Thursday a.m.
Friday last week. (good grief that was almost a week ago - where have the days gone?) Tom’s fourth day here – was not a good day. We picked him up for breakfast around 11:00 and went to Panama downtown in the Zona Dorada. He enjoyed it – a good Mexican breakfast. I had scrambled eggs, bacon and hash browns. Thought it sounded good until they were in front of me. {they were good – just my stomach wasn’t}Ended up leaving all but a couple of bites of it. Bill had French Toast – a different way. The bread was dipped in like a crape batter then fried. So it was like eating a bread inside a crape. I like it the time I had it.

From there we just went around the corner to the shopping and hotel and beach section of the Zona. Walked around for a little. Really dead there as no boats and the weather was cloudy and pretty cool. We were about the only people walking around which made us prime targets for the jewelry and time share salesmen. Not even many people out on the beach. More vendors than tourists.
We did go over to the shell museum and showed Tom the beautiful shell fountain on the second floor. I posted several pictures of it last year but here is a section of it.

And Jeni these are for you – just ideas - random shells as a wall hanging.

And a wall hanging painting of tiny shells

A closer look.

Then we took him by the big mosaic mural on the convention center. I posted about it last year too but had to include another picture of it this year too. It was designed by a 17 year old high school student. It is 80 feet high and 3-dimensional. Breathtaking.

Then we dropped Tom off –by then I was sick enough to go to the doctor.
Luckily was a 24-hour clinic near the campground. English speaking doctor and male nurse. Gave me a shot and prescriptions for four different kinds of pills. One for parasites, one for bacteria and two to keep the other two from bothering my stomach.
They have finally worked – I feel human today. Almost a week later.
Saturday we didn’t do much of anything. Drove over to the Malecon to watch the divers but there were none. Hardly any vendors either – maybe we were too early. Or not enough tourists or the weather was too cool. So instead we showed Tom the condos we had looked at a couple of weeks ago – right across the street from the ocean. The view from the 7th floor is to die for – even though neither Tom nor I could go out on the balcony and look over. They are really nice – two and three bedroom, laundry room, 2 baths, kitchen and living dining area. Nice common areas too. The higher you go the more they cost. I think they have a web site – The Vue.
By then I was done. Dropped him off to amuse himself and back to bed for me.
Sunday – We had promised him we were going to take him to a real Mexican Sunday market place in the Juarez section of Mazatlan. So we did. Luckily we got a good (almost the same) parking place right in the middle of all the activity. Again the car wash/watching guy had an orange cone blocking off the space, when he saw Willie he started waving his wash rag at us and moving the cone. I think Tom was surprised that we had reserved parking. The streets were crowded with people carrying bags, kids, umbrellas and boxes of food stuffs.

This is a regular shopping area during the week. Lots of clothing, hardware, video, cell phone and shoe stores are permanent fixtures there.

one of many stores

Then on Sundays it turns into a huge flea market that sells everything from fish

fish and shrimp for sale

to detergent.

selling: beans, juice, detergent, milk and cookies

And any kind of food to snack on – from cotton candy to Diablitos (don’t know what they are but they smelled HOT!

And BBQ’d meats.

smells so good

Whole families are there both buying and selling. These kids are learning to be salesmen young.

There are about 30 square blocks of booths and stores – but we just made a quick trip around about four blocks. Then I had to go home.

This was the last time we saw Tom as he left the next afternoon and I was too sick to get up and go say good bye.
By Tuesday afternoon I was finally starting to feel better. Fixed chicken and noodles for dinner and felt much better after eating. Slept really good last night and this morning I felt human. Ate something and then went to grocery store. Continued to feel good all day, just get tired really quick. Fixed steak and baked potatoes for dinner tonight. Plan on going to bed early as tomorrow we are going to La Noria again.
It feels so good to feel good! You don’t really appreciate good health until you get sick. And I’m still taking the rest of my pills.
This is last nights sunset – a little different shot. Next time I’ll know to focus on the distance first.

