HUATULCO, MEXICO

Anne and Miles Howe from Australia

Today’s shore excursion was arranged by Anne and Miles Howe.  Anne quickly proved to be an effervescent individual with great organizational and leadership skills and I immediately found myself drawn to her feisty personality.  Anne and Miles proudly hail from a tiny speck on the map called Norfolk Island, Australia.  Today we would be a small group of 10 and Anne had arranged for a van to pick us up at the end of the pier.

Located on the South coast of the Mexican Pacific Ocean in the State of  Oaxaca,  Huatulco has a coastline that extends over 20 miles and boasts 9 different bays including: Cacaluta, Chachacual, Chahue, Conejos, El Organo, San Augustin, Maguey, Santa Cruz and Tangolunda.  With a warm subtropical climate, the average temperature hangs around 82 degrees with 330 days of sunshine a year. These conditions foster lush growth for many species of Mexican plants. 

Arriving into Huatulco, Mexico

Our shore excursion today was to Hagia Sofia.  From the Greek meaning “Holy Wisdom”, Hagia Sofia is a 320-acre agro-ecological project located at an altitude between 850-1280 feet above sea level.  Our van ride was a little difficult, taking just over an hour and sprinkled with lots of bumps, ruts and topas (Mexican speed bumps).  The last part of the trip was via a dirt road that ends at the ‘heart’ of Hagia Sofia.  We were graciously greeted with flavored water drinks and light fruit.  My favorite quickly became the hibiscus water.

Hagia Safia in the Sierra Madre Mountains

Outside kitchen area at Hagia Sofia

Greeted by flavored waters and various samples of local fruits

We learned about organic sustainable farming as applied to exotic fruits and flowers from Southeast Asia and Mexico as well as the cultivation of rare timber trees native to Mexico.  Their interpretive trail, called the “Path of Flowers”, is approximately 550 yards long and is home to a wide diversity of flora and fauna.

Marci Inman and Sharon Sparlin on the "Path of Flowers" walk.

Local vegetation bearing my name

After completing the “Path of Flowers” interpretive trail, we loaded up in the van and drove the short distance to the falls for a quick swim.  Our drive took us across the Magalana River and provided wonderful view of the Sierra Madres.  Once our van stopped we were faced with a short and rocky hike to the base of the falls.  They seemed small to me compared to those I am used to seeing in Oregon, but were impressive non the less.  About half of the group opted to jump into the waters created by the falls.  After spending about 15-20 minutes here we then hiked back to the van and drove back to the main pulse of Hagia Sofia for our pre-arranged lunch. 

I selected the fish

The traditional lunch included tortillas, chips and salsa, rice, pot beans and cactus, along with a choice of chicken, fish or vegetable stew.  I opted for the fish which proved to be a great choice.  We also had the opportunity to try locally grown and processed coffee.  All of the plates and cups were hand crafted from local area clay and are used exclusively throughout Hagia Sofia.  Everything at Hagia Sofia is ‘natural’, right down to the organic bug spray we used. 

During lunch we met the owner of Hagia Sofia, Victor “Armando” Canavati Nader.  Armando was born in Monterrey, Mexico.  His father is Lebanese and his mother is from Bethlehem.

On our return to the ship we made a photo stop for an elevated  view of our ship. It was a glorious and informative day.