No Postcards in Acapulco

Day 10 – 12 October 2026 – Acapulco, Mexico 

 

It was really hot and humid in Acapulco, though my cold has been abating and was mostly a lingering cough.  I thought sure, I’ll spend some time in Acapulco.  We’ve all seen film or photos of the cliff divers, which I thought I would skip – I’m always convinced someone will be injured, it just looks too dangerous and scary!  That would be a definite no.

 

Instead, I went on a quest to find a postcard.  That seemed simple enough, since I couldn't find one in the cruise terminal.  I asked one of the guards, in Spanish – un carte de postales.  He asked (in Spanish) if I wanted the post office – un correo (or something like that).  I had to mime a rectangle, and said in my minimal Spanish “a picture, for to write.”  (“Una pintura, por escribe.”) 

 

Aha!  That helped him understand what I wanted.  He told me to go out, turn left, walk to the light, and there is the store, Sambara, opposito.  Ten minutes.

 

Of course, once I was out of the terminal, there were packs of taxi drivers each with their own spiel:  “I’ve been waiting for you!” or “Oh, I remember you!” or “You will be my first sale of the day!.”  No no no, I’m walking, thank you, no market for me, just Sambara.  Everyone agreed they would have “un carte de postales.”

 

I passed a few people taking a break in the shade by this gorgeous mural, and I asked if there was a name for the man in the mural – “Como es el llama de el hombre en la murale?”  Likely not perfect, but close enough for them to understand.  They said he was “Guerrero” – and that he was a soldier.  At this point, I’m not sure if Guerrero is the name of the man, or if Guerrero means “soldier” – given that guerro is “war.”  Anyway, it really was a gorgeous mural, so I took a few photos from the left so I didn’t get the sun shining into the camera.

 

I eventually found Sambara – a kind taxi driver walked me across the street, because while the traffic lights changed, the walk signal never switched from the don’t walk symbol to the safe-to-walk symbol!

 

It turns out Sambara was all out of postcards.  The kiosks outside had newspapers but no postcards.  So I bought a Peanuts birthday card, in Spanish – and of course I have NO idea what it says!  Way too complicated Spanish for me!  But a nephew has a birthday coming up, so instead of a postcard, he’ll get a Mexican birthday card featuring Snoopy!  It just made me laugh!

 

I walked back to the ship, and that was about it for my day.  (All of this took a few hours!)  I would have liked to visit the gorgeous fort, but it was closed to the public – I’m not sure if that’s because it was Monday, or if It’s permanently closed to the public.  But it’s an interesting fort, with five pointy corners, and can be seen in the mural.  It’s similar to the design of the fort we saw in St. Kitts – very different from the usual square corners we see, these are sort of arrowhead shaped corners!  (If you’ve seen The Pirates of the Caribbean movie, they used that fort as their model.)  I guess maybe it gives a better view of any approaching enemy or marauders.