Something really weird is going on. The last few nights between about 6:15 to 7:30 we can’t get into AOL. We can get on line with IE – but it also moves so slow during that time period. It’s not our satellite hook up – can’t figure it out. Unless the huge microwave tower next to us – belongs to the Navy – is doing something during that time.
I haven’t done my parasailing either I’ve been sick or its been too windy or cold. Maybe I should try zip lining instead??? We're going right by a zip linning place today......
It was windy enough yesterday that Bill got three of his kites up for a while. All the guys in the park were out watching them fly. And a couple of the dogs were going crazy looking up and barking at them. Fur on the back of their necks standing up. Perros locos.

Closed road, shrimp dinner and serious shopping

Wednesday p.m.
Hoorey!! I finally feel good again. Fixed dinner last night BBQ chicken – had some leftover for lunch today. We even ventured out to Sorianas to buy groceries. It is so good to feel good. And we’re eating at home again tonight too. It's funny how you don't enjoy feeling good when you do - Well I'm going to enjoy it now!
I may have touched on it – the cruise ships have stopped stopping in Mazatlan – they feel it is unsafe. In the last year two tourists got robbed (not hurt) while wandering around town. [Have they ever been to NYC, Indy, Miami, Vegas] So now the city is talking about putting video cameras all over the tourist areas. Never once day or night have we been threatened or made to feel unsafe. We heard though from person who knows the city well – born and raised here – that the real problem might just be the US$30,000 docking fees. Cruise lines are hurting just like everyone else and they want the fees lowered. Sure hope things settle soon as the tourist business is VERY big in Mazatlan. Last year on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday three big, major cruise lines, cruise ships a day came in to dock. That’s a lot of people 5/6,000 per day spending money and taking tours to the towns inland.

Our friend called us – he finally got back to So Central Indiana but hasn’t been up to the house. Most of the area is without power. He is going to call our neighbor to go over and check the house and will call us in a day or two. Roads are open but everything else is at a stand still. Power crews from as far away as the Carolinas are helping our power companies. One person said it looked like a bomb had gone off there were so many trees down and scattered around. Now it is just very cold and snowing. Good thing we didn’t stay home this year. (Later in the day - I guess the power is back on. Off less than 24 hours.)
Anyway back to last week (he wishes he were still here I can tell you.)

Thursday we drove back up to El Quelite as we were meeting another friend there at the restaurant. She works there.

Noni, Tom and Bill I take em I don't pose for em

While eating lunch at El Mesón de los Lureanos we were talking to the doctor who owns it. (For more info on the doctor and the restaurant visit this link or paste and copy this http://www.movingon1.com/littletowns.php ) He motioned for Noni to bring over a dark wood silverware chest. He opened it and showed us the beautiful serving for eight of silverware it contained. He said they were raffling off tickets for it. 50 Pesos per ticket. Of course we bought some – something like that that I don’t need we’d probably win! Any way – he is using the money from the raffle to buy bougainvilleas to plant along the road from the arch into town. If you read the above article you’ll see he has been instrumental in sprucing up the little town and bringing in the tourist trade.
As we were driving down the main street headed out of town The Driver was extolling the virtues of the place – clean, tranquil, colorful, wonderful people etc. when we saw a yellow tape stretched across the road in front of us. What? Stopped the car. Rolled down the window and asked a guy leaning on a shovel what was going on. “No se puede pasar” (you can’t pass) he replied as he waved towards the tape. Um yep we can see that. But never to be deterred The Driver pulled forward right up to the yellow tape.

Closed road

Now we could see the big yellow ditch digger with its stabilizers out sitting right in the middle of the road. More yellow tape behind it blocking the way in to town. Suddenly it went from “cut little town” to – and I’m cleaning this up some – “Freaking piece of crap.” As The Driver threw the jeep into park, jumped out of the car, went under the tape to talk to the workers.

Guess we'll go a different way

We watched as there were several hand gestures from him and the workers pointing out of town and into town. Much shaking “No” of the heads. Back came Bill.
Started the car and backed a couple of blocks up. Seems like there is an alternate way out of town – a small dirt road up the hill a ways.
It took a couple of tries up side roads to find the right place to turn. Finally asked directions of a group of young boys walking down the street. One of the boys was carrying his chicken in his arms. To give us directions he grabbed its legs to hang on to it. He was using that arm to point with which set the chicken off flapping and cackling. “Izquierda – derecho derecho.” he told us. [Turn left then go straight straight.] Off we went – it was the road we had taken a few days ago to El Mirador – the lookout hill. Passed that turnoff and continued down the hill. All the time the dirt road becoming ruttier and ruttier and muddier.

