Cinthia's Spinnings

I was up and out on deck before 6:00 am on January 18. I wanted to watch us sail into Mazatlan. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out to the sun deck. For being in the tropics, it was a wee bit chilly that morning. I was really wishing I'd brought my sweater, but I didn't want to miss anything so I toughed it out. And I'm glad I did.

Soon, I could see faint rocky outlines close to the ship, and we'd slowed our speed considerably. I knew we were getting close to port. Gradually, with the glow of sunrise, I was able to make out a small fishing village off the starboard. It was eerily quiet.

Then a rooster crowed. A moment later it was answered by another. As the sky grew brighter I could see a squadron of pelicans swooping in from the sea. Overhead dozens of frigate birds were whirling and gliding, sometimes coming so close I could almost touch them.

Ponga boats and shrimpers headed out to sea for the day and the captains waved as they passed. Soon, a tugboat came along side and assisted our behemoth of a ship with a very tight U turn and we docked at 7:00 am.

For the first time I had a chance to really see how big our ship was compared to other cruise ships. Right behind us was a smaller ship, the Voyager of the Seas. It was Lilliputian compared to us.
I dashed down to our stateroom and thankfully, hubby was already showered and dressed. The four of us ate breakfast on board the ship, then took a pulmonia, or open air taxi into town where we walked a bit then found the mercado, where we shopped a bit. The above picture is of a produce stall. I was amazed and very jealous that these folks get year round access to this incredible produce.
After getting a chance to practice my "hover technique" in the public loo, (and having a good laugh over it with my sister) we all began walking again in the general direction of the cathedral. Didn't get any good pictures, however, because it's undergoing a facelift. We did find another pulmonia driver who offered to take us around the city for a very good price, so we all piled in for the ride of our lives.

Mazatlan may be located on a beach, but it is anything but FLAT. There are all kinds of beautful homes built on the tippy tops of hills overlooking the harbor and the ocean. Our driver, Jesus, took us around the old part of the city, then up into the hills to see the houses. There were a few times when I thought we'd have to get out and PUSH!

The photo above is, from right to left, Me, my hubby, my sister and her hubby. The picture was taken by our driver on a hill overlooking the harbor.


The above picture here is the Malecon, or seawall in Mazatlan. It's the longest in Mexico, stretching from the lighthouse to past the Zona Dorada, some fifteen miles distant.

After our tour, which included a stop to watch the divers who risk their necks for the tourists by jumping from a platform into a pool of water which is only five feet deep unless they hit it at just the right moment, concluded with the driver dropping us back near the cathedral. We decided we needed more exercise so we walked back to the ship, with a stop at a small outdoor "cafe" for a lunch of tacos and strawberry soda. Ten tacos and 4 sodas for about $4.00 US. Amazing.

We got back to the ship, cleaned up, rested a bit, then had afternoon tea. By then, my feet were howling at me, so we changed and hit the hot tub.
This last picture is one I will always look at with a tear in my eye. Right about the same time I took this picture, a dear lady, wonderful writer and fellow Georgia Romance Writer slipped the bonds of Earth.

Virginia Ellis, you will be missed.

Tomorrow, Cabo San Lucas, I promise!