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Larry H. Ludmer " Topics in Modelling of Clustered Data"

Summary: A useful guide for a Mexican Riviera and Baja cruise

Rating: 5

This book is a fine guide to cruising the Mexican Riviera and Baja California. It describes the main cruise ships, especially those on the Carnival, Celebrity, Holland-American, Norwegian, Princess, and Royal Caribbean lines. There's advice on climate, what to wear, both in port and on the ship, and the costs involved. And there are good descriptions of the ports. Anyway, I was on a one-week cruise and found the book very useful. The cruise prices were very reasonable (it was the off-season, but the weather was fine). Do not expect to get seasick: I rarely noticed that the ship was moving. Yes, I liked the food. And the Lido deck. And even the art auctions with the free champagne.

As the book explains, cruises are often one week long, with stops in Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas. These leave from the Los Angeles area: mine started from Long Beach. It's fun being pampered and having all sorts of things to do on board.

Puerto Vallarta, about 250 miles south of the tropic of Cancer, is not a very rich city. But there are some things to do there. One can swim with the dolphins! Or, if one is really adventurous, soar over the jungle on a guide rope! One can shop for tanzanite, silver, leather, pottery, and ceramics. Or visit a tequila factory. There is a very unimpressive church, completed in 1987, with a fiberglass crown on top. And there is Mismaloya, where one can see plenty of iguanas.

In Puerto Vallarta, I liked the sculptures along the Malecon best. These include the "homeless whale," the "dancing dolphin trio," "Caballeo del Mar" (by Rafel Zamarripa), "Neptune and Nereida" (by C. Espino), "The Milleniums" (by Mathis Lidice), "Nostalgia" (by Ramiz Barquet), "Nature as Mother" (by Adrian Reynosa), the fantastic "Rotunda of the Sea" (by Alejandro Colunga), and my favorite, "In Search of Reason" (with the pillow-headed mother, two children, and ladder, by Sergio Bustamente).

In Mazatlan (about 15 miles south of the topic of Cancer), one can see cliff divers, the flying pole dancers (an interesting display of acrobatics), bullfights (not my cup of tea at all), more sculptures, and a tall natural lighthouse (a great landmark for the city). There is also a rather nice church, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

Cabo San Lucas is about 50 miles south of the tropic of Cancer. This is a true beach resort. It has some great scenery, and most folks take a boat trip to El Arco. There are a couple of nice little beaches there. These include "Lovers beach," which is a good swimming beach and "Divorce beach," which is left next to it but is very dangerous to swim at. One can also visit the glass-blowing factory. And across the peninsula, in San Jose del Cabo, one can visit Cacti Mondo, a big cactus garden. In Cabo itself, I also recommend an Italian restaurant with a terrific view, the Mona Lisa.

Do not miss the opportunity to see the Los Angeles area if you have time. Just to give you a tiny idea of what is there, let me mention two of the things that interest me: art museums and large pipe organs. Seven of the best art museums are the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), the County Museum of Art, the J. Paul Getty Museum, the Norton Simon museum, the Huntington Library, the Pacific Asia Museum, and the Armand Hammer museum.

What about pipe organs with over 100 ranks? There are at least seven of them: First Congregational Church, Los Angeles (5 manuals, 346 ranks), Crystal Cathedral, Garden Grove (the sanctuary is not of crystal and it has no cathedra, but the organ is 5 manuals and 270 ranks), Westwood United Methodist Church (4 manuals, 153 ranks), Lake Avenue Congregational Church, Pasadena (4 manuals, 126 ranks), Disney left, Los Angeles (4 manuals, 109 ranks), Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels, Los Angeles (4 manuals, 105 ranks), and Royce Hall, UCLA (5 manuals, 104 ranks).

If you are thinking of taking such a cruise, get this book!

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Rating:
2.5 out of 5 by Book123