Mazatlan

Our trip to Mazatlan was wonderful. The car permit was no issue, thank you to the folks who contacted me with information regarding that......interestingly, there were no military checkpoints during the entire drive. We were gestured aside near Culiacan at an agricultural building..............you have fruit? he asked...............we have limons, i told bill...........si, we have limons, bill said...............yes, but do you have fruit? ............... just limon...............no fruit?...............uh, limons, a bolsa (bag) de limons......................okay, no fruit, thank you, very much......................

The drive to Mazatlan was very easy, divided four lanes on the toll, all the way. We did take a short side trip to onto the free road up into the mountains and I was more than interested in getting down and paying the required toll to go further south.

One afternoon I was standing on our little balcony at La Siesta watching the people on the malecon when I saw Nancy and Paul walking their dogs. We had not met before, but their blog, countdowntomexico, was an enormous help to us when we began planning our move to Mexico. They moved from the northwest about 6 months before we did, so I was able to tap into a wealth of information that was given on their blog. Their photos are included in their blog and when I saw them, I recognized them immediately. It was great to meet them.

Below is La Siesta, one of the original old hotels in old Mazatlan. If you really want to see Mazatlan, this is the area in which to stay. The beautifully restored historic district is only a few blocks to the east. Streets are filled with outdoor cafes, gift shops, book stores and old hotels and theatres.

La Siesta, facing the south beach, Playa Olas Altas, and Two Brothers' Islands ( in the fifth photo below) is across the street from the beach and the malecon. Inside the long, narrow courtyard of La Siesta are two very old Ullee trees. This is the spanish word for the trees. I have not researched the trees, but they are gigantic, tropical trees that cover almost the entire courtyard. The slatted doors of the rooms allow breezes to flow in from not only the ocean, but the courtyard as well.

Across the street from La Siesta is the malecon, which stretches north to south for over ten kilometers. The little balconies off La Siesta are perfect for people watching as the malecon is very busy. We watched walkers, skateboarders, cyclists, rollerbladers; just like the waves across the street, day and night, the malecon doesn't stop. The photo above is following the malecon to the north. Around the hillside, the beach stretches for miles and miles, up to the Zona Dorado, where the large, high rise resorts fill the horizon.

The photo below was taken from the La Siesta balcony and shows the southern end of the beach. Behind the hill is the sea port, where the cruise ships and ferries dock.

Also, at the south end is a small skiff that will take you to Isla de Piedra (Stone Island) where you can lounge on the beach and eat under cool palapas.

KD and Senor 'palapaing' on Stone Island.........................

At the end of the day, every sunset from a La Siesta balcony is perfect.........

adios, linda lou