Day 9: Manzanillo
Trip Start
Dec 08, 2003
1
9
12
Trip End
Dec 18, 2003
Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
A 27-year old bright-eyed, dark-haired woman, she began her love of wine at the ripe old age of four when her grandfather made a special sweet wine just for her. He made his own wine-not for selling, just for the love of wine and for entertaining family and friends. She grew up around his friends, going from one small vineyard to the next, learning the intricacies of growing and cutting the grapes, processing the sugars into alcohol and tasting the best vintage of the year.
Her charming smile spoke volumes of her love for her craft. She speaks ONLY five languages, she says. She sometimes gets mixed up with her English while making presentations about wine. Admittedly, a few times she has had to stop in the middle of the presentation and apologize to the audience for not being able to find the correct word to express herself.
In her travels, she has learned to appreciate that others also have an appreciation for wines, and she has been able to learn from their experiences. Once her contract is over with the ship she hopes to settle in California for a time. There is a sommelier academy there where she hopes to obtain a Master Sommelier certification. In the meantime, she enjoys stopping at the various ports and tasting the local wines. I just love meeting and talking with the crew.
After that short chat, we head off the ship to explore Manzanillo. What a dusty, smoggy place this is. A small bustling village overtaken by industry. The people look sad, tired, helpless, hopeless. But I guess there's something to say about a life that is uncomplicated by technology and political issues and other big city stuff.
We walk to the small historical downtown area. Then off the beaten path to explore the local neighborhoods. Very cramped and dirty. Sad faces all around. But the people are doing what they do on a normal Tuesday afternoon. We make a few odd turns and wonder how the heck to get back onto the main road. A friendly local man notices our confusion and points us in the right direction. "Centro?" he asks and points thataway. "Gracias," we reply with the wave of our hands as we head off in that direction.
Back on track, we walk a little more, trying to avoid breathing the stench of dead, rotting flesh. Not fish like some of the other towns. Just a nasty, dead smell. This place is old and broken down. The streets and sidewalks are broken to pieces. Michael remarks that it would be a lawsuit waiting to happen if we were in the States. Thank goodness for the Mexican government that these people are more concerned with daily life than with lawsuits.
Okay, enough of this lazy, lousy place. Time to head back to the ship for a little lunch and a nap. We decide that we need a break from the Brady Bunch so we make reservations to eat at the casual dining area tonight. Jump in the Jacuzzi again. Shower and head over there. Pass by the Sushi Café and grab a few snacks then head in to dinner.
It was nice. Daniel, our waiter was pleasant. Dinner was okay. Walk around the ship a bit. Go down to the game room and play a round of Scrabble. Then we head down to the casino for more blackjack for Michael. Not a winning night, but fun nonetheless.
