Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003 (Pat)
It’s been a 48 hour day. We last went to bed on Thursday night. It is now Saturday night 10pm and we are ready for bed. Our flight out of Portland left at 5:50am so we had to leave the house shortly after three. I was putting the finishing touches on chapter 4 and knew I’d be up late so we just pulled an all nighter. I finished my computer work at 2am so had time for showers, some left-over pizza, saying goodbye to the kids and heading off to the airport.
Bumpy flight to Phoenix then short smooth flight to Mazatlan. The airport is completed with construction and is nice and clean and bright and colorful. Got a taxi ride after a promo press from an El Cid vendor and headed for town. Took the back way instead of going through the gold zone - the scenic tour.
Got settled in room 1107. View of the mountains to the east. Asked for a different room with a pool or ocean view and the room we got the see was smaller with a less comfortable living area - so... no ocean view.
Ate lunch at the pool side café and got unpacked. Checked out the facilities then took a bus into the golden zone. Got off past El Cid. Bought a couple of spray paint pictures of the Mazatlan ocean view with jumping dolphins from a street vendor - very colorful.
Had dinner at Guadalajara Grill. Ron had a chicken meal served in a piping hot clay pot. I had chicken with Jamaica fruit sauce. Both were excellent.
Walked back towards Pueblo Bonito and stopped at a shop where we saw a turtle (clay) we like as a candle holder. I also found a cute colorful clay owl for my Dad. Also went into a leather shop - Ron found a jacket he really likes - $120. Great deal. Made our way north. New sidewalk area in part of it. El Patio is there, Sr. Peppers is a new restaurant near P.B. One of the small shops we’ve shopped at wasn’t there.
Finally caught a bus and made it back. Tired and happy to be back in Mazatlan.
Saturday, Feb. 22, 2003 (Ron)
Like Pat said, our day started at 12:01am Saturday, so it's been a long one. We had a very early flight, so neither one of us slept last night. Partly cause there was a lot to do and not much time to do it, and partly from the excitement of going to Mazatlan again. Got checked into the airport, short wait and a quick flight to Phoenix. Had to hurry to catch our flight in Phoenix. Made it OK and had another quick flight from Phoenix to Maz. The Mazatlan airport looked real nice. All the construction seems to be done. Dealt with the timeshare pushers at the airport, then had a nice drive to Vidafel. Mazatlan seems to be cleaner, brighter, and everything has a fresh coat of paint. Maybe it’s just my imagination and I’m just glad to be back. At the resort we got checked in and went thru the timeshare push again, but you just have to deal with it, that’s part of Mazatlan. Got to the room - can’t see the ocean, pool, beach, anything. The room is kinda small, so we tried to get a better view, but nothing available that we liked. Oh well. We are home sweet home for two weeks. Had a light lunch by the beautiful pool, then went to the Zona Dorada. Most of the old hangouts are still there and maybe of new spots, some new old favorites. It has been a beautiful day here, the weather is great, and it sure feels good to be back.
Sunday, Feb. 23, 2003 (Ron)
A very nice day. I got up about 7, jogged on the beach for about 45 minutes, then came up and showered, had breakfast, and relaxed for a while. Then Pat and I went down to the pool for some more relaxing. Beautiful weather. Had lunch at a restaurant by the pool. Pat had a turkey sandwich, I had chicken with almond sauce, baked potato, and veggies. The food, the presentation, the weather, and the location combined to make it one of the best meals I have ever enjoyed. Even had enough chicken left for supper. The cost was 170 pesos - about $17 for both. After lunch, we went down to El Centro, but it was very quiet and all the stores were closed, so we walked for quite a ways. Stopped at a small restaurant called Los Pelicanos and had a couple of beers and a small crab tostada that was very good. Took the bus back to Vidafel in time to watch a beautiful sunset. Dinner in our suite was very nice. A wonderful day. BTW - I forgot to write about our experience at Guadalajara Grill yesterday. One of the waiters was going around to all the tables with a container of Sangria and would have the customer tip their head back while he poured Sangria down their throat as long as they could keep drinking. He came around to our table and I tried it. Got quite a bit down, but the hard part is stopping cause you just have to close your mouth to get him to stop and wine goes all over, but it was fun and it’s really a crowd pleaser.
Monday, Feb. 24, 2003 (Pat)
We woke up around 7 again. Today was our morning to have breakfast for the owners and hear the latest ‘updates’ and about the new Mayan Palace resort to be built next door to the Sea Garden in Mazatlan.
