Kirstin and I have always had a special bond that made spending time together a real treat. Recently, we took a cruise to the Mexican Riviera and that bond became stronger than ever.

As we hoped, we did find time to rest, read, and play cards. But we also had lots and lots of fun. Our first port of call was Cabo San Lucas. There we took an Unamog  trip into the desert, where we road a camel along the beach. Then we were introduced to a camel named Pecos who was so gentle and patient with people that we were able to pet and kiss him.  Kirstin fed Pecos a carrot from her hand. I was brave enough to put the carrot in my mouth.

After meeting Pecos we took a short walk to learn about desert plants. They have many of the same cacti that we have in Arizona. One exception is a cactus that looks like a saguaro. It is actually called cardón. We saw one that is over 350 years old.

After a delicious lunch of chicken mole,  Kirstin and I drank tequila with lime and salt. We even tried mescal.

The next day, we were in Mazatlán. There I drove a mini speedboat through a beautiful waterway lined with plants and lots of birds. Kirstin took pictures while I became more and more comfortable with driving the boat. Later, we dipped our feet in the ocean and wrote messages in the sand. A dear friend of mine passed away last year. She loved Mazatlán. So I wrote a message to her.

Our final port of call was Puerto Vallarta.  After leaving our ship, we boarded a party boat that took us to the island of Las Caletas, named after the plant that grows everywhere. You may remember in the Eagles song, “Hotel California,” the line, “warm smell of Caletas rising up through the air.” Now I know what that is.

There was a lot to do on Las Caletas. We took out a kayak, rested in a hammock, and snorkeled–at least I snorkeled. Kirstin got dressed up in the gear, but panicked when we got in the water.

After lunch, before boarding the party boat to go back to Puerto Vallarta, Kirstin and I had an encounter with a monkey, a macaw, and a very large snake.

It was a great trip and I would be happy to have Kirstin as my traveling companion any time. She was up for whatever fun I had in mind. She tried frog legs, learned to dance to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller, and rocked out at the 80’s Glow Party on the Lido deck. She was always ready to go, no matter what. (Except for holding the snake and kissing the Macaw.)