Acapulco with Rosie and the Cliff Divers

Acapulco, Mexico
January 26
Eastern Time minus 1 hour

Today in Acapulco we had a small group tour that I set up with some people I met online from Cruise Critic. There were 7 of us in a large 10 person van. Our tour guide was Rosie. I located her from her great reviews on Cruise Critic.

Rosie picked us up first thing in the morning and we were off! She had a route planned out to beat the crowds from the Cruise line tours.

The main thing I discovered about most of Acapulco is that it is all about the views. Everywhere we went the views were outstanding. ( Other than that it seemed to be a city that is past its prime.) Even though the rich and famous were here once, they are no more. The city now has a population of about 1.5 million.

Our first stop was the Los Flamingos Hotel. This was a neat place that was once owned by "The Hollywood Gang". I didn't write down the names on the list, but I know John Wayne and Johnny Weissmiller (sp?) were two of the owners, but can't think of the others. There were about 6 of them. The place was old with a lot of character. Sorry, I have to improve on taking more pictures for the blog. Somehow I didn't take any of the hotel.


The next stop was the Chapel of Peace which featured this huge cross and beautiful views.

On to the market so Stirling could add to his vast bar. This man came rolling down the street with a loaded cart full of the purchases.


Lunch and the Cliff Divers were next on the agenda! The main cliff is 105 feet above sea level. The water they dive into is about 15 feet deep. Notice the man on the top of the cliff on the right. I just couldn't seem to get them in mid-dive.


The people came by land and sea the watch the divers. Do you suppose there is a life jacket for everyone on this boat?


The walls were covered in signatures of people who have been there. They were sort of wood burned into the walls and then painted white. I just took a picture of this very small section. (Fred McMurray, ray Milland, Esther Williams etc.)


Rosie had arranged for us to eat at a table overlooking the divers and it was undercover. This is a big deal because the sun was HOT!!! Liz has asked me to take pictures of the food. I forgot that, but does beer count?


On the way out the divers met us and we gave them tips (of course, this is Mexico).


There was a little boy that met us when we got to the cliff diving place. He took out the stool for the van and helped each of us out. Rosie told us we could tip him on the way out, not in. He helped in reverse when we left. His last comment was "hasta la vista baby! " I should have gotten a picture of him.

Most of the beautiful old hotels in the old section are now run down and falling apart. Stiring and Clare were interested to visit one of the hotels that they had visited about 40 years ago, right after their marriage. The view was spectacular. They said that at that time it was a top hotel. Now it is really bad. We saw a sign that you had to pay a $10 deposit for two towels. It is now for sale for 6 million dollars. Rosie said that it may be sold to someone to build a condo building or time share, but it is now in the wrong part of town. The best hotels have now moved far down the beach to an area called the Gold Coast. Here are two pictures of the view from the hotel named Casablanca.

The next stop was the Mercado (market). Stirling and Rosie went into the city market (Mercado) to buy flowers for Stirling and Clare's cabin. He bought some for me too. He told Jeff he couldn't buy flowers for his wife and not for Jeff's. Works for me!

The rest of us continued to check out the pig heads and chickens hanging in the open air. It was quite an interesting site.

Our last stop was at the Cathedral and the square in front of it. Rosie said this was the heart of Acapulco.

As we returned to the van, there was the "hasta la vista baby!" boy. We can't figure out how he got way to the other side of town and found us. Makes you wonder...