Mazatlan, February 2010

Since I began this blog a month ago I have been working on re-creating our trips from the past using journals, notes and pictures from those trips. I finally have caught up and this is the first trip that will be recorded shortly after we returned. I decided against daily updates, although I did make notes everyday so I could remember things that we did.

Mazatlan. Home of the 3rd largest Carnaval (Mardi Gras) celebration in the world, following Rio and New Orleans. When we decided to come to Mazatlan again for our annual trip, I checked into the dates of Carnaval so we could avoid this annual celebration. Since our plan was to stay in downtown Mazatlan for 5 days prior to moving to our timeshare, I wanted to be sure that we booked our downtown stay at least the week prior to Carnaval. No problem. We scheduled the hotel and timeshare and got our airline tickets scheduled in August. In December we discovered that we were booked during Carnaval, not the week before. Not sure what happened but obviously I looked at the dates wrong. Oh, well, we are going to make the best of it.

Tuesday, February 9th. This trip started out typical of our daily life. Are we just too busy? Not organized enough? We had a list of things to remember- sunglasses, swimsuits, passports, etc. All the things you might not think of when leaving a rainy, winter in Seattle with a destination of sunny, hot Mexico. So what did we forget? As we were on our way to the airport at 5:30 am, Doug realized that he didn’t have his phone. It was in his hand as we walked out the door, but he stepped back inside to check on one more thing and set it down. So now, he noticed he didn’t have it. We were on Shuttle Express with someone else headed for their flight so we could hardly turn around. So, we got to the airport, got checked in and he headed back in a taxi to retrieve his phone. $78 cab fare later he was back with his phone and enough time to check in. Hope this isn’t a sign of things to come!

We arrived in Mazatlan about 3:15pm (Central Time) and by the time we reached our hotel it was about 5pm. The weather was warm, about 80, but it was a little cloudy. We checked in the La Siesta hotel which is right on Olas Altas in downtown Mazatlan. Our 3rd floor room looked out to the ocean and the boardwalk right across the street from the hotel. We had a balcony with 2 chairs and the room was nice with 2 queen beds, a desk and chair and wireless access. The hotel had a inside courtyard, a pool and was connected to the Shrimp Bucket restaurant.

About 4 blocks behind the hotel is Plaza Machado which is a beautiful park like setting with restaurants surrounding the plaza. After we got checked into our room we walked down to the plaza and had a great dinner at Pedro and Lola’s.

We got up Wednesday morning to cloudy weather, but it was warm. We ate breakfast at the Shrimp Bucket then walked over to the malecon (boardwalk). It is so nice to walk in the morning before it gets too warm. The malecon has several statues and there are quite a few people walking, taking in the sites. We walked about 3 miles or so, resting along the way. We stopped to watch the cliff divers. After waiting quite awhile we figured out that they have a “showman” that is there for the sole purpose of gathering a crowd. He taunts the crowd by putting his arms out like he’s going to dive, as several others below collect money from the crowd. Finally, someone else climbs the tower and is the one who jumps. We walked up past the fisherman’s statue where all the early morning boats come in and they are selling fresh fish. You can buy fresh fish and take it to a restaurant across the street and they will cook it for you. Once we got back from our walk we spent time at the hotel for the afternoon, just relaxing. Doug caught up on some email and I spent time at the pool – which was not heated. It was refreshing anyway, and I enjoyed the downtime with my book. We ate dinner that night at a great little restaurant a couple blocks from the hotel, La Cueva del Leon, Cocina Mexicana.

Thursday was the first day of Carnaval. We really did not know what to expect. All around were signs of things happening. Obviously Pacifica Beer was a sponsor (they have a brewery in town). There was a stage being set up right next to the hotel, and there were gates and barricades set up on all the street entrances to the area. The hotel gave us wristbands to wear so we got get back in if we ventured outside of the area. We decided to head for the Golden Zone for awhile during the day. The Golden Zone is at the north end of the 12 mile long malecon. It has a lot of the big hotels on the beachfront, and lots of shops and restaurants. It is where the tourists go, and where the cruise ships bring their tourists for a day of shopping and dining.

