Mazatlan 2014

Mazatlan 2014

On March 13, we pulled up anchor in La Cruz and headed off to Mazatlan with our friends on Tortuga leading the way.  It was a 193 nautical mile sale that would take roughly 33 hours.  The going was a bit tough at first with a 10 knot head wind and an adverse current of about .5 knots, but on the second day, things mellowed out a bit.

Tortuga takes the lead

Cathy did a little gardening on the way with her basil plant

We picked up a hitch hiker that threw up on our dinghy

 when he landed, and then rode along for a few hours

 After getting into the marina at dawn, we first hit the showers, then the coffee shop across the street.  After stuffing ourselves on a big breakfast we went to sleep for a few hours as neither of us had more than 3 hours sleep in the last two days.

Yum, coconut covered marshmallow treats

Our first trip into town to go the the Public Market was a lot of fun.  We were joined by Rick and Marilynn on Tortuga (docked next to us), and Nickie from Seychelles. 

We picked up some great cheap fruits and veges, some smoked marlin, and some roasted sweet potatoes.  This market is huge, with at least 20 vege stands, 10 fish stands, 10 butchers, clothing, candies, shoes, you name it.  

Really good smoked and roasted sweet potatoes

We had lunch upstairs at the market where all the locals eat.  A lot of great food for a third the cost of most restaurants around.  A lot of gringos would be afraid to eat here for fear of getting sick, not us.  If the locals eat there, it must be good.  Besides, the food comes fresh from right downstairs.  We have never gotten sick eating anywhere the locals do, but we have eating at tourist spots.

Cathy's aguachile, raw shrimp in a limey hot sauce.

Rich's fried fish for only $45 pesos.  That's $3.40 US!

On Friday, we packed up the chairs and umbrella had headed for the nearest beach called Playa Bruja.  Rick brought along a boogie board, so he and Rich had some fun playing in the small waves.   

Surfer strategy session, dude!

OK, it was a big wave when I started!

After our day at the beach, we went with Seychelles, Tortuga, and Outrider to listen to a great local band at Macaws restaurant in old Mazatlan.  We rode in the back of one of the pick up truck cabs and passed a “first day of spring” parade along the Malecon. 

Hey, that candy hurts!

Amazingly, a lot of the kids were riding on the roof of the cars with nothing to hang on to!  The kids in the parade where throwing candy into the back of our truck as we went by, so we had a snack on the way to dinner.  We had a great time listening to the music, drinking, and eating fish and chips.  We opted for a nice air conditioned bus ride back to the marina.

We have been enjoying several nights of playing music on Tortuga, and trips to the new mall near the marina.  By the way, the new mall is huge.  It is an indoor, air conditioned mall with a large 9 screen movie complex, and every high shop you can imagine.  We went there to see 12 Years a Slave.  Some Mexicans apparently have a lot of pesos to shop here!  There is also a new Walmart across the street from the mall.  It is about a mile walk from the marina, but the food prices are worth it.

Tortuga anchored near San Blas