Mazatlán

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My Two Pesos

I love Mazatlán, don’t get me wrong. But I truly can’t believe that I’m the only person here who thinks that priorities are a bit out of whack. What’s going on, you ask? Well, in the news recently the Fabulous – Will put us on the map – Designed by a famous architect – Museum and Central Park project that will cost A LOT OF MONEY. The museum is the anchor of the Fabulous Central Park project that is expected...

It’s Springtime in Mazatlan

Spring is in full swing here in Mazatlán. The sun is higher in the sky, giving the plants in our central courtyard the rays they’ve been craving – our hibiscus plants have been blooming non-stop for a month! It’s been a bit over a month since my last post, probably the longest gap in posts ever here on Countdown to Mexico! Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to since Jess & Lourdes left at the end of March....

If Carnaval is over, this must be the Triatlón

Mazatlán has been preparing for the last few days for the Gran Triatlón 2015. It’s been an obstacle course on the malecón as everything needed to put on such an event is constructed on the spot. The malecón has had many long blocks of bike rests installed, along with fencing, bathrooms, massage and dressing areas, bleachers, giant triangular floats in the water, a large stage, a trade show area, and much more. Today is the children’s event and tomorrow is...

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The City Gym in Mazatlán

Mazatlán has a wonderful city gym, a gym that is totally free to all city residents and guests. Free! No cost! Open 24 hours, too! Yes, you guessed it, it’s the malecón. From the Pedro Infante monument in Old Town (Olas Altas) at the South end to Valentino’s at Rafael Buelna at the North, it is a four and a half mile gymnasium with a world class view. At the top of the post is a picture from this morning,...

Hurricane Odile brushes past Mazatlán

Category 4 Hurricane Odile passed by (well, it passed by on the Baja Peninsula) and we were worried that the wind, rain, and storm surge would be worse than what we received from Norbert. But thankfully last night Odile gave us mostly wind and waves. We fared so much better than those poor folks over in Cabo, what a night they had over there! The palapas along the malecón have really had a time of it. First Hurricane Marie, then...

Hurricane Norbert’s aftermath in Mazatlan

I went for a walk this morning and was amazed at the destruction on Playa Norte due to the high winds and surf from Hurricane Norbert. Norbert never even came close – it stayed West of Baja the entire time, but with Hurricane Marie passing by earlier between the two the power was magnified. People along our entire coastline are dealing with a lot of damage – Stone Island took a hit, the hotels in the Golden Zone suffered damage,...

A visit to the Botanical Gardens on Stone Island

Last Saturday while enjoying an afternoon at Stone Island a friend suggested a walk down to the botanical gardens. We had seen a few pictures but hadn’t visited ourselves so we immediately said yes. The botanical gardens are the first phase of a huge planned development called Amaitlan. In looking around for a link for you to more information the best I could come up with is the link here. This development may or may not come to pass as...

…and the living is easy…

It’s Summertime. And yes, the living is easy… at least for me, living in this glorious place. This morning on my walk they were busy setting up for the Triathlon this weekend. The entire area around the Fisherman’s Monument was swarming with scaffolds, chairs, tables, giant orange floats and endless racks for hanging bikes. The registration area is set up at the skate park at Playa Norte and it looks like the awards stage will be in front of the...

In the Neighborhood

Every time I walk out the door I see something new. The signage on many of the palapa restaurants at Playa Norte were what I noticed today. We’ve had three rainy nights in a row so you see the summer clouds in the background of all my pictures. During the rest of the year it’s the bright blue sky. I am still out walking every day, with Paul accompanying me part of the way. Did you see that there’s a...

A Tropical Thunderstorm

The climate here in Mazatlan is described as “transitional tropical wet and dry” but tonight it was entirely wet around here! The thunder, lightning and rain started around 11:30 and in the hour and a half since we have received about three inches of rain. I know how much rain by looking at the change in water level in our fountain, but if you ever want to know the weather right in the center of Centro near the Mercado, just...

Beached Sei Whale Rescued near Mazatlán

There was a lot of excitement at Stone Island yesterday afternoon when a 12 meter (39 ft) long Sei whale washed up on shore. A joint effort ensued that included locals, tourists, waiters, students, lifeguards and marines. The fabulous pictures included on this post are with thanks to David Densberger. I sure wish I could have been a part of helping this amazing creature get back out into the open ocean where it belonged. SAD UPDATE: The Noroeste reports that...

The Expat Life

When you start planning your move to a new country, you’ll be trying hard to predict what your new life will be like. I’m sure you’ll have plenty of people telling you horror stories about people who moved away and then moved back when they realized life wasn’t like they expected. No one wants that to happen to them! I had considered that I would need to live in a place with other Americans (or Canadians) only until I became...

Springtime in Mazatlán

Springtime in Mazatlán means the end of the winter season. We love our snowbird friends but there is just something wonderful about the change in the city as it starts to warm up. In my opinion it is perfect right now – there are patches here and there where it’s a bit too warm but we’re still sleeping with the windows open and heading out for our exercise even as late as 9 am! Perfection! After all the festivities of...

New books by Mazatlán authors and artists

Mazatlán is a place that attracts people who are creative and I just realized lately that there are a number of new and upcoming books by local authors you would want to know about. At the top of the page is a photo from a new book by Mary Ruzich. Mary is a talented fiber artist who travels from Canada to Mexico and back each year, and her book,  Signs of Life is her year-long journaling-on-cloth of her experiences and...