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The Cruise--Details

I didn't include more details in the prior "The Cruise" post for two reasons. 1)  I didn't think anyone would be interested; and 2)  This trip didn't include much of the normal topics:  good beer, good coffee or John-style travel. But there are details, which may be useful to some people contemplating how such a trip is put together. On the first day of the trip, we drove three hours to pick up my mother in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  At 85, she isn't comfortable driving for long distances and hadn't flown for many years. We then drove 3 1/2 more hours to Chicago, where we checked into the Wyndham, where you can get a room that includes the cost of parking for up to 12 days.   We were up early on the hotel shuttle to O'Hare, where we then boarded the a non-stop American Airlines flight to New Orleans. Here, we checked into a Hampton Inn near the port.  My mother was pretty tired, so Julia and I went out for a Cajun dinner and live music.   Rememberi...

Mazatlan: Dangerous?

We've met many expats in Mazatlan who agree that the topic of today's blog is probably the hidden danger most people need to be worried about when visiting this city.  It's the sidewalks.

Safe sidewalk

The above photo shows the Mazatlan Malecon, which is probably the safest sidewalk in the city.  Even this sidewalk can be slippery due to the grit that builds up with its heavy use.  But we don't know anyone who was hurt here.

We talked to at least three people who fell and hurt themselves on the sidewalks of Mazatlan.  In the worst case, the woman fell, knocked out three front teeth, and sustained facial cuts and abrasions.  We had lunch with her today, and her attitude was good.  I didn't have the guts to ask for a picture.  

How bad can the sidewalks be?  Well, I took a few photos Wednesday to give a representation.





 

Experienced long term visitors learn to walk in the street, which may be safer but is obviously not safe either.  

None of this is to minimize the impact of certain organized criminal elements that are here, but we didn't talk to any visitors who had problems in that regard.  Those same elements are heavily invested in hotels, restaurants, and other tourist businesses.  The last thing that they want to do is kill off their best local customers.  But the sidewalks on the other hand...



Comments

MFH said…
It's amazing how dangerous sidewalks can be. One of Michelle's cat-sitting clients, a veteran of the Iraq war, tripped on an uneven slab and broke both forearms. She'd been a competitive archer at the State level up until then.

Still, if that and Montezuma are the biggest threats, it sounds like a great place. You've certainly made it enticing.

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