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.