Wednesday, June 2, 2004
This used to be the main port for Spanish ships sailing to the Far East, the most beautiful bay in the world... Acapulco today is the shame of Mexico, a dirty and stinking resort with a sea so polluted that no one takes the risk to even dip one toe inside it.
Of course, the modern Acapulco Diamante boasts fancy hotels in which you can enjoy the swimming pool and other amenities, without ever seeing the garbage floating on the waves or stacked in the streets of Acapulco Dorado (the 60's zone where many bars are located).
Acapulco survives on a long gone legend made popular by movies from decades ago. These days, the city relies on weekend breaks from inhabitants from Mexico City and episodic events like the Aca Fest to keep afloat financially. Nevertheless, so many shops have gone out of business that it is an eyesore to look at the window fronts of the Costera Miguel Aleman.
If you go to Acapulco, do it to marvel at the skills and courage of the divers jumping from the rocks of La Quebrada, or do it to enjoy a wild night out in one of the many discos in town. But forget about swimming in the sea or doing sight seeing - on both accounts Acapulco is a disappointment - better head to Cancun or any other resort of the Riviera Maya.
Oh, and just in case you wondered, the picture depicts two poor souls swimming across floating junk and toxic white foam in order to get back to the beach... and into a decontamination unit (I hope for them at least).