We had a late breakfast at Panama which is a chain restaurant /bakery. The food and service were good. After we ate breakfast we walked around the area. We stopped at Joe’s Oyster Bar which overlooks the ocean, then we rode the bus back downtown. By then it was about 3:30 and there was a band practicing on the stage, and more and more vendors were bringing their carts down the street and setting things up. After relaxing for awhile we had dinner at the Shrimp Bucket, and decided to settle in to see what the night would bring. As the evening went on more and more people started coming. Around 8pm the band was playing and a large crowd was gathering. As we walked the area we saw that there were at least 6 more stages set up in the 12 block area. There were food booths, entertainers, candy, toys and trinkets, masks, etc. It was fun to people watch. At 9pm there were fireworks and the crowd was continuing to get thicker. We decided to head to our room and watch from the balcony. The music went on until 1pm – I’m glad I brought earplugs which helped a lot to drown out some of the noise.

On Friday we got up to quiet streets (and clean streets). It was hard to believe that last night was the beginning of a huge party. We walked over to Machado Plaza and had breakfast at La Tromoya then walked over to the city market. Mazatlan has a huge city market with many meat and produce vendors, as well as craft vendors. We walked to the Cathedral and the plaza nearby. We came back to the hotel to rest and swim. Once again as the day went on more and more people started coming to the area, and the bands started playing. We decided to walk back to Machado Plaza to see what kinds of things were happening. Although it was outside the gates, there were vendors, entertainers and lots of people. We walked down one of the side streets and went to Te Amo Lucy’s (I love Lucy’s) for dinner. It’s a fun little restaurant with I love Lucy videos playing and all kinds of little ornamental things hanging from the ceiling. American Tony and his Mexican wife Lucy are the owners. The food is great and it is usually busy. When we got back to our hotel around 9pm there were a lot of people in the area and all the stages had performers. We watched from our balcony as more and more people came to the area. They partied in the street until about 3am. Once again I was thankful for the earplugs.

Saturday morning we got coffee at Looney Beans which is a few blocks from the hotel. Great coffee which is grown in Mexico in the state of Chiapas. With our coffee we walked up the malecon to fisherman’s statue, then took one of the pulmonias to the Golden Zone again. After lunch at Gringo Lingo we walked up the main road and took a bus back downtown. When we got back to the hotel area there was a lot of action with more and more people coming into the area and vendors getting set up for the evening. That evening we walked from one end to the other of the main street, stopping to listen to the bands and buying dinner from the street vendors. It was fun to be part of the action and watch people. We never saw anyone acting unruly… there were families with kids, couples old and young and everyone was having a good time. At 11pm we were back on our balcony to watch the fireworks show, which lasted about 45 minutes. That evening the music and the street dancing went on until about 5am.

On Sunday morning we got up and packed to get ready to move over to our timeshare at the Mayan Palace which is at the north end of Mazatlan in an area called Cerritos. We walked around the area one more time, got coffee from Looney Beans again and we both commented on how clean the streets were, just a few short hours after the all night party ended.

We took a pulmonia to the Mayan Palace and arrived there about 1:30. Doug’s Dad Cal had planned to meet us at the hotel as he was going to spend the week with us. He actually had been in the area for a week visiting with friends in Tecapan which is south of Mazatlan. He showed up shortly after we arrived at the Mayan. We were not able to check in so we left our baggage with the bellboy and looked around the resort. We sat by the pool and had lunch then we took a bus over to the Mega Foods to pick up some food for meals for the week. Once we got back to the hotel we were able to check into our room which had a great view of the ocean and the pool. That evening we ate dinner at the hotel.

I was really looking forward to resting at this hotel and spending time by the pool. When we were downtown our intent was to spend time checking out the sites, enjoying early morning walks, etc, but once we moved to the Mayan I wanted to enjoy the pool, and spend some time reading. We spent the day Monday at the hotel. That evening Cal wasn’t feeling well so we walked across the street to a little taco stand and got him some tacos then Doug and I headed to the Golden Zone for dinner at Gus Gus, which was great.

On Tuesday we got up to an overcast day so we decided to take Cal to the Golden Zone. He has a little trouble getting around and walks with a cane so we planned to walk slow and stop and rest now and then. After awhile we decided to walk to Joe’s Oyster Bar which overlooks the ocean. We asked Cal if he would like that and we planned to walk the 3 or 4 blocks slowly and take our time. We stopped to rest several times and when we were about 30 ft from the entrance Cal stopped again to rest. I pointed to the sign and told him we were almost there and he told us to go ahead and he would catch up. Doug and I got to the restaurant, ordered drinks and waited for Cal. After several minutes we were still waiting so I went back to the street to get Cal and he was nowhere in sight. I walked back to the restaurant and Doug went to look and also could not find him. We waited several minutes then left to try to find him. We walked around the area for awhile then rode the bus back to the hotel figuring that he would be there. There was no sign of Cal. He finally showed up several hours later and said that he had walked several blocks to the end of the road and waited for us for over an hour. That evening we rode the bus back to the downtown area to experience Fat Tuesday, the last night of Carnaval. We got off the bus near Machado Plaza and walked slowly enjoying the entertainment in the area. We ended up walking to the main street and ate dinner at la Copa de Leche which was really good. Afterward we walked outside the main gates and took a pulmonia back to the hotel.

Wednesday was rainy in the morning so we rode the bus again town to the City Market. Once we came home in the afternoon the weather was nicer so I spent time by the pool. That evening we went to dinner at Senor Frogs.

On Thursday morning we got up early and rode the bus to the Golden Zone and went to the Vineyard Church. We volunteered to make sandwiches and fill water bottles along with other volunteers. Once we were done several of us boarded 2 of the church buses to go the city dump where the church has a ministry to feed the “workers” at the dump. Basically they are there to salvage anything they can to sell to support their families. On our way to the dump they drove through several poor parts of town where the church has set up “feeding” centers. Many of the “colonias” (neighborhoods) have dirt roads and due to the rain the day before one of the buses got stuck the mud. After trying to get it unstuck they finally moved the sandwiches and water to the other bus and we continued our journey to the dump. They called for assistance getting the bus out of the mud. Once we got to the dump we spent time handing out the food and visiting with the workers. They are so poor and they spend 10-12 hours every day salvaging things. After we left the dump we stopped and fed the children of the workers. The experience really puts our lives full of material things into perspective. We all went away feeling good that we were able to help.

After we got back to the church we went next door to the Taco restaurant which is called Taco Time (not the chain) and had lunch. We walked around a few of the stores in the area and Cal bought a Viking hat which he had seen earlier in the week. That evening Doug and I ate dinner at the hotel then watched several people singing karaoke in the hotel bar.

On Friday it was really sunny for the first time since we got here. I wanted to spend the day relaxing by the pool so Doug went downtown on his own and I went to the pool. Cal came down after awhile, but then he decided to ride the bus to the end of the line and site see without having to walk around. That evening we rode the bus to the end of the road past our hotel and had a great dinner at The Last Drop. Friday nights are “all you can eat ribs” so Cal and Doug enjoyed and I had a great hamburger.

Saturday was beautiful again so I stayed around the hotel during the day then we planned to go to the Golden Zone to Pancho’s for dinner. It is right on the beach and has great food. We got there about 6 and had to wait at least an hour for a table. There was entertainment on the beach (fire dancers) and a mariachi band stopping at the tables. We had a good time.

On Sunday we got up and packed to get ready to check out. It is always hard to leave. We had a good time, the weather was somewhat ok, especially the last few days. Carnaval turned out to be a good experience. Cal had a good time too, even though he had a little trouble getting around.

Next year we are hoping to go to Puerto Vallarta. We’ll be back in a couple years to Mazatlan.

Mazatlan, February 2009

Although we love Puerto Vallarta, I convinced Doug to take our annual Mexico trip in Mazatlan this year. We started planning last summer and made arrangements to stay at the Mayan Palace through our timeshare. As usual, we wanted to stay for several days in the heart of Old Town to get a feel for the town before we moved to our condo. I started looking online, and also through Frommer’s and we settled on La Siesta Hotel, which has an ocean view right on the main street of Old Town. We got it booked and started planning. We flew into town on Wednesday, February 11th (our anniversary). The airport is about 45 minutes from town so our taxi ride gave us a chance to see the town. Our driver didn’t speak much English, and we don’t speak much Spanish so we weren’t able to communicate too much. We were able to communicate where we were going so that was no problem. We got to the hotel about 5pm. We liked it right away. It was right across from the ocean, had a restaurant next door (the Shrimp Bucket) and had a nice courtyard inside. There was even an espresso stand in the lobby which our plush timeshare doesn’t have. Our room was nice, on the 2nd floor with a balcony so we had a great view of the ocean, the boardwalk and the action below. Once we got checked in we walked across to the boardwalk and started walking north along the boardwalk (malecon). Mazatlan’s boardwalk is 12 miles long, with some statues and different things to see along the way. There is one place where there are cliff divers during the day and another where all the fishing boats come in. You can buy fresh fish and take it across the street to one of the restaurants and they will cook it for you. Just north of our hotel on the right is a hill called Ice Box Hill with houses on the top with beautiful views of the ocean. As we walked it started getting dark so we had a good view of the sunset. We ate dinner at the Shrimp Bucket that evening. The next day we had arranged another timeshare tour of the Mayan Palace to look at our options of upgrading to another week or a bigger unit. They sent someone to pick us up at our hotel and take us to the Mayan which was across town about 15 miles north. Once we got there they gave us a tour of the area, and we had a buffet breakfast. After breakfast they talked to us about the options. For now it was not a good option for us, so we declined and took our incentive which was $200 in cash, and a city tour which we booked for Monday. They gave us a taxi ride back to our hotel. We spent some time just relaxing at the hotel before we took a walk around our hotel. A few blocks behind it is the Plaza Machado where there is a park in the middle of the square, and several restaurants, shops, and the Teatro Angela Peralta theatre. There is a cathedral a few blocks north of the Plaza Machado and we walked around that and over to the City Market which has all the local crafts and vegetables and meat. That evening we had dinner at one of the restaurants in Plaza Machado. Friday and Saturday we walked each morning along the boardwalk up to where the fishing boats come in. One morning we had breakfast at the restaurant next door to the hotel which was not very good. The other morning we had a wonderful breakfast at in Machado Square. Both days we headed over to the Golden Zone after resting during the day and relaxing by the pool at the hotel. Doug had work to do and the hotel had wireless so he was able to do it right there. To get to the Golden Zone we took a pulmonia. Although there are taxis in Mazatlan, most people rely on the pulmonias which is an open vehicle that looks like a golf cart. We found that some are privately owned so you have to be careful when you stop one. We rode in one that had no speedometer, no mirrors, etc. Most are very safe, although the drivers do tend to dart in and out of traffic a lot. The Golden Zone is where there are most of the bigger hotels, lots of restaurants and a lot of the shops. We stopped at Joe’s Oyster Bar for drinks one of the evenings which is right on the beach. On Saturday evening we went to a Mexican Fiesta which was at the Playa Mazatlan in the Golden Zone. That is always fun with all you can eat buffet and lots of fun entertainment. On Sunday it was time to leave old town and move to the Mayan Palace. We arranged a ride on a Pulmonia and got over there about 1pm. We were able to get checked in. The Mayan bought the Sea Garden hotels several years ago and there used to be just the Sea Garden option for our timeshare, however the year before they had built the new building on the property so we stayed there. We didn’t look inside the Sea Garden units but we were told that they were smaller, all of them 2 bedroom but a lot older without all the comforts of the new building. Our room was one bedroom, but it was roomy and nice, with a sofa bed in the living room if we wanted to bring someone else with us. It was only a little further from the pools, and it had an ocean view. I was anxious to go down to the pool so we stayed around the hotel the rest of the day and ate dinner at the restaurant that evening. In the morning on Monday we had planned our City Tour so our driver picked us up at the hotel. After picking up others he headed into the Golden Zone then