ixtapa

With no big docks, we dropped anchor in the bay and once again tender to shore. Zihuatanejo is the old charming, quaint laid back fishing village in contrast to Ixtapa, which is the upscale resort community 5 miles around the bay.

We took a 3 hour bus tour around the two areas and decided we liked Zihuatanejo much better. We strolled along the beaches where the fisherman pull their boats onto the sand and sell their day's catch to the beachfront fish markets. The restaurants right across the walkway serve the fresh catch of the day, every day along with their famous tequila and margueritas. There were also plenty of "craft vendors" but they were very polite and not pushy as in the other ports. Of all the Mexican ports we visited, this is the one place we might return for an extended visit-a completely relaxing vacation. We walked to the pier for our tender ride back to the ship and a 6:30 sailing.