Christmas in El Fuerte

Feliz Navidad from El Fuerte, Sinaloa, where we spent several days at Christmas. These girls could not get enough of Senor taking their pictures in the Plaza. Besides pretty girls, the Plaza in El Fuerte is filled with huge palms and fig trees and sparkling water fountains. The large Palacio, which covers several blocks, is on one side of the Plaza. There was a large dance here on Christmas Eve and our hotel, which is on one side of the plaza, was really vibrating to the live music.

Here is one of the walls of our hotel, covered in Trumpet Vine. The vines are really thick, but they could not keep out the music!The church, on yet another side of the Plaza, has one steeple, is very small and does not ring its bells for service. There is a Mariner bell in the Plaza and it rings every quarter hour. The fourth side of the Plaza is filled with small shops and small outdoor restaurants. Below Senor has read the menu many times and is trying to wait patiently for his Huevos Rancheros.

Down the street from the Plaza is the mercado. These streets are filled with shop vendors. Below are tubs filled with fish.

Hats are on every street corner.

Meat is drying below and it will be pounded into a fluff called machaca.

Panela, a whole milk cheese that is delicious fried on the grill, is drying in a cheese shop.

After filling ourselves with food and buying a sparkling hat for Ian, we walked down to the malecon that follows the El Fuerte River.We walked up the hill to the site where a new fort was built in 2001. No one seems to know where the original fort was, so this looked like a good spot to reconstruct it.

It is now a museum and one of the exhibits is a photography collection preserved by San Diego State University. The photographs were taken by an American photographer in the 1800's.

Here is the view of the river from the fort.

We watched a lot of Christmas movies, in both Spanish and English, and we also watched a lot of soccer. A tour bus came in from Phoenix, filled with Japanese and American tourists on their way to the Copper Canyon. Most of them did not have coats to take to the canyon and we wondered how they missed that part of the brochure as it snows this time of year there. Even in El Fuerte we were wearing coats in the evening. They were very excited though as the only stop between Phoenix and El Fuerte had been the Obregon Wal Mart.

It was very relaxing and good to be away from the house for a few days. We found a phone at the OXXOO where you just start dialing the number and pay when you are done. Five pesos a minute. We were able to talk to KD, but could not get through to Ian. We knew he was busy and finally talked with him after Christmas Day.

So, another Christmas.............. I think it is getting easier.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too.

adios, linda lou