took us to several other spots along the way. We were not impressed with the tour at all, or our guide. Afterward we offered to stay in the Golden Zone so he let us leave the bus there. As we got off the bus we talked to a couple of gals that were on the bus with us and they were also expressing what they thought about the tour. They told us if we really wanted to get an authentic tour we could go to the Vineyard Church and volunteer to help make sandwiches and then plan to go with them on a tour to deliver them. They showed us where the church was so we went to find out more about it. We made arrangements to do that on Thursday. Next to the church is a taco place that has wonderful, cheap tacos. We sat and visited with the gals we met on the tour, had a great lunch with them then headed back to our hotel for the afternoon. That evening we came back to the Golden Zone and had dinner at Panama Bakery and Restaurant which is right on the main boulevard. Tuesday we went on a tour that took us to Concordia and Copala. On the way we stopped at the village of Malpica at a tile factory and watched them making the tiles, then went over to a house which had bakery in the back. We brought a tile home from there that we bought for $2.00, and we were able to have a piece of hot bread. In Concordia there are several furniture stores. Then in Copala we had lunch at Daniel’s which was really good and included with our tour. They are famous for their banana coconut pie which we couldn’t pass up. Wednesday we stayed at the hotel most of the day and just relaxed, rested by the pool, etc. Doug was doing some work so it gave him time to catch up on things. Then Thursday we got up early, had breakfast at the hotel, then headed down to the Vineyard Church to volunteer our help. We made sandwiches along with a few others, and filled water bottles with purified water. Afterward we got on a bus and our driver gave us a tour of the area on our way to the city dump. We went through several residential areas but as we got farther away from the beach area we saw how some of the Mexican’s really live. Even the police officers which are among the higher paying people, live in little, tiny houses. The neighborhoods rising up had small two bedroom houses and it is normal to move in and as you can then add on, usually up with another floor. Our destination was to go to the city dump and give sandwiches, fruit and water to the people that make their living to support their families by salvaging what they can from the dump. They are not searching for food however, but anything else they can sell. The city dump trucks come in anytime day or night so there are always people (mostly men) salvaging things. They know that the Vineyard bus will be there on Thursdays so when they saw us they came over. We each took the bags and handed it to them and said “Jesus loves you” in Spanish to them. They were so grateful to have this little bit of food and you could see that they really appreciated it. It was a moving experience. After we left the dump site we drove through the village where most of the workers lived in little shanties made with cardboard sides, tarps, etc. It was sad to see. We drove by the school that was breaking for lunch and there was a line of kids waiting for our bus to come. We got out and gave them each lunch also. We stopped by a house where a little boy with cerebral palsy was not able to come out with the other kids. His mom brought him out and we gave them lunch also. Of all the things we did on our trip, this by far was the most rewarding and we vowed to do it again. That evening we had dinner at the hotel. On Friday we went on a Tequila Tour. The tour company picked us up at the hotel and we stopped at the little town of La Noria first. There we went into a leather factory where we watched them making belts, shoes and purses. From there we headed to the distillery and watched them making the tequila. After we left the distillery (with a bottle of tequila to bring home) we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. Once we got back to the hotel we spent the rest of the afternoon resting, swimming, etc. The next morning we went to Valentino’s restaurant for breakfast. It is at the north end of the boardwalk, right on the edge of the Golden Zone. There is such a pretty view of the town from there, but they are no longer open for dinner which is a shame. The location is great, the food and the atmosphere were too. We sat outside on the balcony and looking down at the rocks we saw several mariachi singers that were being filmed for some kind of event. After breakfast we went back to the hotel to rest and relax on our last day in town. That evening we headed back to the Golden Zone and went to Carnaval (Mardi Gras) had started on Thursday and we were curious to see all the festivities. When our taxi was about 1 mile from the entrance gates we chose to get out because it was just so crowded. We walked the rest of the way and made it to the gates. There were so many people, and a lot were acting crazy, but it was fun to see. There was a long line to get inside the gates so we decided to head back to our hotel. On Sunday we got up and had to start getting ready to leave. Another trip comes to an end. Darn- I don’t want to go home!

