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Acapulco, Guerrero, Day 3: a Slip & Fall, and Trip to the Emergency Clinic

9/3/2021

 
After enjoying a good night's sleep in our rented condominium, it was time to explore. We asked one of the security guards at the Mayan Island if there was a nearby grocery store, and was told that there was none within walking distance. This is one thing that I DIDN'T like about the Zona Diamante. We felt very safe the whole time we were there, but there is nothing within reasonable walking distance that resembled a grocery store or even a small convenience store, like OXXO. This was one of the big differences between Acapulco's tourist zone and Zihuatanejo's, which we visited earlier in 2021. Zihuatanejo (also in the Mexican state of Guerrero) was decidedly "walkable" with lots of street vendors, shops, and stores scattered throughout the city. We were never more than a few blocks away from anything we needed, whether it be tacos, fruit, a pharmacy, whatever. 

Acapulco's Zona Diamante is decidedly not like that. Although considered very safe and secure, we had to take a taxi from the Diamante Zone to get to anything. Although the taxi service was prompt and readily available any time we wanted to use it, it was still annoying. The repeated trips ended up being rather costly at 125-150 pesos per trip (one-way, so those costs added up and increased our overall costs for this exploratory trip). 

I took a taxi went to the local Chedraui, which was the closest grocery store. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the Chedraui is similar to Wal-mart in the United States. The store carries fresh and packaged foods, as well as a selection of clothing, housewares, etc. 
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Chedraui Alcapulco, Photography Credit ©2021 M. Serrato
I purchased about $100 worth of groceries for the condo, (bread, tortillas, cheese, coffee, fruit) so we could cook a simple breakfast and have coffee, which my wife claims she needs in order to function!
I took a taxi back to the condo (another 125 pesos) and loaded up the fridge and cabinets with purchases. We made a simple breakfast of scrambled eggs and quesadillas, and my wife enjoyed about 5 cups of coffee on the balcony, which admittedly had a spectacular view of the beach and pool. After relaxing a little bit, we all put on our bathing suits and trekked down to the fantastic pool downstairs. 
The pool is ENORMOUS, and not very deep. The water temperature was as very pleasant, so after slathering on some waterproof sunscreen, the kids hopped right in and started splashing around and playing water games. 
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Pool at the Mayan Island, Photography Credit ©2021 M. Serrato
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Our boys enjoying the pool at the Mayan Island. Photography Credit ©2021 M. Serrato
I did go down to the beach to explore, as well. The sand was so hot that you couldn't walk across it without sandals or flip-flops (chanclas, as the locals call them). The little cabanas were first-come, first serve, and I plopped down in one to watch the waves and enjoy the sun for a bit.

​I checked older photos of the beach on Travelocity and these canvas pop-up tents replaced palapa-style ones several years ago, probably because of hurricanes. This is what happened when we visited Baja California, as well. 

The waves were rough throughout the day and into the afternoon. I saw a few surfers and boogie boarders as well as a snorkeler or two. Four-wheel ATVs sped up and down the beach at very fast speeds. They can be rented as well.

There was a lifeguard posted in the tower all day (as you can see from the photo below).  I went into the surf up to my waist but not further than that. The water temperature was pleasant but the waves were rough and the undertow was strong, even for me. I didn't feel comfortable having my kids at the water's edge for that reason, although my younger two came down to play in the sand for a while and enjoy some lime ice cream from one of the many vendors that trolled the beach. 
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Lifeguard tower in Acapulco Photography Credit ©2021 M. Serrato
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Rough surf in Acapulco. Photography Credit ©2021 M. Serrato
I admittedly enjoyed a few beers on the beach, then made my way to the bathroom near the pool in order to relieve my bladder. The marble floor had been recently mopped and I was barefoot, so I slipped backwards and cracked my head pretty badly. My vision went grey for a minute, but I didn't pass out. I picked myself up slowly and touched the back of my head, and was dismayed to see my fingers come away covered with blood. 

