Going Loco Down in Acapulco

Trip Start Sep 01, 2004
1
10
Trip End Nov 27, 2004


Loading Map
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow

Flag of Mexico  ,
Monday, November 29, 2004

After 10 days of city hopping, it was time to head down to the Pacific Coast again, this time to Mexico's most famous holiday resort, Acapulco. As i was going to be meeting up with 'Mike 'I'm a banker' Gregory, we had already booked into a great hotel on 'La Costera' (the main beach strip), which is just as well, as Acapulco really isn't a backpackers place, as most of the coastline is covered in expensive high rise hotels. Infact many travellers miss out Acapulco altogether, in favour of Puerto Escondidio further down the coast. There's definitely not much in the way of sights or culture here, but it is a great place to just relax during the day, and party at night, which is pretty much all we did for a couple of days! We did however take the time to see the famous cliffdivers (clavadistas), from the Quebrada rocks. These people are craaaaaaaaaaazy!!! - first of all they climb up the rocks barefooted, without the help of any ropes, to varying heights of between 30 and 40m (!), then pray to the shrine at the top of the cliff, before diving off into the sea below!!
01 - Acapulco
01 - Acapulco
! They have to wait for the waves to be in exactly the right position, or risk hitting the rocks underneath the water - incredible!!!

Slightly less incredible was the night boat trip we took the following evening. We had expected a classy yacht to glide us past the sights of the Acapulco coastline, whilst sipping margharitas and listening to sultry salsa music. What we got, was a ferry, plastic seats, even more plastic cups from which to drink our rum and flat coke, awful music blaring from the loud speakers, lots of elderly people dancing an unsteady salsa, and an extremely camp 'dance spectacular' - oh well!

From Acapulco, it was back to Mexico City for the fifth and final time, with Mike and Rob in tow. We stayed on the Zocalo once again, although this time in the rather more salubrious surroundings of the Holiday Inn, rather than the hostel a few hundred metres away that i had been used to. I certainly got to see another side of Mexico City, as we tried out some of the finest and most famous restaurants and bars in the city, in the posh areas of Polanco and Condensa. During the days we went on 'Marky's Sightseeing Tour', a free service kindly operated by a local traveller, taking in sights from the Palacio de Bellas Artes (yet more Diego Rivera murals), to El Torre Latinoamerica (the highest building in Mexico City, with great views of the sprawling metropolis), a very well stocked and at times pretty disgusting torture museum, and the waterways of Xochimilco
02 - Acapulco
02 - Acapulco
. About 20km south of the centre, 180km of canals (originally used by Pre-Hispanic inhabitants to irrigate their fields and gardens) have been restored for tourists and locals. You simply hire a boat and punter, and float down the peaceful canals, while smaller boats carrying food, beer, souvenirs and mariachi bands approach, trying to persuade you to part with a few pesos - a very enjoyable way to spend our last afternoon in Mexico.

And so, with Mike and Rob safely on the plane back to the UK, i had just enough time for a bit more shopping, before it was my turn to head back accross the Atlantic. I left the Zocalo in beautiful sunshine, crowded with tourists, markets stalls, flags, demonstrators, and people going about there everyday lives, pretty much as i had found it three months ago - i won't forget this place in a hurry!

marky x
Slideshow

Use this image in your site

Copy and paste this html: