Meandering Mazatlán

On Mexican Riviera port-days in Mazatlán, Julie and I have usually opted for one of those activity-laden Stone Island tours.  Another option is always a day pass at a beach hotel, which we've also done.

In preparation for our recent trip, Julie had about decided that just hanging out by the ship's pool area reading and sipping cold beverages might provide the ideal sunny day in Mazatlán.

I had a different plan.  Instead of focusing on the beach as we usually do, I wanted to see the historic downtown area, including Catedral Basílica de la Inmaculada Concepción.

By the time I finished my pre-breakfast cappuccino and bran muffin in the atrium, the sun was shining bright, but we still headed into the main dining room for another delicious breakfast, with Julie ordering her usual omelet with hash browns and orange juice and me ordering whatever the special of the day might be, plus a banana and orange juice.

Perhaps out of concern for me venturing out alone in what is often considered a dangerous city due to gang violence --- which of course is also a plague on American cities like Chicago --- Julie opted to join my meander through Mazatlán to hopefully keep me out of trouble.

As we entered the port shopping area, we walked through an archway spraying a mist that smelled like Campho-Phenique Antiseptic, apparently to disinfect cruise passengers.

On the other side of the arch, a young man aimed a thermometer at our foreheads and gave us the nod of approval to continue safely into Mazatlán.

Julie did a quick search of the vendor stands for a white baseball cap that suited her, but we were soon out the door sans new hat, past dozens of shore excursion reps and taxi cab drivers seeking our attention.

We understood there would be a blue line leading from the cruise ship area to Plaza Machado, the historic downtown.

Before we saw the blue line, however, we were met by a blue-shirted Mazatlan Tourist Aide Volunteer.  This "ex-patriated American" was not Jimmy Buffet's version of a quasi-untrustworthy fortune-seeker but rather a senior citizen who retired in Mexico and wants to be sure Mazatlán remains safe for tourists so that restaurants and other businesses frequented by tourists remain financially viable.

Plus, they simply love their new hometown and want to be of service to the community.

The first volunteer we encountered pointed the way to the blue line.

I asked him about Mazatlán's "high-divers" that I'd read about before the trip, and a nearby taxi driver offered his services to drive us to the coastal spot to see them for $5.  His little golf cart surrey looked like a fun ride, so we took him up on it, understanding that we could follow the blue line back to the downtown area to visit the cathedral on our way back to the ship.

It proved to be a rather short ride, as the price would indicate, and while not a tour, our driver was certainly more informative than our boat captain had been in Cabo the previous day.  He, of course, was trying to convert us to day tour passengers, but he would have to settle for his fare plus a 20% tip this time.

The divers waited for an audience, but eventually our patience paid off as we watched them dive from what is really more of a platform than cliffs like in Acapulco, but still worth viewing if you're in the area.

After watching some divers avoid multi-story belly flops, we walked along the seafront past a sign for Thrifty Ice Cream, complete with those odd column scooped cones like we used to get at our hometown Thrifty Drug Store while studying at the public library.

We didn't have any scoops this day, but next to it was an odd piece of Liverpool, complete with four statues with long hair but faces that looked nothing like the Beatles --- to avoid potential lawsuits, apparently --- nonetheless giving the impression of the famous Abbey Road album cover., albeit with a red Mini in the middle of the road rather than a parked VW Beetle by the curb.

There was also a Yellow Submarine and an entrance to "The Cavern," along the side of a bistro with outdoor tables on the street.  While not really that spectacular in and of itself, any Beatles fan like myself would find it amusing and worth snapping some photos.

We asked some armed guards by a gated community where the cathedral was, and they pointed down a less-than-deserted side street that looked safe enough.  As we walked, we encountered many police holding automatic rifles and security guards, so apparently concerns about the Sinaloa Cartel are real enough, or as one person said in a video I watched, the gangs usually hit what they're aiming at.

Perhaps it is that concern that has the recently announced summer of 2022 cruises by Princess replacing Mazatlán with Ensenada.  While I have nothing against Ensenada, that is easily reached on 3- and 4-night cruises, so it seems a shame to leave Mazatlán out, especially with the Mazatlán Aide Volunteers being so helpful in showing the quaint Mexican city.

The cathedral is not an ancient one, with construction beginning in 1856, just a few years before Pope Pius IX backed French Emperor Napoleon III's efforts to permanently install a Habsburg as Emperor of Mexico while the US was diverted by its own Civil War.  

The beautiful Cathedral was for the most part completed just before the turn of the century, in 1899.  It was consecrated as a Basilica on December 12, 1941, just five days after "a day that will live in infamy," the bombing of Pearl Harbor that brought the United States in to World War II.

I always find it interesting to consider the historical context that these beach destinations primarily associated with sunny skies and Margaritas.

Blue-shirted Tourist Aides were again there to advise us on what to see in the Cathedral and the lovely plaza adjacent to it.  When the time came to walk back, the volunteers pointed us in the right direction to get back on the blue line.

We headed back to the ship for lunch.  Yes, many people consider dining in foreign ports a highlight of a vacation, but we love the great meals we find on board our cruise ship, where we were able to choose between Mexican food, fish and chips, salads, Indian foods and other dishes at no additional charge.

For the afternoon, we explored Julie's ideal of lounging poolside on the ship, appreciating the views of Mazatlán from our floating resort.  That proved excellent too.  I believe that's when I ordered my Margarita, which wasn't nearly as good as the Tequila Sunrise I had poolside on the first sea day of the trip.

I'm sure we would be disappointments to the Mazatlán Tourist Aide Volunteers, but we truly appreciate their work.

They helped make Mazatlán newly appealing and special to us.