Los Mochis to Mazatlan
Nov. 13-15, 2006
Our RVs were unloaded from the train in the morning. The train was divided
into 2 sections and driven up to ramps. We then drove our RVs over the
intervening railroad cars to get to the ramp and back on "terra firma". It is
Gordon's turn to make the long drive to reach the ramp.
Under the skillful guidance of the trainmaster, Gordon has reached the final
railroad car and is about to drive on to the ramp.
It was good to get to an RV park with hookups, dump our holding tanks, and take
real showers. We also went into town to find Internet access and catch up on our
e-mail messages. The next day we drove to Mazatlan, about 270 miles south of Los
Mochis. Mazatlan is on the Pacific Ocean at the southern end of the Gulf of
California.
In Mazatlan we had a tour of the city. This is the sea food market. Note the
huge buckets of jumbo shrimp.
Our tour guide showing us a huge shrimp. Shrimp is a specialty of Mazatlan.
We had a shrimp dinner a couple of days later; it was very good!
The Mazatlan cathedral. The cathedral contains a variety of
architectural styles since it was built over a long period of time under the
direction of two different bishops. Our guide described the cathedral as
eclectic.
The interior of the cathedral. The lighting was unusual, coming primarily
from the sun streaming through stain glass windows.
One of many stain glass windows. Note the Star of David at the top. Each of
28 windows had this star. It seems that this is in honor of a Jewish family that
had donated a lot of money to finish the cathedral. I can't recall ever seeing
the Star of David in a Catholic church before.
The Market in downtown Mazatlan. You can buy everything from meats, fruits,
and vegetables to clothing, jewelry, and tourist souvenirs. The salespeople are
very aggressive and hawk their wares to you as you walk by. I don't know about
the pricing policy on fruits and vegetables, but they will negotiate prices on
clothing and tourist souvenirs; the haggling over the price is part of the fun.
Mazatlan has its cliff divers, like Acapulco. According to our guide, they
dive 45 feet into water that is 8 feet deep. They make their living by diving
for tips. You couldn't get me to do that.
The Mazatlan shoreline, with the Gold Zone hotels in the background, and
Gordon and Diane next to a mermaid statue.
Mazatlan is a regular stop for cruise ships in the Pacific Ocean; these
cruise ships hold up to 3500 people and tower over most of the city.
The old part of Mazatlan is very pleasant, with an atmosphere very much like
the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Sunsets in Mazatlan, as seen from near our campground.