Day 5

Today we are in Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa for a day at the beach. Zihuatanejo is the original side where the locals live; Ixtapa is the newer area where all the tourists go. We took a cab to Playa Linda where there are pangas (water taxis) waiting to take the tourists to Isla Ixtapa. On the taxi ride, we noticed right away that speed limits and stop signs are merely “suggestions”, and we made it to the other side of the island in record time.

It was pouring rain for the first 2 hours we were at the beach, but that didn’t stop Andrew from heading straight out to snorkel the coral reefs. Karin had a luxurious 1-hour massage right on the beach with the rain falling on the palaypos roof. Around noon the rain stopped and the sun came out, making for a perfect day on the beach. Lunch was delicious fresh seafood, which is also sold on the beach by local fishermen – shrimp for Andrew, snapper for Karin.

After about 5 hours on the beach we headed back to town for a quick run through the shops. We are learning that most shops all over Mexico sell almost the exact same items, so we don’t purchase very much. Andrew collects a magnet from each place we visit and Karin likes to try and find local cooking ingredients.

Now it’s back on to the ship in time to shower and head off to dinner. Tonight we’ll relax and get ready for our final port (Manzillo) tomorrow.