We had a fun trip to Sayulita and Mazatlan. Hope you enjoy our memories. Same drill as before - start at the bottom and work your way to the top. Captions are below the pictures. 
April 5 - Home again and look at that - the deck's all finished!!
After spending the night at Guaymas (8 kms north of San Carlos), we headed for Phoenix. On the way we passed 11 kms of trucks waiting to go through a border checkpoint. Can you imagine how cranky you would be waiting for hours and hours to go through a border crossing? I promise I'll never complain when I go through Coutts again.
Mexican police (probably federales) all dressed in black with balaclavas on their faces. Seeing this made me vow to always be a good tourist and stay out of trouble.
April 2 - On the road heading back to Yuma. It's a very common sight to see people riding in the back of trucks in Mexico. Ted said it reminded him of the road south of Wetaskiwin.
One of the hotel residents was a racoon which greeted us every night upon our return. Actually there were 4 or 5 of them and they were not afraid of people. Cute, isn't he?
Look at this awesome meal - two lobsters and six prawns for only $10. We could hardly wipe the smiles and the butter off of our faces! The restaurant was part of a little strip mall at Punta Cerritos.
For all you beer lovers out there - Mazatlan's own Pacifico Brewery.
Tuesday, March 31 - We finally got caught by the travelling windshield wipers. They run up to your vehicle while you are waiting at a red light and clean your windshield for you. Of course you feel like you have to give them money. The funniest experience we had was when we parked at WalMart and a man came running over with a piece of cardboard indicating that he would protect our car for us and keep the sun out while we were shopping - for a small fee, of course!
Sunset from our table at the Shrimp Bucket with a silhouette of the Deer Monument to the right.
We ended our wonderful day with one of the best margaritas ever at the Patio del Shrimp Bucket (and a great meal, too).
One of the most common sights in Mazatlan - the pulmonia. These souped-up golf carts powered by Volkswagen Bug engines are used to carry passengers up and down the malecon. The story is that these vehicles were nicknamed pulmonias by rival cab drivers who told potential fares that riding in these open-air carts would result in pulmonia (Spanish for pneumonia). Judging by their popularity I'd say that fear tactic didn't work.
After we got back to sea level, we took a drive through Mazatlan. This guy amazed us. He carried his whole store on his bicycle. I have enough trouble just riding a bike without carrying a bunch of mops, brooms and cleaning supplies as well.
Proof that I made it to the El Faro lighthouse. I really could have used oxygen by the time I got to the top.
To the west we could see several small islands and the larger Isla dos Hermanos.
From the top we had an incredible view of the city to the north.
At the top we were rewarded with some incredible views of the harbour. This cruise ship was just leaving.
Standing guard over the harbor's entrance is El Faro, said to be the tallest lighthouse in the Western Hemisphere with a range of approximately 35 miles. We climbed the winding trail to the top. This picture was taken from the top of Lookout Hill (Cerro de Vigia).
The inside was beautiful and peaceful with high ceilings and pillars.
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception - a cathedral begun in 1875 that took 43 years to complete. It was built on the site of an older Indian temple.
El Mirador is where daring locals plunge from a platform 45 feet above the water surrounded by dangerous rocks. Timing is everything; if the diver doesn't hit the water when a wave is coming in, he dives into just 6 feet of water. And I thought a belly flop was painful!
More seafront sculptures - a mermaid and child. In the distance you can see Bird, Deer and Goat Islands.
Ted is standing in front of the La Continuidad de la Vida (Continuity of Life) sculpture on the malecon (a waterfront street that stretches over 17 kms). It depicts a nude man and woman perched on top of a huge seashell with the man pointing to a pod of leaping dolphins.
Sunday, March 29 - Sunday is family day and the beaches were lined with families enjoying themselves. In the background you can see the Golden Zone (otherwise known as tourist central) where you will find most of the city's hotels and resorts.
The pool behind our hotel where we spent many hours reading, relaxing and soaking up the sun. When the sun got too low on the horizon we would move to the hot tub at the front of the hotel.
Friday, March 27 - Back in our hotel in Mazatlan with the same wonderful view. This time a bird and a parasailer made it into the picture.
Mexicans care deeply about their dead as you can see by the size of the tombs and shrines in their cemeteries. They also erect roadside shrines when their loved ones are killed in accidents. This is a typical one; many are very large and very ornate.
