In 2006, during our last rainy Seattle winter, I often read about San Blas in Latitude 38. Several articles discussed, in both a positive and negative way, the activities of some fellow down there assisting cruisers. At that time, San Blas might as well been on the back side of the moon, for all I…
Yep. It was inevitable. The booby post. This is where we experiment to see how much our blog traffic increases with all those adolescent saps Googling for pr0n in mom’s basement, when we mention the word "boobies." Here we go. Isla Isabela has a fairly large population of at least two species of booby –…
A while back GB posted about our visit to Isla Isabela, a logical waystop between Mazatlan (90 miles to the north) and points further south such as San Blas (about 45 miles south and east) and Puerto Vallarta (errm….further south and east). A cruising couple we know, both marine biologists, had told us that a…
There we were a while back, sitting in the fine seats of Mazatlan’s Angela Peralta Theatre watching an outstanding flamenco performance by local talent.* Having recently watched an orchestra perform Mozart’s "Requiem," GB turns to me and remarks: "There’s no tuba in flamenco." I replied, "…" What would YOUR answer be? (1) "…Thank Gawd." (2) …
After four days in Guadalajara we traveled a few miles south to Lake Chapala by rental car. At the time it seemed logical to rent a car, not knowing the lay of the land and all, but the next time we make this trip (and it’s likely there will be a next time) we’ll study…
Guadalajara is too big to see in the few days we’d alloted. But, when we took the bus there from Mazatlan we concentrated on the central Historic District for 4 days so got an idea of what the the city might have been like, from the pre-columbian era to the Spanish conquest to the Industrial…
When the Fox is in port for a while (like now), GB and I like to sniff around inland. After all, the cruising lifestyle isn’t only about what you see on the water. We studied a little bit and decided to see Guadalajara – Mexico’s second-largest city at between 5 and 7 million inhabitants, depending…
The cruising life is challenging. So many things demand one’s time: procuring fuel takes longer than simply sidling up to a fuel dock; doing laundry is more complicated*; getting groceries and seeing a doctor require negotiating buses and taxis and speaking in a foreign language in addition to just buying the groceries or walking into…
Mazatlan has a tropical climate. For the likes of me, even in December (winter, here) it’s been in the 80s (F), with 70% humidity, man. I get sweaty, sticky, and short of breath. Also? I got attacked by a gang of no-see-ums, the likes I haven’t seen since BC. Check this out: Insects love to…
Some cruisers leave Mazatlan for points south or north but return, sooner or later. Others never leave. I understand why. There’s a lot going on here, and it’s easy to get around. The name "Mazatlan" means "the place of the deer" in Nahuatl. With all the construction going on, I’m not sure whether any of…