MAZATLAN AND SOUTH
Monday, January 30, Our week started with an evening cocktail buffet that featured tequila laced marguerites and mariachi entertainment courtesy of a local full ownership condo resort. The buffet was marginal but the marguerites seemed to satisfy even the most selective of tastes and if one has enough marguerites, entertainment is secondary. We concluded the evening with hamburgers at our place. Tuesday evening, our group of eight (Len and Agnes, the other Ken and Georgina, Bill and Diane, Ken and I) enjoyed the sunset from the terrace at Playa Mazatlan and capped the evening off with a superb dinner. This was our second dining adventure at the Playa Mazatlan and both times the food was outstanding, the service good and the location and view super.

Bill, Diane, Ken and I departed La Posta Wednesday and made our way down the libra (public road as opposed to a toll road) South to Playa Amor, approximately 30 minutes South of San Blas. Several years ago, sailing friends visited this area and shared stores of their San Blas adventures that I wish I had reread before we left home. Igt sounds like an area of interest and history.

Playa Amor is a small well maintained RV resort with grassy sites that over look the ocean. Bill and Diane relinquished a choice available spot overlooking the beach to us for which we were deeply appreciative. We parked on the waters edge and listened as huge rollers serenade us and kiss the sea wall below. We are captivated by a view that melds the magic of the sea with the serenity of the distant horizon. It is an enchanting location, in spite of the bugs that appear nightly at the cocktail hour and for one hour it is they, who “have the last bite”.

On Thursday we enjoyed breakfast at Miramar, a combination Hotel/RV resort less than a mile from Playa Amor and explored San Blas, a quaint fishing village, made famous by Longfellow in his poem “The Bells of San Blas”. After checking on the bus schedule to Guadalajara, we visited the town proper (if in fact there is anything proper in these little Mexican villages) and climbed the hill to the Counting House where sea captains of yore stopped to pay their fare for sailing the coast of Mexico. From atop the hill, the view of the surrounding area and what was the old city is phenomenal and, seemingly, forever. After our walk through the counting house, we ventured on to the old church that still stands though in disrepair. A lady there, who appeared to be a local and perhaps part of a maintenance staff, explained to Ken and Diane some of the history of the Church and shared stories of its past.

Friday we were up at five and away by six AM to catch our bus in San Blas for Guadalajara. We booked our third class fare all the way through to Guadalajara and delighted in the experience of a first hand look at the culture and people watching. We were generally greeted with shy smiles and Buenos Diaz or “ola” with our attempts to communicate in rudimentary Spanish accepted with good cheer. The bus stopped in Tepic and additional passengers came aboard. A Mexican lady, Marguerite, a native of Mexico now living in Long Beach, California, boarded the bus and introduced herself to us. She struck up a conversation with us and during the ride from Tepic to her destination in Magdalena, she pointed out places of interest and chatted with us. She had returned to Mexico to bury her 93 year old father and was en route home. We appreciated her commentary and bi lingual skills.

Just inside the city limits of Guadalajara our bus driver was pulled over by a policeman. We were pleased to note that he did not get a ticket and we had seen no obvious infractions.

The bus depot at Guadalajara is enormous and we jokingly referred to it as the “airport”. From the bus depot, we caught a cab to the Fenix Hotel in downtown Guadalajara, checked in and freshened up before a quick excursion of the downtown sights before dinner. We toured the city by horse and carriage and viewed the major sights with only limited audio from our Spanish speaking non bilingual driver. Ken swears the horse was bilingual. He claims that he asked the horse if it would like to give us a ride and it shook its head sidewise to indicate no. After our scenic view of the downtown metropolis and related cathedrals etc we returned to the hotel for a dinner and entertainment of live music in the bar.

