The Amazing Cliff Divers of Mazatlan, Mexico

If you've been following along for the past week, you'll know that I've just returned from a fantastic cruise to the Mexican Riviera. During our port in Mazatlan, we hired a driver to take us on a private tour of the city. I highly recommend this option, as you can customize your visit and spend time on things you want to do. One of the stops we made was to see the cliff divers. The photo above left shows the rock "cliff" that the divers use. Groups of tourists watch in awe as the young Mexican divers prepare to dive, as their friends work the crowd to collect money. A dollar or two from every onlooker satisfies them, and they give the signal to the diver on top of the rocks.The photos below give you an idea, but I've also added a video for some live action!

Above left: the divers use these stairs to ascend the top. Above right: this diver stretches to prepare for his dive, while his friends collect tips from tourists. Click the button below to watch the video:

Above: I took this video in Mazatlan, Mexico. The cliff divers are young men who jump off these rocks in what seems like a rather dangerous stunt, but they work for tips. Enjoy!

-Rick Rockhill

Mexican Riviera Cruise, Day 7: At Sea and Back to San Diego

Well the Mexican Riviera cruise has come to an end all too soon. It turned out to be a fantastic vacation, enhanced by some new friends we made from the very first day. The three ports of call were quite enjoyable; exotic and unique from each other. The food and service was very good; in fact several nights we ordered specialized dishes not on the menu, which the head waiter happily prepared. Despite being in sunny Mexico all week, I was in the Christmas spirit, thanks to the ship's Christmas decorations. The garland, wreaths and trees provided a festive backdrop for photos galore.

above: the art auctions held during the cruise showcased a wide variety of art from several renowned artists.

above: before dinner we hosted a private cocktail party in our stateroom for a few friends. We had a small spread of cheese, crackers, fresh fruit, a veggie tray and some of my Fannie May chocolates of course! (I never travel without them)

above: As last night's dinner concluded, the lights were turned off and we watched the parade of waiters carrying flaming Baked Alaska as dessert. It was delicious!

above left: Enjoying a refreshing martini before dinner, and above right: We went to Jammer's nightclub one night to enjoy some music and a few cocktails. I never made it to the dance floor however tempting it was.
Dr Wang at Sea
Final Day: I cannot believe how quickly this cruise has passed by. After dictating a few postcards to be written, I had a relaxing breakfast of croissant crumbs. I passed on orange juice, it is way too acidic for my fins. My time at sea has been rejuvenating, I feel "at one" with my fellow creatures of the water. I especially enjoyed the yoga classes, and Pilates too. I'm going to swim down to the future cruise office and see what other cruises that make sense for me. My Wisdom Wednesday column this week will welcome back Madame Esmerelda, who is still in Palm Springs for another week. Thanks for reading my "fblog" (fish blog).

-Dr Wang

Sunday Art Review: Onboard the Dawn Princess

Regular readers of this blog are familiar with my weekly Sunday Art Review posts each Sunday. Today is no exception, despite being away at sea. This week I decided to feature several works of art from the Dawn Princess cruise ship. Princess invests millions of dollars on permanent art exhibits for it's ships. On sea days particularly, I like to walk around the ship and enjoy the wide variety of art on display. I never take the time to write down the artist or the name of the work, but I hope you enjoy them just the same.

-Rick Rockhill

Mexican Riviera Cruise, Day 6, Day at Sea

Yesterday was a full day at sea. Mmmmm the refreshing sea air is so invigorating. I started my day doing laps around the Promenade deck, enjoyed a cup of tea on the deck overlooking the pool, followed by a few hours of reading on a deck chair. I woke up after a brief snooze, my book resting comfortably on my stomach. Yes, it was a stressful morning. After lunch, we went to see a movie in the Princess Theatre, and then wine tasting, which was very enjoyable.

The Maitre D Wine Tasting

The wine tasting we attended yesterday featured some of the fine wines from the ship's cellars, including Veuve Clicquot Champagne, Cuvaison Chardonnay, Barolo red, Brunello di Montalcino red, and Luce Della Vite, which was outstanding. They served a selection of impressive canapes, with cheese, pate, smoked salmon, prosciutto ham, etc. The head waiters spoke briefly about each wine, as the string quartet played softly in the background. It was a nice way to spend an hour or so.
It was formal night and we had quite a busy social evening: martinis at a friend’s cabin, followed by the Captain's cocktail reception, then a fabulous dinner (it was lobster night). After dinner we tried our luck in the casino at the roulette tables and slot machines. A friend was on a winning streak, which motivated me to join in the fun as well. I can't say I won, but I had a good time.

The 11:15 champagne waterfall party was hopping until the wee hours. Who says sea days are boring? Not me!

above: The main atrium looked so festive with Christmas trees, wreaths and garland. Above right: the Champagne Waterfall was pretty cool, and kicked off the party with music and dancing until the wee hours.

above left: the aft of the ship, at night.

above: The Mexican Fiesta on Friday had a live band playing by the pool which kept people dancing all night.
Dr Wang at Sea

After a good night’s sleep I awoke rested and ready for a relaxing day at sea. I was hoping this evening’s dinner would be seafood-free. I prefer plants and bugs myself. At least the fabulous desserts make up for it. I had a crumb of chocolate cake last night, which was so delicious. One of the amazing things about being on a cruise is the presentation of food and the service. For example, the room service waiter brought a silver tray of desserts into my stateroom cabin. Wearing white gloves, he sprinkled a variety if cake crumbs across the surface of my water. I watched with great interest as the bits of chocolate ganache, coconut cake, carrot cake and pastry flakes floated along for me. I was in heaven. I swam to the waters surface and nibbled away until I floated into oblivion in total bliss. Ah yes, this is the life. I sometimes feel a bit guilty as I luxuriate on this ship above water while so many of my "aquatic cousins" swim deep below the surface...oh well, I'm not really feeling THAT guilty after all I guess.