Thursday, March 26 - Back on the road again heading to Mazatlan for a few days R & R. We saw lots of fruit and vegetable stands along the road side. Look at the size of some of their produce!
We went for a drive and ended up on the beach at San Francisco (aka San Pancho) at sunset having a few drinks. What a life! Thanks to Rick and Les for their wonderful hospitality!
March 25 - While Leslie and I were downtown, Ted and Rick were checking out the ocean view and noticed this huge yacht with - can you believe it? - a helicopter on board. Now that's beyond rich! Rumour has it that Bill Gates has property nearby - do you suppose this was his yacht?
That evening we went to Ye Olde Pub in a neighbouring town. Rick enjoys jamming with members of the band and also sang a few solos. It was a lot of fun and we met several people who sail full-time rather than RV. Sounds like an interesting way to live, but I think battling the wind and waves can be pretty tricky at times. We decided to stick to the highways.
While we were visiting, a group of "palapaderos" (sounds good to me) erected a palapa (thatched roof) on an arbour leading to Rick and Les' garden.
A view of Rick and Leslie's house (the mustard-coloured one) from town.
This is Sayulita's claim to fame - its extra-long waves that surfers love. It's not a sleepy fishing village anymore. Nowadays it attracts more than surfers; tourists from all over the world come to enjoy its beaches, fishing, boutiques, restaurants and art galleries.
I decided I'd take 15 iguanas in a tree over 1 scorpion on a sidewalk any day! They really are creepy little creatures, aren't they.
We must have seen at least 15 different iguanas on the tree - sometimes two to a branch! I have never seen anything even remotely like this.
A must see in Sayulita is the Iguana Tree. From a distance it looks like any other tree, but when you get closer, you'd be amazed at what you find lurking on the branches.
With the recent influx of tourists and a great many Canadian and Americans building and buying local real estate, the roads are slowly being improved. This street has been paved, but is closed to traffic due to a big mound of dirt at the end of the street that has not yet been removed. Maybe soon . . .
Tuesday, March 24 -We went with Leslie for a walk around town and passed by the local cemetery on the way to Playa del Meurto. Mexican cemeteries are so much more interesting than ours; the shrines are so elaborate and ornate and are tended with great care. Most of the streets in Sayulita are like this one - narrow and dusty!
Our destination - the home of Rick (Ted's cousin) and his wife, Leslie, in Sayulita, 33 kms northwest of Puerto Vallarta. Their beautiful home with an incredible ocean view took almost 5 years to complete, but it was definitely worth the wait!
At Tepic we had to leave the toll road and travel by regular highway. As you might gather, curvy roads and large trucks made for extremely slow going.
Monday, March 23 - We're on the road again travelling to Sayulita. The Mexico we have seen to this point is very agricultural. We even saw buildings with familiar names like ProAgro and Syngenta. These are agave plants used to make tequila and what would Mexico be without tequila??
We were just down the road from Valentino's, a very popular nightclub. We weren't interested in the club part; we simply enjoyed watching the building continually changing colours from red to blue to green. It really added to the night sky!
Sunday, March 22 - After spending our first night on the road in Los Mochis, we continued on to the beautiful city of Mazatlan. Ahhhhh, this is the life! The view from our hotel was incredible!
We saw lots of these unusual trees along the way. It seemed as if they lost their leaves before the pods developed. Please let me know if you know what type of tree/bush this is.
As you can see, luxury condominiums are springing up all over. It's difficult to find any waterfront property that isn't being developed.
Our first stop was the beautiful town of San Carlos on the Sea of Cortez.
Then we found out why. Every time we slowed down at the toll booths or while driving through small towns, we would be approached by people trying to sell us a variety of things - CDs, DVDs, fresh (???) shrimp, fry bread - you name it, you could probably buy it! We started to look forward to the hassle free vehicle zones!!
I thought this sign was quite amusing - why on earth were they promoting a hassle free zone?
Saturday, March 21 - After our company left, we kept busy painting our gates and watching our deck being built. This was exhausting so we decided we needed a holiday from our holiday and off we went to Mexico. We spent the night of the 20th in Nogales, AZ and hurried through the Mexican border town early in the morning before the drug lords and gang members we heard about on the news were awake. We decided to take the toll roads which were supposedly faster and safer and definitely more expensive. By the time we got back we had spent close to $200 in tolls, but we had no problems on the road so it was definitely worth it.