As we passed the little houses the people in them look at us like we were nuts. This guy was probably thinking “Get a horse.”

Look at that "gringo."

We eventually ended up back on the main road just the other side of blockage. I wonder what the tourists in the tourist vans will think as they take the detour. I also wonder if the vans can make the turns – we barely did and Willie (the Jeep) is pretty short.
So that was our adventure for Thursday morning. Still more to come that afternoon. right
That afternoon we took Tom past the Shrimp Ladies – stopped so we could take pictures but didn’t get out of the car to walk around. I was starting to not feel good and the smell was rolling in my stomach. But not everyone feels that way. He is buying a bunch of shrimp probably for dinner.

Two Kilos to go

And she is having lunch – but it doesn’t look like it is shrimp.

Take out for lunch

I did take another picture of what ever that building is that had the mural of the tiger – their other door had a mural of a deer. Both beautiful works of art.

Not the girl the painting behind her!

From there we drove into Centro to go to the Mercado Piña Suarez – central market.
We had to show Tom the chicken feet for sale – sorry no pictures. He wondered what people do with them. Soup would be my guess.
Then he did some serious shopping. – I mean not a lot of shopping but being serious when he did it.

Serious Shoppers

After leaving there on the way back to the car we walked back to the Willie. He was getting as much needed wash. We passed the church and Tom noticed a workman up on a ladder painting the trim around the big cupula. Look closely and you’ll see him

See the workman

Do you provide life insurance?

A closer look at him.
Picked up a clean car and took Tom over to see the Sanctuary of Fatima. The Padre wasn’t there but the church was open. T. was duly impressed.
By then I was feeling pretty crappy so we stopped at the market and got a couple roasted chickens and premade green salads to go. Back to Jennie – ate and T went on line for a bit then Bill took him back to the hotel – no going out at night for me. End of another day and begining of me being really sick.








Tom's Second Day - Malpica - Concordia - Copala .

Tuesday p.m.
OOPS – just found out our friend who was here with us last week and left yesterday afternoon isn’t home yet. By the time his connecting flight was supposed to leave Phoenix the Indianapolis airport was closed. Sounds like they are getting hammered. And even when he gets home he’ll probably not be able to get up the hill to our house. Will be waiting anxiously to hear from him.
And it is starting to get cold here in Mazatlan – for the next few days will only be in the mid to low 60s with rain expected for the weekend. What is with this weather?
I’m feeling a little better – even going to fix dinner tonight. BBQ Chicken and angle hair pasta and salad. WOW a real meal .[later in evening - it was GOOD.]
Back to when Tom was here. His second day here we took him to Malpica to the bakery.
He was a little shy when we opened the door to the place and we were in someone’s front room. We assured him it was fine and to go on through to the actual bakery rooms. Again fresh baked rolls were coming out of the oven to sit next to all the yummy things already sitting on the racks.

Delicious - the aroma alone

I glanced around – way back in another life I taught classes in food safety and sanitation – sometimes I need to forget that – like when I spotted the sack of flour sitting on the floor.

What ever works for her

Last time I posted about this bakery I made a comment that I didn’t know what a very old looking machine sitting on a table was for. Today I asked it is used to cut a big round batch of dough into roll shapes – the bolillos that Bill loves so much.

dough goes into the round pan - pan slides under machine and lever is pullled down to cut dough

With bags and hands and mouths full of bakery items we went across the street to the tile maker. I’m so glad we were able to share all this with Tom. And again I found out more than I did last time we were here. I think I mentioned that the guy – Jorge makes the tiles out of marble dust, sand, cement and water. He does it the same way his father and grandfather before him did it. The mixture for the tiles – without the water.


