Mmmm Mazatlan

We slept like we were dead. Then, shortly before 9, we headed out in search of breakfast.


When we were here 2 years ago, we had the most amazing vanilla bean oatmeal at the hotel where we stayed then. A 15 minute walk from Pueblo Bonito, El Quixote Inn has undergone some fantastic renovations and upgrades. Sadly, the oatmeal did not survive the transition. Breakfast was lovely, and the coffee...oh the coffee! Every time I come to Mazatlan, I am blown away by how absolutely wonderful the coffee is here! Three cups later, we were buzzing (er, walking) our way over to meet Joanna and Harry for a trip to the Juarez outdoor market.

En route we noticed the building we had seen in progress on our last trip was now completed.








Who would imagine the same techniques and technology were used to build it as are being used for this one, going up directly across the street.



Note the tree poles, used as temporary supports to hold up the reebar and concrete flooring.










Safety standards in Mexico are almost nonexistant - for people, for parkades...


















...or for perros (dogs)!


(this little guy keeps an eye on things from his rooftop!)

Mexico is such a dichotomy. On one corner, you may find a car that looks like it hasn't moved (or run) in months, while across the street you'll find brand-spanking-new, top-of-the-line models like this one, a four door Ranger that's only available in Mexico!














Juarez market was exactly as expected - a busy and interesting cross between a farmer's market and flea market.


Unlike the big market in old towne Mazatlan, the Juarez market was surprisingly fly-free, perhaps due to not having an open meat selling area. The tell-tale butcher smell was gratefully absent as well. Our stroll through the stalls was punctuated by drive-by sales pitching, spanish announcements and music blaring, machine gun-like from stadium speakers strapped to cars which wended their way through the crowded streets and market stalls.

We returned to the hotel just after lunch. Within minutes we had packed our beach bag, donned our sun wear and parked ourselves on the beach where we spent the rest of the afternoon napping, reading, snacking on nachos and camarones (shrimp), and sipping bebidas under palapa #18.


There were no takers for parasailing today. Manana?


Despite a near constant barrage of beach hawkers, we managed to relax. A school of passing dolphins signaled the arrival of Happy Hour, and what is sure to be the first of many pina coladas. Those ones were for you, Aaron!

Harry and Joanna made it by in time to enjoy this evening's spectacular sunset.















We retreated to La Casita for a fabulous al fresco chicken mole and fixins' dinner with the Pettits and perros, who were once again overjoyed to see us at the gate.

It was 5 O'clock Somewhere...

Jimmy Buffett has a song that says "it's 5 o'clock" somewhere. That may well be true but it was only 4 o'clock in Mazatlan (and 3 o'clock in Victoria) when we had to rouse ourselves from slumber to make our way to our 6am flight. Obedient Canadians that we are, we arrived at YYJ at about 04:20am, as was recommended by Horizon Air. So, while we cooled our jets for the next 40 minutes waiting for airport security to OPEN (at 5am!) Mark enjoyed his I Fly For Bing Cherry Pie. Since Tim's wasn't open yet, I consoled myself (and my caffeine addiction, as Mark calls it) with visions of an SEA Starbucks. It worked.

A delightfully uneventful hop over to Seattle, followed by breakfast at Starbucks and an obligatory stroll through the duty free shop rounded out our morning. Mark was quite impressed by this new offering...have tequila, will travel!

Daylight seeped in from the East, flooding the North terminal in light and the promise of a rain-free day. Too little, too late! We are outta here! And, to my great delight, I recognized a colleague and her young family, also traveling to Mazatlan for this week! There happened to be two empty seats on our plane, one of which was located in our row. You see Paul, you should've come with us!

Mt. Ranier emerged, an island in a sea of clouds.















Mark saw the Grand Canyon for the first time, impressive even from 40K feet. Time flew by (ha-ha), we touched down, our luggage appeared and we headed off to take our chances with the red/green customs and immigration light. Green light! Yipee!

Joanna and Harry and their trusty Plymouth Voyager, Wanda, were waiting for us. All three seem fully integrated into Mazatlan life. As you can see, Wanda's loonies for parking have been replace by pesos-for-people, handed out to the needy who congregate at major intersections, quietly accepting change from passersby.


Harry expertly negotiated our way into and through town, dropping us at our hotel exactly in time for Happy Hour! If only we weren't so desperate to check in and change our clothes - which we did and then wandered the block and half from the hotel to Harry and Joanna's darling vacation home.

We were greeted (and greeted and greeted!) at the gate by Geordie and Maggie, siblings to our grrls Maddie and Sophie. People who think that dogs have no emotions have never seen these dogs' reaction to visitors from home. We were pretty delighted to see them too.

Within minutes we were seated in Harry and Joanna's beautiful courtyard, a plate of fresh fruit and margaritas completing the scene. As Mark lifted his margarita to his lips, the strap of his watch gave way, broken.


The Aztec Gods have welcomed us, it seems. Let the relaxation begin!

We made it back to our hotel just in time to catch the sunset before getting dressed for dinner.


Life is beautiful.