After a few months of relative quiet around town, things are starting to pick up for the high season. Restaurants have made it past the September slump and have fixed themselves up and are ready to go.
Snowbird have been flocking back to Bucerias, and with them comes a flurry of activity. We have been helping with a couple different fundraising efforts and are back on track for this year.
Our neighbor Rita is the driving force behind building a children’s library for Bucerias. We have helped with the cocktail party and BBQ last year and with several book sales/ Today we had the first book sale of the season. We ask anyone who has them to donate used books and we sell them for a very reasonable price. It raises money for the library and is usually quite a social event.
The library is also planning a cocktail party for early December. We helped pour beer and wine last year and plan to do the same this year.
I recently joined the sorority Beta Sigma Phi and we are having a Christmas bazaar in a couple weeks. Those of us who were here over the summer worked on crafts many weeks. A literal sweat shop it was!
The Puerto Vallarta children’s shelter, RISE, is currently home to about 50 kids. As you can imagine, the monthly expenses for that size group is very high. RISE has a fund raiser each year called RISE for Hope, a fancy drinks and food and entertainment bash. The last two years we have helped organize and run the event. Our first planning meeting was this week.
I am taking Spanish classes at the International Friendship Club. Most of the material is review, but that is fine. My vocabulary is getting better and I find I can have longer conversations with less trouble.
Of course, much of the credit for my improvement goes to our friends Alex, Karina and Mirtha. They tolerate, even encourage, our every effort. We always have a good time when we do things with them.
Harold gets practice talking to some of the firemen we have become acquainted with as well. Just today, he rode along with the chief on a fire call. During the busy Christmas season, he plans on volunteering to help the fire fighters with highway calls for ambulance and fire.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Mazatlan Part 3
Friday morning we went back to the Pueblo Bonito where we took the timeshare tour and had the breakfast buffet. It was very good. We sat outside and enjoyed the nice weather. After breakfast we drove around near that hotel. It is a desolate looking area but will surely be building up soon.
We had noticed an event being set up in the hotel zone. There were a bunch of small tents ad we saw a banner for an Expo, but couldn’t really tell what it would be. When we drove by Friday morning, it was open so we went. It was sponsored by Dicansa, which is a government organization which provides some food to poor elderly people. A number of companies which provide things to Dicansa had booths and some gave out samples. Each Mexican state also had a booth. We walked around the expo and got many samples and brochures. There were two men working in an area with what looked like charge card equipment. They have developed an electronic system for accounting for the food purchases, like many US states have. One of them spoke excellent English and explained their system to us. His partner had just gotten back from looking at the booths and had purchased a bottle of tequila. He opened it and gave us each a sample. That was a very typical Mexican thing to do, many people are generous with what they have.
We got samples of soap,soup, and several bags each of masa flour. The most unusual thing we got was a broom. At the Nuevo Leon booth, one of the workers gave Harold a broom. Another person gave me a bag of oranges and one of apples, about 6 of each. We ended up with 2 bags of stuff and the broom.
After looking around town a little more and taking a few more photos, we went back to the hotel. I went to the pool and Harold napped. For dinner we went to a place Ken recommended called Fat Fish. They offer 2 full BBQ rib dinners for 150 pesos total. The ribs couldn’t all fit on the plate. They were very good, too.
We had seen an ad for another expo so went to check it out. It was like a small state fair. We paid our 25 pesos each and went in. We figure we got enough pens to get our money’s worth. We looked at the displays from local businesses and looked at new cars. Since we had already eaten we didn’t buy anything from the stands. We sat and listened to the bands for a while. The last band was sort of like the Backstreet Boys. They featured 3 femae dancers. One in particular danced in such a style that she would have done well in a men’s club! She also had a skirt which barely covered what it needed to.
After the expo, we stopped at Burger King and had a milkshake and used the Internet.
Saturday morning we went to breakfast at a place called The Place, another of Kenny’s recommendations. It was a good, inexpensive breakfast. While the restuarnat didn’t have wireless, the waiter told us that we could probably pick up a signal in there, and we did. Checked the email and then off on some more sight-seeing.
We hadn’t seen the Pacifico Brewery yet, so we worked our way down the malecon to the waterfront area where the cruise ships dock. Pacifico is in that area. We looked at the building, but had not booked a tour. Maybe next time. Another stop was to buy coffee for Monika and a few other people. We got the coffee and had a frappe and enjoyed sitting in the plaza.
We did some more looking around in El Centro and along the oceanfront. North of our hotel is a point, and there are several seafood places right there. These also looked like something worth checking on a future trip. A new trailer park and shopping center are being built there so parking was at a premium. The beach looked great, too.
