As anticipated, my Parent's arrived in Mazatlan on Friday, March 11th. We had an awesome 2 weeks together! We saw lots of Mazatlan as the photo's below portray. All we can say is that 2 weeks just wasn't long enough - we LOVED having them here with us and showing them around Mazatlan!
Their hotel room at the Marina El Cid Resort was really nice. They looked out over the marina and our boat was just a stone's throw away and in full view. There was all kinds of activities going on at the dock below them all the time so it was very interesting for them to watch. Fishermen go out at 6 am every morning for Marlin, Sailfish and other big fish. I think they saw a couple of big fish but lots of smaller ones too. The fish are filleted at the dock and the waste (tail, head, etc.) is thrown back into the water. That's when it got really interesting as there are catfish in the water and pelicans in the air all fighting for the food. The water just boils as the catfish scramble over each other to get the spoils.
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| Typical catch when in season. |
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| This is the view from Dad and Dreana's Hotel Room at Marina El Cid. |
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| Dreana's foot after her pedicure at Gaby's Salon. There is a tiny jewel in the centre of the flower. |
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| Dad and Dreana on the El Cid Ferry on our way over to the El Cid beach. It's just a 30 second ferry ride. |
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| Dad and Dreana on the El Cid Beach. |
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| Dad and Dreana enjoying a short stroll on the beach. |
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| Dad and Jan on the Marina El Cid beach. |
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| Jan and Kim in Dad and Dreana's Hotel Room at Marina El Cid. |
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| Kim, Dad and Dreana awaiting the 'Gringo' lunch special at La Marina Restaurant. It isn't part of El Cid but they have a great lunch special that includes a beer for just 75 pesos ($6 Canadian). |
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Dreana, Jan and Dad enjoying breakfast on the beach at Loco's Loco's.
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| Kim, Douglas, Dreana and Dad on a dinghy ride through the estuary and on our way out for dinner with friends. |
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Dreana, Dad, Tina, Luc, Bob, Bev, Eva, Rene, Kim and Douglas at La Mona for pizza and drinks.
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La Mona Restaurant - afterwards we went to Eva and Rene's boat for drinks and homemade carrot cake. Lovely evening!
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Off to Centro (Downtown) in a Pulmonia Taxi to do a little shopping.
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| We enjoy getting to our destinations in the Pulmonia Taxi's. |
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| Kim, Dad and Dreana shopping at the Market in Centro. |
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| Kim, Dreana and Dad still shopping in Centro. |
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| Dad, Dreana, Tina and Luc at the Saloon Sports Bar for dinner, live music, dancing and of course some cold ones! |
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| Kim, Bev, Bob, Luc and Tina at the Saloon Sports Bar. |
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| Dad and Dreana enjoying a dance together ... and yes, they've still got 'the moves'! |
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| Dad and Dreana showing the rest of us how it's done. |
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| Dad and Dreana all smiles on the dance floor at the Saloon Sports Bar. |
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| Dreana and Dad beside our boat, and behind the step stool that Kim built. The top of each stop comes off so we can store supplies inside it. Genius! |
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| Dreana and Dad enjoying a cup of hot tea and fresh donuts aboard our boat before heading to the pool to cool off. |
We went to the Best Western Hotel (Freeman Hotel) on March 19th where there is a spectacular view from the rooftop. On three sides the city of Mazatlan is laid out while the view from the front is of the Pacific Ocean. People go there primarily to view the sunset, to watch as the sun gradually slides beneath the horizon. After that we continued to the Plaza Machado, a square in the centre of the old and historic part of Mazatlan. All around the square are open-air restaurants selling all kinds of delicious food. In the middle of the square is a large gazebo where live bands play through the evening. Surrounding the gazebo are lots of stalls where artisans sell hand made jewellery, paintings, ceramics, etc.
There was a wedding going on while we were there and it was quite something to see all the women in their beautiful long gowns as they entered the hotel reception hall in the square. When the band struck up in the reception hall it just about blasted our eardrums it was so loud. There were other small bands too around the square, one poor guy was trying to play a violin at our restaurant but he didn't have a chance, nobody could hear him over the other loud, harsh sounds. All the outdoor restaurants were packed and hundreds of other folks were checking out the artisan stalls. A real happening place, full of action, full of people having a good time, full of life!
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| Dad and Dreana enjoying a drink on the rooftop of the Freeman Hotel (Best Western Hotel) while Kim cools his legs off in the pool. |
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| Sunset from the Freeman Hotel. The terrace has a beautiful 360 degree view of Mazatlan. |
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Dad and Dreana on the rooftop of the Freeman Hotel taking pictures and enjoying a drink.
