If you’ve spent any time in Mazatlán, you know it is a place that can really get under your skin. The silky air, beautiful blue skies and magnificent sunsets, of course. But the people, it really is the people. There is just so much joy here.

We knew we had been missing our friends, of course. It took no time before we felt at home again, running into old friends every time we left the house. That’s just the way it is here.

Everyone asks whether we have noticed many changes, and we have. Rin Rin Pizza and Wings Army are now in the Plazula Machado. Rin Rin is also in Olas Altas along with a few new tourist restaurants. Shrimp Bucket is closed and the Beatles plaza next door now includes a larger than life Marilyn Monroe (with her skirt blowing up) along with the Beatles statues crossing Abbey Road. I don’t love any of that, really. But Mazatlán is a tourist destination and these additions are for them, truly.

There are lots of condominiums going up along the ocean, probably somewhere around 20 right now. When you scan the shoreline you see lots of construction cranes. There are also lots of new condos since we left four years ago. Los Pinos has several coming which will really change that little cove I’m sure. The mayor who had been responsible for a lot of these (bad) decisions was removed/quit from office (sorry, I don’t have all the details) and has been replaced with someone who hopefully will have the welfare of the city and its’ people more in mind.

Every morning we are walking the malecón and amazingly to me many of the regulars recognize me (and I them) which was a real treat to me. It’s almost like we never left. One fellow sitting on a bench in the Plazuela Machado even asked us where our dogs were!

We have already enjoyed some great food and I’m sure there is more to come. We have reconnected with various friends and I was even a special “surprise” guest at a lunch friends already had planned. How cool is that?

We have made our little house comfortable and are already thinking about how to make it more comfortable to stay here in Mazatlán for longer periods of time. I guess our plan to sell it is on hold for now as we continue to evaluate what we want to do next. There’s no hurry to figure things out but coming back has shown us how important our friends, our acquaintances, and community and connection is to us. And I love days full of smiling and joyful interactions.

After all those violins and rainbows, though – we still haven’t been here through the weekend and we’ve been warned it is way noisier than we remember. So we will see. I am going to a production of Don Giovanni tonight and tomorrow is the first Mercado Organico of the season. Sunday off with friends to the Golden Zone and Monday we’re talking to a realtor and having dinner with other friends. I’m looking forward to a swim and a relaxing time at Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island) next week, too.

We’ve always loved the location of our little house but being a few doors down from the (new to us) Casa Hindie and a short block from some amazing gelato was a nice surprise.

We have no expectations here and are just enjoying every moment.