Los Mercados

We did a lot of exploring today, but I’ll break it down into multiple posts so that I have something to blog about on pickleball days.

The primary downtown Mazatlan market is about thirty minutes walk from our rental place. We could walk about half that distance on the easy-to-walk Malecón, but then had to take to the streets for the rest of the way. Sidewalks in Mazatlan are dangerous and require a high degree of alertness with one’s head on a swivel. They are often uneven, broken, narrow, and sometimes they just disappear. When possible, I prefer to walk in the street against traffic. 

Before reaching the main market, we unexpectedly found the Saturday Organic Market a few blocks away at Plaza  Zaragoza.  

The customers here appeared to be overwhelmingly Americans and Canadians. Prices were high—about what you would expect in the U.S.  We checked it out in ten minutes or so (it’s very small) and continued on our way.

El Mercado Pino Suarez is a huge market with vendors selling just about anything you can imagine. 

Julia picked up some rings at a sewing supply vendor to complete some pot holders that she has been weaving. Here the customers were overwhelmingly Mexican.  English-speaking vendors were the exception rather than the rule.

I was especially interested in buying some produce and meat, but we had several hours of walking and a steep hike (more on that next time) to do, so that would have to wait.

A Friday in Mazatlan

The weekend is when Mazatlan really opens up and blossoms.  Mexicans from the interior of Mexico come here on the weekends to vacation and party.  By Friday afternoon, there were twice as many people on the beaches as earlier in the week.  Bands were playing.  Kids were running in the surf.  Popup bars, taco stands, and street vendors showed up in places that we had not seen before.

 

This morning, I was up early trying to tire Callie out so that we could leave her for most of the day in the condo in her crate.  I did a brisk walk of 4.5 miles on the Malecon (the beachside walkway), while Julia went for a short run. After breakfast, we walked a mile up to a local college for our first day of pickleball club.  The club is called the Mazatlan Pickleball Academy, which maybe should have been my first hint that this was going to be a higher level of play than the recreational style to which we are accustomed.

These players are intense. The day started off with drills, which I found helpful, but it was totally unexpected.   Each day of play (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), a round robin tournament is held during which scores and outcomes are meticulously kept, and players move to higher or lower courts, based upon outcomes.  I did okay so will probably keep my place, neither moving up or down. 

Julia had a rough day and will probably move to a lower level which will be more fun for her (I hope).  I ended up playing for almost four hours before my court's tournament was completed.  

We headed over to the beachfront restaurant for a late lunch.  Julia had grilled dorado (fish).  I had a craving for hamburger and fries, so that's what I had.  

Finally, we freed Callie and later took her along on a Malecon and beach walk as the sun set.  

We made sandwiches at home tonight and have settled in for a night of reading.  The weekend fireworks along the beach have already started.

Watering the Grass

 We have observed some interesting jobs in Mazatlan. This guy is a grass waterer from a chair on top of a truck.

Mazatlan's Malecon

The Malecon in Mazatlan is the longest in Latin America, comprising 13 miles of continuous seafront promenade next to the seawall.  This morning, we were walking south on the Malecon about 6 a.m.  A fisherman was already at work on the beach.  Other small fishing boats were just offshore.

Fishing Under the Moon

We learned today that many sculptures have been installed on the Malecon in advance of the Mardi Gras celebration here.  Julia took some photos of these sculptures early this morning, as darkness receded into dawn.

On the way back, some fishermen were already busy selling their fresh catch, using a small scale to determine weight and price.

 

We found closer pickleball courts today, met some expats, and made plans to join their pickleball club.  We will begin playing on Friday.

Settling In

Ate the buffet breakfast at Ibis Hotel Mazatlan. Checked out of the hotel at 11 a.m. and then killed a couple of  hours walking to the pickleball courts on the north side of town. Nice group of Americans and Canadians there, but it’s probably too far from where our condo is in Centro.  There are pickleball courts closer; we will visit soon to get more info.

On the way back, we got our first glimpse of the beach.

Our host messaged us on whatsapp to let us know we could come a little early, so we drove south about thirty minutes through heavy traffic to Centro.  Very nice lady who spoke minimal English.  We were able to communicate with my rudimentary Spanish and an ocasional assist from Google Translate. 

After getting settled in, I crated Callie and we went for supper at a beachfront restaurant. 

Shrimp and Octopus Burrito

I had two firsts in this meal. Octopus in a burrito and fries on the side of a burrito.

On the way home we stopped at the supermarket for drinking water and breakfast supplies. Then we took Callie up to our rooftop for sunset.

The statute commemorates the start of Mardi Gras. The celebration in Mazatlan starts in a couple of weeks and is the third largest in the world.

It's All Good

My wife Julia was pretty worried about this trip.  Friends, family and acquaintances warned her not to go.  What about the cartel?  What about the corrupt police?  Don't get me wrong.  Those things exist in Mexico, but they also exist in the United States.  There's always the chance of being in the wrong time at the wrong place wherever you are, but I wasn't worried.  I admit to being a little stressed by Julia being worried.  

We spent a restful night at the Hotel Ibis in Torreon, ate an early breakfast at the hotel, and headed out around 7:30 a.m.  

Unlike the day before the route today was almost entirely on Toll Roads.  We only had one short police stop during which I was asked for ID and for my destination.  Other than that, it was smooth going.  And I mean the roads were very smooth for the most part, compared to the previous day.  

We cruised past our originally planned stop at Durango and headed for our eventual destination:  Mazatlan.  The scenery on the way was gorgeous.  

There were mountains, lakes, and pines at the high elevations.  During the last couple of hours, there must have been a dozen tunnels blasted through the mountains--most short, but several very long.  

Driving on the two lane roads with an invisible middle third lane was even more challenging in mountains and tunnels.  There were often double yellow lines indicated no passing, but that didn't seem to bother most people.   I stayed alert and moved to the shoulder quickly whenever someone was passing from behind or in front.

We changed into mountain time today and arrived at our hotel in Mazatlan at about 1 p.m, two hours before check-in.  

Are We Almost There?

Fortunately, our room was ready, and we were able to unload our stuff and take a long walk around the Marina. 

We ate a light dinner at a restaurant down the street and headed back to the room early.  Julia has a Zoom call tonight with her weavers' guild back home, so I'm quietly blogging during her call.

Tomorrow, we move to our Airbnb which we have rented on an extended basis.  It was still booked tonight so no early check-in.