Mazatlan

I recovered from my traumatic passage from San Blas to Mazatlán just in time for Carol's arrival for Christmas.  We had a fun week exploring and enjoying Mazatlán with hosts Curt and Mary who have been here for about six months.  I'll let the pictures tell the story....

In the slip in Marina Mazatlán as the sun sets

On the beach in the Golden Zone, looking toward the

islands where I anchored on my way in.

At Mazatlán airport to meet Carol

Carol was here for only a week, but we had a lot of fun.

First thing was an exploration of the historic district.

The district had recently been restored.

The buildings were colorful and streets fun to explore.

The entrance to the Peralta Theater

The theater has been in use since the 1800's, and

was recently restored.

The Cathedral Basilica of the 

Immaculate Conception, the

main cathedral in Mazatlan

The Church of San Jose, the oldest church

in Mazatlán.  Construction started in 1831.

Of course no visit is complete without seeing the old market.

In addition to seeing the usual fruits and

vegetables, the market's butcher shops 

feature some things not usually seen in

 stores, such as a full side of beef.

Because of the holiday, the main street outside the market

was closed to cars, so the market spilled out onto the street.

Adjacent to the historic district is the miles-long,

newly-renovated malecon.

Ocean views and beaches all along the way

A popular spot at night, too.

Curt playing at La Tortuga, a restaurant/bar

literally on the beach along the malecon.

This outgoing and precocious little boy

came over to talk with us while we

were at Diego's restaurant/bar 

in the Golden Zone.  His five-year-old 

Spanish was way beyond my two-year-old's

 comprehension.

A typical view from the malecon

The southern end of the malecon is where the fisherman

are based.

There you can buy fresh seafood caught that morning.

Other parts of the malecon illustrate the changing

nature of Mexico.

This is a bronzed "pulomia," a vehicle invented in

Mazatlán in 1965, and unique to Mazatlán.

The pulmonia is traditionally based on a VW bug chassis,

and is used just like a taxi, but it's a lot more fun.

They are perfect for Mazatlán's warm climate.

Another unusual mode of public transportation is the

"aurigas."   It is just a compact pick-up with bench

seats and a canopy added to the bed.

In their early days, freeloaders would jump out the back

and run away without paying.  That's why locking

gates were added.  Locals still jokingly refer them as

"jump-and-runs."

Carol and I spent one full day touring with Curt and Mary.

First stop was the Mazatlán Aquarium.

It was quite crowded, so we skipped the shows in favor

of looking at the exotic fish.

Next, we went to check out El Faro, the

Mazatlán lighthouse.  It turned out to be

quite a long steep hike, so Carol and Mary

waited for us guys  in a nearby restaurant.

It was a lot of work to get up the hill, but the view was

worth it.

The lighthouse is the highest one in the Americas.

To reward ourselves, we went to dinner at a very elegant

and unusual restaurant in the historic district, El Ajibe de

San Pedro.  "El Ajibe" means "the cistern," but I don't know

if the unusual room was actually a cistern.  The building

dates from the 19th century.  The food, drinks, décor and

service were absolutely the best.

One of many beautiful sunsets, this one was seen from

La Tortuga, a restaurant bar on the beach where we went

to see Curt play.

Sunset from my slip in Marina Mazatlan

The last sunset of 2018, from Marina Mazatlan