MAZATLAN

Today in Mazatlan we arrived to warm and sunny skies.  We had a tour this morning that would take us by motor coach to see the highlights of the city.

We were taken to see the cliff divers, the cathedral and the shopping area called the Golden Zone.  The bus took us through a few interesting areas including the flower market and then onto the street where they sell fresh shrimp.

We learned that shrimp season is just ending.  Although you can always get shrimp here, the largest and best shrimp are not available anymore.  The tour guide did bring a fresh shrimp onto the bus for us to see.  It was huge compared to the largest ones I have seen at home, however, he said that this one that he showed us was only medium size to what is available at the height of the shrimp season.  He said that he bought one earlier in the year that was about 9 inches long.  Sounds like 1 of those would be enough for a meal. 

The 3 cliff divers each took turns diving off of a platform into shallow water between the rocks.   They time their dive with the incoming wave that probably the 2 – 3 meter depth of the water by another 2 meters.  Still a dangerous practice, but with the tips that people pay, keeps them doing this treacherous activity as many times a day as long as there are tourists to watch.

There is a new Malacon walk all along the waterfront.  There are many statues along the way.  The walk is 13 miles and a new addition to this city.  Mazatlan is undergoing a huge transition.  There are many derelict buildings and new builds are everywhere.  I am sure that the next 5 years or so will see this city becoming as touristy and as busy as Puerto Vallarta.

The area called the Golden Zone is comprised of a huge shopping area and many new resorts.   Cranes are everywhere!  It is quite spectacular but a long distance from the Ship Terminal.  It was nice to have booked the tour to see all the changes taking place and a good overview of the city.  We had about 30 minutes to kind of poke around and decided that we didn’t want to come back to the Golden Zone once our morning tour was over. 

So – on my agenda was to find a quilt shop somewhere, and find one I did.  It was called the San Diego Quilt Shop of Mazatlan.  It was full of fabric – mostly a lot of batiks and some local Mexican themed fabrics, but not what I was looking for.  Prices were about the same as home once you factored in the exchange.  I was really glad to go and see this shop, but came away empty handed.

After the trip to the quilt shop, it was time to find some shrimp.  Our taxi driver recommended a restaurant close to the port and we were happy to go there and get a sampler platter of stuffed, breaded and grilled shrimp.  Of course we had a drink to go with it – 1 tamarind margarita each and the shrimp was delicious!

So then back to the ship after buying some vanilla to take home.  Just seems like the thing to do when visiting Mexico!  We are now midway through the cruise and really enjoying our time together.