The Observatory and the Lighthouse

After leaving the market, we wound our way through the city streets, first climbing to the Observatorio 1873.  This is a new attraction that opened up in 2021.  There is an original observatory that was built in 1873, furnished from that time period.  A tram takes ticket holders there.  Tickets were $25 each.  I decided to enjoy the view from below.

Now, we needed to go down to come back up.  Hiking along the streets toward the Baja and Stone Island Ferries, we crossed a narrow peninsula to the bottom of the El Farrow Lighthouse hike.  

There is no fee to enter, but there is a ticket to be purchased in order to walk out on to a see-through ledge for "the very best views."  This ticket was only 30 pesos each (less than $2).  In hindsight, I would have paid $5 not to go out on the ledge.

The trail is steep, but people of all ages, mostly locals, were hiking alongside us. One young woman overheated and was receiving first aid from several rangers.   There were multiple switchbacks with spectacular views of Old Historical Mazatlan and nearby islands.

There are a lot of steps. 

Once we made it to the top, we actually had to walk down a few steps to get in line for the “paid view.”

It’s possible that I started grumbling here.

After what seemed like hours (Julia said less than one), we were instructed to remove our shoes and walk out in groups of ten to the see-thru landing strip for the view.  Each group was given three minutes.

On the way down, we saw a few of the famous cats that live near the top. They have the good sense to enjoy the free views.

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.