Carnaval: Mazatlan

In New Orleans, it may be spelled Carnival, but in Mazatlan all of the signs say Carnaval.  The partying began last night.  I slept on my good ear beautifully throughout the night, oblivious to the noise, but Julia assured me that it went until at least 3:30 a.m. 

I walk Callie for four miles every morning here, starting at 5:30 a.m., along the Malecon.  Some mornings we see people coming home from the bars--just as the sun is coming up at 6 a.m.  What was interesting this morning is all of the people who slept on the Malecon last night in lawn chairs, sleeping bags, and tents.  

For many poorer Mexicans, the hotels are simply out of reach in price, but that doesn't mean others can't participate in Carnival celebration if you are creative about where to spend the night.  These weren't just drunks, although there were a few of those.  Entire families crowded together to keep warm, young and old. 

Also, as the sun was coming up, the Malecon became full of people rolling suitcases down the street.  I can only assume that they arrived on an early morning bus.  

Anyway, Callie and I had quite the obstacle course, and neither of us do well in crowds.

I think I've mentioned before that Mazatlan is the shrimp capital of the world.   On a street called Aquiles Serdan, there is a shrimp market for about two blocks, where you can buy just about any size or type of shrimp or other shellfish.  Here is one stand:

The state of Sinaloa, where Mazatlan is located, is famous for a dish called aquachile, which is made of raw shrimp submerged in liquid seasoned with peppers, lime juice, salt, slides of cucumber and onion. 

The shrimp was delicious, and sunset contributed to a wonderful meal.  

 

 view from our second floor table