Life in Mazatlan

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Where does the time go?

It is hard to believe that we have been here in Mazatlan for over 3 weeks now.  And what have we accomplished?  For that matter, what were we supposed to accomplish?  Nada!

For the last week, we have not wandered far from the marina, always anticipating that Pedro (the hombre who is building our new bimini) will show up.  Heaven help us if he came while we were away and we missed our window of opportunity.  We did manage to get down to the Golden Zone a couple of times, mostly to get some exercise and to get more money out of the ATMs, where we enjoyed seeing the tourists and time-share salesmen.  Took a look at the beach there - a few more people around but still generally very quiet.

Golden Zone Beach

There are always a few activities going on around the marina, horseshoes and beer at the Isla Palapa, dance lessons at the cruiser's lounge, dock parties and such, but it has been mostly quiet here too.  One of the highlights is the swap meet every 2nd week.
Not very many boats leaving although there have been a few new boats arriving lately - still lots of room at the marina.

February 14th is celebrated in Mexico as the Día de San Valentin, but it's more commonly referred to as El Día del Amor y la Amistad, the "day of love and friendship.  We celebrated by going out for supper at the most expensive restaurant here at the marina - price is no object when it comes to the love of my life.  We went all out with drinks, seafood entrees and dessert - spent 500 pesos (about $42), which is a big night out for us.

A couple of the cruisers are involved with the Salvation Army orphanage here in Mazatlan.  On Sunday, the orphans put on a show at the cruiser's lounge as a fund-raiser.  It was very well attended and the show, singing and dancing, was really cute.  I think they were very happy with the donations - strangely enough from the sale of soft drinks and beer (not strictly speaking sanctioned by the Salvation Army).  The attached picture of the crowd will give a rough idea of the average age of the cruisers, RVers and other foreigners that live down here.

The weather has been generally great.  We did have a few days where we woke up to a heavy fog which did not clear off until nearly noon.  With the humidity running close to 100% and the morning temperatures still hovering around 12C, the fog made it feel quite cool.  Mostly though, the day-time highs are around 27 degrees and the sky is almost uniformly blue and the sun feels very warm - just about ideal temperatures for us northerners.  I can see why so many of the cruisers here seem to just stay for the entire winter - although that is not our plan.

What are our plans you might ask.  Well, we have decided to stay here in Mazatlan until after Carnival, which is on from March 3rd to 8th.  We have bought tickets for the 6th of March for a buffet supper, with viewing seats at one of the hotels along the parade route - for once in our lives we are not going to leave someplace just before all the fun starts.  From all reports this is a big deal here - for more information, you can follow this link - http://www.mexicoguru.com/mazatlans-carnival.php or just look up Carnival in Mazatlan on the web.

Since we have made the decision to stick around a while, in addition to getting the aforementioned bimini cover made for the boat, we may get some cockpit cushions made as well, and we are finally getting around to finishing off some of the bright work on the exterior.  We had done most of this before we left Nanaimo but did not get around to some of the items in the cockpit, most notably the wheel. 
Note: If we ever buy another boat, make sure to remind me that exterior woodwork, no matter how good it looks, is never a good idea.

We will probably be heading south just after Carnival, heading for the Puerto Vallarta area, where we have some friends holidaying around the end of March.  A few of the boats that have arrived here have just come up from there and keep telling us how wonderful it is there right now (so why are they back here?).  Meanwhile, all is well (what was that strange noise coming from the refrigerator just now?) and life is good!

 

{GMST}23|16.25|N|106|27.2833|W|Marina Mazatlan|Marina Mazatlan{GEND}

 

Witch Beach

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

A day at the beach.  Not swimming mind you - water is just a little too rough and probably a little cold as well.

We spent the best part of a day exploring to the north of the marina.  A short walk took us to the start of a reasonably nice looking beach area, lined with a few hotels, condominiums, time-shares and even a few houses.  Unlike the Golden Zone to the south, this area is still being developed and has a bit of an unfinished look to it.  Not a lot of people around either - what there were were concentrated around a couple of the larger resorts.  Occupancy in the hotels and resorts is down throughout Mazatlan, and Mexico in general, in a large part due to the exaggerated tales of violence, particularly by the US government.  Very sad as this area has a lot to offer.

