Mexico: There and Back Again

Last year, my parents informed me that they were planning on going on a cruise in the summer, something not out of the ordinary for them. What was out of the ordinary was what they said next: If I wanted, they would pay for me to come along and enjoy myself in Mexico and on the cruise for a week. It was an offer I would have been crazy to refuse.

And so, less than a week after last semester ended, I wound up driving down to Redondo Beach to spend the night before we got on our cruise. We walked the shops along the beach, ate at a Joe's Crab Shack, and went to sleep.

The next morning, something I hadn't experienced since I turned 8 years old happened: I boarded a cruise ship. Not much happened that day, mostly just wandering the ship, getting acquainted with it. We met up with people from an internet forum my mother is a part of, all of whom had kids around my age. All of them were excited to be entering college or starting their second year, babbling about which college they were going to, how much fun it was going to be, and the like. When it came to my turn, I told them I was already a senior in college. I was the oldest of them all. They all went dancing next to the pool on the main deck we were overlooking. I stood next to my parents and laughed quietly to myself, drinking the delicious alcoholic beverage none of them were allowed to order.

After another meetup with internet people, a gift exchange, more alcohol, a fairly boring day at sea, and toasting the captain with free champagne, we made it to Cabo San Lucas. Here, we took a quick boat tour around the area, wandered through the shops at the docks, and trekked a mile out to a glass factory. It was fascinating watching the glass-blowers practice their craft. We walked back to town, had some margaritas, and called it a day. Although we didn't do anything terribly exciting, Cabo would become my favorite port of call.

Our next stop was Mazatlan. An interesting note: Mazatlan is in a different time zone than Cabo. We, of course, forgot to reset our watches, and so missed our planned tour by an hour. A quick, $20 phone call later, the tour company gave us credit for another tour.

Instead, we grabbed a local tour guide, Jose, who drove us to a small village with a bakery in a house. The bread was delicious and cheap. Then, he brought us to a small furniture factory. There was little to do there, so we headed up to the mountains, where we visited a small town and saw a church that was hundreds of years old. After a near-death experience of almost hitting a bus, and having the car almost break down, we got back on the boat.

The next day, we cashed in our tour credit and went on a tour around Puerto Vallarta. We made our way to a small tequila factory, did a tasting and bought two $60 bottles that were amazing, and visited a place where Predator was filmed. Other than the tequila factory, it was a low-key day.

Another day at sea, and we were back home. Wandering around three major ports, shopping and drinking, was a perfect way to get away from home. If you have never been on a cruise, I highly suggest booking one, and take someone with you. It's relaxing and fun. While I'd love to get into more detail, this column is starting to run long, and I have to start planning for the cruise my girlfriend and I are taking to Mexico - Cabo and Puerto Vallarta - next month.