MAZATLAN - MEXICO

24th - 26th April 2011



Just in case you´ve forgotten what the Mexican flag looks like.



From La Paz to either Mazatlan or Puerto Vallarta? That was the choice. Puerta Vallarta is a more substantial, modern and ´hip´ holiday resort further south down the coast therefore, because it was Easter holidays, and closer, I decided on Mazatlan. The ferry direct to Mazatlan was booked solid, so I got the one to the port of Topolobampo ( 8 hours ) arriving at 10.00pm, then taxi to Los Mochis and a bus to Mazatlan. Los Mochis , from what little I saw of it at 11.00pm, seemed a bit of a dump but it is the nearest place with a proper bus station. It is an industrial town with a run-down residential area, a bit like the back end of Hanoi, or the smarter end of Hull. It does have one claim to fame though; it is the terminus of one of the very few passenger railway routes in Mexico. The other end is Chihuahua, and the line goes through the ´Copper Canyon´. The Copper Canyon is, according to the guide books, spectacular. It is deeper than the Grand Canyon and more rugged and has not been subjected to Americana style touristification. I would probably have gone there but, for reasons that will become apparent, I have, in total contradiction of my self-imposed tour 'guidelines', inadvertently set myself a deadline and did not have time! So bus to Mazatlan it was and I arrived there at 8.00am after a 7 hour trip.

Left: The Baja ferry from La Paz to Topolobampo. It was packed, and everyone was given a ticket for a complimentary meal. I played a blinder by not queuing up with the masses for the ´free´meal but made a bee-line for the bar and got myself a prime position there. A good move! 

A point of interest. I have discovered that bus transport around this country is the prime means of getting places and seems highly efficient. Bus stations are substantial transport hubs and most have decent facilities. The long-distance buses are very comfortable and various companies operate regular and frequent services between all main cities. The main roads that I have travelled on have been in good nick and the drivers seem competent. You get a smoother ride than on East Coast Amtrak, that´s for sure! Also, travelling alone, there has always been a seat available when turning up ´on spec´ at any time of day or night. If it was full you would probably only have to wait another hour or two for the next one. I am, so far, impressed by the smart bus service.

Again on spec, but on recommendation from my guidebook, I booked myself into ´La Siesta´ Hotel. It was not expensive and it proved a great place to be. I am discovering that you definitely get a better deal for your money here than in USA. I was given a warm welcome by Mario, the proprietor, who proved to be a most amusing chap and also, fortunately, spoke good 'Eengles'. He gave me an informative briefing on Mazatlan and was, in all respects, extremely helpful. 

 

Right: Hotel La Siesta. Not much to look at from outside but great value, good facilities and service, spacious clean rooms, pleasant views from the little balconies and, attached to the left hand end, a great bar/restaurant called 'El Shrimp Bucket'. They even managed British style eggs and bacon for my breakfast ( plus tortillas, of course ).

Left: The view from my room. There were quite a lot of people around; promise! I think it looks deserted because I tend to wait for a clear shot.

Right: The inside courtyard of 'La Siesta'. Quite characterful, don't you think?

Mazatlan is a town of two halves. As Mario so pertinently pointed out, it has a split personality. Hotel La Siesta is in the 'Old Town' which is charmingly Mexican and very jolly. Six miles to the north, along the 'malecon' beach promenade, is the 'Zona Dorado' ( Gold Zone ) which is a more flashy and expensive high rise hotel, MacDonalds and Starbucks environment. Pretty ghastly, frankly. I walked up there ( and back! with multiple refuelling stops ) and was immediately set upon by several flash-Harrys trying to sell time-share apartments. I suspect it caters for the North American market. Having said that, Mazatlan is not exactly at the top end of the beach holiday resort list for the USA, I suspect.

Left: A bit of the 'Old Town' shore with the Zona Dorado on the skyline.

Right: The start of the flash ( ier ) Zona Dorado.

The locals emerged en-masse just before dusk ( at my end of town ) to set up stalls along the seafront. Lots of food stalls, clowns, jugglers, kites, music and things to buy. It was crowded, believe me! ( and no, I don't have any pics of the crowds because it was getting dark ). It was fun and much merriment was being had by all. One particular spectacle which caught my eye was a 'high diving' stunt by a couple of lads. They climbed up a rickety set of steps to a tower ( I did this too before I realised I was being stupid and in the wrong place and quickly went down again! ) wherefrom they dived, about 80ft, into a very rocky inlet with waves coming in. Quite mad! I got a video recording of this which, due to my ineptitude, I don't seem able to transpose onto this blog. Take my word for it, they were most skilful and rather brave and maybe just a bit foolhardy. I don't think British Elf 'n Safety would approve, somehow.

Left: One of these lunatics preparing to dive. Going going.......................

...............gone!

Left. The bottom left bit of this pic was what they were diving into. Part of the skill was waiting for the right moment for the waves to come in otherwise, I suppose, he might have got a bit of a headache. And this was taken from only 2/3 the way up! It gave me butterflys just to watch.

Right: Dancing the day away on the beach. The band made a terrible noise

Left: One of many statues and monuments along the seafront. This one was called 'The Fisherman's Monument'. On the right is a fisherman about to cast his net, on the left, a reclining naked lady, legs akimbo, with a fountain squirting up. I leave it to you to interpret this.

 

Right: Mode of tourist transport known as a 'Pulmonia'. Sounds a bit like a serious disease to me! There were hundreds of them; the local equivalent of the Bangkok 'tuk-tuk'. They were rather expensive to use. I don't know if these are peculiar to Mazatlan. Maybe other places have them.

Left: A boring pic of a local store. The only reason I show it is because everywhere you go, in any Mexican town ( Mario told me ), there are lots of, almost exclusively, these Oxxo stores. There are sometimes 2 or 3 within a few hundred yards. Some Mexican has secured a bit of a monoply here. Rather like gasoline, there is only one brand; Pemex. Pemex filling stations often have Oxxo stores attached. Maybe just a coincidence.

Right: There were some biggish waves and several people trying to surf them. I never saw anyone succeed. Along the 'malecon' were pleasant beaches with clean sand, and also some very rocky ones.

Left: All Mexican towns and cities have a central 'plaza'. They all look remarkably similar; only the sizes of the squares and the 'cathedrals' vary. They all have a bandstand. This is it in Mazatlan. The Old Town surrounding it is quaint and old-fashioned, entirely at odds with the crap at the other end of the bay.

Right: They pay due respect to their beer! Mexican beer is actually rather good. In my humble opinion it is much better than the American stuff. Not as good as the Adnams in The Grapes though.

Left: And a fond farewell from the great Mario! I promised him that I would tell all my friends ( so not many people perhaps ) what a good place 'La Siesta' is.  If anyone does happen to be passing through Mazatlan, please at least drop in and say hello to him. Thanks Mario. Hasta luego!

I'm writing this in Guadalajara. It's not so convenient now that my extremely expensive and robust lap-top has gone tits up. I hope to get it fixed in Mexico City. It will probably then be stolen.
Anyway, the next bit will be the 'low-down' on Guadalajara.  ............stand-by.