-Dr Wang

The Saturday Seven: Things I'll Do at Sea but NEVER Ashore

Regular readers are familiar with my weekly Saturday Seven post, where I pick a random topic each week with a list of seven related things. Normally I include photos along with each of the seven entries, but as I am working with limited satellite resources on the ship, I will forgo any photos for this week’s list. Cruises can be great fun, although understandably not for everyone. I truly enjoy cruising, particularly the days at sea. Being at sea allows you to truly relax and enjoy yourself. Frequently I’ll spend a few hours reading, curled up on a deck chair watching the white caps roll past the ship. Often I find myself attending and participating in activities that I’d never be caught dead doing if I were ashore, but they just seem right while on a cruise. This brings me to another scintillating edition of
The Saturday Seven: Things I'll do at Sea but NEVER Ashore:

#1 Bingo
#2 Ping Pong
#3 Shuffleboard
#4 Ceramics at Sea
#5 Ballroom Blitz Dance Class
#6 Fruit and Vegetable Carving
#7 Ice Carving Demonstration

Bonus entry: Wet, Wild and Wacky Pool Games
-Rick Rockhill

Mexican Riviera Cruise, Day 5: Puerto Vallarta

We arrived in Puerto Vallarta well rested and ready for the extra time we would be spending here. Puerto Vallarta is a huge city, but has a great deal of charm. It has fantastic beaches, rustic historic areas, lush jungle type foliage in places, wonderful restaurants and plenty of shopping. Our ship docked at Bahia de Banderas, which I learned was formed by an ancient volcano. This volcanic crater is now the second largest natural bay in North America and is the deepest bay in the world! I am really enjoying Puerto Vallarta, it is the best part of Mexico I have visited so far. (Yes, I am riding a donkey while holding a dog!)

above: beautiful beaches...

above left: This church was under renovations, but it was beautiful inside. The top of the tower has a crown supported by angels. above right: many of the shops displayed their merchandise from windows on the second floor.

above: There were plenty of great beachside restaurants

above: I like the "little gems" you can find just walking around, such as these arches by the beach, or the lamp posts with dolphins.

above: Puerto Vallarta has plenty of wonderful statues throughout the city.

The Private Villa...

Above: Relaxing at the private villa, nestled high into the hill.

above: the villa has beautiful grounds with lush tropical plants and a refreshing pool.

One of the verandas I enjoyed, with spectacular sweeping views of the beaches

Dr Wang at Sea
Day five: I was horrified to learn that there were Alaskan King Crab Legs on the dining room menu this evening. I thought these people were civilized on cruise ships. Don’t the chefs realize that it’s just not right to eat the underwater creatures? I mean, other than that miserable Jaws, what did any of us underwater creatures ever do to humans to deserve to be slaughtered and eaten?
-Dr Wang

Mexican Riviera Cruise, Day 4: Mazatlan

Yesterday we arrived in Mazatlan, Mexico. It was perfect weather, mid 80's or so with plenty of sunshine. After taking a ride in a "shuttle" that was really a tractor, we arrived at the terminal and made our way through the tourist-trap square. We braced ourselves for the berrage of time-share salespeople representing themselves as tour guides. Luckily we were tipped off, and walked right past them all.

above left: the tourist square at the terminal was actually very nice. above right: these are the types of vehicles that pulled the flatbed with benches to take us to the terminal!

above left: my first corny pose of the day, with Senor Frog, above right: the "city coat of arms"

We hired a driver for a private car all day. It was the best way to see Mazatlan. I stopped along the way for a photo opportunity with this lovely mermaid. Mazatlan was an interesting place to visit. Beautiful beaches, a good blend of old and new, lots of resorts, etc. We were very fortunate to have had such a great driver who spoke English perfectly and took us all over. I felt like we had a good perspective of the area.

above: another beautiful mermaid, and above right: a smugglers cave now locked up with this gate that says "Diablo"

We stopped to watch the famous rock divers...wow, they were amazing. when I get back I'll upload the video I took.

Above: In the Old Town part of mazatlan, there was lots of character like this doorway to a home. above right: we walked through the market, which had everything from fresh produce, meats, clothes and trinkets.

I already forgot the Spanish name for this square, but it was beautiful.

We visited this cathedral (I think Sacred Heart) in Old Town, which was quite ornate inside.

Above: back at the ship last night, we had Bananas Foster for dessert....mmmm oh-so-good!

Dr Wang at Sea

Day four: This evening was probably the highlight of the cruise so far. Rick brought me to the nightclub lounge, to see a live performance. As a looked around the room, I realized that I was the only fish there. I could sense people watching me wondering what I was doing there, but I figured, I paid my way and darn-it, I was going to enjoy this cruise no matter what. Of course I didn't appreciate the fact that the people sitting next to me asked me if I had the Alaskan King Crab legs for dinner...

-Dr Wang