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While
the Flamingo hotel itself now shows its age, its location on
top of these steep cliffs provides an excellent view of some very expensive
modern homes and the ocean far below.
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The
day was quite hot and Lena enjoyed her first taste of Mexican beer.
(Steve could not help wondering if any of the Hollywood stars had ever
gotten ripped and fallen off the cliffs behind the Flamingo
hotel back in the 1950's!)
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In
the evening, we decided to hang a beach towel on our balcony's railing
and to go ashore so that we could get a photo of our cabin to show where
it was located.
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Since
our friend who took us to the cruise ship had requested that we pick
up some KAHLUA for him, we combined our booze run with getting this
photo of our cabin's 'balcony.'
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From
Acapulco, we traveled north to the much smaller port of Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa
and anchored out in the harbor. We actually only visited...
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...the
beach at Zihuatanejo where Lena wanted to go for a swim in the ocean.
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There
were no waves and Lena found the water to be perfect for swimming.
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For
those inspired to reach further heights, parasailing 'opportunities'
were available in Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, but Steve had "been
there/done that" back in the late 1960's while in Mexico with the
US Navy!
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Lena
managed to swim out a considerable distance from shore ini order to
get a closer look at this boat which was available for charter diving
trips in the ocean near Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa.
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It
seemed strange to see a HUGE ship like the Norwegian Star parked
in the relatively small harbor area of Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa.
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As
we approached the enterance to the port of Puerto Vallarta,
we could see one of the Princess Line's cruise ships already tied up
at the piers.
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The
city of Puerto Vallarta (in the nicest possible way!) seemed
rather old, tired and dirty. While we took a NCL guided tour ashore,
there were not many places or things which we photographed.
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Lena
enjoyed visiting Richard Burton's home in Gringo Gulch and
seeing the house (across the pink bridge) which Richard Burton bought
in 1963 for Elizabeth Taylor when he was filming The Night of the
Iguana. Richard Burton lived in his home...
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...on
this side of the street and used the pink bridge to cross over into
Elizabeth Taylor's home called Casa Kimberly. This is a photo
of Richard Burton's kitchen.
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An
interesting point about Casa Kimberly it that it was purposely
built without a street-level entrance, so both Burton and Taylor had
to use his home (and connecting bridge) to cross over into Elizabeth
Taylor's home.
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In
contrast to Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas was a much newer,
cleaner, and enjoyable port to visit.
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It
was interesting to note the stark contrast between the barren brown
hillsides and the hillside construction of new buildings.
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In
addition to our cruise ship, there was also a Holland America cruiseliner
anchored in the harbor.
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We
took the "Land's End" boat trip which enabled us to see the
very tip of Baja Peninsula; the longest, most desolate, and
beautiful peninsula in the world.
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This
spot features Los Arcos, a dramatic natural rock monument that
arches starkly out of the sea.
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The
pristine white beaches (because of their relatively difficult access)
are devoid of people and represent a wonderful photographic opportunity.
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Tourists
normally access these particular beaches using only small boats or kayaks.
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After
we had rounded the tip of Baja Peninsula and traveled a mile
or so northward, we could see these incredibly beautiful homes (many
owned by movie stars) which were built directly on top of the steep
rugged cliffs.
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This
is a telephoto shot of a huge beachside condo complex that is also built
along the coast just north of Los Arcos.
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As
we briefly toured the city of Cabo San Lucas, Lena decided
to try on a Mexican Sombrero just for a photo.
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This
beautiful small beach at Cabo San Lucas was not crowded and
the water was perfect for swimming. The Norwegian Star (with
Land's End and the arches of Los Arcos adjacent to it in the
background) is anchored in the harbor.
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As
we departed Cabo San Lucas' harbor, from our balcony we saw
a huge private yacht as well as a commercial "pirate ship"
that is used for tourist cruises along the coast.
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As
the sun sets, Lena enjoys a final margarita on our balcony during our
return trip to Los Angeles.
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