March 17, 2025: St. Patrick’s Day in Huatulco!
Our overnight cruise was the roughest we’ve had so far. The captain had warned us the evening before that high winds were expected so no one was to walk the Promenade Deck after 10pm. Our veranda door was locked as well to prevent us from venturing out into the occasional 70-knot winds. As predicted, the winds came and were completely gone by the time the Zaandam tied up to the wharf in beautiful Huatulco, Mexico at 12:30pm the following day.
Huatulco is a beautiful resort, much smaller than we’ve seen on our travels. Just beyond the beach area is the small city of La Crucecita where Patty, our guide, took us after a delicious seaside lunch, complete with a chef-demonstrated cooking lesson.
It was a short ride from the beach area to the center of La Crucecita where our first stop was a family-owned Mezcal company. As we sat and listed to the presentation, we were given small samples of Mezcal, Tequila’s cousin, made from the green agave plant instead of blue agave. A strong, smokey flavor at first but managed to mellow out with sipping the 2nd sample. We were also treated to Huatulco bread and chocolate.
After this treat, we were lead down a street where we heard the rhythmic percussion of the looms before we saw them. We were given instruction on the workings of looms as well as the dyeing of wool using nature-made dyes. Mary Margaret purchased a Kelly green blouse as she forgot to pack something green for St. Patrick’s Day.
Patty led our group to the center of La Crucecita, to a small park surrounded by stores, restaurants and the Church of the Virgin of Guadalupe. The church is remarkable for “the largest painting of the Virgin of Guadalupe in the world”. Decked out for lent, we entered the church and admired the enormous painting located on the ceiling, covering the entire length of the church. Returning to the park, meeting Patty and our fellow travelers, we wandered back to the bus and to the port. This excursion was one of our favorites of the trip as it did not require a lengthy bus ride and allowed for a fair amount of free time.