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| Dad, Dreana and Kim awaiting drinks at Il Mosto Restaurant in the Plaza Machado. |
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| Dad, Dreana, Kim and Jan at Il Mosto in the Plaza Machado. |
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| Dad and Dreana taking a walk around the Plaza Machado. |
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| Dad, Dreana and Jan at the Plaza Machado |
On March 21st Dad and Dreana accompanied us to Bob and Bev's place for a 'Thump the Trump' party. Bob had a Donald Trump piñata especially made then he filled it with candy. We each took turns to break it open. Once it was broken open the kids staying in their resort got to collect the candy and take it home. We had lots of laughs!
On March 15th and 22nd we played Texas Holdem together with friends in the Marina El Cid Lobby Bar. Kim and Dreana won on the 15th, then Kim and Marilyn won on March 22nd. We enjoyed cards, a couple of beers, and a few laughs together.
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| Donald Trump Piñata - it was very well made and quite difficult to break open. |
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| Dad and Dreana posing with the piñata. |
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| Dad, Dreana, and guests at Bob and Bev's 'Thump the Trump' Party. |
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| Kim and other guests chatting at the party. |
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| The party was held outdoors and it was a lovely evening - most evenings are beautiful and warm here though. |
We kept pretty busy touring Mazatlan so fully enjoyed some 'down time' by the pool whenever we could.
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| Dad and Dreana enjoying time by the pool at Marina El Cid. |
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| Dad and Dreana having lunch and playing Bingo by the pool. Unfortunately, they didn't win Bingo. |
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| Dad and Dreana soaking up the sun by the pool. |
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| Kim playing volleyball in the pool. |
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| Volleyball time in the pool. |
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2 PM daily is Volleyball-time in the pool.
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| Dad and Dreana playing Texas Holdem in the Marina El Cid Lobby Bar with friends. |
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| Our regular Texas Holdem Tournament held every Tuesday evening. |
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| Lots of Laughs playing Texas Holdem with Dad, Dreana and friends at the Marina El Cid Lobby Bar. |
On March 23rd we went to the Plaza Machado for breakfast, to Centro to shop, over to Stone Island, then to wrap up our day, to the pool to relax and cool down.
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| Kim, Douglas, Dad and Dreana at Via Condotti Cafe, by the Plaza Machado, for a traditional English breakfast. |
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| Dad, Dreana, Kim (and Douglas) enjoy coffee while they wait for their breakfast. Douglas loves pancakes! |
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| Douglas, Kim, Dad, Dreana and Jan at Via Condotti Cafe for breakfast. |
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| Dreana, Dad and Douglas on a Panga on our way over to Stone Island. |
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| Jan, Douglas, Dreana and Dad enjoying a Panga ride over to Stone Island. |
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| A 'Titanik' sighting from our Panga - ha ha. |
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| Dad, Dreana, Kim and Douglas on the beach at Stone Island. It's a beautiful beach. |
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| Dreana and Dad enjoying a leisurely stroll on the very busy beach at Stone Island. It was Semana Santa (Holy week). |
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| Dreana and Dad strolling on the beach at Stone Island. It was very busy due to it being Semana Santa (Holy week). |
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| Kim, Dad and Dreana winding down and enjoying some rest and relaxation in the El Cid Pool, after returning from Stone Island. |
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| Kim, Dad and Dreana cooling off in the El Cid Pool. The pool is kept at 95 degrees fahrenheit so it's very warm. |
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| Dreana and Dad enjoying the El Cid Pool. |
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| Kim, Dreana, and Dad in the Pool at El Cid. |
On March 24th we took a Pulmonia Taxi to the Gold Zone so we could do a little shopping then stop for a couple of drinks on the beach, before heading to Las Brochetas for dinner. Since it was Holy Week though, the beach was jam packed with people so we ended up having drinks at the Shrimp Bucket, then another at Gringo Lingo instead. Afterwards we walked over to Las Brochetas for a delicious dinner. The Pulmonia ride home was extra fun with very loud music! We rounded the day off by having a night cap in Dad and Dreana's hotel room. It was tons of fun!