Ron had a workout in the gym - very hot in there - while I went through some credentials case reports. At 9am we went down and met our sales rep for the morning - Alejandro. Had a nice breakfast buffet and then the sales presentation began. We liked the idea of being able to trade up to the larger suites and 5-star of the Mayan Palace. After several no’s and 5 hours, they offered a deal that seemed a good deal. Trade in the Westgate Lakes timeshare, pay them $5100 and we have a 1 + 1 bedroom suite at Mayan Palace Rocky Point and 2 weeks at Vidafel Mazatlan to use/rent etc. if we choose for 25 years. So one less maintenance fee, a nicer resort to use/will for 100 years. A long time to wheel and deal!
We grabbed a bite to eat and laid out by the pool for a couple of hours. At 5:30, we got back to the room, showered, and headed for the Mexican festival at the Bellavista restaurant at Vidafel. We got to go right in after getting there and picked a table up front near the wind protector so it wasn’t so chilly. They gave each person a little clay pitcher of tequila. Very smooth - like an after-dinner liqueur! They had 2 guys playing music while the drinks came non-stop. Some of the entertainers started going around to the guests to see who wanted to ‘chug’ some tequila while they held the bottle up. Ron, of course, accepted and drank quite a bit before having to quit. Then we got to eat. Great food - fruit salad, guacamole, beans, rice, various meat dishes. After dinner the dancers, rope dancer, entertained us with dances/dresses/outfits from the different states. Three women / three men dancers. In between sets they had the roper, a ‘Most Sexy Dancer’ (male) contest with 3 women judges from the crowd and 6 male contestants from the crowd. Pretty funny, the judges had to grab the butts of the guys.
After many drinks, we staggered back to the room and off to bed.
Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2003 (Pat)
Up by 7am again when the sun is up and shining in the bedroom window. Ron rented a bike and rode up the road a ways and then finished his workout in the gym. I finished off a few more case reports and had my coaching call with Carol and checked messages.
Then we headed for the pool-side chairs. It was a bit cloudy and breezy and often times would feel pretty cool. The sun would come out and warm up nicely in between. Had lunch at the pool-side restaurant again and some more sun-catching. By 2:30 - 3pm we had quit the sun and went up to the room - showered - and got ready to head into town. Grabbed a bus and got off at the Internet Café and checked e-mail for an hour. By now we were hungry again so we went around the corner to one of our favorite restaurant - Costa Marinera.
The sun was just setting and I asked the waiter to raise the wind blind a little to see the view. Since it is an open air restaurant that also let the sea breeze in - so it was a bit cool. A vendor came by and held up his boxes outside the window area. I told him I was looking more at rings or earrings and would stop by his boxes after dinner. Dinner was great as usual - Ron had smoked tuna appetizer with tortillas (a big plate) and then Oysters Rockefeller. I had the grilled shrimp with garlic. No room for dessert. When we left I checked out the vendor’s silver and finally bought a pair of fire opal earring that will go with my pendant.
Took the bus back and went for happy hour at the bar by the elevator. An artist was painting ‘finger’ paintings with oil on ceramic tile. Very fast - 20 minutes or less and he completed a beautiful, colorful painting, It was amazing to watch. He had one long fingernail on his little finger to draw lines and do the fine detail work. The same musicians that played at the festival set up by the bar and played. Some guests were dancing in the area by the elevators having fun.
Back up to the room to read for a while and off to bed.
Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2003 (Ron)
We decided to go shopping this morning. As we were walking thru the Sea Garden lobby, we saw Alejandro so we went over to say hi. He suggested that we go to the mall and told us what bus would get us there. We got there without any trouble, just the way he said. The mall was just like any mall in the U.S. Lots of different stores. As we were wandering around looking for the grocery store - Mega, we went in a department store with everything from candy to motorcycles. They had a very good selection of candy - most of which we couldn’t figure out what it was or if it was any good. We picked several that looked good and hoped for the best. I got some little orange balls about an inch in diameter that looked a little like pumpkins and some nuts coated in something. They were both pretty good. Turned out the pumpkin things were coconut. Pat got a couple of candies made out of sesame seeds (we think). She likes ‘em, I’m not too crazy about ‘em. While in that store, Pat asked one of the clerks where Mega was, so we walked to the other end of the mall and did our grocery shopping. Got meat, milk, veggies, coffee, and some other stuff for 2-3 meals and it came to only about 250 pesos - about 25 dollars. By now I was starting to feel kinda crummy. Not really sick, but not 100% either. We got back to the suite then went down to the pool and laid out for a while. I had heard about a rodeo/cowboy show at the Plaza de Toros that was supposed to take place today at 4pm, so we took a bus over there, but there was nothing going on. There was a sign around back that said the show was on March 1, so we may go back. Went to catch the bus back, but we waited and waited and never saw a bus, so we finally took a taxi. Fifty pesos to take us back to Vidafel and well worth it, By now it’s suppertime, and Pat was going to fix a meal with the groceries we got earlier, but I was still not feeling so great, so we just had yogurt and cheese. Tomorrow is our deep-sea fishing day, so I called for a wake-up call. It’s computerized and you just punch in the time you want the call.
