Spending Time in Mazatán

This is a post from December 1 - 5th 2017

We have been in Mazatlán for about a week now.  I must admit, it has not been a favorite spot for me.  In many ways, it has been very difficult.  The municipal anchorage in old harbor has much to be desired.  Not much works here.  It has not been cared for and is very run down.  There is a sewer treatment plant just upwind of us so the stench is more than I can bare under certain wind conditions.  The harbor water is often dirty and unappealing to swim, although I have jumped in a few times out of necessity as it has been so very hot here.  I would have asked Dan to leave but we have an appointment with a mechanic to look at our engine in a few days, so we must wait.  Meanwhile, I will try to give you a little more information about what we’ve been up to and share some photo’s.

This is dinghy dock at Club Nautico where we are staying.  Notice how the platform has it a boat hull for support.

After we tie up our dinghy we get to see this delightful view.  Not much works here,  The internet was down for most of our stay.  I only took solar showers, as I was afraid to even try their shower.  They did order portable water for us to purchase when we needed it.  Francisco and Martin were nice, but the place was not cared for.

The birds love our anchorage.  There are several neglected boats here that are now occupied by birds.

Micheal has been a wonderful friend and guide to us while we have been in this municipal anchorage.  He is quite the seaman, keeps his boat in great shape, has sailed 30,000 miles and knows a lot about sailing in Mexico.  He is more than willing to share his knowledge of the area and how to get around.   Michael has the greatest rowing dinghy!

He was going to the grocery store, so I asked if I could tag along with him.  He knew where to catch a bus and I had all I could do to keep up with this fast walking fellow who is in terrific shape and a mere 9 years older than me!  We took a bus over 40 mins to Soriana’s - a very large grocery store. I could not believe how the bus driver maneuvered itself around the narrow and busy streets of Mazatlán. 

I brought a backpack to fill and tried hard to not pack much but of course I failed.  Fortunately the plan was to share the cost of a taxi home, which worked out well.

The highlight of this experience were the carts in the store that can go up and down a conveyer belt because the wheels actually stick to the belt so they do not roll. 

It was an interesting way to see the city via bus.  It seemed like a really crazy place to drive or ride a bike.  Here are a few pictures that I shot as we travelled the streets.  Notice the bars on all the windows and doors. 

Here are more bars on the windows and doors.  The architecture is old, as we are in the historic part of town.

This is the “Malecón” - which is a path along the water.  

One morning Dan and I hiked up the 500 ft “El Faro”, or mountain near our marina.  The actual hike is under repair so it was currently in rough shape.  There were some very nice stairs in sections, which might be what the entire walk will eventually look like.   We got to see the sewer treatment plant that was causing the stench.  From the top, we could also see how big the commercial harbor was.  

From the summit, we got to see a large ferry come into the harbor.

There seems to be a lot of stray cats and also free roaming dogs in the area.

We met a new cruiser who came to the anchorage - Nancy on Moondancer.  Here is a picture of her when we enjoyed a nice dinner together. 

One of the things we need to do in Mexico is purchase potable water.  This is done in these large containers called a garrrafón.  Here Dan is carrying one. 

Another boat shore that pops up about every 5- 6 weeks for us is to fill the propane tank.  Mike and I decided to share the cost of a  “pulmonia” taxi to get both of our tanks filled. Here Mike is giving the taxi driver directions to the propane place.  



Mike brought a screwdriver which he says is needed in Mexico, as we have different types of tanks in the U. S. than they do and a screw drivers required.    Here he is helping me with my tank.

At times the harbor had these large moon jellyfish.  This picture was taken right off our boat.  Needless to say, I decided not to jump into the water on this day.

One evening we took Michael out to dinner, as he has really been very helpful to us while we were here.  He taught us a lot about the ins and outs of moving around Mazatlán.  We went to the historic district for an evening meal.  The courtyard was decorated nicely with lights.  

We had a nice Mexican dinner, then a guitar player came up to serenade us ( for some pesos of course).

Thanks for all your help and friendship Michael.   I hope we run into you at another anchorage.

The next day Dan and went to see the market in town.  We had heard it was pretty amazing and it was.  It was filled with clothing, crafts and food venders.  Here is a sample of one of the meat places - chicken actually.

hen we walked along the streets to get to the beach as I wanted to go swimming.  We walked along this nice street with brightly painted houses.

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This was a section of the Malecón, but not exactly where I went swimming.  

Dan and I enjoyed a lunch on the beach and were serenades by these two singers this time.  It was nice to hear some Mexican songs.

This is the end of our stay at Club Nautico.  Tomorrow morning we will go to a marina, where hopefully our sporadic engine problems of not starting will get addressed.