Mexico is. For some reason, I always thought of it as more like our southwestern desert states, but that's not the case for this part of the country. It's lush and green and...humid. (In that respect, it's not unlike our own beloved Ozarks in the summer!) 

I can happily watch waves pound rocks for hours!

Umbrella in hand, for protection from sun as well as rain, we trooped off the ship and into the waiting pier area. It boasted a neat collection of shops, restaurants and parks. 

Love seeing all the flowers! Late fall and winter in the Midwest leaves my eyes color-starved. I'm wearing Percival (my purse-sized portable oxygen concentrator) in his little backpack. It makes me happy when I don't have to burden the DH with my O2 needs, not that he'd complain. Bless the man!

And of course there were the obligatory public art installations. This one proclaims the area as a great place for sport fishing. Of course, Huatulco also boasts lots of beautiful beaches, archaeological sites in the nearby mountains, and a host of other activities.

None of which we signed up for. I wished we had. Archaeology always calls to me, but heightened elevation plus humidity makes me hesitate. I can usually deal with one or the other, but together it's a recipe for some very uncomfortable breathing conditions.  

But the people were friendly and very welcoming and happy to direct us to a mini-mart where we could find some cold cokes to take back to the ship. (Really missed having an endless supply in our cabin's mini-fridge like we did on the Viking Star.)

A squeaky clean public square. It would have been a great place to sit and people-watch, but there were very few people around.

I'm reluctant to mention this next bit, mostly because it was just based on a feeling...

As we were making our way back to the ship, the DH noticed a trio of young men conspicuously eyeing me while I was taking a picture of him. They seemed to be focused on Percival, possibly wondering what the backpack was, possibly wondering if it was worth anything... Or maybe they had abuelas who were chained to a bulky oxygen cylinder instead of being able to wear a small device like mine and wanted to know more about it.

Whatever the reason for their interest in us, we kept to more populated areas as we made our way back to the Eurodam without incident. 

I can only think of one other time when we left an area because of a feeling. We were on Maui and having a lovely time driving around that gorgeous island. Suddenly, as we were driving along the coast, we both experienced an overwhelming sense that we were not supposed to be there. It was sudden. It was very focused. And it was simultaneous. I can't explain it any further than that other than to say Maui is sometimes a very mystical place. We made a U-turn and left the area.

I share this not to throw shade on Huatulco. It is a lovely place and our mistake was not booking an excursion that would get us out of the immediate port area.  

That's not to say we haven't had wonderful adventures exploring on our own--our day following a cat around the walled medieval town in Kotor, Montenegro comes to mind--but safety when traveling is a big deal to us. It's important to: 

• Be aware of our surroundings. Stick to populated areas. Keep your wallet in your front pocket. Leave your jewelry on the ship. 
• Have a plan. Do your homework on the port. Know what you want to see and how you'll get there and back again.
• Don't sign up for something you wouldn't do at home. If you're not a good swimmer, don't try to snorkel. If heights give you the willies, don't hop on a zipline. If you're not a rider, don't book horseback riding through the surf. If you haven't ridden a bike since you were a kid, flying down Haleakala on a Schwinn is a recipe for disaster. 
• Listen to your gut. If you feel a check on a place or an activity, rethink your situation and opt for something else. 

When I was younger, I had no fear. I rented a board on Waikiki and learned to surf with the help of two teenage boys I met on the beach, who coached me in exchange for a chance to ride the board in a time or two. Another time, I got caught in a rip current, but swam out of it by keeping my head and swimming parallel to the beach for a while until I was able to turn back to land. I explored the cities in Europe and Japan solo, taking public transit and wandering map in hand, whether I spoke the language or only had a smattering of phrases.  

Sadly, I couldn't do any of those things now. To everything there really is a season. I can't do what I used to, but I will keep doing all I can.  

I used to tell our kids, I'm like the Disney character Goofy, who famously said, "I'm brave...but I'm careful!" 

It still fits.