After two days of cruising at about 26 knots off shore from Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Guatemala, we sighted Acapulco, Mexico for the first time in 25 years. Now a world vacation destination, Acapulco has a thriving population of 2.5 million and a considerably lower unemployment rate than our own. But some elements have not changed. Young men continue to defy death diving off rock cliffs into the undulating surf and Mexican entrepreneurs continue to vend their colorful native wares unendingly. When one is in the vicinity of the Toxco silver mines, it is absolutely imperative to first visit the silver factory to make one's bangle bracelet selections before proceeding on to sightseeing and spending a relaxing afternoon at the beach, swimming in the warm surf. Two more days of cruising north along the Baja Peninsula brought the QE2 to the San Pedro port of Los Angeles on Saturday, January 18. This was great timing because the freeways were vacant. We toured the exclusive and sedate Beverly Hills and window-shopped Rodeo Drive. In West Hollywood, we stopped at Grumman's Chinese Theater to compare foot and hand prints of the stars. We traced OJ's freeway escape route and drove past his fifth floor courtroom enclave in downtown LA. We stopped to see the Music Center, longtime site of the Academy Awards Show. We climbed to the top of the Hollywood Bowl, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and later stopped along the Hollywood Freeway to photograph its famous sign. At Olivera Street, we became part of the gaiety of a Saturday Mexican Fiesta. The tacos were made even more piquant and wonderful by the strolling musicians serenading us. Here is where the City of Angels had her beginnings. On our way back to the ship, we passed by USC and the Olympic Stadium. Tune in later for Hawaii, Polynesia and our continuing search for that fated "edge" of Earth. Your Flat Earth Society Correspondents.

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