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Here's some pictures from our Mexican Cruise:

This is the ship we (my mom, brother & sister-in-law, 2 nieces, Chris & myself) sailed on called the Vision of the Seas (Royal Caribbean). It's passenger capacity is just over 2,400 people & it has a lot of wonderful features including an outdoor pool, an indoor pool, hot tubs, a gorgeous theater for entertainment & movies, a casino, rock climbing wall, spa, pubs, a main dining room & a large cafe. We had 3 full sailing days where we spent most of our time at the pool or in the Solarium (indoor pool) & our nights were spent in the pub playing trivia or at the theater watching comedy acts. One of the highlights for me was during breakfast one morning when my mom & I (the rest of the family was still sleeping) spotted 2 whales breaching near the ship!

Our first port of call - Cabo San Lucas. I was very excited at this moment as I've never been to Mexico before. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny morning. As we watched from the top deck, someone pointed out a hammerhead shark below in the water!

Now, it's a little tricky to make out here - we were actually quite far up & this camera is not so good for those far off shots, but you can still see it's fin & its strange shaped head. We later snorkeled mere miles from this spot - it was a little nerve racking knowing what was in the water...

I really got a kick out of the pelicans! There were so many of them & they were huge & I loved the way they always seemed to fly in flocks of about 7 or 8. This guy was one of the biggest we saw.

These amazing rock formations are along the coast of Cabo San Lucas. We took a trip out on an historic pirate ship called the Sunderland, built back in 1885. The pirates on board drew the sails up (I actually got to help pull one up too) & we sailed out. We saw little, white sand beaches pressed between large, jutting rocks, a sea lion colony & we even walked the plank out into the frigid waters to snorkel. We didn't see very many fish, but I must have ran into at least 8 or 9 jellyfish. Though I'm sure they were harmless, it was still freaky to see them close up! I'm just glad we didn't run into any sharks. What I loved most about this trip was the opportunity to wonder what it might have been like exploring this area 150 years ago. I think it must have been so exciting & adventurous to discover new land, but with the reality of pirates, storms & disease, kind of scary & very treacherous.

After our snorkel & sail, we walked along the boardwalk in Cabo & stopped at a little patio restaurant for some Mexican cuisine. Then it was time to board the ship again. Our next stop was Mazatlan.

This church is in Old Town, Mazatlan. We walked around Old Town, but there wasn't much to see so we headed off to the beach.

Ah...the beach. I love, love, love the beach. I love the sound of the ocean waves & the birds, the smell of saltwater & seaweed, the beautiful colors of the waves & white caps, the feel of the sun, sand & breeze, & when you want a little break from walking there's usually a beach hut bar nearby for a taste of a cold beer. It's all the senses being stimulated at one time that makes the beach such a wonderful experience. I also love to beach comb (looking at the ground & scanning for treasure brings out the archaeologist in me). On this walk, we found some wonderful sea glass, a dead puffer fish, a few shells, & couple of crabs chasing each other, oh & several locals selling their wares.

Sit for one minute & you'll have half a dozen Mexicans approach you with shell jewelry, silver ("for you, almost free"), ponchos, key chains, cakes, towels, toys & my favorite, mangoes on sticks.

Rows & rows of bright colored Talavera pottery in the Golden Zone, Mazatlan.

After walking along the beach & spending a little time looking at the local handicrafts, we went to a resort & swam in the pool & had lunch. As we were eating, this man came by & started serenading us. We didn't ask him to come over, we were just minding our own business, but when he was finished he said, "that's $3 for the song". We kind of stared at each other a little confused & then scrambled around to find some change ~ pretty funny.

We found that a great way to get around, apart from walking, was by taking a Pulmonia, an open golf cart-style vehicle. The drivers generally do not speak much English, but they're very friendly & fast & the open air experience is a great chance to see everything around you.