I sat down in a shady area outside the bathroom and was immediately approached by one of the security guards who called for a first aid kid. I was only wearing my swim trucks. Blood was streaming down my neck and chest now, and workers started to gather around me. Once called out to my wife, who came running, slightly panicked. The security guard handed me a clean towel, which I pressed to the back of my head. My wife had arrived by my side, and gingerly pulled back the towel and gasped. 

"Does it look really bad?" I asked her. 

She nodded, "You're going to need stitches." 

My stomach sank. So here we are, just three days into our trip, in a foreign city that we've never been to, and I need to go to a hospital. I'm feeling awful and my wife was on the verge of tears. Then one of the security guards mentioned that the neighboring hotel, the Mayan Palace Acapulco, also called the "Hotel Vidanta Mayan Acapulco" had a 24 hour medical clinic called the Centro Medico Diamante, (link is to the main hospital's Facebook page) which is basically a small satellite office of a larger hospital in Acapulco.

We took the kids back to the condo and left our 15 year old in charge, telling him to keep his cellphone on, just in case. Then we walked quickly to the neighboring Mayan Palace, whose front desk directed us to the clinic, which was on one of the upper floors in the main tower. 

​The main hospital seems to have poor reviews on Facebook, but we were given excellent service at the Mayan Palace clinic. Suffice it to say,  the female doctor who attended to me was professional and gentle, and I was seen and treated within 10 minutes of our arrival (which would put any American big-city emergency room to shame). 
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Contact info for Centro Medico Diamante, Acapulco from my prescription
Contact for the main hospital (24 hours) 

Centro Medico Diamante en la Zona Diamante de Acapulco
Teléfono: (744) 4-33-23-31
Facebook Messenger
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Me, getting 7 stitches put in the back of my head. Photography Credit ©2021 M. Serrato
Note: We contacted the hospital before writing this post, and were informed that their contract with the Mayan Palace does not permit them to use photographs of their emergency clinic or advertise it in any way, but we took a few photos ourselves while we were there and decided to use those. 

The doctor used a few shots of local anesthetic to numb the area, which I honestly did not feel at all, probably because of the adrenaline and the residual beer still in my system. Putting in the stitches took about 15-20 minutes.

​My wife had calmed down by the end of it. She asked the doctor for a towel so her damp bathing suit wouldn't leave a water stain on the fabric couches. 
I felt okay to sit up after the doctor was finished stitching me up, although I did feel a bit dizzy. The doctor wrapped my head with a bandage and gave me a prescription for antibiotics and a box of generic NSAID painkillers. My wife and I trudged back to our condo. Our kids were all worried but calmed down as soon as they saw me. 

The remainder of the evening was a bust. We ordered take-out pizza from a local Dominos and called it a night. Hopefully the rest of the week in Acapulco will be less eventful (post continued here...)

Acapulco, Guerrero (Day 1, the Arrival at Mayan Island Resort)

9/1/2021

 
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Panoramic view of the Zona Diamante from the Mayan Island Resort, Photography Credit ©2021 M. Serrato

Well, after receiving emails from fans around the world asking about some of the more "touristy" cities in Mexico, we decided this year to explore Acapulco, Guerrero with our family. Acapulco is a major city in the Mexican state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast. The city has been a major tourist hub for decades, but it seems to have lost some of its former luster. 

Acapulco's beauty was celebrated on the big screen in films like Elvis Presley's "Fun in Acapulco" and the more-recent "Destination Wedding" which was released in 2017. However, Acapulco's tourist industry has struggled for various reasons for the last several years, mostly because of issues with public safety (more on this topic later). 
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Benito Juarez Airport, Photo ©2021 M. Serrato
Our flight came in from a rain-soaked transfer from the Mexico City International Airport (MEX), which is a very busy travel hub. We were lucky to have a Priority Pass, which allowed us access to a nice airport lounge, the Aeromexico Salon Premier.

​This made our layover significantly more pleasant than previous layovers at this chaotic airport (I'll do a post about the lounge itself later. It deserves its own post, not just because of the excellent tequila I was offered during our meal, which is now one of my favorites). 
It was a short flight from Mexico City to Acapulco. When we arrived at the Acapulco airport (OMA), it was late afternoon, (around 4:20 PM local time). The weather was humid and warm, but not unpleasantly so.  We found out when we landed that Uber or any other rideshare is not allowed in Acapulco. Apparently the taxi unions staged a huge protest and threatened to "burn Uber units in Acapulco." Yikes.