Thursday, Feb 27, 2003 (Ron)
Today is our fishing day, but since I still feel crummy and only got about 3 hours of sleep, we decide to cancel. I tried to call, but kept getting a recording saying that there was some kind of error. Not sure what, since the recording was in Spanish. Anyway, Star Fleet called us and I apologized, said I was sick, and we would reschedule later. We didn’t really do much today. Laid out by the pool, went into town for a little while, then came back and Pat cooked supper. It was very good, sort of a Mexican style supper.
Friday, Feb 28, 2003 (Pat)
We woke up early to the sunshine coming through the window. Very few clouds so it looks to be a great day. Today we have the Tequila Tour. Ron went for his workout in the gym and I had breakfast and went for a walk on the beach with my camera. The waves were rolling in. Before Ron went on his workout he took some pictures and video clips of the waves. Pretty cool - the sound and waves crashing in. Shower time and went down to the lobby to wait for the tour people. After a short wait we met our tour guide and go on a big bus full of people. We got the last seats on the right side. The bus headed north and then east through the foothills. Arturo, the guide told us about the landscape and wild life - we saw oriole nests, some crested carracara eagles, and a few other birds. The road went to La Noria - the hometown of our guide, a small village in the hills known for their saddle, belt, and sandals making. We got off the bus and visited the saddle shop. People could order belts with their names stamped on them or buy sandals. The saddles were very colorful - orange dyed leather with yellow seats and separate pads for additional cushion! Then we bought some fresh flan in cups from a local lady and wandered through a local sandal making place housed in an old hacienda style building - old, very thick walls with a court yard and several other buildings behind it. We walked up to see the church on the hilltop - very colorful - yellow inside with nice sculptures and altar area. Then off to Senora Meno’s house. A big house with several tables set up for lunch. We sat with a Mexican couple from Tijuana. There was fresh, soft cheese, tortillas, beans, cheese enchiladas with mole sauce or a shredded beef meal option. Jaicama drink - tea from a fruit. Mexican agua - was very good. Afterwards some candies we could purchase. 40 pesos for a huge lunch. Ron and I were both stuffed. We checked out the tortilla maker next door and back onto
the bus. It was a long dirt road into the factory and Arturo pointed out the blue agave plants being grown. The factory had been shut
down for some time and then started back up. Today it was quiet. Arturo told us all about the process.
The agave plant looks similar to aloe. It is the stump part of the plant that is used to make the tequila. It gets mashed up by a huge grinder pulled by 2 burros. Then off to another
grinder/shredder and back for more mashing. Then into the first
distilling barrels. A second distilling takes place in a copper
pot. Then it is aged. The final
product is a light gold color. Labeled Osuna. It comes in a unique bottle and we got to taste a sample - 2+ ounce worth! Much better with salt and lime! It wasn’t as smooth as the tequila we had at the Mexican fiesta party so we didn’t
buy any. A very fun tour - informative and interesting and got to see some of the countryside life style.
Afterwards we went into town to check e-mail so we could get our new calling card number. It wasn’t there yet so we e-mailed them back and then wandered around and ended up at the gift shop near El Paraje. I spent some time looking over the silver jewelry while Marco offered deals. I finally settled on a colorful black opal long oval ring set in a shiny silver and a bright fire opal and silver bracelet - both for 250 pesos! Went back to the Internet café - got our new calling card info and took a bus back to the resort. Settled in to do some reading, had yogurt and fruit for dinner and off to bed.
