s/v Begone: Mazatlan - Feb. 23

Mazatlan was not high on our “must see” places. The reputation as a gringo tourist trap that lacks the “true Mexico” ambience was a bit of a deterent. But it is a much better place from which to make the hop back to La Paz AND it is the home of the Pacifico Brewery – so "hi ho hi ho" it’s was off to Mazatlan we go. A 28 hour motorsail north from San Blas.

In Mazatlan, there are two popular marinas – El Cid and Marina Mazatlan. We chose Marina Mazatlan where we enjoyed a friendly group of yachties on Dock 6. Many of these people had kept their boats there for many years and said this was their favorite harbor in all of Mexico. So we through we should try to discover what they enjoyed so much.

With an 11 day wait before the weather window opened for the 2 day sail back to the Baja side, we had time to explore. Rather than writing a travel log (which others do so well) let me just share some memorable places and photos of our Mazatlan experience.

Old Mazatlan - This part of the city is enjoying a revival. Buildings restored, restaurants and parks attract visitors and residents, the Central Market and Cathedral, and here we experienced the life beyond the gringo gold coast beaches.

Tom at the Mercado Municipal

Plaza Machado - Home of the Restored Rubio Theater, Restaurants, and a School of the Arts

Plazuela Machado - the week before Carnival

Road trip to Copala - We rented a car and drove inland about 40 miles east of Mazatlan and up into the Sierra Madre mountains to Copala. Formerly a mining town, it now relies on tourists. Memorable were the cobblestone streets, the kids at play in the school yard, lunch at Daniels (known for their Banana Creme pie), the old woman who invited us into her home for a little souvenir shopping and the church built in the 1700's with the kids outside hawking hand carved wood items.

While most Copala residents are anxious for tourists, this school girl was unimpressed.

Pacifico Brewery - Pacifico Beer was started in Mazatlan -- so we felt obliged to take a tour, especially since they offer free samples at the end. The tasting room? A elevator ride up 8 floors for an amazing panoramic view of Mazatlan.

The Last Drop in Cerritos - A 10 minute bus ride beyond Marina Mazatlan is a tiny beach town named Cerritos. We were surprised that many cruisers had never been there. But we went! As we walked toward a little open air bar called "The Last Drop" we heard the roar of a crowd watching a big screen TV - cheering at the top of their lungs - at Curling! Yep, a bunch of Canadians were there. We had a great evening...and Tom was invited to return with his fiddle on Friday night to stand-in with the band. Which we did and he was a huge hit!

Mazatlan's Carnival - With 11 days in Mazatlan, we realized might be able experience the 2nd largest Carnival (Mardi Gras) in the world. Sure enough, Friday night we braved the bus ride to Old Town and here are a couple pics of the festivities...