Willie is not fixed!

Well we’ll be here another week. Mechanic could not to Willie at 10:30 as originally planned today – so by this afternoon we decided to wait until Monday to have the work done as we didn’t want to be stuck without a car over the weekend in case there was a wait on parts or something. As it is cheaper to pay for the campground by the week then the day – we did – pay for a week.
So about the only thing constructive we’ve done today is our laundry and answering e-mails.
Tonight we’ll go to the plaza for dinner and music. All this relaxing is starting to get to me.

Internet Discoveries

I’m discovering more and more on the Internet – last night I found I could watch this years episodes of “House” – so I’ll be able to catch up on that. Tonight I’ll start with the first one from this year and work my way through them. Also found Adam-12 and Chips – Wow – Now if only I can get the NASCAR races when they start up again next month.
Willie, the Jeep, will go to the mechanic Friday a.m. Hopefully he will be fixed in one day. If not, well there are always the busses or the pulmonias.
We went out to breakfast this morning with our friend Angelica at the Shrimp Bucket restaurant. It is a well-know restaurant in the old district on the Malecón. Very pleasant time was had by all. The only problem was when we were parking on the street the car behind us couldn’t wait until we were finished backing in and passed between us and an oncoming car clipping Willies driver’s side mirror in the process. Luckily no damage at all. But makes you wonder what they were thinking.
Not much else going on today except for going to the grocery store. Here you can buy already boiled eggs in the deli section. Bill likes them for his salads and it saves our propane.
Weather is really nice today, not quite as hot as it has been.

A Day at the Beach

About yesterday – We took a drive south of Mazatlan to Stone Island – it’s not really an island more like a peninsula. We knew there were a couple of campgrounds there and that the road into them was pretty much washboard dirt. But our main reason for going was we heard there were miles of beach and zillions of sand dollars on the beach. It was a beautiful day with nice breezes so it sounded like a good idea. We took MX15 south to the airport turn off then followed the signs to the Isles a Piedra. Our friend had told us follow the road until the concrete stops then continue on the rough dirt road until we could get to the beach on one of the dirt access roads through the coconut plantations. Got up close and personal with this guy and his friends.
So we did. Let me make this comment – Why any one would ever want to take their RV over that road is beyond me. It is horrible – washboard, dusty, narrow and just plain terrible.
Would shake the crap out of everything inside.
We finally turned off on a dirt track towards the beach – it was by far the better road to drive on.
And a pretty drive over the red dirt trail through the coconut plantation. A picture postcard view - the elegant trees against a radiant blue sky dotted with puffy white clouds.
Once on the beach, hard packed sand, we headed north towards the area where the campgrounds were. There were other tire tracks in the sand but we were the only people in sight. On the distance horizon we could see some buildings in Mazaltan.
Soon we came to the area where the campgrounds and little village were. We were no longer alone. Lots of restaurants, hundreds – I’m not exaggerating – of vendors selling anything and every thing they could carry.
This was just a tiny portion of them.
There were ATVs , inflatable boats and kayaks for rent.
Horses with tourists on them riding down the sand.
Both campgrounds were packed full – lots of Canadian flags flying over the RVs.
We kept going until we found the inlet that’s between the peninsula and Mazatlan. It’s not very wide, probably a five minute ferry ride. On the Mazatlan side there was a big cruise ship docked. Behind it we could see the towers of the Church in the Historic District.
And on this side were the ferries that go back and forth.
Everything from a big two deck boat to the little pangas.
We thought about stopping to eat at one of the beach side restaurants but every time we slowed down the vendors smelled fresh sales and came running.
And what’s with hula hoops and his country?
So back down the beach we went. What a gorgeous drive. Blue sky above, smooth sand below, palm trees on one side and ocean on the other and once out of the village no one else around. Who could ask for more?
Care to join us in our misery?
Then suddenly we saw ! A GOLF COURSE ! I kid you not.
We'd happened into a very exclusive community of mansions and hotels. Great big expensive ones.
And right in front of them were four guys out in the water fishing with a big net. Only in Mexico. They were some of the construction workers working on a new hotel and they were fishing for supper. I hope they had something else to eat as while we were watching they didn’t catch anything.

Just to mention a thing about the beaches in Mexico – up to the high tide mark they belong to the country – no such thing as private beaches here – like in CA and some other states.
Just past the hotels and houses were these guys – they didn’t look too happy to see us so we kept moving.
Instead of going clear back up the beach to were we had come in we cut into the hotel area and found a nice road out to the main road – completely avoiding the rough dirt road that went to the village.
By the way we didn't see or find even one sand dollar.
And that’s when Willies problem became apparent.
So three posts today and hopefully an update later on Willie. bill just came back - the garage wasn't open yet and now he is off again.