Saturday, March 1, 2003 (Pat)
We woke up to another partly cloudy morning. Ron had his morning workout and I read. Then we did laundry, checked phone messages, and visited with some folks from Wisconsin down here for three months, while doing the laundry. By then it was getting close to lunch time. We had the jumbo quesadillas at the Sunset Pool café - very good and filling. It was too late to spend time sitting by the pool since we were headed for the rodeo at 4pm, so we went for a beach walk heading south. We got all the way to Playa Maria and walked through, checking it out. It is close to being done. All the buildings are up and being completed. The pools are in and most of the landscaping. It is going to be nice when completed. The rooms/suites are big. Even the lock-off has a kitchen area besides just a microwave and sink. We walked back and headed for the suite. I realized we both hadn’t put on sunscreen for the day and with our walk and sitting outside the laundry, had some extra color! Fortunately nothing too bad. Got ready and headed for the bus a 3pm. Caught the Torreo bus and stopped it to get off before Gigante and walked over to the bull-ring area. This time there were cars and people around. When we got up to the ticket booth, Ron saw a sign saying ‘No video cameras’ in Spanish. I had my digital and Ron had the video. So we figured our options - asked the women at the ticket counter - digital OK - video no - and grabbed a taxi back to the hotel. Ron left the video and got his digital camera and back to catch another taxi to get to the Bull-ring. One hundred pesos each for seats in the shade. It was a little after 4pm when we got back and the show was just starting with a clown act. One ‘clown’ was dressed up as a woman in red tights, a mini skirt, a red shirt with huge fake boobs, lots of make-up and a long, curly, blonde hair wig. We got to see ‘her’ up close as ‘she’ came up into the stands trying to get a man in front of us to come with ‘her’. Then there was the announcer winding up with the introduction we couldn’t understand for the next act and out from behind the curtain/banner come five dwarfs (Mexican) 3 women / 2 men singing and dancing. Ron and I looked at each other and I thought ‘OK, this is a cute opening act!’ Wrong! The entire ‘rodeo’ was a show by “Los Elanitos” Torero desde Jarredin! They sang, danced, played gags, played toreador with a young Brahma bull. In between the clowns particularly the ‘she’ clown played antics. Running in front of the bull, jumping over each other, etc. Ron got a quick video clip of one. It was entertaining and the crowd was into it - just not what we were expecting. It was over around 6:30, so we caught a bus to Valentine’s and started walking along the waterfront to find the Carnival activities. It was supposedly starting with the bad humor celebration at 7:30 and then the ‘Battle’ with fireworks at 9pm. Along the seawall area were many Pacifico tents but no activity. So we kept walking and decided to eat at Restaurante del Pacifico. Sat outside - I had a nice fish fillet - grilled and Ron had tacos. We continued walking towards the monument area. We walked the entire bay area before we started seeing gathering crowds walking up the hill. More walking, more crowds, and then we could see a gate area, a forming line and a ticket booth. Fifteen pesos each - got in line and waited. Very slow moving and a ways to go before the gate. Meanwhile various vendors were around selling bright flashing red/blue lights you could either stick on a clip somewhere. People had them on like earrings, on glasses, hats, etc. Also a mouth squeaker that the vendor could make sound like a meowing cat. The family in front of us bought 4 for their kids while we were waiting in line - sounded like a kazoo going off times 4. As we got closer to the gate and impromptu band was playing. They were starting to say ‘machos aqui, mujeres ahi’ - men in the line we were in, women to the right. People were streaming down from a converging road into the line it seemed and people were milling all around while our line barely moved. Finally as we got closer and could see the fence and gate, I went off to the right and we planned to meet at the Coke sign ahead. They were doing a security search which is what was taking so long. Frisking the men and checking women’s purses. Finally we were both inside and headed for some beer. The area was transformed. Vendors along both sides of the read and bands with blaring music every couple hundred feet. Masses of people, particularly in front of the bands. Thinking the fireworks would be starting soon, we headed for a spot along the seawall. There were a couple of boats lighted up on the water but not much was happening. After all the walking and standing, my back was hurting so I wanted to walk around. We headed back into the street area. By now it was even more crowded. As we walked our way along in front of every band it was like a sea of fish (people). Streams of people going each direction and others charging in between, forcing their way through. It was crazy. At times it was a full body push as people shoved and bounced off each other. I’m glad I wore my running shoes and not sandals as my feet were getting walked on. Along the way we came across a row of bathrooms so Ron checked it out - very primitive - he can add his description. Back into the sea of people and we finally made it near the end where I visited the ‘damas’ area. More pushing/shoving to claim a stall. Standing outside we finally heard the first fireworks go off. They had four areas where they set off to simulate a battle. Two to our left and two to our right. One was very close and we would actually get showered with cool ashes after they went off overhead. It was a great show. Lots of color and I have sure never been that close to fireworks before. Many people started leaving afterwards. We sat on the seawall for a while, then headed back. More side crushing, body bumping, foot tromping, jostling past the bands. I held on to Ron’s hand and we focused on protecting our cameras, staying on or feet and moving forward. Many of the bands would have been fun to listen to - but there was no way to stop and listen. Eventually the crowd started to thin a bit. Ron got some flan, we bought a round decorative loaf of bread and made our way out. Down the hill - more walking. It was quite a ways just to get to where the taxis were circling around to pick people up. I was tired, back and hips hurt, so sit was worth the $20 to me to catch an open-air taxi and get home. A cold ride, but we got back to the Sea Garden in one piece. 2am. Off to bed.
