On the morning of February first we were in Ensenada, Mexico. This is the other country port. If a ship does not dock in another country other that the US then the workers must pay US income tax . At least I think that is the reason.
When morning broke we were awaken by the sounds of the ship's fog horn. It was a beautiful foggy morning and when the fog broke through there was Ensenada. We had no plans for the day. We had been here on 3 other occasions and had done the excursions that interested us.
We went to our last breakfast in the dining room. It is always fun to meet new people and sharing a table in the dining room is the best way to do that. We met twin sisters and one husband. They were very friendly and we had a grand visit. The sister who was not a wife was a former teacher, the husband was an accountant and his wife was a housewife I think.
After breakfast I went ashore. Ken stayed on board. They have a very nice little market set up right on the dock. The sellers are not the typical high pressure people and the bartering is low key. Ken wanted a good leather belt and I was able to get him 2, a brown and a black.
After that we had to begin our packing. We bought very little but our suitcases seem heavier for some reason. Before dinner we had our last Happy hour and enjoyed a beautiful sunset on Fred and Mary
s balcony.
Tonight it is American night, the parade of the baked Alaskan and the thank you to the wait staff. That is always a lot of fun. They had mussels on the menu which is a favorite for Ken. I had no appetite and ate very little,
We returned to our room the finish packing and we called it a night.
Because we have an 11:30 am flight we had to be in the first group to disembark. Ken was worried we would miss our flight and he was willing to bet any amount with me. I felt positive that all would go well. It did in spite of hurdles.
The early people were to be in the Vista for a 7:45 departure. We were given group one of four. But everyone was just put in that lounge with no separation at all. People began to stand right and the door and down the hall and it was chaotic. To add to the mess immigration decided that no one could disembark before 8:15. That just made matters worse. Of course this dry hacking cough did not help matters. Having gotten up at five and feeling ill did not help make a smooth start to the day.
But once the line began to move it went very smoothly. You need no longer fill in a form for customs. We were in and out of the immigration process in less that 15 seconds. Did I mention that we were dragging our own suitcases. Taking your luggage off your self is a condition of early disembarkation. ( not fun)
The getting of a taxi was so well organized I was shocked. There was someone there who took your name when you arrive on the sidewalk outside the cruise terminal. Then as the cabs pulled up the names were assigned in order. It took us less than 5 minutes to be safely seated in a cab and on our way to airport.
Ken was still concerned because it was now 8:35 and we were supposed to be at the airport at 11:35 when boarding would begin. That 3 hour window for international flights is more that ample. The traffic situation was so much better that even I expected. The driver just flew and were inside the terminal getting boarding passed in less that 40 minutes....... I should have bet with him.We also learned that departure had been changed to 12:05 so we had lots of time!!!
We had not had any breakfast so Ken went to Starbucks and got us both a coffee and a sandwich to share. Soon it was time to board and head home. Cruise number 43 has come to an end.
I hope you have enjoyed following along. There are times when a person does not have adequate internet speed to allow me to post but just be patient, I will be posting when ever I can.
