We had heavy weather Friday. It started about 2 AM. Winds were 80 MPH with 100 MPH gusts (hurricane force). The outdoor decks were all closed. The storm was very localized. By 9:30 we were back to sunny skies and calm seas. The ship did well. The only damage was to a room on our deck that had a defective door seal. The carpet was wet all the way out to the hallway.

Yesterday we stopped in Manzanillo. It’s the largest commercial port in Mexico, but they don’t normally get tourists. The town’s economy is all about the port. Colorful houses climb up the hill. The pretty picture masks the poverty. Our guide said that most of the houses we saw don’t have running water or electricity. People get to the houses by walking up steps — there are no streets going up the hill.

Our first stop was at an area where people extract sea salt. The activity started before irrigation. Tere wasn’t much to do during the dry season. Sea water is pumped into shallow pools. It sits in the sun evaporating for two days. Then they sweep the salt out with brooms. The locals found a market for a premium salt which is skimmed from the top of the pool after one day. The claim is that the premium salt has less sodium. The claim makes no sense, but I don’t begrudge any extra income these people can find. From there we went to a plantation and harvested some tropical fruit. Then we visited an area that makes clay bricks. The brick making demonstration was interrupted by a shaved ice car, complete with a speaker mounted to the roof broadcasting bad music. We finished the day with a snack at a restaurant on a black sand beach. Poverty and abandoned buildings are everywhere. I included one picture of the deck of a restaurant that is falling apart. They shoved broken masonry under the deck to prop it up. But they have nice bike lanes.

I hope this finds everybody doing well.