The beach itself is a few miles long and mostly deserted.  We of course walked the entire length (took about an hour and a half) to get to the reward at the end; a nice friendly restaurant with an oddly spooky motif.  Presumably this is Playa Bruja (Witch Beach).  Be interesting to know how it got this name.

The walk back was just as long (the better to wear off lunch), but somewhat quicker as we took to the street side of the resorts and did not have to wade through the soft sand.  The street alternates between upscale high-security gated communities and resorts and vacant lots used primarily as garbage dumps.  Needs work!  Would these be called tree houses do you think?

The weather here remains warm during the day and cool at night.  The locals assure us that it will be much warmer in a couple of weeks.  We have contracted a local entrepreneur (Pedro) to build us a new Bimini (a sun-shade for our cockpit) so we will have to stay here for at least a week more; probably longer if the Mexican marine workers are anything like the ones in Canada when it comes to adhering to promised delivery dates..

Susanne just loves the dainty glasses of fresh-squeezed orange juice that she gets here.

{GMST}23|18.25|N|106|29.5|W|Playa Bruja|Playa Bruja{GEND}
 

Thawing out

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Yes, the worst of the cold weather seems to be over.  Daytime highs are around 25C, with the nights still cool but quite comfortable for sleeping.  The marina remains quiet - since we have been here there have probably been less than 5 boats arriving or departing.  Lots of room!

In case you were wondering, we did end up joining two other cruising couples at one of the local restaurants to watch the Superbowl on Sunday (in Spanish).  Beer and football - does it get any better than that?  I think it says something about both the age of the average cruisers and their interest in organized sports that we all left after the 3rd quarter.  To be fair, it was getting a little chilly and there was no heat in the restaurant.

The marina is located in the Estero del Sabalo (Sabalo Estuary).  This was pretty much a swamp until developers dredged it into canals and islands for luxury homes and condos and the marina area.  Yesterday we took the dinghy out to explore the canals.  North of the marina the development is still under way and looks to be stalled, most likely the result of the downturn in the economy.  The south however (towards the main city of Mazatlan) appears to have been largely completed a few years ago.  There are some very nice homes along the canals, many with their own docks, and intertwined with the inevitable golf course.

A few nice power yachts to be seen but no sailboats because they have to go under a relatively low bridge to get access to the ocean - poor planning as far as I am concerned!

Today, we took the opportunity to take a bus downtown again to see what it is like when the weather is nice.  We walked from the main market all the way to the cruise ship docks and back across the busiest part of town, joining the Malecon (the paved walk along the beach) just north of downtown and walked for almost its entire length.  On the ocean side of the busy street is a seawall on which the Malecon resides, replete with an eclectic collection of statues commemorating local history (maybe) - my particular favorite is the tribute to the Pacifico Brewery in the form of a huge copper beer vat.  Below the seawall is a fairly narrow sandy beach with red flags flying to indicate that conditions are not safe for swimming today.  On the other side of the street is a string of small, older hotels and eateries, none of it looking too prosperous at the moment.

We stopped for lunch at a sidewalk cafe at the Piazuela Machado, in the heart of old "historic" Mazatlan.  We did this on our last trip into town as well but this time it was very pleasant to sit outside in the shade of the big trees; not huddled inside trying to get warm.

At the north end of the Malecon is the start of the Golden Zone, a very touristy area of hotels and restaurants.  We made a brief stop here to visit the Mega store (think Superstore) to check out the merchandise and pick up some milk and juice before catching a bus back to the marina.  All in all, this was more walking than we have done in weeks and we were totally fagged by the time we got back to the boat - we really have to learn to do these things in moderation.  While I am writing this, Sue has retired to the bedroom where she is brushing up on her language skills by watching CSI New York in Spanish.  We can actually pick up 5 local TV stations on our little rabbit ears, all of them in Spanish of course.

{GMST}23|15.1167|N|106|27.35|W|Golden Zone|Golden Zone{GEND}

Deep freeze

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico


Mexico is the land of sun and beaches.  Except when we are there of course.
 