We did some shopping for souvenirs and headed back to the hotel. I swam while Harold napped. We went to Cilantro’s at the Pueblo Bonito to use the last of our credits. After dinner, we had been thinking of going back to the Plaza but ended up watching a movie on HBO. We also packed in anticipation of an early start Sunday.
Our last breakfast in Mazatlan was at Panama Restaurant. It was very busy, but didn’t take too long. The food was excellent.
On the trip home, we decided to go through Tepic instead o along the coast. As we got farther south, the mountains and roadsides were very lush and green. The 6-hour trip was uneventful and we got home late afternoon.
We had noticed an event being set up in the hotel zone. There were a bunch of small tents ad we saw a banner for an Expo, but couldn’t really tell what it would be. When we drove by Friday morning, it was open so we went. It was sponsored by Dicansa, which is a government organization which provides some food to poor elderly people. A number of companies which provide things to Dicansa had booths and some gave out samples. Each Mexican state also had a booth. We walked around the expo and got many samples and brochures. There were two men working in an area with what looked like charge card equipment. They have developed an electronic system for accounting for the food purchases, like many US states have. One of them spoke excellent English and explained their system to us. His partner had just gotten back from looking at the booths and had purchased a bottle of tequila. He opened it and gave us each a sample. That was a very typical Mexican thing to do, many people are generous with what they have.
We got samples of soap,soup, and several bags each of masa flour. The most unusual thing we got was a broom. At the Nuevo Leon booth, one of the workers gave Harold a broom. Another person gave me a bag of oranges and one of apples, about 6 of each. We ended up with 2 bags of stuff and the broom.
After looking around town a little more and taking a few more photos, we went back to the hotel. I went to the pool and Harold napped. For dinner we went to a place Ken recommended called Fat Fish. They offer 2 full BBQ rib dinners for 150 pesos total. The ribs couldn’t all fit on the plate. They were very good, too.
We had seen an ad for another expo so went to check it out. It was like a small state fair. We paid our 25 pesos each and went in. We figure we got enough pens to get our money’s worth. We looked at the displays from local businesses and looked at new cars. Since we had already eaten we didn’t buy anything from the stands. We sat and listened to the bands for a while. The last band was sort of like the Backstreet Boys. They featured 3 femae dancers. One in particular danced in such a style that she would have done well in a men’s club! She also had a skirt which barely covered what it needed to.
After the expo, we stopped at Burger King and had a milkshake and used the Internet.
Saturday morning we went to breakfast at a place called The Place, another of Kenny’s recommendations. It was a good, inexpensive breakfast. While the restuarnat didn’t have wireless, the waiter told us that we could probably pick up a signal in there, and we did. Checked the email and then off on some more sight-seeing.
We hadn’t seen the Pacifico Brewery yet, so we worked our way down the malecon to the waterfront area where the cruise ships dock. Pacifico is in that area. We looked at the building, but had not booked a tour. Maybe next time. Another stop was to buy coffee for Monika and a few other people. We got the coffee and had a frappe and enjoyed sitting in the plaza.
We did some more looking around in El Centro and along the oceanfront. North of our hotel is a point, and there are several seafood places right there. These also looked like something worth checking on a future trip. A new trailer park and shopping center are being built there so parking was at a premium. The beach looked great, too.
We did some shopping for souvenirs and headed back to the hotel. I swam while Harold napped. We went to Cilantro’s at the Pueblo Bonito to use the last of our credits. After dinner, we had been thinking of going back to the Plaza but ended up watching a movie on HBO. We also packed in anticipation of an early start Sunday.
Our last breakfast in Mazatlan was at Panama Restaurant. It was very busy, but didn’t take too long. The food was excellent.
On the trip home, we decided to go through Tepic instead o along the coast. As we got farther south, the mountains and roadsides were very lush and green. The 6-hour trip was uneventful and we got home late afternoon.
Mazatlan Part 2
Tuesday we went on the Pueblo Bonito tour. We had a very nice breakfast buffet and had the tour. The sales woman was very nice and didn’t get angry when we decided not to buy. For our time we got a city tour and also $250 US credit for dining in the Pueblo Bonito restaurants.
The city tour was sponsored by Dianomds International and was pretty fun. We rode in a trolley bus and saw various things around town. After the tour we went to dinner at one of the Pueblo Bonito restaurnats called Angelos. We had a nice meal, it was an Italian place.