This seems to me quite shortsighted, especially for a city that has serious reputation issues, especially  with regards to tourist safety (at the time of this post, the US state department has banned U.S. government employees from travelling to Acapulco because of safety concerns). Tourists LIKE Uber and Lyft (and similar rideshare services) because you can pay with a credit card, the payment as well as the ride destination and pick-up location is easily traced. These services also help tourists avoid the "gringo tax" which sadly occurred to us at least twice when we were exploring the city. 
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Acapulco Airport, Guerrero Photo ©2021 M. Serrato
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Acapulco Airport, Guerrero Photo ©2021 M. Serrato
​We ended up hiring a shuttle service at the airport (because we had little choice to do anything else). The parking lot was nearly empty when we arrived. 
​
The shuttle driver was pleasant enough, although he pretty much sat back and forced us to load our own luggage. 

We had reserved our stay at the Mayan Island Playa Condominiums, which was about 10-15 minutes away from the airport. The cost of the shuttle was 450 pesos, about $25 US dollars at the current exchange rate. 
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Acapulco Airport, Guerrero Photo ©2021 M. Serrato
We arrived at the Mayan Island Playa Condominiums, which is in the Zona Diamante. Translated literally, this means "Diamond Zone" which is an affluent area between the airport and Acapulco Bay, which is mostly composed of luxury hotels and large condo complexes that are owed by wealthy residents. We noticed as we were being driven through the area that most of the complexes were gated communities with (seemingly) heavy security. When we arrived at the Mayan Island, we were directed to the front desk and forced to go through a rather lengthy check-in process.

​We were forced to leave a security deposit of 2,000 pesos, which the owner failed to mention until a few hours before we checked in. We were also forced to put on bracelets identifying ourselves as guests, not owners, which actually led to a slight confrontation at one point, with one of the owners in the building. And yes, the bracelets were required for everyone, even our kids. Which was annoying, especially since our 8-year old has nervous habits and wouldn't stop picking at it the whole time we were there. 
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Mayan Island Required Bracelets for guests, Photo ©2021 M. Serrato
All of this was merely annoying, though, (even though we were very tired from our flight and the kids were awfully crabby). All of the employees, especially the security guards, which patrolled constantly, were unfailingly polite. Note that the Mayan Island does not allow pets of any kind. Consequently, we didn't see a single dog or cat the whole time we were there, although there were lots of iguanas sauntering around like they owned the place. 
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The semi-tame iguanas by the Mayan Palace pool, Photo ©2021 M. Serrato
When we got up to our rented condo on the 7th floor, we got an eyeful of the beautiful view, the great pool area below, and the choppy waves of the Pacific. My wife immediately sat down and made herself a cup of coffee (the owners of the Airbnb had left 4 coffee pods, which didn't last a day for my coffee-addicted wife).  Sorry honey!

The ocean looked rough that first day, and we found that it was not safe to swim because of the powerful undertow. My wife decided to be brave and go down to the surf.
She got hit by a rather large wave and immediately lost her expensive sunglasses, which she had just recently purchased at Costco. They were torn right out of her hand! She returned to the condo with shaky legs and a dejected expression. I couldn't resist saying "I told you so" which earned me a prompt pout. 

The image of the rough surf you can in the photos, it doesn't look as bad as it feels. I can understand why Acapulco is a hot spot for surfers, some of the waves were easily above 1.5 meters in the evenings. I did brave the waves a few times myself, but only on the calmer mornings while we were there.

I saw local teens surfing  that first evening, there was at least a dozen surfers in the water around sunset. After taking a quick walk on the beach to watch the sunset, we bought some street food  and then hit the pillows and went straight to bed, all of us very tired from travel. I continue this post here (Day Two in Acapulco). 
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Acapulco Zona Diamante. Photo ©2021 M. Serrato
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Rough surf in Acapulco, Photo ©2021 M. Serrato

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