Mixture used to make tiles

The molds

The machine that presses the mold which was used when his grandfather bought it –he says it is well over 100 years old. Sometimes it’s hard for us to realize that so much can be done with something that has been around so long and not been thrown out or up dated.

Many years of use

I had to laugh at this sig he has – it actually says “Tiles for sale as souvenirs” –but unfortunately where the sign breaks gives it a whole different meaning. Sorry couldn’t resist!

From his shop looking over the back wall was a small alley and the home of the Familia Lopez. There is no door as know it – just a lace curtain with a wrought iron gate in front.

And growing in their yard was a mango tree with baby mangos on it.

tiny mangos

Tom and The Driver checking out some more of the wooden carved faces.

Also learned more about them. They are made from the roots of pine trees found high in the Sierra mountains. The grain of the roots gives them their interesting look. This time Bill got this guy. He is about 24 inches tall and beautiful.

Wind Spirit

Just a couple of homes in Malpica. As everywhere else the colors are great and see the little trees on the right in front of the orangish fence they are plumerias the tree used to make the leis in Hawaii. Smell beautiful. One was white and one was pink.

From Malpica we continued up the road to Concordia to show Tom the furniture factories. We stopped at the same one again. I hadn’t noticed this tool? last time we were here. It has a couple of groves in it – so is it to use with a plainer? Or is it just bracing the lathe next to it – or something else. If we go there again I’ll ask.

Big rock tool????

Guess I should have asked The Driver first before posting - he says it is the guide for the lathe to help hold the tools.
Then we watched the apprentice wood worker get busy.

Hard at work

This is his grandmother carving a design onto/into the front of a drawer. First she traced it on the wood then using several tools carved it.

Hammer and chisel

A couple of pieces she had just finished.

The drawer front would match these night stands

After leaving there we stopped at another roadside “factory” a quick view of it.

Outdoor shops

A couple of headboards waiting to be stained – they were beautiful

They had the foot board too

And these coat racks – the picture doesn’t do them justice. The twisted piece is carved from one solid block of wood – by hand – using routers, chisels, files and lots of hard work. If we had the Alfa we would have one!!!!!

Imagine the time it must take to do this

This shop was also the owner’s home. At one end was the kitchen – lunch was cooking. Upstairs were the bedrooms I guess.

And from there……we continued up the hill to the tiny town of Copala. Two years ago Bill had promised one of the carvers here a high speed Dremel electric carver with all kinds of drills. And last year we forgot it. And last week Rafael wasn’t here. So another reason to go back. Here is a picture of Bill and Rafael and his stand where he sells his carvings in front of the church.

Rafael and Bill and his table of carvings

This is the beginning of a carving – he uses the thorny bark from a certain tree – can’t remember the name of the tree - .The little dish has silver ore in it. Copala dates from 1565 when the Spaniards started mining silver there. So he usually puts some silver on his carving

These are the tools he uses now

Showing one of the tools – used to make doorways

A close up of what he did with that tool.

The little doorways

Rafael – he said he was waiting for us this year – that he knew we would be back.

Sitting in front of the town's plaza

One of his pieces that he gave us [in the past we’ve bought several.]

The date - the silver - the church

While waiting for Bill to finish talking I saw this white pick up pull up and the guy got out put some beans from the plastic bucket into a plastic bag and take them into a house. I could see him talking to the woman inside. She nodded and he came back out with the bag – and weighed the sack with beans. Laying on the fender is his scale. He held it in his hand and put the bag on a hook on the bottom. After weighing it he added more beans from the big white bag and took it in to the lady. Transaction completed he drove off. Home delivery Copala way.

This guy was patiently waiting for someone.

Hurry UP!

We always stop at Daniels Restaurant when here to eat and enjoy the view. Especially the trucks going up over the mountain.

These boys were all waiting out front of the restaurant ‘cause there were lots of tourists from a big tourist bus inside eating. They all had carvings to sell.

Boy with cap was in picture with Rafael and Bill

This is the one way road out –actually it is two way – but shouldn’t be. She had been walking for quite a ways and don’t know where she was going. It’s all uphill.

She has more energy than me.

And from there back into Mazatlan for a much needed rest - another busy day to come.