After dinner we went to a coffee shop and had a frappe and checked our email. It gets dark much earlier in Mazatlan than Puerto Vallarta so it seems late when it really isn’t.
The next day, Lee and Ken came to pick us up to go out to lunch. We went to one of their favorite spots called El Memin. It is in the small shopping center adjacent to one of the grocery stores. The specialty is seafood, mainly shrimp. We started off with ceviche tostadas. I had Kahlua shrimp, Harold had coconut shrimp, Lee had a really gooey and yummy looking shrimp dish with loads of cheese and Ken had breaded, fried shrimp. All had lemonades and the total bill was about 400 pesos. We were all stuffed, but Harold managed to choke down a slice of chocolate cake from the dessert lady.
After lunch, Ken took us on a great tour of town. We got out of the car near the cruise ship dock and watched one of the ships leave. From a vantage point high up on a hill, we saw it go out into the ocean and another ship leave. We saw the shrimp fleet and many sites around town. After the tour, we went back to the hotel and relaxed.
Thursday after breakfast we joined the hip and happening crowd at the grand opening of the Mazatlan Home Depot. There was plenty of activity and lots of shoppers. We bought light fixtures for the rental house, ceiling fans for our rooftop patio and the guest bathroom and a few other items.
In the shopping mode, next we went to the Gran Plaza Mall. It has quite a few stores, some pretty nice, some quite plain. There is a Sanborn’s, which surprised us as it is like a small department store. We thought Sanborn’s was only a restaurant.
Returning to the hotel, we took a dip in the ocean and the pool. After the swim, we went to the Pueblo Bonito hotel to meet Lee and Ken for dinner. Since we still had plenty of credit from our timeshare tour, we treated them to dinner. The place was right on the water and we had a great sunset view. The dinner and vist were very enjoyable!
After that, it was back to the hotel to relax
The city tour was sponsored by Dianomds International and was pretty fun. We rode in a trolley bus and saw various things around town. After the tour we went to dinner at one of the Pueblo Bonito restaurnats called Angelos. We had a nice meal, it was an Italian place.
After dinner we went to a coffee shop and had a frappe and checked our email. It gets dark much earlier in Mazatlan than Puerto Vallarta so it seems late when it really isn’t.
The next day, Lee and Ken came to pick us up to go out to lunch. We went to one of their favorite spots called El Memin. It is in the small shopping center adjacent to one of the grocery stores. The specialty is seafood, mainly shrimp. We started off with ceviche tostadas. I had Kahlua shrimp, Harold had coconut shrimp, Lee had a really gooey and yummy looking shrimp dish with loads of cheese and Ken had breaded, fried shrimp. All had lemonades and the total bill was about 400 pesos. We were all stuffed, but Harold managed to choke down a slice of chocolate cake from the dessert lady.
After lunch, Ken took us on a great tour of town. We got out of the car near the cruise ship dock and watched one of the ships leave. From a vantage point high up on a hill, we saw it go out into the ocean and another ship leave. We saw the shrimp fleet and many sites around town. After the tour, we went back to the hotel and relaxed.
Thursday after breakfast we joined the hip and happening crowd at the grand opening of the Mazatlan Home Depot. There was plenty of activity and lots of shoppers. We bought light fixtures for the rental house, ceiling fans for our rooftop patio and the guest bathroom and a few other items.
In the shopping mode, next we went to the Gran Plaza Mall. It has quite a few stores, some pretty nice, some quite plain. There is a Sanborn’s, which surprised us as it is like a small department store. We thought Sanborn’s was only a restaurant.
Returning to the hotel, we took a dip in the ocean and the pool. After the swim, we went to the Pueblo Bonito hotel to meet Lee and Ken for dinner. Since we still had plenty of credit from our timeshare tour, we treated them to dinner. The place was right on the water and we had a great sunset view. The dinner and vist were very enjoyable!
After that, it was back to the hotel to relax
Mazatlan Part 1
We had a week of banked timeshare time that was about to expire so we decided to take a trip to Mazatlan. Our friends Gil and Maria agreed to stay at our house and baby sit pets, plants and house.
Our check-in was for Sunday, they said 5 p.m. so we started our Sunday morning. The drive north was uneventful. We went up the coast instead of through Tepic. Other than a missed turn in San Blas the trip was uneventful. It took about 6 ½ hours including a stop for gas. We probably should have planned a lunch stop or something since it seemed like a very long ride.
I had been in touch by email with a lady who lives in Mazatlan. Lee and her husband Ken live in a relatively new neighborhood just off the main highway into town. Lee had sent instructions and we easily found thier home. It is very cute! We were welcomed in and offered a nice cold glass of iced tea. They also had some really delicious cheesecake. After a nice visit we headed to the hotel. Lee had provided us with names of places to try and we made plans to meet later in the week.