Saturday, February 11 – Up at 7, down for breakfast at 8 and out to play at 9. Our tour guide, Able, a guide and friend of Bill and Diane, picked us up at 9 for our departure to Lake Chapala, approximately 50 miles out of Guadalajara. Large populations of American and Canadian retirees’ live in this area with the Americanized/Canadian lifestyle reflected in the large homes and villas in the area. Able drove us to a village plaza maintained by a local Women’s society for the English speaking colony for a walk about and look around. Able said that the resale value of the area will not support the prices of the homes because the homes are too expensive for the Mexican residents and the deterioration of the Lake has made the area less desirable as a retirement community. I had exhausted my supply of reading material so my major purchase was from the English speaking library where I was able to purchase three paperback books for seven pesos each We then drove through old town Lake Chapala and down to the lake, walked out onto the pier and sauntered through the stalls of arts and crafts on display there. Lake Chapala is 53 miles long and 18 miles wide, according to the Mexican tour book published by the Auto Club and, “it is the largest natural lake in Mexico, surrounded by lushly forested mountains (I’ll have to take their word for that inasmuch as we didn’t go to the mountain – nor did the mountain come to us). The weather is spring like all year a bit cooler in the summer and warmer in winter than Guadalajara. The lake is the chief source of water for the city and because of tremendous population growth in the surrounding area it has dropped by half since the turn of the 20th century. Cutting down trees has caused millions of cubic feet of mud to seep into the lake over the years and the stench of pollution is strongly evident in some areas.”

It was depressing to see the lily pods (Bill referred to them as milfoil) that are infringing the lake both near the shore and further out. As I stood surveying the beautiful landscape from the pier area, I overhead a gentleman tell his companion that the last time he visited the Lake, children were swimming and playing in the water now overcome with lily pods. Small boats navigate a path through the lily pods to pick up customers for a boat ride on the lake. Able explained that the Mexican government cannot agree on the proper resolution to the deterioration of the lake. I further concluded that Able felt President Fox had not practiced good stewardship of Lake Chapala when he approved building a dam that now deprives the Lake of its water supply from rivers upstream. Otherwise, Able seemed to support and believe that President Fox has been good for Mexico, generally.

After our visit to the lake we boarded our “taxi” and drove to Tlaquepaque, a beautiful village shopping area restored to reflect the charm and culture of old Mexico. After a brief stop for refreshments and a final walk about we headed off to the La Faena for dinner and show.

We arrived La Faena, at 4PM and were shown to our “ringside” table and immediately, drinks were served and the food began. We started with cucumbers and orange slices, followed by tasty tahquitos, a shrimp soup preceded an array of pork hocks, carne asada, refried beans and tortillas. The food was outstanding, the drinks potent and the service outstanding. The first show started at 530P with a mariachi band performing flawlessly and a series of singers, six in all, rendered songs of romance and adventure to a more than appreciative audience. Of course, we didn’t understand a word of the songs but the tone and beat sounded good. One of the entertainers stuck the mike in front of Ken who obliged with a sound that simulated a grunt! After the show, the entertainers offered CD’s for sale and personally autographed them at the table. A fellow Californian from the Fresno area who comes to Guadalajara at least three months out of every year, came by our table and visited as well as translated our delight and enjoyment of the performances to the entertainers. We would recommend Able as a first rate guide to anyone visiting Guadalajara for the first time. He speaks fluent English, he loves his country, its culture and its history and not only is he a first rate guide, he is a jewel of knowledge.

We said our goodbyes to a staff who had made us feel like VIPs, boarded a waiting cab and, at the hotel, were surprised to learn that the Club had paid our cab fare and not even a tip was accepted. Our experience left us with a warm and fuzzy feeling of Guadalajara and those whose path we had crossed during our brief stay there. We recommend both our guide and La Faena as a “must” to a wonderful Guadalajara experience.

On Sunday, we departed Guadalajara at 10A on the Elite Bus (first class) to Tepic and enjoyed a lovely comfortable trip back on the toll road. The drive provided a fabulous view of the beautiful fields and landscape of that vibrant farming area. Mile upon mile of tequila plants compete with sugar cane for preferred crop status and tequila appears to be the winner, by far. We arrived back at Playa Amor with great memories of a wonderful weekend that we will recall and enjoy in our “old age”.

