Hunley (AS 31) - Naval Cruise Book

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AcAPuLco 1 mfcnvor KINGS

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f sex mount' f When l-IUNLEY arrived in Acapulco, many of the crevv members vvho had not stopped there in '71 vvhen the ship was on it's vvay to Guam did not quite knovv vvhat to expect. The travel brochures praise its tropical vvea- ther, huge sandy beaches, and vvatersports. l-lovvever, some of the experienced vvarned of polluted vvater, pick-pockets,tand theAztec Tvvo Step, lor'lVlontezuma's Flevengelvvhich can be aquired from some of thenative food. As it turned out, Acapulco vvas a 'mixture of both. The cautious sailor left his vvatch and other valuables on the ship and drank only bottled vvater. But he soon found out that if he vvatched his budget and vvas care- ful not to fall for every,-bargainjthat came along, he could still have ,a lot' of fun. Acapulco isa city of many faces. When the ship first entered the bay, many luxur- ious hotels and cliff-side villas vvere visable from the vvater. But once the crevv got into the city, they soon discoveredthe squalor and poverty vvhich infests the city. The market vvas a' popular bargaining place vvhere everything from jade chess sets to gold embroidered sombreros could be snatch- .X ,,f s ' MQW V3 ,X ,M . K. , 'rf M. , ,sm ed up for a reasonable price, lif the bargainer knevv vvhat he vvas doingl. lt vvas rather diffi- cult at times, for the head vvould keep spinning in trying to figure out hovv much 60 pesos vvas in American money. The beaches vvere vvhere the action vvas during the day. Not many tourists actual- ly svvim in the polluted harbor, but there vvere still many things one could do to keep busy. Such as checking out the chicksfrom the north, or soaking up on a fevv beers and .exotic drinks lvvhich tastedlgood under the hot sunl. On the other side of the city vvas the famous l-lotel 'lvlirador vvhich overlooks the diving cliffs. At 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, and 12:30 each night, a torch-bearing diver -takes off into the ravine belovv, then climbs up the cliff to accept gifts from the observers. The final conclusion that many crevvmem-i bers came to vvas that Acapulco vvasn't neces- sarily the paradise it vvas made out to be, but it vvas a place onecouldhave a lot of fun and catch a lot of sunf As HUNLEY sailed tovvard Panama, many looked at the city longingly and left vvith a vvarm spot in their hearts and sunburns on their arms.