Our hotel was the Mayan Sea Garden. I had researched it on Trip Advisor and knew that the hotel was pretty far out of town. Since we drove to Mazatlan, this was no problem. When we checked in, we were offered a 25% disocunt on charges at the hotel if we took a one-bedroom unit instead of the two-bedroom we had reserved. Since only the two of us came, we thought that would be OK. We went to see the unit and it was on the fourth floor, no elevator. I fell in the street going to catch the bus a few days before and really beat up my knee, so that wasn’t going to work. We ended up in the two-bedroom in the building with the elevator. The room was nice, but not really very modern. The master bedroom has barely enough room to walk around the bed. The second bedroom was very strange, a pull out couch and chair, no other furniture. And if you pull out the couch, there is no room at all. We used it as a walk-in closet!
The first evening we drove toward town and ate at a touristy place called Ernie Tomatoes. It was pretty good and not too expensive. A time share “shark” came and talked to us. He really didn’t bother us, and we eventually agreed to go on the tour of the Pueblo Bonito Emrald Bay resort. We scheduled that for Tuesday.
On Monday, we took a dip in the pool and checked out the beach. The waves are much stronger in Mazatlan as it is directly on the Pacific. After swimming, we took a do-it-yourself bus tour. We rode the bus from in front of our hotel to the end of the line. We were quite a ways from the toursit zone and saw lots of things. We took another bus to el centro and walked around some.We saw the Plaza Machada and ate lunch at a place called Beach Burger. The burgers were good. We also walked around the central area of town some more looking for a coffee shop Monika told us about. It was closed for siesta, so we decided to return later in the week. We had seen Waldo’s, a Mexican “dollar store” on our bus tour so later we went there to shop. So much better than the PV “dollar stores.” We ate dinner at Panama Restaurant, a local chain. Very good, reasonable and a pretty place.
Our check-in was for Sunday, they said 5 p.m. so we started our Sunday morning. The drive north was uneventful. We went up the coast instead of through Tepic. Other than a missed turn in San Blas the trip was uneventful. It took about 6 ½ hours including a stop for gas. We probably should have planned a lunch stop or something since it seemed like a very long ride.
I had been in touch by email with a lady who lives in Mazatlan. Lee and her husband Ken live in a relatively new neighborhood just off the main highway into town. Lee had sent instructions and we easily found thier home. It is very cute! We were welcomed in and offered a nice cold glass of iced tea. They also had some really delicious cheesecake. After a nice visit we headed to the hotel. Lee had provided us with names of places to try and we made plans to meet later in the week.
Our hotel was the Mayan Sea Garden. I had researched it on Trip Advisor and knew that the hotel was pretty far out of town. Since we drove to Mazatlan, this was no problem. When we checked in, we were offered a 25% disocunt on charges at the hotel if we took a one-bedroom unit instead of the two-bedroom we had reserved. Since only the two of us came, we thought that would be OK. We went to see the unit and it was on the fourth floor, no elevator. I fell in the street going to catch the bus a few days before and really beat up my knee, so that wasn’t going to work. We ended up in the two-bedroom in the building with the elevator. The room was nice, but not really very modern. The master bedroom has barely enough room to walk around the bed. The second bedroom was very strange, a pull out couch and chair, no other furniture. And if you pull out the couch, there is no room at all. We used it as a walk-in closet!
The first evening we drove toward town and ate at a touristy place called Ernie Tomatoes. It was pretty good and not too expensive. A time share “shark” came and talked to us. He really didn’t bother us, and we eventually agreed to go on the tour of the Pueblo Bonito Emrald Bay resort. We scheduled that for Tuesday.
On Monday, we took a dip in the pool and checked out the beach. The waves are much stronger in Mazatlan as it is directly on the Pacific. After swimming, we took a do-it-yourself bus tour. We rode the bus from in front of our hotel to the end of the line. We were quite a ways from the toursit zone and saw lots of things. We took another bus to el centro and walked around some.We saw the Plaza Machada and ate lunch at a place called Beach Burger. The burgers were good. We also walked around the central area of town some more looking for a coffee shop Monika told us about. It was closed for siesta, so we decided to return later in the week. We had seen Waldo’s, a Mexican “dollar store” on our bus tour so later we went there to shop. So much better than the PV “dollar stores.” We ate dinner at Panama Restaurant, a local chain. Very good, reasonable and a pretty place.
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