Cruising to Mexico

Some people have referred to this as a travel column. Sometimes it is. Travel for me is exploration. I enjoy being exposed to various cultures, and I love geography. It can be small things. I know my way around the Walmart at Puerto Vallarta. One friend remarked, no big deal. All Walmarts are the same. Not quite. The bakery there features tuna empanadas. You must try one. You’ll be surprised at how tasty it is. The produce section, sugar cane and guyabas or guavas. There is a souvenir aisle with lots of must-have stuff, especially Mexican vanilla that remains a bargain.

My dear wife carried a list of family and school friends that was checked off as she found T-shirts at the Mazatlan Mercado or bracelets from street vendors. Occasionally we purchase rosaries or other religious items in front of churches that we visit. A friend prayed for an internet connection and found one in a small chapel in Our Lady of Guadalupe church in Puerto Vallarta. We all pray for different things. Sometimes our request is fulfilled.

During my last two trips, I had no Google connections. My daughter told me she had to be connected with her friends so she paid extra for this. I am usually relieved to be disconnected. I miss Google directions, a very useful app, but that’s about it. In Mexico I could make phone calls once we docked in port. So I made one or two. OK. I also sent out photos when we were in port. Our eyes and minds are sharper when we encounter different settings. And of course there were our friends laughing and dancing as if there were no tomorrow. For one week, there wasn’t.

At 10 a.m. on a clear and breezy morning, our SDSU friend, Mary, was on the promenade deck walking 5K to raise money to support cancer research and helping organizations. The ship was booking along at 20 knots. I was probably still drinking coffee to clear the cobwebs. Have I mentioned I do better at nighttime?

I didn’t join the fundraiser, but I did my share of walking — much of it was on the way to get ice cream. Three laps around the good ship Eurodam is a mile. The least crowded time was after dinner when the temps cooled and people headed to music venues.

I could do without Cabo San Lucas, our first port. I find it a cemented-over beachfront town made into a city for Americans to party in. Traces of Mexico are few. Mazatlan is not touted by the tourist sites, but it suits me. It’s a working city, and we rode a tram through the industrial port after we docked.

The port exemplifies NAFTA and overseas trade. New cars are lined up in rows on the dock. Shipping containers are stacked two high all around. Mazatlan ships marlin and other fish to Asia. It’s now a city of more than 430,000. In simpler times, it was the hometown of Pedro Infante, singer and star of Mexican films. The city boasts a small museum for the popular actor.

We had lunch at the Panama patisserie. It’s a local bakery and restaurant near the Mercado. I had marlin machaca. Fantastic. I love fish, and this trip enabled me to dine on fish often. We had cool drinks, like frosties, made with cucumber and limes. Another made with strawberries. Oh my. They were delicious and refreshing to cool us against the Mazatlan humidity.

I am very thankful for my ability to travel, especially with friends and family. The stars aligned for us to have a wonderful week together.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Remember to help your mother in the kitchen both in preparation and in cleanup. My dear wife and I will actually be cooking together. This is more rare than a solar eclipse. We host a Thanksgiving potluck. It’s certainly a thankful time.

Mark your calendar: Dec. 1 is the El Centro Christmas Parade. Eighth Street is the main route of the march.