April 5 - Home again and look at that - the deck's all finished!!
After spending the night at Guaymas (8 kms north of San Carlos), we headed for Phoenix. On the way we passed 11 kms of trucks waiting to go through a border checkpoint. Can you imagine how cranky you would be waiting for hours and hours to go through a border crossing? I promise I'll never complain when I go through Coutts again.
Mexican police (probably federales) all dressed in black with balaclavas on their faces. Seeing this made me vow to always be a good tourist and stay out of trouble.
April 2 - On the road heading back to Yuma. It's a very common sight to see people riding in the back of trucks in Mexico. Ted said it reminded him of the road south of Wetaskiwin.
One of the hotel residents was a racoon which greeted us every night upon our return. Actually there were 4 or 5 of them and they were not afraid of people. Cute, isn't he?
Look at this awesome meal - two lobsters and six prawns for only $10. We could hardly wipe the smiles and the butter off of our faces! The restaurant was part of a little strip mall at Punta Cerritos.
For all you beer lovers out there - Mazatlan's own Pacifico Brewery.
Tuesday, March 31 - We finally got caught by the travelling windshield wipers. They run up to your vehicle while you are waiting at a red light and clean your windshield for you. Of course you feel like you have to give them money. The funniest experience we had was when we parked at WalMart and a man came running over with a piece of cardboard indicating that he would protect our car for us and keep the sun out while we were shopping - for a small fee, of course!
Sunset from our table at the Shrimp Bucket with a silhouette of the Deer Monument to the right.
We ended our wonderful day with one of the best margaritas ever at the Patio del Shrimp Bucket (and a great meal, too).
One of the most common sights in Mazatlan - the pulmonia. These souped-up golf carts powered by Volkswagen Bug engines are used to carry passengers up and down the malecon. The story is that these vehicles were nicknamed pulmonias by rival cab drivers who told potential fares that riding in these open-air carts would result in pulmonia (Spanish for pneumonia). Judging by their popularity I'd say that fear tactic didn't work.
After we got back to sea level, we took a drive through Mazatlan. This guy amazed us. He carried his whole store on his bicycle. I have enough trouble just riding a bike without carrying a bunch of mops, brooms and cleaning supplies as well.
Proof that I made it to the El Faro lighthouse. I really could have used oxygen by the time I got to the top.
To the west we could see several small islands and the larger Isla dos Hermanos.
From the top we had an incredible view of the city to the north.
At the top we were rewarded with some incredible views of the harbour. This cruise ship was just leaving.
Standing guard over the harbor's entrance is El Faro, said to be the tallest lighthouse in the Western Hemisphere with a range of approximately 35 miles. We climbed the winding trail to the top. This picture was taken from the top of Lookout Hill (Cerro de Vigia).
The inside was beautiful and peaceful with high ceilings and pillars.
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception - a cathedral begun in 1875 that took 43 years to complete. It was built on the site of an older Indian temple.
El Mirador is where daring locals plunge from a platform 45 feet above the water surrounded by dangerous rocks. Timing is everything; if the diver doesn't hit the water when a wave is coming in, he dives into just 6 feet of water. And I thought a belly flop was painful!
More seafront sculptures - a mermaid and child. In the distance you can see Bird, Deer and Goat Islands.
Ted is standing in front of the La Continuidad de la Vida (Continuity of Life) sculpture on the malecon (a waterfront street that stretches over 17 kms). It depicts a nude man and woman perched on top of a huge seashell with the man pointing to a pod of leaping dolphins.
Sunday, March 29 - Sunday is family day and the beaches were lined with families enjoying themselves. In the background you can see the Golden Zone (otherwise known as tourist central) where you will find most of the city's hotels and resorts.
The pool behind our hotel where we spent many hours reading, relaxing and soaking up the sun. When the sun got too low on the horizon we would move to the hot tub at the front of the hotel.
Friday, March 27 - Back in our hotel in Mazatlan with the same wonderful view. This time a bird and a parasailer made it into the picture.
Mexicans care deeply about their dead as you can see by the size of the tombs and shrines in their cemeteries. They also erect roadside shrines when their loved ones are killed in accidents. This is a typical one; many are very large and very ornate.
