Acapulco Update - Driver Recommendation from Bill
March 20, 2016
Bill and his wife recently returned from a two week visit to the Grand Mayan in Acapulco, Mexico. You can read his review by tapping the following link: CN Mar172016 Acapulco UD BillDuring their stay, Bill and his wife hired a driver/tour guide they have known for 13 years. They have no qualms about recommending their friend to anyone who visits Acapulco and wants to see the many sights Acapulco and the surrounging area offers. Following is Bill's review and recommendation: they were taken to a wrestling match, where they were the only Americans in the crowd and the historical site of the ancient Yope civilization. A good starting site to learn about this civilization is the following: http://www.gonomad.com/1962-tehuacalco-mexico-where-yope-giants-once-walked
During a recent two week stay at the Grand Mayan in Acapulco, my wife and I made time to be taken by our friend Benjamin Alarcon on two different tourist excursions. Benjamin has his own Tourist Transportation Service and specializes in all types of services for visitors, from airport transportation, silver shopping and dining to fiestas, cliff divers and archaeological sites. We have known Benjamin for 13 years and highly recommend him. He is fluent in English and goes out of his way to make clients feel welcome and safe.
During this trip, Benjamin took us to a totally different and unique event: Mexican wrestling, or lucha libre, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucha_libre), in Acapulco. While we were the only Americans in the audience, we found the matches to be safe and friendly – there were families with children in attendance – and the wrestlers, while fierce and very tough-looking, wore colorful full head masks and costumes. The object of each match seemed to be to pin the opponent or unmask him. The fights were full of choreography, and their tag-team matches always spilled out onto the floor and even into the grandstands to the side of the ring. The audience was spirited but nobody got embroiled with the wrestlers or out of control. All in all, it was a very entertaining night.
The following week, Benjamin took us up into the South Sierra Madre Mountains to a pre-Columbian archaeological site near Chilpancingo called Tehuacalco, home of the ancient Yope civilization (http://www.gonomad.com/1962-tehuacalco-mexico-where-yope-giants-once-walked). Benjamin led us around several of the reconstructed sites of homes, palaces and pyramids, and even a rebuilt ball court, describing each in great detail (in English). For us this was a fascinating look into the times and life of a long lost tribe. On the way, Benjamin stopped at a local pueblo market where we saw a wide variety of local foodstuffs, handmade clothing and other basic elements of life for sale; everything from fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and edible prepared foods, all grown or made locally.
Finally, at the end of our vacation, Benjamin took us to the airport for our flight home. In short, Benjamin is both a fine friend and guide. He can be reached via email at [email protected].
Bill Shannon
March 2016