If you would like to see more pictures from this trip click below.

Carnival Cruise Lines – Mexican Riviera- February 1998

This was our first adventure going on a cruise. We both love warm weather so we decided what better time to leave the dreary, rainy days of Seattle in February and take a cruise along the Mexican Riviera. We flew to Long Beach and boarded our ship, the Jubilee. We boarded on Sunday and our ports were Wednesday in Puerto Vallarta, Thursday in Mazatlan and Friday in Los Cabos. I was excited to see Puerto Vallarta again as my sisters and I had visited there in February of 1994 before Doug and I were married. I was looking forward to showing Doug the beautiful hotel where we had stayed in Mismaloya Bay.

Our first 2 days were “at sea”. This gave us plenty of time to explore the ship. I had no idea cruise ships were so big! Each day we received a newsletter with all the things happening during the day and into the evening. There was something for everyone. We went to the shows, played the trivia games and even gambled a little in the casino. And we ate! We went to the formal dining room each night and met 3 other couples that we were matched up to dine with. For the other meals we ate different places on the ship, and there was always plenty of places to get a snack or drinks in between.

One of the funniest (and embarrassing) things that happened was the first night on the ship. Remember as you read this that this was our first cruise. Not used to these tight quarters! As we went to bed the first night Doug turned off the light and got into bed. Our bed was against the wall and I was already in bed. As we lay in the dark for a few minutes talking, all of a sudden the light went back on. Doug got up again and turned it off again. Got back into bed and laid down and sure enough, the light popped on again! What’s the deal here?? So, Doug gets up once again, turns off the light and gets into bed. By now he is just daring it to come back on again. Well, of course, in a couple minutes it comes back on. So by now he was really frustrated. So, he gets up and calls the attendant who calls the maintenance person. Did I mention it was about 1:30am? So, shortly after we hear a rap on the door. I have by now turned toward the wall and pretended to be asleep. Doug explains the problem to the maintenance person who was foreign and only spoke (and understood) broken English. By the way, 90% of the ship staff is foreign. After a few minutes of explaining and trying to get his point across the maintenance person walks over to the bed, pulls back Doug’s pillow and points to the light switch. Dah! I started laughing to myself and I’m sure my whole body was shaking with laughter! The next morning early, as we were walking down the hall to breakfast we passed one of the ship staff. As soon as we did Doug leaned to me and said “that was the maintenance person from last night!” I think I heard him calling us “idiots” as we passed him. Not really, well if he did I wouldn’t have understood it anyway since I don’t speak French.

The further south we got the warmer the temperature was. Our captain pointed out Los Cabos when we passed it. This was the first land we had seen in 2 days. We continued south to our first port which was Puerto Vallarta.

When we reached Puerto Vallarta we ventured out with our dining mates and checked out the local establishments. Here we are at Carlos O'Briens having lunch. Later I got Doug to ride a bus with me down to La Jolla de Mismaloya Hotel, where we walked right past the guard gate like we knew what we were doing, and made it out to the pool area where we ordered quesadillas and drinks, and enjoyed the scenery. After that Doug made his way over to a hammock and almost fell asleep in the warm, afternoon sun. When we left the hotel grounds we walked along the beach to the restaurants just south of the hotel and spent some time exploring the area before we headed back to the ship.

Next we stopped at Mazatlan and Doug wanted to visit a real Mexican market. We took a pulmonia to old downtown to the market and ate lunch and walked through the market. Doug was impressed with the pigs head – oh, and let’s not forget the menudo. After awhile we headed back toward the ship and met up with our friends at Senor Frogs where jello shots were making the rounds. I honestly think that Doug did not understand that there was about an ounce of tequila in each one! He went for the jello, again and again! At one point the other wives and I went out to enjoy the beach across the street while the guys were enjoying their jello. Ok, somehow we made it back to the ship!

Our third day at port was the morning only at Los Cabos. We were able to get off the ship about 6am, and had to be back on by 10:30 or so. Not many things were open at that time of day, but of course that doesn’t stop the locals from coming down to the dock and selling their wares. For what we saw in our short time in Los Cabos we decided that it was just too commercialized. It was beautiful, clean and more modern than both Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. We both decided that next time we do a trip to Mexico (and there will be a next time!) we will visit somewhere where we can get into the culture of the area, talk to the locals, etc.

Two more days “at sea” on the ship which meant more time to relax, play the ship games, and avoid the guys with the cameras, taking pictures to post for everyone to see later. Oh, and eat. Did I mention that? All you can eat and any time of the day or night. Wow! I’m sure we both gained tons of weight during our one week adventure.