Thursday's child has far to go...

To Mazatlan today


Up quite early again and off to the smorg breakfast area (Windjammer Cafe) on the 11th floor. There we selected nourishing food that would keep us going for a number of hours.

Our ship is tied to dock here so we are free to come and go.

Because we are 6 people one taxi is not a workable solution. I talked with a young woman who had a van and driver and would take us around to the high point of Mazatlan. We climbed aboard, included two dark skinned ladies from North Carolina and we were taken to a viewpoint. We watched a cliff diver dive into a very small space between rocks. The surf tosses him around at the bottom and he's got to make sure he doesn't get tossed up on the very sharp rocks.

Mazatlan, which is an Indian word meaning deer, was conquered/settled by the French. You can see the history in the classic architecture. It is definitely classic French rather than the ornate Spanish influence.

We stopped at a beautiful cathedral (Our Lady of Guadaloupe). It was built in the 1700s and a lot the money ( think it was $70,000.) was donated by local Jewish people who seem to have come from Israel. Their only stipulation was that the star of David was to be in the windows and a star on the front of the church. They are beautifully incorporated. Some years later the Jews moved to Mexico city and that is where the Jewish Mexicans remain.

We walked around the market area and through some very interesting stores – fabric, high end clothing, low end shoes, and the highlight was a classy bakery. They had made a large rectangular cake, iced it in white basket weave, set it on wheels, added a stroller handle and pulled up shade to make the whole thing look like a baby carriage. A young lady there told us it was meant for a baby shower. I didn't think to take a picture but Berne and I sure ooed and awed.

By lunch time we ended at a great restaurant on the beach. I had a shrimp cocktail, Jim had calamari. The two ladies travelling with us had large deep fried fish. They said it was fabulous – they had learned how to eat it from travelling in the Caribbean. (They tore the whole thing apart with their hands and proceeded to eat, piece by piece.

I had a chance to use the internet before reboarding the ship so I caught up on emails, etc. The wireless on board seems very slow – especially when you're paying 65 cents a minute.

We dressed for an elegant supper again. Certainly have no complaints about the food or service – only the calories – and even that is our choice!

We all enjoyed another evening of entertainment in the theatre. It was a song and dance show of 60s and 70s music and they really do a great job of entertaining.

We then found a 40s and 50s dance club in a lounge and had fun watching. I couldn't get Jim up on the floor, even for a slow dance. He's so afraid of doing something poorly. I was very dissappointed, to say the least. Next time I'll travel with my brothers so they can give me a little swing around the room.

It's amazing what we can pack into a day and the bed is very welcoming at night.