Mazatlan- Officially in the tropics!

We pulled out of Las Glorias at our usually slow pace practically ready for lunch by the time we hit the road. A concerned fellow camper gave us the business card of a mechanic in Mazatlan so we can get the carburetor adjusted now that we are at sea level. Our poor van sputters and spits at low rpms searching for a better mix of gasoline and air.

I drove most of the way to Mazatlan as Remy was busy educating our children in the back seat. It felt weird to be driving to a place we regularly check airfares for when we are at 

home in Calgary.

Driving in Mexico has been surprisingly good. Most of the highways are two lane, divided and are in good repair. Other than the tremendous amount of roadkill, particularly large dogs, and the increasing amount of garbage in the ditches as we approach major towns, we find the driving quite pleasurable. The boys happily play Nintendo or listen to their ipods in the back while  we listen to our own music up front basking in the excitement of the next adventure that lies ahead.

Taco stands are easy to come by on the highway and at every toll booth ( there are many) we are offered an astonishing array of snacks. Everything from fruit and peanuts to dried shrimp and pastries. Groups of young people are often holding out a can collecting pesos for one charity or another. We figure with the high price of the tolls we pay here, over $25 from Las Glorias to Mazatlan, that's charity enough.

Mazatlan was a bit of a shock to our system. We have been happily spending our time in villages with populations of about 1,000 people or less and camping in some of the most beautiful locations. Mazatlan is home to over 800,000 people not to mention the scores of drunk sunburned tourists that call it home for a week at a time. The parking lots- I mean  campgrounds, were all full of gigantic motorhomes parked less than 6 feet from each other with a view of the gravel parking pad in the middle for the second vehicle they were all towing. UGH.

We drove a bit longer and found the California RV park which was situated at the far north end of the 10 km long Malecon , across the street from the mega store ( more coffee, no Blistex) and right beside the drive through Macdonalds. They had a vacancy at the quiet end of the park and for the $25 fee we had wifi, free laundry, hot showers and a "meeting place palapa"  We rented the spot for 6 days figuring if we can't beat em might as well join em.

Mazatlan is home to the worlds second highest lighthouse after Gibralter- who knew? We took the bus as close as we could then hiked up for 30 minutes or so to get a great view of the city and the bay below. We passed many Mexicans that use this as a place to work out and here we were just doing it for fun! After the hike the boys were "too tired" to carry on so we hired a pulmonia, a doorless, seatbeltless small taxi to take us for a tour of the winding, narrow streets of Ice Box Hill. Bowen jumped out for  quick photo - (see attached), you can see the lighthouse on top of the hill we climbed behind him, before the driver dropped us off in Olas Altus where we searched for dinner. Dinner is one of the best times of the day.

One of my favorite things  was riding our bicycles along the 10km Malecon to Olas Altus to watch the sunset. Along the way we stopped to watch the cliff divers that risked their lives for a few pesos from the horrified and then thrilled onlookers.

We parked ourselves at a popular seaside bar and dined on seafood while getting tipsy on very large margueritas. Hollis and Bowen had a major disagreement and before we knew it, Hollis was outside the restaurant talking to us through the wide open window about how much he "hated" his brother and was" going to find his own way back to Canada". Now under normal circumstances we might have gotten caught up in the drama but we were coping much better now we had some tequila in our systems (must drink more!)

I would sum up our visit to Mazatlan as an opportunity to stock up on supplies that we just can't get in smaller centers but for the most part it has been loud and full of drunk tourists that are packing in as much sun and drinking as possible in the span of their short 7 day break from the cold. It makes us wonder how much we will enjoy our usual "happy place" of Puerto Vallarta now that we have experienced so much of rural Mexico. 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fantastic food we had at Alejandros tacos located right near our RV park. For 4 of the 6 days we were in Mazatlan we paid them a visit. One of the workers took to shaking our hands when we arrived we had eaten there so many times! The "choriadas" were unlike anything we have eaten so far. The soft but crispy slightly thick tortilla type base is covered in cheese, cubed grilled beef and topped with a mild tomatoe sauce. The condiments on the table include 3 different  salsas, cilantro, minced onion, whole radishes, chopped green cabbage, grilled onions and rounds of cucumber. ( we called this salad for the boys and always ordered a second plate ) One was all I could stuff in and the cost was a mere $2. The dish included a sampling of the grilled meat and some onions with a bbq'd corn tortilla to munch on while our dinner was being prepared. The boys would order cheese quesadillas or beef tacos and the entire family could eat for $13! We often just bring our own beer or once even a gin and Tonic and they don't seem to care.

While Remy and I were out looking to mail a parcel home we discovered a movie theatre! Later that night we took the boys to see The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons. $14 bought us all admission and popcorn was a mere $2 for the large.  Unfortunately, this is the only movie playing that isn't dubbed over in Spanish or we would see one again the next night.

Saturday we were ready to leave town when I remembered the business card we were given for the reliable  mechanic who speaks a little English and could possibly help us with our van problem. Remy was hesitant to call at first but he relented when I reminded him of the stress we all feel each time we have to start the darn thing. In true Mexican style the mechanic came to us in the RV park! This created quite a stir amongst the other campers there who probably already  think we are nuts  traveling in such a small, old "rig",and with children. 

This mechanic had the problem diagnosed quite quickly but fixing it meant we had to spend one more night in Mazatlan. I took the boys to the beach for the day while Remy and the mechanic sorted out the issue in both Spanish and English. It wasn't such a bad thing as it meant we could eat one more choriada at Alejandros before leaving the next day! Oh, and for the house call, diagnosis, trip to get parts and the fix of our van the mechanic  charged us $70.

-Liz