The weather was clear so we had a great view of San Francisco and Golden Gate Park as we turned south. 
After we leveled out and started our southward flight to San Diego, we passed over Santa Cruz 
and Monterrey 
We flew high over downtown Los Angeles 
and saw Dodger Stadium, Staples Center, and LA Coliseum. I looked for Rose Bowl and Burbank, but I guess I was not looking in the right place. We also flew over Long Beach 
and near Santa Ana 
and Los Alamitos AAF 
and possibly Chino Airport 
before making the final turn over San Diego with views of Tijuana 
We picked up a Suburban but the breaks were going out on it, so we traded for a Ford Flex. Great car! I loved driving it! We stayed at one of the worst hotels in San Diego: Good Nite Inn at the I-5/I-8 interchange near Sports Arena Blvd. So many freaks running around peeking through windows and pretending they know us. Scary, scary place. We went to San Diego Zoo while we had some time 
My first time seeing a panda and a koala. We also did the Sky Ride and had great views of the zoo and Balboa Park 
We arrived Saturday morning at the Broadway Pier to board Oosterdam to Mexico 
While we were waiting to leave port, we had great views of the USS Midway 
The Star of India 
and downtown San Diego 
as well as the airport 
The old Santa Fe train station serves as a transportation hub served by Amtrak Surfliner, Coaster commuter trains and MTS trolleys 
We sailed out in the evening from San Diego and down the Baja California coast 
We were at sea for two days. Sunday was Super Bowl. I don't care for football. One of the other passengers had a health emergency, so the ship turned back north to meet a Coast Guard helicopter flying south from San Diego. 
Many of us turned out to watch the transfer 
The helicopter had air support as well 
After the transfer, we turned back south 
passing different peaks of Baja California along the way 
and being passed by Norwegan Cruise Lines 
The first full day on the cruse came to an end with some football team winning the big game 
The next day, we passed Cabo San Lucas on our way to Puerto Vallarta 
Because of the medical emergency and one of the generators going out, we arrived in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco state, a few hours late.
We were greeted with a pirate ship 
It was warm and lush 
and tropical and green 
with all the conveniences of home 
The movie Predator was filmed in the jungle around Puerto Vallarta. I had never seen the movie and probably never will. They built a zip line park and restaurant and bar at the site. A total of 12 zip lines. Getting down the lines was easy; hiking up was the hard part. 
The ride down the canyon was hard on the kidneys and stomach. What better way to settle that than with a stop at a tequila store for tasting? 
The village itself was very relaxed. Nothing at all going on except the odd tour bus of zip line tourists going to and from the city. Puerto Vallarta old section still has the cobblestone streets 
and is very uncomfortable to ride. Charming to look at, though. After the zip line ride and lunch in the jungle, we were dropped off at the main square in Puerto Vallarta. 
The main square sits in front of the main church and has a statue honoring a former governer Ignacio Vallarta. We visited the Church of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. The bell has tolled for over 300 years. 
Besides "Predator" the film "Night of the Iguana" starring Ava Gardner and Richard Burton was filmed there in 1962. We never made it to that area. After picking up some things at Wal-Mart that we forgot before we left San Diego, we sailed north for Mazatlan 
We arrived early in Mazatlan, Sinaloa state 
to the sight of a factory belching out some kind of smoke. The ship docked near the Pacifico/Corona cerveza plant 
Mazatlan is not as modern as Puerto Vallarta. It is more Mexico 
however, the streets are paved with regular tarmac 
Near the main market 
where you can buy anything from clothing to meat to toys, is the main church, Basilica of The Immaculate Conception 
and, across the street, is an interesting apartment complex with a tree growing out of it 
We left Mazatlan behind and sailed for Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur state 
There is no dock for cruise ships. There is a small marina. Since there is no cruise ship dock, we had to take tenders 
run by the port or our own ship's tenders 
The Mexican tenders were small and bumpy but we got to the marina dry and in one piece 
We still don't know who owns this yacht, but they have a helicopter, probably for emergencies 
While eating at Lorenzillos lobster restaurant, the wild life was everywhere. A sea lion was playing in the marina and pelicans were hanging out 
Our Oosterdam was the first ship in for the day. It was joined by Disney Wonder (they were showing Wall-E while docked) 
and Coral Princess 
As we set sail north, we saw humpback whales in the harbor 
and we passed Faro Viejo and Faro Nuevo (Old lighthouse and New lighthouse) 
As we steamed north to San Diego, I watched the sun set. Not a cloud in the sky. Nothing in the sky but the setting sun. Then, I saw it: The Green Flash!!! What a moment!Dessert night is always a big hit. There are any number of desserts and ice sculptures and exotic drinks.
All the food was wonderful. Fish, fresh fruits and vegetables and all kinds of treats all day. We came into San Diego and they fed us one last time. San Diego is home to Navy and Marines 
We were at the San Diego airport long enough for me to wander through their new Terminal 2 
We were flying Southwest which is in Terminal 1. Our flight arrived early N929WN 
but we had to wait for the crew connecting from Seattle. That flight was late. While we were waiting, I did see some interesting jets. My second A-321 
and FedEx DC-10 
Seeing a DC-10 landing in San Diego is a trip. They have to fly low over buildings and a major intersection. Arizona 1 also made a stop 
The connecting crew finally made it and we left without incident 
but we did arrive late into Oakland. Not to worry, since we did not have a connecting flight.Here are some facts about the ship we were on: We sailed a total of 2151 nautical miles. 1 nautical mile is 1.15 land miles. The Oosterdam uses 50,000 gallons of diesel a day and can produce almost 444,000 gallons of potable water a day. It is 935 feet long and 106 feet wide and can carry up to 2061 passengers and nearly 800 crew. There are four restaurants on board. The main buffet is open from 6AM to midnight every day. Two pools and five hot tubs. One pool and three hot tubs are under a retractable roof.