Sunday, March 2, 2003 (Ron)
Laid out on the beach today instead of by the pool. A very nice day, sunny and warm. Pat and I both had the Teriyaki Chicken salad from the pool bar for lunch. Only 60 pesos each including soft drink. Pretty tasty. About 4:30 we left the resort and took a bus down to Avenida del Mar to watch the parade. Got off the bus at Valentino’s and walked down to Howard Johnson’s hotel. Sat on the seawall and watched the crowd of people. Had a couple of beers. They were only eight pesos each. The parade was supposed to start at 6pm, but of course did not. Pat was getting hungry so she went over and got a styrofoam cup filled with corn. They roasted ears of corn, then cut it off the cob and put it in the cup to make it easier to eat. Put some butter and spices on it and you are good to go. She had eaten most of it, then thought she heard the parade coming, got excited, jumped up, and dumped corn juice and butter all over me. Wonderful. It wasn’t until at least 8 or 8:30 that the parade started. There were some bleachers set up in the median and the restaurants had extra chairs, but most people just stood along the street. The parade was led by a float shooting off fireworks, then the actual floats, cowboys on horseback, people walking, and busses with various parade queens sitting on top. The floats were very elaborate and pretty. Being at night, they were all lit up. It was a very nice parade and worth seeing. After it ended, we walked up to where the traffic was not blocked and got a pulmonia. It was 300 pesos back to Vidafel. Pretty expensive taxi, but too late at night for bus to be running, so not much choice. Got back to the room at midnight.
Monday, March 3, 2003 (Ron)
Another beautiful day, so we decided to go to Stone Island today. First I worked out at the gym, as I have most days down here. Showered, had breakfast of protein shake and two bananas - the bananas are very small here. We’ve been to Stone Island on a tour group and last year Alex, the guy who sold us the unit at Playa Maria, took us, so we feel like old hands at it and decided to go on our own. I had found instructions on exactly how to do it, so off we went. The instructions turned out to be very good and we had no problem getting there. We had lunch at Lety’s. Pat had garlic shrimp and I had garlic fish. Very good and a lot to eat. Plus two lemonades and four or five cervezas, it came to only 232 pesos. For desert I got a couple of those shredded coconut things that are so good. After lunch, a table emptied on the beach, so we sat down there. Right on the beach, with our toes in the sand. Talked to a couple from northeast Washington who live on Stone Island for seven months of the year. Walked on the beach for a while and just relaxed. That part of the beach seems so isolated, like civilization is a thousand miles away. It is so peaceful and relaxing. About 5:30 we decided to head back. By now it was getting cool, so we took a bus back to the resort, showered, and put on some warmer clothes. Took a bus back to the Golden Zone and had supper at El Patio. Had a great meal, everyone is so friendly. Pat had fajitas and I had ribs. Very good, plenty to eat, no room for desert. We always enjoy eating at El Patio. Took the bus back, got in by about 10pm.
