Alcapulco

Alcapulco - Tuesday Oct. 17, 2006

A bit of old town - old Mexico - tight, crowded, poor and dirty	Sister to the mermaid in Copenhagen, they call this one Narcisis	Lots has changed in Alcapulco in 20 years. The streets have been cleaned up and the poor and beggers have been shunted off to other areas. The streets are even relatively clean. The city police patrol with submachine guns. You still need to watch your pocket, but it is much better. It was obviously the job of our tour guides to show us the best of the city and encourage us to come back. There is lots of building, of condominiums and time shares; both in the main part of the city and the outskirts. The city is over 2 million people.
Fishing is still done the old fashion way; drawing in the nets. The fish market is complete with cats.	Their cultural museum. In front is an Olmec head statue - huge!	Our tour started with a drive though the old town. Then up to the Mirador to watch the cliff divers. It had rained for the prior 4 days in Alcapulco and it was evident that the sewer systems were not up to the drainage. The sea was quite rough near the rocks and we wondered if we would even get to see the divers. Our driver stopped to let us get a preview, then it was our turn to gaze from the balconies of the hotel. They say the dive is about 130 feet. We saw 5 divers - 1 from the higher rock face and the rest from the lower; including 2 at once. They pray to the Virgin of Guadelupe first. You couldn't get me to make the dive for the $500 they get per dive.
Sister bay to Alcapulco and beyond is the Pacific ocean.	Alcapulco Bay from near the top of the mountain, on the far side of the bay from the port.	Then off along the beach front for a drive through the main high rises. We climbed one of the highways, past Las Brises (of Hollywood fame), and out of the city proper. Here there are the big hotels, time shares, and golf courses. There is a sister bay to Alcapulco where lots of the new highend building is happening. As you can see it is quite beautiful -- all lush and green. All the chain stores and restaurants are also going in here. All the new building is also on raised foundations to avoid the flooding from when the canals overflow.
Alcapulco Bay from our ship - docked across from the beginning of old town and Fort San Diego.	No trip to Alcapulco would be complete without the high cliff divers.	Returned to the ship for a late lunch. The temperature, 88 degrees, and high humidity took their toll and it was time for a nap. Losing another hour over night so early to bed.

Back to the Panama Trip introduction page

Rights to all pictures and text reserved by Robin Berry and Will Ringer Oct 2006.