In search of winter

Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico

Life is just a bit too easy here in Marina Mazatlan.  Every day is a picture perfect summer day, lots of sunshine, gentle breezes, good inexpensive restaurants all around, and just cool enough at night to make sleeping on the boat, with no air conditioning, very pleasant.

Each day a couple of boats come or go, but the majority of the boats here are here for the long term.  A lot of the owners have been arriving over the last month, driving or flying down from the U.S.A., ready to live on board for the winter months - some of them might go as far as Puerto Vallarta for part of the season.  We know first hand how addictive this place is - we spent almost 4 months here in early 2011 when we first arrived in Mexico.

What we really needed was some incentive to move on.  So, with that in mind, we attended the presentation on the merits of sailing to El Salvador.  They make it sound pretty good, so we have signed up for the Cruisers Rally to El Salvador - and now we have a goal!   Actually, this rally is what is known as a "destination" rally.  You have to make your own way to the destination and, once there, you can participate in lots of sponsored activities (or not, as you choose).  So far, there are only 10 boats signed up for this year, but it is still early.  Last year there were about 50 boats signed up, of which about 1/2 actually got there. This year they are charging a nominal fee ($66US) to join, in an attempt to discourage boats from joining just to get the discounts at some of the Mexican marinas, with no intent of actually sailing to El Salvador.

The schedule for El Salvador means we have to be at the south end of the Mexican coast by early March, 2013, which means we still have plenty of time.  With this in mind, Susanne has hinted that we need some more "adventure" in our lives before then.  Thus the plan to visit Copper Canyon has re-emerged.  I think that really she just misses "winter" - the canyon is at high altitude and everyone assures us it will be cold up there this time of year.  It is still Mexico; how cold could it be?  I guess we will find out.

We plan to take a bus from Mazatlan to Los Mochis, about a 6-hour ride north, still in Sinaloa state, and then try and find a local bus to El Fuerte, where we hope to catch the train along the canyon rim.  Sounds like lots of fun (and a bit of an adventure).  We plan on travelling light so I am not taking a computer along - thus there may be no updates to this blog until we get back, probably in 5 days or so.

Meanwhile, we continue to enjoy our time in Mazatlan, visiting some of the more touristy areas to remind ourselves why most people come here.  The economy continues to be very depressed - not a lot of foreign tourists - but there are some.  The hotels were actually quite busy during the marathon last week - a nice change of pace for the town.  Oh, and Christmas is coming, as evidenced by the arrival of tree lots and some decorations showing up here and there - hard to believe when it still seems like the middle of summer to us.

Our progress through Mexico could be compared to this little fellow's journey.  We spotted him on the beach at Ensenada Grande, just before our passage to Mazatlan.  He takes his home with him wherever he goes too...

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