The "Weapons are Everywhere, but I Don't Feel Safe" Story

It was an ordinary day. Huatuloco (wa-tul-co) is calling! Huatulco is a small village along the coast of Mexico. Waterfront near the pier is about one quarter mile long with the pier, some souvenir stands and a small beach. What a difference from our trip to Acapulco which was a major city. We are taking the “Ocean Discovery and Beach Snorkel” tour which will make a few stops for photos and then to the beach Playa La Entrega for snorkeling. The ship is able to dock at the pier, therefore eliminating the need for tenders to take us to shore. Have my bathing suit on for the first time today. Usually our trips consist of being in a bathing suit for most of the vacation. As we exit the ship and head to the pier, we are once again greeted by armed military and policia. They constantly look in all directions and help direct us to our meeting area. Carol, Just Sue, Jerry and I are first equipped with snorkel, goggles, and flippers, then leave about 9:00 AM on an open air “bus” for our trip which will last about four hours today. On the side of the bus it says “Machito Bananas” which I’m not sure what that means. Have to grab hold of a rope with knots in it and pull yourself up the stairs into the bus. Not easy for some of the passengers in our group to do. A helper is there to push you up if you need help. Our guide today informs us that this is his second day on the job, but he will do everything he can to answer our questions. We travel on nicely paved, uncrowded roads to the top of a small mountain overlooking the harbor. Hey, now would be the time to grab a few tourists, since all the guards are back at the dock! The only lighthouse in the city is located here. We spend a few minutes taking photos and hop back on the bus again. Make a second photo stop at a lookout area from where we can see our cruise ship. To our left is a local Marine Base and we are asked not to take photos of it for security reasons. Not sure what they would do if you did take photos of it. We were allowed to walk right to the edge of the cliff overlooking the harbor. About a 100 foot drop greeted you when you looked down. Never, ever could you do this in the USA. Back in the bus for our final stop, snorkeling. We arrived at Playa La Entrega to be greeted by a soft, white sand beach with small shops and quite a few restaurants. Wasn’t long before we were in the 80 degree water with our mask and fins. A very large area was roped off to keep the boats away from the snorkelers. To our left was a wall of rock that dropped into the water. This was where we had the best sighting of fish. Since we were required to wear life vests, we couldn’t do any diving for items on the bottom, so our tour guide would dive and bring back an assortment of fish for us to see. A blowfish, fully inflated, made neat photos for those of us who had underwater cameras. Carol got to hold a starfish, sponge as well as check out an sea urchin. After about an hour and a half of water adventure, we grabbed our towels to dry off. At this time we were all asked if we would like a complimentary drink before we boarded the bus. I could see it coming. Yep! The drinks complimented the day, but were $5 in price. Just like on the Chevy Chase commercial. Whoa! No takers when they found this out, especially since we had real complimentary drinks, for free, on the bus. Back at the cruise dock, Carol and I walked in and out of the small shops looking for souvenirs to take home. Beautiful little beachfront village. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs from the top are: security at the dock, our "bus" ride for the day, view from the top of the cruise ship at the pier, beach Playa La Entrega, the beach bums, and wares for sale along the pier.