Tuesday, March 4, 2003 (Pat)
Another partly cloudy and breezy day. Ron had his morning workout and I got some computer work done. Got connected to a local AOL server so I could use my laptop to download some items from previous e-mails and send off my credentials evaluations and chapter 7 comments in the afternoon. $3.95 surcharge from AOL so I’ll count it as a business expense. Had my call with Carol and Ron did some reading. For lunch we headed to another of our favorites - Chili’s Peppers. Sat by the ocean side and watched the vendors and tourists go by. Ron had the Molcajete and I had chili rellenos. Very good and very filling. It was a bit cool with the breeze and Ron joked about needing a vendor with blankets to come by. Sure enough, shortly thereafter, a gentleman came by with lots of colorful blankets and started spreading them out on the sand below us. He had a white one with colorful fish on it that stood out. Ron started bargaining with him and we picked out another colorful striped blanket and the white one - 2 for $50. They are very soft, a tight weave, and will be good covers for sitting in the sofa on rainy days in WA. We stopped at the Internet café and then caught the bus back. I did some more computer work and Ron did some reading. We were still full from lunch but less so by 7:30pm, so we took the bus in to Sr. Peppers, a new restaurant near Pueblo Bonito. It was very fancy - elegant with wood walls all varnished, brass, candles, white tablecloths, waiters in black suits. They specialized in beef and seafood. The menu was a board with items listed and prices in US dollars along with samples of the beef cuts. Pricey! We decided to at least give it a go and Ron ordered the filet mignon and I ordered the salmon. Ron had soup and I had a salad. Soup was the better choice. They served some tasty zucchini appetizers and bread as well as the dinners. I got through about half of my meal and Ron ate only part of the filet. So we both have lunch for Wednesday. $75 for meal and tip. Not something we would do often, but less than the equivalent in the states.
Back at Vidafel, Francisco, the finger oil painter, was back in the lobby bar area doing his colorful paintings. I stuck around to watch him do several. I would love to have one however several others were wanting the same in front of me so I came back up to the room since it was 11pm.
Wednesday, March 5, 2003 (Ron)
Worked out in the morning, had breakfast, messed around a little, then we went down and laid out by the pool for about an hour and a half. It was a little cool for laying out. About 3pm we took the Torreo bus down to the Plaza del Toros for the cowboy show that we thought we would see last Sunday. Got down there and not a soul around. OK, so… We decided to try to find a bottle of Los Corrales tequila that we were served at the Fiesta Mexicana. We were right next to Gigante, but decided to walk down to the mall and get the tequila at Mega and get some candy at the department store there also. After a long walk we got to the mall. By now it seemed a lot warmer than when we were laying out by the pool. First we went to the department store to get the candy. I got some of the little coconut candies that I liked so well and also some others that looked good, then Pat and I picked out some chocolates. Ended up spending about $18 US, over $12 in chocolates. With candy in hand, we walked to the other end of the mall to get the tequila. Mega had a very good selection of tequila, but not the one we were looking for. After leaving the mall, we asked a pulmonia driver where there was a liquor store. He said down on Avenida del Mar, about four kilometers. That’s too far to walk, so we had him take us down there. They also had a good selection of tequila, but no Los Corrales. Our plan for the day had been to have supper and Jungle Juice since we had had a fairly light (but very good) lunch of leftovers from Sr. Peppers and Chili’s Peppers. We now decided to catch a bus up to the resort, relax for a while, then come back down for dinner. As the bus was going through the south part of the Zona Dorada, we decided to get off and try a couple of stores for our tequila. We came up dry, but looked around in some of the other stores. Didn’t buy anything. Caught a bus back to the resort and realized that we were too wore out to go back into town. We went downstairs and had supper at one of the resort restaurants. Had to wait quite a while for our order, but it was very good. Pat had Shrimp Fajitas and I had Arrachera (sp). It was a beef strip, with rice and beans and guacamole. No room for desert, but we went over and had a drink and listened to the band.
Thursday, March 6, 2003 (Pat)
Today’s plan is the Copala tour. Ron started out with a quick workout and I had a walk on the beach. At 9am we met the Vista Tour people in the lobby and got onto an open air trolley. It was cool with the wind blowing in and I thought ‘This will be tough all the way to Copala’. However, this was just the shuttle trolley gathering people and depositing us outside Pardo’s jewelry store in the same area we were last night. They had some nice fire opals to look at but mostly it was unorganized as more shuttles came - one tour bus left and we waited outside for some time. Finally a big bus came up and people started getting on. There wasn’t an announcement or anything and it was the ‘Countryside Tour’. We got seats on the left side of the bus - they seem to lean back a lot in its normal setting. Headed out Highway 15 past the airport to the south then east on Highway 14. Our tour guide, Jesus, talked about Mazatlan history. Somewhere along there we stopped outside a brick-making area. Many manual laborers working in the hot sun all day for 80 - 100 pesos. Our first stop was a small town where an old time tile maker lived. He made special tiles for tourists using an old press. They were shaped like a clover with 4 petals and 4 points. He sprinkled in some colors, added a white or other color base, and swirled that around with a pencil. Then he added the cement into the press - presto - a cut out tile. Of course he had a variety to sell, 20 pesos a piece. I picked out two - one for Robert & Sheila. Across the street was an awesome bakery with yummy pastries - 3 for 30 pesos. Got three and ate two as soon as we got on the bus. They offered cold water / drinks and cerveza at the stops as well. Next stop along the road a furniture and pottery place. Also had a variety of other crafts and lots of goats out back with two small kids in a box - bleating away.