After our ambitious weekend trip, we enjoyed a day of relaxed laziness. A drive into an adjacent village and a visit to a panateria (bakery) was the highlight of our day. Bill and Diane had visited the bakery but finding it was not easy. There is no sign or indication whatsoever that a business hides in the non descript dwellings along a street of dirt. Finally, we located the gully that flows through the town and the tiny “bull ring” which sits across the street. Entrance to the bakery was by a wooden plank across the swift flowing gully leading into a building that appeared to be little more than a shanty by American terms. As we walked through the front part of the operation, bags of flour and other ingredients stood stacked on the dirt floor. The impact of what I was seeing still had not registered until we stepped into the next room where several bakers worked at tables manipulating the masses of dough that formed the rolls and bakery goods produced there.

We were greeted with smiles and a welcome to come in and look around. Broken English was spoken and as we communicated with cameras, smiles and gestures, they responded with pleasant and tolerant encouragement. Trays of freshly formed rolls awaited the ovens, while the crew worked to create more.

From the baker’s room, we entered a third room where a mammoth wood fueled brick oven was located. There we watched as a man quickly placed the trays of bread into the oven, moved the trays already in the oven to different locations to adjust the cooking process and removed aromatic rolls browned to perfection. There in that ram shackled building with its dirt floors and dubious sanitation that would undoubtedly fail muster on any number of health codes in the States, was what appeared to be a thriving family run Mexican enterprise. It was a sight to be seen and one that took us back to what must have been a similar experience for our great grandparents. We enjoyed a sampling of the delicious and warm rolls “straight from the oven”. The belagios that Bill sought would not be ready for another hour. After our repast of hot buns, we took pictures of the outside and watched as a pretty red hen took possession of our jeep while others scurried about the grounds.

We relaxed and waited in the town square until time to return for our order of beautiful hot rolls. Diane and I waited outside and watched with nervous concern as two little girls (we judged their age as 1 and 3) played unsupervised outside the building and around the flowing water. Finally, a young lady came up the street and ushered them into an adjacent dwelling. As we returned to our coaches we marveled at the disparity of life and what makes the world go round. Travel in a third world country definitely requires flexibility of mind set, tolerance, patience and a sense of adventure. I later confessed to Ken that after my visit to the bakery, my enthusiasm for the hot rolls had diminished. He assured me that the ovens were hot enough to commit any impurities to “death by fire”. I gleefully buttered another roll.

MORE SOUTH OF THE BORDER – DOWN MEXICO WAY



Monday saw Diane and Bill still fighting their respective colds. We realized that we should cancel a planned Wednesday trip by car to Guadalajara and Taxco. We decided to fete our group with a pot roast from our freezer and I had already thawed it before I realized Bill and Diane were not well enough to partake of our fare. We went on without them and everyone was most gracious in expressing appreciation for our “culinary” attempt though it lacked perfection. We were sorry that Bill and Diane missed our gastronomical offerings and we missed their company.

A group of children from a local orphanage entertained the park residents with some regional dance presentations and provided a charming diversion to our day. The nearby Los Arcos restaurant served hordorves and marguerities gratis of the park and Los Arcos.

Our days are filled with activities of laid back relaxation. The men occupy themselves with the “search of the day”, “must have of the week” or the “chore of the month” while wives see to such household chores as cleaning, laundry (not an easy chore in the park Laundromat) and even ironing. I read two books. I am getting into “relaxation”.

On Wednesday, Betty woke up with a cold that she believes she caught as a result of over exposure to the night air during a Sunday park visit that extended into the cool cool of the evening. Thus, she joined Bill and Diane in their battle against the common cold.

