We were first off the ship today, 7:00 a.m. and we were hit with the heat again. Over 30 degrees Celsius this early in the morning – with sunny skies it's expected to get even warmer.

My instructions from my buddy Vince were very clear. I knew exactly where to go to meet up with our guide Jose for the day. Down the pier, walk straight with the marina on my right – make a small left and there would be a café/bakery with Jose in a red shirt standing next to a Ford Explorer – no problem.

Well, I guess things in my life are just a little more complicated than that. We got there, we followed the instructions implicitly – no bakery, no café, no Explorer, no Jose, no red shirt. Sure there were guys with red shirts, about eight of them that I asked "Senior – Jose? – repeatedly I was told “no senior". Where the hell could Jose be?

I walked the squares, looking for bakeries in yellow buildings, red shirts and Explorers – nothing. I could see the same issues coming to light, as was the case in Puerto Caldera just a few days earlier – more Wanted Posters I thought?

As we sat there in a quandary, off in the distance there was a guy waving at my wife. He was wearing a brown shirt and standing in front of a closed business. What the hell, I’ve asked everyone else in town, why not. As I approach the man in a “red hat” I hear Bob? Finally, it was Jose. Apparently his wife thought he looked better in a brown shirt and the bakery/café had closed up about 3 months ago. So Vince – thanks for all the work, we did finally hook up and the tour of your Huatulco was great.

We visited all the nine (9) beautiful bays and received a great tour from our local tour guide Jose. For those who might visit Huatulco (pronounced WHAT-ooolco) at some point in the near future, I suggest you keep Jose’s number handy, he’ll give you an excellent tour of the area and it’s always nice to have a contact before you visit a city. He can be reached at [email protected] or by phone – Jose Vasquez – Cell – 958 1095384 – you won’t regret it. Just tell him that Bob & Vince sent you.

I have to admit Vince – Huatulco has definite possibilities. The whole town is clean and maintained. The streets are a pleasure to walk and English is spoken everywhere. We even took some time to visit one of the local condominiums at Mansiones Cruz Del Mar – a two bedroom for $270,000 (furnished). You definitely have a winner here. Thanks for recommending Jose; he became a good friend in just seven hours.

Even with the failure of Club Med and Hotel Brisas in Huatulco, there was a reason why they put a hotel here – the beach in these bays are great – long, sandy, calm oceans and according to Jose you can access these beaches all year long. So far on this trip, the town of Huatulco is the highest on the list.

We were back on the ship well ahead of our boarding time, but according to the captain, two passengers have gone AWOL and we’re waiting for them to be found. You never hear what the end result is, but I hope they have to fly to Puerto Vallarta, it would serve them right.