Next stop Concordia. A high mountain town - population 8000. Drove into their narrow cobble streets and got off the bus and walked to the town square. It was getting hot by now. The church was old - made of quarried rock. Had two headless statues of the makers who became headless in the Mexican revolution. A vendor on the plaza had some very nice carvings made out of cow bone. Back onto the bus and a 35 minute drive to Copala. Two thousand foot elevation, eight hundred population. An old mining town. Winding road up to it through the wooded hills. A very narrow cobblestone road driving into Copala. Instantly swarmed by children off the bus - carvings out of small pieces of wood or riding donkeys - offering rides or pictures for $1 - 10 pesos. I was out of change other than a few one peso coins. Had enough for one boy, not for the other who got centavos - oh well. Got a picture. We walked up the hill to the plaza area and another old rock church similar to Concordia’s. Same guy created them both. More pictures, looking for change - cambio -for Rudolpho who stuck a carving in my hand then when I said no cambio, led me to a souvenir shop to get cambio. Bought a couple of key chains to get twenty pesos to give to the boy. Caught up with Ron at Daniel’s - a restaurant on top of the hill - for lunch. We had the no-meal-included plan. Sat down and had to go get our own chips and drinks, menus, and Ron finally got up and face-to-face with a waiter asked for two medium combination plates. Nothing showed up. Ron is livid by now as they are serving the other guests pie. We give up on lunch and settle for a piece of banana-coconut pie each. We settled our bill - got a free beer - no tip for the waiters. Checked out some of the scenery from a look-out above the restaurant and then the cave adjacent to the restaurant that was recently reopened in 1995. Got back on the bus and headed back to Mazatlan, dropping everybody off at their hotel. A very nice tour other than the confusion in the morning and the lunch fiasco. A great day.
Back to the suite. I cooked up chicken fajitas and we went down to the lobby bar area where Francisco was doing his finger painting. I put in my request and we watched and photographed our tile painting being made. Very beautiful. Had another margarita and watched him do another painting. Then got some more cash for the fishing trip Friday. Back to the room and downloaded photos, checked e-mail, and went to bed. I got into a coughing fit, so came out to try and sleep on the sofa. Not a full night sleep.
Friday, March 7, 2003 (Ron)
Wake-up call at 4:45am. Quick shower, shave, and breakfast. Out the door at 5:45. We took a taxi to Star Fleet. Paid 2200 pesos for Pat and I and we got on out boat - Capella - with a gut from Minnesota, out Captain, and the first mate. We were away from the dock by 6:30. It was a beautiful morning, the sea was just a little choppy. I put on my seasick bands to help our. We headed out to sea, not much to do. After a couple of hours we were out quite a ways and had five lines in the water. All of a sudden, something hit a line and started taking it out! I motioned for Al, the guy from Minnesota, to take it. He sat down and started reeling. It was coming in pretty easy, so we knew it wasn’t much. He ended up pulling in a yellow-fin tuna about 18 inched long. Kind of exciting, but not what we were looking for. By now, the sea was a little rough and I had to concentrate on the horizon so I wouldn’t get sick. Guess I didn’t concentrate hard enough, or my seasick bands weren’t working 100%, or something, because about ten o’clock I got sick. After that I actually felt a little better. Still not good enough to eat anything, but better. About 10:45 Al spotted some fins in the water and went up to the top deck to tell the captain. The captain started circling the boat. There were 5-6 sets of fins in the water. Then one hit the line. I sat down in the chair to take my turn. He had the hook and was taking it out. My heart was pounding! He finally slowed down and I started reeling him in. Pedro, the first mate, instructed me how to play him and when to reel him. I’d reel him in a little and then he’d take the line out twice as far. At times he’d just be resting, not taking the line out, but not letting me reel him in. The captain would put the boat in reverse and move towards him, allowing me to reel him in. With the sea being so choppy, going in reverse splashed a lot of water on me , but I barely noticed. He was beginning to tire, but so was I. Finally I got him up alongside the boat. Pedro got the gaff hook in his gills, and the captain, Pedro, and Al pulled him in. I was so excited, smiling from ear to ear. He laid across the entire back of the boat. I guessed 6 ½ to 7 feet, Al thought more like 8 ft. It took me 42 minutes to get him landed. Very cool! OK, one