Waking up in Mazatlan

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Waking up to the sound of the ocean and cool ocean breezes blowing in through the open window.  Not a bad way to start the day.  Apparently, one not only gets lovely sunsets here in Mazatlan, but sunrises are a beautiful gift, too.

Tom was the first one up and took this photo from our deck, then went for a walk on the beach.  I got up shortly after he left and watched him down on the beach as well as some locals doing some fishing.  Not sure what they were fishing for but I did notice that the fisherman grouped together on shore to throw out a line parallel to where the pelicans had chosen to land out in the water.  Makes sense because I am sure that the pelicans are gathering wherever the fish are.

Tom was kind enough to bring me a coffee from the little coffee stand down by the pool to help me get going while I browsed the internet.  Once Joe and Megan got up and we all got showered we walked out to the bus stop that is right in front of the resort on the main road that goes into town.  We decided to start with the "Golden Zone" on our first adventure out to take a look at the local shops.

waiting at the bus stop

We didn't have to wait too long for the bus and it was only about a 15 minute ride to the "Golden Zone".  The Golden Zone is the newer downtown Mazatlan where there are many hotels, restaurants and shops. We walked around for about an hour or so and wandered in and out of many shops.  We quickly learned that the favorite phrase of those working in the shops is:  "it's almost free today".  I have to say that the shopping experience in Mexico is not at all like shopping back home in the States.  These people are ALL hard core salespeople and they are relentless in their pursuit of a sale.  They follow you and chatter to you about price and size and quality and whatever else they can think of in an effort to get you to part with your money.  If you touch something or pick something up to take a closer look at it, they act as if they have a definite impending sale.  It makes me quite uncomfortable and, for me, at least, takes all the pleasure out of shopping.  While there were some pretty items that I liked, some jewelry, some pottery, there was nothing I felt that I just HAD to go home with and I found the whole shopping experience kind of exhausting and, I have to admit, a bit disappointing.  Most of the shops were full of cheesy, crummy, cheap touristy items and not worth the experience of feeling pressured to buy.  We decided to head back to the condo for some beach/pool/hot tub time as well as having thoughts about eating.

Before catching the bus, however, Tom was drawn to Rico's cafe thinking that a coffee sounded good and we all agreed.  I ordered my favorite drink, a peppermint-laced soy mocha and I must say it was far tastier and smoother than the Starbuck's version.

Back on the bus we went and home to the condo.  Joe and Megan went down to the beach and played in the water for a bit.

Once they came back in and changed clothes we walked down the beach a little way and went to a restaurant for dinner.  The food here, so far, has been delicious and all tastes very fresh.  Megan, who is not the most adventuresome eater, has stuck to her favorite, chicken strips even here in Mexico.  She had them last night for dinner and was a bit disappointed because she said they tasted like fish.  I had some steak that I gave here that she found quite tasty.  One of my goals for this trip will be to try and expand Megan's palate a little bit.  I love that you can sit outside for a meal here and see and hear the ocean, yet still be warm and comfortable.  The Oregon beach is often cold and windy and it is seldomly possible to sit comfortably outside and enjoy a leisurely meal.

Once again, we spent the evening in the room, watching some TV.  We did not rent a car for this trip so we are a bit constrained in our options for going out in the evenings.  The buses only run until 9 p.m. or so and we are unsure of what there would be to do in town so we have, so far, chosen to just hang out in the condo.  Tom and Joe did head down to the bar here at the condo to watch the football game there, allowing Megan and I to have the TV in the room.  After flipping through channels and finding nothing to watch, she and I ended up watching a couple of original "Twilight Zone" episodes on the computer.  After Megan went to bed, I decided to go out and take a walk around the resort and snapped a picture of the tree they have decorated here for Christmas.  Very unique and quite lovely.

Tomorrow we plan to visit "old town" Mazatlan.  Until then......................