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| Dad, Dreana, Jan and Douglas enjoying a cold beer (or two) at Gringo Lingo. |
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| We made a friend at Gringo Lingo - a small gecko on our bench seat. |
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| Dad, Dreana, Jan and Douglas at Las Brochetas for dinner. We all ordered a delicious Molcajete which was piping hot. |
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| Dad and Dreana in the Pulmonia on our way back to the hotel after dinner. The stereo was very loud and the music was great so we did some swaying in the back seat, and sang along too. |
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| Dreana relaxing in their very nice and roomy hotel room at El Cid. |
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| Dad and Kim having a beer (or two) and a chat in the hotel room. |
March 25th was Dad and Dreana's departure date and it certainly came way too quickly! We went to La Marina Restaurant for breakfast with Eva and Rene, then Kim, Douglas and I escorted Dad and Dreana to the Mazatlan Airport to catch their flight home.
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| Eva, Rene, Kim, Dad and Dreana having breakfast at La Marina before Dad and Dreana had to head to the Airport to go home. |
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| Dreana, Dad, Jan and Douglas at the Mazatlan Airport saying our farewells. It was sad but not to worry, we were heading home just two weeks later on April 8th. |
Update on the Crocodile spotted near the beach in Mazatlan
In a previous blog update I noted that a crocodile had been spotted several times near the beach in Mazatlan. To avoid a possible attack on bathers on the beach, I'm happy to report the Crocodile was spotted again but this time it was captured and relocated to a more appropriate place.
Just chillin' in Mazatlan
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| It's a big jump from the couch to the window ledge, but Douglas can do it! |
Douglas feels right at home on the boat. He has no trouble jumping from the couch into his toy box to find just the right toy to play with.
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| Douglas loves the nearby tidal pool and rock climbing too. Mostly he just likes to search for iguana's in the rocks. |
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Typical sunset in Mazatlan - picture taken by Tina at Marina Mazatlan.
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| Bob and Kim looking for treasures at the Sunday morning Juarez Market. |
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Juarez Market - these look like Bananas but they're actually Plantains
- Plantains are much firmer and heavier than bananas
- they have a lower sugar content than bananas, making them less sweet
- they should be cooked
- they are used primarily as a vegetable |
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Rene, Bob, Kim & Eva waiting for the Bus after a lovely meal together at Roy's Restaurant.
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| Eva, Rene, Bev and Bob aboard our boat for dinner and drinks. |
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| Rene and Kim BBQ'ing the Steaks and Chicken on our boat. |
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| A well marked hole in a roadway - I took the picture because it's unusual to see issues marked here in Mazatlan. |
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| At El Cid - can you spot the guy at the top of the Palm Tree? He climbed it without a harness to cut down the coconuts. Crazy! |
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| We see these ferrel cats at this location on our daily morning walks. Fellow Americans and Canadians stop by to feed and give them fresh water daily. They are well trained as they come out to greet us. |
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| Kim and Douglas at a beach bar in the Gold Zone. Very comfortable chairs and ice cold beers. |
What's Next?
Lots of projects underway to get the boat ready to leave it for 6 months. Kim dove it on Sunday to clean the bottom and replace all the sacrificial zincs. Kim is busy now making new exterior window covers and splicing new dock lines. Just like a house, a boat requires regular maintenance. So far this season one of our toilets started leaking, our hot water tank supply line developed a geyser like leak, and our bow thruster propeller become so encrusted with marine life, it ceased to function. We thought the sheer pin had broken on our bow thruster, but upon closer examination, Kim found the propeller was totally encrusted with barnacles, sponges, and many other species.
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| Kim removing the bow thruster propeller to figure out why it wasn't working properly. |
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| Kim just removed the bow thruster propeller - it was completely encrusted with marine growth! |
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| Here is the bow thruster prop after Kim finished cleaning and painting it with anti fouling paint. It works like a charm now! |
We gave Douglas a haircut then took him to the vet for his health certificate yesterday, in preparation for our flight home. While we were there we had the vet check his teeth in case he needed them cleaned but I'm happy to report, the vet gave him a clean bill of health! Having his teeth cleaned here costs about $65 Canadian (800 pesos) which includes putting him to sleep, opposed to a cost of about $400 back home. We were happy he didn't need his teeth cleaned though as he hates vet visits and was very eager to leave the clinic after just a short visit.
We are moving the boat from Marina El Cid to Marina Mazatlan on Wednesday morning, then Kim will fresh water flush the motor and secure it to the dock in preparation for any severe winds, or possible hurricanes, over the summer months.
This is our final blog update for this season as we are flying home on Friday, April 8th. The season has gone by so very fast! We look forward to reconnecting with our family and friends back home over the next few months.