down, two to go. By now it was almost noon, and I had forgotten all about being seasick. We drove around some more and everyone was watching for fins, but we didn’t see anything. Then about 1pm, something hit the line and I motioned to Al to take his turn pulling in another big one. He wasn’t having any trouble getting it reeled in, so we knew it wasn’t a big one. He got it in the boat, another yellow-fin tuna. Kind of a disappointment. We kept cruising around, but saw nothing. The sea was still a little rough, and we were all ready to head back. Finally, the captain said we were heading back to the docks. The first mate and a boy threw him onto the dock when we got in (the fish, not the captain). People started coming over, asking about the fish - a striped marlin - asking who caught it. They took it and the two tunas over and hung them up by the tails and weighed the marlin - 154 lb. More people asking about it. Someone with Star Fleet gave me a certificate to verify the catch. It had my name, the captain’s name, the name of the boat, date, weight and length of the marlin - 154 lb. and 8 ½ feet long. Someone asked me if I wanted my picture taken with the fish. He was a professional photographer and only wanted 200 pesos, so I said sure. Pat also took some still pictures and video pictures. Another person asked if I wanted to buy a small replica of the marlin for 200 pesos. I hesitated and he said 180 pesos and I bought it. More people asking about the marlin. One guy asked about mounting it, and I declined. Don’t even know what the cost would be, but too much for me. I gave the captain 500 pesos tip and we caught a pulmonia back to the resort. Let’s see - 220 pesos for taxis, 2200 for the boat, 500 tip, 200 for the picture, 180 for the little marlin. That’s 3300 pesos, a little under $300 total. Worth every penny of it. By the time we got back to the resort, the adrenaline had worn off and we were getting hungry, so we ate the tacos from our lunch prepared for the fishing trip, showered, and went down for our last margarita. At 8pm we went up and started packing our bags for the trip home. Finished up about 10:30 and went to bed.
Saturday, March 8, 2003 (Pat)
Our last morning of vacation. Another sunny morning. Got up early so we could get ready to go into town one more time and drop off the books we had read at a used book library that Ron found out about from MazInfo group. Caught the bus into el centro. Very quiet that time of morning so it didn’t take long. Walked through the market a bit then headed off to find the library on sixto osuna street. When we got there and American, Carl, was there to tell us about the bookstore and retired life in Mazatlan. Got the books dropped off and walked back to the market area and caught a bus back. Our last view of the bay and zona dorada - for now.
It was after ten o’clock when we got back to the room so we called for a bellhop and Javier took our bags and put them in a locked storage for a while. Alejandro was in the lobby area and we got him to take our picture - in the lobby, in front of the pool, and again sitting in the mock-up living room of a Mayan Palace suite. We then sat out by the pool and read for an hour or so, enjoying our last relaxation. We had fruit, left-over sandwiches, and snacks with us so we didn’t have a last meal at the pool café.
After 12pm we gathered our bags and got a taxi. We wanted to stop at WalMart on the way to see if they had the Los Corrales tequila as someone suggested. The taxi driver spoke some English so he was willing to wait while Ron ran in to took. No deal - bought a bottle of Kahlua instead and some food treats and on to the airport. On the way the taxi driver told us about another tequila he recommends - very smooth - Cazadores. Next time we’ll try it. Very efficient at the airport - few people - not oversold, as fewer people travel on Saturday. The airport has a nice waiting area upstairs with a food court, so after we checked our bags and went through security we sat and ate the sandwiches and read. About 2:15 we decided to wander over to the gate and they were already boarding. So with about one-fourth full, the plane left a half hour early to Phoenix. Smooth flight, said good-by to Mexico and headed for Arizona. A long walk from gate C to gate A in Phoenix and then a wait to board the next plane to Portland. This one was full and we were off. Another smooth flight. Arrived in Portland just before 10pm. Got our bags and took the shuttle to the van. It was a little slow starting after all the wet weather but got going and we headed home with just a few sprinkles of rain.
The kids were happy to see us. A few clawed areas in the carpet where someone was digging up at the loft door and back bedroom door. Otherwise, no major problems. A stack of mail and papers to go through. Overall a very wonderful vacation.