The last few days have been very cold.  We hit a low of around 4 degrees last night, hopefully the worst we will see this winter.  The daytime highs have been struggling to reach 20 degrees and with a brisk north wind, the windchill has made it "jacket" weather for us.  For the locals, it is a time for heavy coats and parkas.  The cruisers that have been here for many years tell us that this is the coldest they have ever seen it in at least 14 years.  Just our luck to be here for this.  One consolation is that it is reportedly even colder and windier in La Paz and the Sea of Cortez, so maybe we made the right decision in coming across to the mainland instead.

 

Yesterday, we took a bus into the old, historic part of town, in hopes that it would be warmer away from the water and in the shelter of all the buildings, etc.  It may have worked to some extent but it was still too chilly to enjoy sitting outside at the inviting looking cafes.  We toured the Archealogical Museum and the main Cathedral, had a quick lunch, browsed the Centro Mercado market (probably the most interesting thing we saw), then caught the bus back to the marina.  A lot of the streets looked abandoned - we are not sure if this is normal or a result of the cold.

 

The buses here are a really good deal.  For 9 pesos (about 75 cents), you can ride in air-conditioned comfort (should it be necessary) to just about anywhere in town.  For 6 pesos you can do the same thing without the frills,  In the coming days we will be making more use of the buses as the weather improves.  We thought it would be nice to stroll along the Malecon, an 11 mile long, paved boulevard along the beaches - best done on a nice warm day as the winds blow in from the ocean.  Maybe tomorrow.  Of course, a lot of the cruisers here at the marina are gearing up to watch the Superbowl tomorrow - the local restaurants may actually make a few pesos if they have big-screen TVs.  The weatherman is predicting temperatures in the mid to high 20s within a couple of days - more normal for this time of year, so there is hope.
 
Today we spent quite a while rinsing off the boat.  The accumulation of salt residue from the last passage combined with the somewhat dusty environment here have combined to make for a muddy mess on deck.  It looks much better now but probably won't last.

{GMST}23|12.2|N|106|25.3833|W|Historic Mazatlan|Historic Mazatlan{GEND}

Slowing down

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Now that we are settled  here in the Marina Mazatlan, we are having to try and just relax.  For the first time on this entire journey, or so it seems, we are in a place that does not feel like a temporary means to an end.  There is no need for us to be anywhere else for the foreseeable future.

Suddenly we find ourselves surrounded by a semi-permanent cruising community. Many of the boats stay here for long periods of time, some of them for years.  For others, they are here for the season, spending the summers further north and returning here each year for the winter.  One of the big differences we notice is that the mix of boats is almost all "sailboats" for a change - up till now most of the places we have stayed have been predominantly power boats - a lot of them permanently moored with absentee owners.  Here, it is largely a live-aboard community complete with daily social activities from VHF radio nets in the morning to dance lessons at the cruiser's lounge, etc.

A look around the marina makes it obvious that the economy in the USA and Canada is having its effect here as well.  The marina is probably no more than 1/3 occupied and the harbour master tells us that this is very much different than it was only a few years ago.  So, unless more cruisers start arriving soon, they are in for very poor revenues for the season.  The local restaurants, particularly here in the marina itself (the accompanying picture is taken from the Gus y Gus restaurant, looking towards our dock) must be hurting.  The only time they seem busy at all is for breakfast on Sunday morning when lots of local families show up.  For us it works out OK, as the prices are very reasonable and the service is great.  But it would be nice to see a little more life around the place.  Meanwhile, we are just having to try and slow ourselves down and adjust to the laid back way of life here.  We are having a problem trying to shake off the feeling that we should be doing something or going somewhere.  This too shall pass, I am sure.

This is a view of the narrow channel that you have to negotiate to get into this estuary where the marinas are located.  Notice the dredging equipment blocking a large percentage of the channel.  Quite intimidating when you are approaching from the open water, having to negotiate a few breaking seas before being plunged in between the breakwaters into this current-filled channel - not for the faint of heart.  Probably looked a lot worse than it was, since we did not really have any big problem with it.

{GMST}23|16.25|N|106|27.2833|W|Marina Mazatlan|Marina Mazatlan{GEND}