Semi-live: Crown Princess, “Mexican Riviera” Dec 12 to Dec 22

[AZjohn]

On 12/14/2023 at 3:35 PM, startedwithamouse said:

It's record rains that caused this. Never happened before. 

???

can you please explain what record rains the Bay Area had recently and how it overrides the moon and sun gravity pulls?

[mk-ultra]

Up reaaaaaaly early (0400 local) to watch the meteors.  Hard to avoid light pollution on the ship.  Balcony with the light smothered is pretty good.

[mk-ultra]

I seem to recall this category of cabin coming with an awful-coffee-maker.  Might just be mixing up memories from other cruises/lines.  Off to deck 5 for hand made awful coffee.  Meteors are being shy -- might be too far past the peak.

[mk-ultra]

Annnnnnnd... awful coffee procured. They should be paying me to drink it.  Blech.  I'm not even a coffee snob, but this swill...

 

[OLD MAN EARLY AM RANT ABORTED]

Edited December 16, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

I’ll fight you to the death with this opinion.

 

The best coffee on Earth is just coarse ground medium roast whatever prepared in a percolator.

 

The percolator is the weird carafe thing with a fabric insulated extension cord you inherited when your grandparents kicked the bucket. It has a two-prong plug, so electrocution is always an option. 

 

Plug it it — it’s fun watching it burble in the little glass thingy on the lid.

Edited December 16, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

Honorable mention goes to any culture (Turkish, Greek, anywhere in the Middle East) where coffee is made by simply pouring very hot (not boiling) water over a bunch of coffee grounds.

 

To that, you add an obscene amount of sugar and arm yourself with a cigarette and a glass of water. 

 

When you smile after a couple of sips, you’ll show your satisfaction by displaying all of the coffee grounds between your teeth.  Your breath could knock a buzzard off of a shitwagon if you do it correctly.

Edited December 16, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

Adios, Manzanillo. 

 

Edited December 17, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

So, first two shore excursions done.  Day before yesterday, it was a 1.5 hour bus ride from Manzanillo out to Comala (in Colima) to visit the Hidalgo museum.  Small museum.  Bus ride out came with a good narrative from our guide.  So so lunch in Colima on the city square.  Not a bad excursion, but I wouldn't repeat it with a 3 hour bus ride investment.

 

Yesterday's excursion was a 1 hour boat ride from Puerto Villarta to Majahuitas Cove.  Nice little resort-ish thing on the beach.  Those that wanted to snorkel could stay on the boat for a bit to be motored out to the dive site -- then return for some beach time.  Free beer.  Perhaps two hours there.  Then off to Yalapa, another 30 minutes or so away.  Very nice.  Lunch served onboard while motoring.  Everything in Yelapa is on your own dime, but I managed a couple of huge margaritas and camarones al coco.  Constant rain of sky-divers, which was cool.

 

Then, putt-butt back to port for an hour.  The boat crew puts on a pretty hilarious (and fun) show... and had a lot of people on their feet (my dumb ass included) dancing to YMCA and other stuff.

 

Yelapa:

 

 

 

Mazatlan today.  Cancelled my JetSki shore excursion because I tore the daylights out of my rotator cuff a few days before the cruise.  Didn't book anything to replace it.  I'm just gonna head ashore and wing it.

Edited December 18, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

So there's this little old lady who has been the bane of my existence since arriving at the cruise terminal.  She's an expert-level line cutter.  Totally without shame.  As luck would have it, my first two excursions included her.  She just shuffles herself right in front of you.  Lines are for the weak.

 

I finally had enough after the 4th or 5th time.  She shoved into line right in front of me (again).  I tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the 15 or so other people waiting their turn.  She played dumb and ignored me.

 

So, very unusually for me, I just stepped around her and pushed myself back into place.  Look lady, I've spent about 6 months of my life living in China.  I can do the this as well as you can.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by mk-ultra

[Kmkub]

4 hours ago, mk-ultra said:

So there's this little old lady who has been the bane of my existence since arriving at the cruise terminal.  She's an expert-level line cutter.  Totally without shame.  As luck would have it, my first two excursions included her.  She just shuffles herself right in front of you.  Lines are for the weak.

 

I finally had enough after the 4th or 5th time.  She shoved into line right in front of me (again).  I tapped her on the shoulder and pointed to the 15 or so other people waiting their turn.  She played dumb and ignored me.

 

So, very unusually for me, I just stepped around her and pushed myself back into place.  Look lady, I've spent about 6 months of my life living in China.  I can do the this as well as you can.

 

 

 

 

I usually go a more passive-aggressive route. “Wow! You must be very important.” Though, those that can feel public shame don’t cut in lines in the first place.”

[simong]

how is the internet on this cruise, as i will be sailing on the following cruise 12/22

[mk-ultra]

Well, that was entertaining.  Robinson D44 popped the floats and made a graceful autorotation splat.  You don't see that very often.   Looks like everyone is OK.

[mk-ultra]

1 hour ago, simong said:

how is the internet on this cruise, as i will be sailing on the following cruise 12/22

So far, so good.  It's been working well.

[oakridger]

1 hour ago, mk-ultra said:

Well, that was entertaining.  Robinson D44 popped the floats and made a graceful autorotation splat.  You don't see that very often.   Looks like everyone is OK.

 

Can you translate for us Gringos please?   😉

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, mk-ultra said:

Well, that was entertaining.  Robinson D44 popped the floats and made a graceful autorotation splat.  You don't see that very often.   Looks like everyone is OK.

Those things are LOUD!

[c-boy]

2 hours ago, mk-ultra said:

Well, that was entertaining.  Robinson D44 popped the floats and made a graceful autorotation splat.  You don't see that very often.   Looks like everyone is OK.

those things are p o s's 

[startedwithamouse]

5 minutes ago, c-boy said:

those things are p o s's 

Couldn't agree more!!!

[mk-ultra]

12 hours ago, oakridger said:

 

Can you translate for us Gringos please?   😉

Small 4 person helicopter had an engine failure.  Inflated the floats on the skids and did a no-power landing on the water safely.  Textbook kinda job.

Edited December 19, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

Today: Cabo.  Doing some sort of farm-to-table food tour.  It's absolutely gorgeous out!  Cabo is a tender port, so off to join the other cattle in the theater for roll-call.

[mk-ultra]

20 hours ago, c-boy said:

those things are p o s's 

This was the second time I’ve watched one do an unplanned water landing. 

[mk-ultra]

For risking my neck in the casino  to the tune of x-thousand dollars: free chocolates.  Count them.. Uno, dos, tres, quatro: doesn't get much better than this.  I'll take it, muchas gracias.

Edited December 19, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

Switched to 100% Spanish two days ago.  Casino dealers are totally perplexed.  Old white boy no longer speaks English?  My Spanish sucks.  Very fun.  Getting very politely corrected by folks who can help.  Love, love, love.

Edited December 20, 2023 by mk-ultra

[c-boy]

4 hours ago, mk-ultra said:

For risking my neck in the casino  to the tune of x-thousand dollars: free chocolates.  Count them.. Uno, dos, tres, quatro: doesn't get much better than this.  I'll take it, muchas gracias.

😄ne grand for each piece.

[AZjohn]

2 hours ago, c-boy said:

😄ne grand for each piece.

Casinos love people that drop a lot of money there and who also speak gringo Spanish 🤣. I would be having a blast if I was there!

[c-boy]

7 hours ago, AZjohn said:

Casinos love people that drop a lot of money there and who also speak gringo Spanish 🤣. I would be having a blast if I was there!

my moto; if you can't afford to loose, don't play. If you loose, don't complain about it. 😉