Dan, a fellow park resident, invited Ernie to go fishing with him at a lake some 40 miles in the hills on Thursday. Ernie wrangled an okay to include Ken and Len who had been on the “failed” fishing adventure of the previous week and of course, both were anxious to try their hand and skill once again. I had a premature desire for fish and chips so Ken and I went to The Shrimp Bucket downtown which was a tourist rip off that was highly disappointing. The shrimp was tasty but the service and the proportions were marginal for the price which I felt was excessive. Perhaps it was just my day to be “el cheapo”.

Thursday morning Ken was up at 3AM and they were off by 4 for the approximately one and one-half hour trip to the lake where Dan met them. They had a great day fishing that gave them much pleasure. Ken was particularly obvious in his delight in his skill with a deep sea rod and reel that he used for fresh water fishing. We all enjoyed the “fruits of their mischief” with a fish fry and accruements dutifully prepared by the ladies. Bill, Diane and Betty all felt well enough to join the party and a good time was had by all.


Friday, the group along with another couple from the park, Ken and Georgina, boarded a bus for old town and the central market area for a day “out and about” as a group.
We visited the market, shopped and at the conclusion of our “walk through the market”, Bill and Ken (of Ken and Georgina) went over to the open air fresh fish market and purchased 11 kilos of shrimp (for 11 people, Georgina is allergic to shell fish) and brought it back to the restaurant who graciously prepared and served the shrimp for us. It was perfecto and mouth watering good.


As we left the restaurant, we stopped to enjoy a parade already in progress featuring the candidates for King and Queen of the carnival to be held later this month. It was an entertaining and fun way to conclude a good day “out and about” on the streets of Mazatlan.
Saturday we ventured out onto the beach to view the sand sculptures, enjoy the music at a local bar and watched as Len and Agnes “tripped the light fantastic”. Ken, Bill, Diane and I stopped for ribs at a nearby restaurant before sharing a nightcap and calling it a day. Sunday we will all join together to watch the super bowl at a local sports bar and share another day in the sun, SOUTH OF THE BORDER, DOWN MEXICO WAY.

We have almost completed our second week in Mexico and our first week in Mazatlan. It has been a lively week amid warm and outgoing people. It is a good group, friendly, considerate and very hospitable. We feel like we have known them all for years. Bill and Diane who are shepards of our planning do a great job and are very knowledgeable about the customs and lore of the countryside.

Ken and two of the other gents who we are traveling with and four others from the park enjoyed a fishing day on the high seas but their catch was naughta except for one tuna caught by a lady on her first fishing trip. Supposedly, fishing had been outstanding the days prior to their trip but, the fish had wised up by the time our group cast off.

Our days have been filled with laid back relaxation and routine chores. The population of Mazatlan is 480,000 and the city goes full tilt throughout the night. We were concerned about the sirens and activity of what sounded like emergency vehicles one night. We learned the next day that the baseball team had won a key game that would put them in contention for further competition among other South American countries. On Friday, the circus arrived in town and again, the sirens, horns and traffic clearing noise created a stir. These people do like to blow their horn, implement their sirens and generally, make noise that lets you know they are out and about.

Ernie and Betty hosted the group for a sockeye salmon feast on Friday night. It was a wonderful evening of good food, good company and good hospitality. Diane and Bill caught a cold and are keeping their distance from the group in hopes of not passing it along.

It has been very cool with intermittent rain Friday and Saturday. Sunday was a beautiful day, but still cool. Everyone tells us that the cool weather is very unusual. Our friends who have been here many times tell us that this is the coldest weather they have ever had during January. Supposedly it snowed in Durango (about five hours north) on Friday.

We celebrated our first week in Mazatlan with Sunday brunch at the Pueblo Bonita. Leonard and Agnes joined us and afterwards, we did a tour of the marina area and stopped to view some condo’s that are for sail. Beautiful beach views that seemed reasonably priced for beach property. No, we aren’t buying a condo in Mexico.

There you have it for our first week South of the Border, down Mexico way.