Thursday, March 26 - Back on the road again heading to Mazatlan for a few days R & R. We saw lots of fruit and vegetable stands along the road side. Look at the size of some of their produce!
We went for a drive and ended up on the beach at San Francisco (aka San Pancho) at sunset having a few drinks. What a life! Thanks to Rick and Les for their wonderful hospitality!
March 25 - While Leslie and I were downtown, Ted and Rick were checking out the ocean view and noticed this huge yacht with - can you believe it? - a helicopter on board. Now that's beyond rich! Rumour has it that Bill Gates has property nearby - do you suppose this was his yacht?
That evening we went to Ye Olde Pub in a neighbouring town. Rick enjoys jamming with members of the band and also sang a few solos. It was a lot of fun and we met several people who sail full-time rather than RV. Sounds like an interesting way to live, but I think battling the wind and waves can be pretty tricky at times. We decided to stick to the highways.
While we were visiting, a group of "palapaderos" (sounds good to me) erected a palapa (thatched roof) on an arbour leading to Rick and Les' garden.
A view of Rick and Leslie's house (the mustard-coloured one) from town.
This is Sayulita's claim to fame - its extra-long waves that surfers love. It's not a sleepy fishing village anymore. Nowadays it attracts more than surfers; tourists from all over the world come to enjoy its beaches, fishing, boutiques, restaurants and art galleries.
I decided I'd take 15 iguanas in a tree over 1 scorpion on a sidewalk any day! They really are creepy little creatures, aren't they.
We must have seen at least 15 different iguanas on the tree - sometimes two to a branch! I have never seen anything even remotely like this.
A must see in Sayulita is the Iguana Tree. From a distance it looks like any other tree, but when you get closer, you'd be amazed at what you find lurking on the branches.
With the recent influx of tourists and a great many Canadian and Americans building and buying local real estate, the roads are slowly being improved. This street has been paved, but is closed to traffic due to a big mound of dirt at the end of the street that has not yet been removed. Maybe soon . . .
Tuesday, March 24 -We went with Leslie for a walk around town and passed by the local cemetery on the way to Playa del Meurto. Mexican cemeteries are so much more interesting than ours; the shrines are so elaborate and ornate and are tended with great care. Most of the streets in Sayulita are like this one - narrow and dusty!
Our destination - the home of Rick (Ted's cousin) and his wife, Leslie, in Sayulita, 33 kms northwest of Puerto Vallarta. Their beautiful home with an incredible ocean view took almost 5 years to complete, but it was definitely worth the wait!
At Tepic we had to leave the toll road and travel by regular highway. As you might gather, curvy roads and large trucks made for extremely slow going.
Monday, March 23 - We're on the road again travelling to Sayulita. The Mexico we have seen to this point is very agricultural. We even saw buildings with familiar names like ProAgro and Syngenta. These are agave plants used to make tequila and what would Mexico be without tequila??
We were just down the road from Valentino's, a very popular nightclub. We weren't interested in the club part; we simply enjoyed watching the building continually changing colours from red to blue to green. It really added to the night sky!
Sunday, March 22 - After spending our first night on the road in Los Mochis, we continued on to the beautiful city of Mazatlan. Ahhhhh, this is the life! The view from our hotel was incredible!
We saw lots of these unusual trees along the way. It seemed as if they lost their leaves before the pods developed. Please let me know if you know what type of tree/bush this is.
As you can see, luxury condominiums are springing up all over. It's difficult to find any waterfront property that isn't being developed.
Our first stop was the beautiful town of San Carlos on the Sea of Cortez.
Then we found out why. Every time we slowed down at the toll booths or while driving through small towns, we would be approached by people trying to sell us a variety of things - CDs, DVDs, fresh (???) shrimp, fry bread - you name it, you could probably buy it! We started to look forward to the hassle free vehicle zones!!
I thought this sign was quite amusing - why on earth were they promoting a hassle free zone?
Saturday, March 21 - After our company left, we kept busy painting our gates and watching our deck being built. This was exhausting so we decided we needed a holiday from our holiday and off we went to Mexico. We spent the night of the 20th in Nogales, AZ and hurried through the Mexican border town early in the morning before the drug lords and gang members we heard about on the news were awake. We decided to take the toll roads which were supposedly faster and safer and definitely more expensive. By the time we got back we had spent close to $200 in tolls, but we had no problems on the road so it was definitely worth it.
