Eyes Wide Open

Feeding Local Felines

NEW Sabalo Centro Bus

At Zaragoza Square.  Waiting for Coffee

CALM Ocean!

The View North from La Ventana

I awaken this morning with a change in my grumpy gringa perspective....

I THINK it has something to do with the Daily Devotional I just read!

YES, it's Saturday morning, just before 7 

and YES, the construction noise outside is starting to ramp up.

The men and women are already reporting for another day of backbreaking work; 

day SIX in their work week; happy to be employed and able to feed their families.

They arrive on bicycles, motor scooters and the local, cheaper Cerritos/Juarez bus,

from the Juarez neighborhood...far from the "Zona Dorada".

And here I am in my jammies, drinking good, hot coffee, 

anticipating a morning of shopping at the Zaragoza Square outdoor market in "Old Town".

The toughest task facing us today is getting to the market on the air conditioned "Sabalo Centro" bus  and negotiating the gringo crowd, all wanting to buy

some of the "KILLER"sweet rolls before they are all sold out. 

"Muy RICO!"

Photos will follow later today!

"Que tenga buen dia!"

Have a good day!

Transition Weekend

After two weeks of living at "Ground Zero" of the construction zone,
we have chosen to move to a quieter neighborhood. 
We will be returning to Portofino on Sunday,
the complex we rented in last year.

We'll be closer to the Marina and in much nicer "digs".  

We went to "The Last Drop" in Cerritos for dinner tonight. 
Shared a celebratory bottle of wine and ate yummy hamburgers with Kathy and Lonnie.

It's a little chilly here tonight!  Down to 70 degrees!

G'Night!

Toasting the Sunset

A Relaxing Evening!

There's a vessel out on the horizon to the left of center!  Probably a dinner cruise on a catamaran

Hanging out at the Dunham retreat!  SOOOO grateful for their support!

After a busy day and a couple of long walks, we joined Kathy and Lonnie at their La Ventana condominium for a gringo dinner of Heather's Chicken Pot Pie, salad, Heather's Lemon Meringue and Pecan pies, a bite of Nanaimo bar and, of course, red wine.  Nice, relaxing end to the day!

Today's Sights & Highlights

We did our food shopping at Catrina's this morning; brought it all back to the condo and embarked on an exploratory walk through the El Cid resort, down to Sabalo Country and then back to La Marina Restaurant for lunch.

El Cid Private Beach Lagoon

Sabalo Country Sidewalk Fish!

Beautiful Blooms on a wall by the sidewalk

                  Yummy Chiles Rellenos on Friday's at Juanitas!                    
We'll see if they still offer these delectable treats!




Yesterday's cement pour went until 8:30;
today began at 6:30 AM , with jackhammers, dust and groaning cement trucks.....
what to do, what to do....

Wednesday Routine

The t shirt below captures the essence of the attitude down here! 
Available for sale at a number of tourist shops around town.... 
Mazatlán is booming for sure!  Lots of growth and loaded with visitors from the North. 
We've encountered no problems with safety / security on our travels around town.

 That said, we are mindful of our surroundings when we venture out.   

Repeat after me - "We ARE having FUN!"

                                       
Today is shopping day at the morning market held at Catrina's restaurant in "Sabalo Country", an area between the Marina Mazatlán and the "Gold Zone".
There are some nice restaurants in this area, as well as a GREAT spa where a manicure/pedicure / massage package costs $720 pesos, with tip...about $36 US.  Ahhhh!

We walked over to The Marina early yesterday and had coffee in front of the yacht harbor.
Returned in time to welcome Yarecy, who spiffed up the place; and then Hector, the property manager, who worked with a repair person to get our dryer up and running properly. 
Seems that there was a problem with the gas connection.

Abandoned Yacht?!

Old Stompin' Grounds - Costa Veleros

Construction site across the street was BUSY and NOISY from 7 to 7 yesterday.  BIG cement pour.

Our trip up  to the colonial city of Durango, which is nestled in the  interior mountains, was cancelled, due to an ugly crash involving a truck carrying something flammable.  The autopista (freeway) is closed indefinitely  for major repairs.....

Okay - we're off to the Wednesday market to buy some yummy things from Heather!

Que tenga buen dia!!

Morning Walks

Our morning routine includes a walk around the neighborhood. 

This morning we plan to take the 3 mile walk North to Cerritos , where we'll enjoy a good cup of coffee and maybe a bite to eat at The Looney Bean. 

Cerritos is home to a number of sidewalk shops and restaurants, as well as an RV park. 

The Cerritos-Juarez bus (AKA "Chicken Bus") transports local folks (yes, and the occasional chicken) between Cerritos and Juarez, two neighborhoods in opposite sides of the city. 

For the, part residents of Maz who work in the Zona Dorada/Gold Zone (tourist area),

use this bus as their transportation to and from work. 

The other bus (Sabalo-Centro) that goes between Cerritos and Centro (the central area of the city),

through the hotel zone, is favored by some tourists because it is air conditioned and fancier. 

We prefer the local bus because the people are more interesting and fun! 

The Mazatlán bus system is GREAT, with busses coming by every 10-15 minutes.

Iguanas are commonly sited during our morning walks, when they appear from their nooks and crannies to sun themselves and get warmed up for the day (a process called "thermoregulation").

Our morning walk toward Cerritos is pleasant and for the most part, winds in front of exclusive, gated resorts that provide landscaped sidewalks and bus stops.

 An afternoon walk on the beach was fun!  We stopped for a refreshing cerveza (beer) and Totopos (chips) y salsa along the way.

 Que tenga un buen dia! Mas en la manana! (Have a good day! More tomorrow!)

It's a Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

Mazatlán is booming!  Construction happening all around us.

The adjustment to the daytime construction noise has been a challenge.

Our condominium complex is snuggled in between two construction projects

The high rise going up across the street.  Work begins at  8 AM. 

We have a ring side seat of the activity from our balcony.

.

Note the barrel chute coming down to the street from the top floor.

Rubble dropped from the 18th floor!

First Week in Mazatlan 2018

"Hola" from Mazatlán!  This visit promises to be more of an adventure for us!
More about that later....photos will tell the story.

Easy flight on Sunday.  LA terminal was CRAZY!  Pack your own lunch unless you want to mortgage your home! 

Breezed through Mexican customs after we landed in Maz.  Kathy & Lonnie were at the gate to meet us and drive us to our unit in the Marina Mazatlán neighborhood.

We've mainly just been settling in so far - unpacking, provisioning up, relaxing, enjoying the companionship of GREAT friends.  Eating out more than we normally do.

Heading to "Centro" this evening.....

Photos to follow!

Que le valla bien!