Patio Crawl Series - The Dreaded Olas Altas

And don't get me wrong - it's only dreaded because where do you pick to go out of so many great places?  And remember, we're going to many places so we're looking for a shared appetizer and a drink, not a full meal.

So while there are numerous new places that I would like to stop and try, the best bet is probably just taking you on my trek from last year.  I really wanted the full experience so we took the Sabalo Centro bus all the way to the end and started at Mariscos Puntilla.  I had the crab on a tostada with mayonnaise.  What a great dish!  So many great things to eat here but I had to pace myself cuz we have lots of stops ahead.

We then walked the hill - MUCH less daunting that I thought.  We made it quick and easy, no problem.  Now that Water's Edge is no longer at Casa Lucila we haven't been there but I'm hoping they improve their menu cuz I would love to stop there again.  Used to have the best Eggs Benny ever - and Rob Lamonica on the piano - perfect!

So our next stop was Puerto Viejo.  Now sit down and hold on to your seats but this was actually my first visit to this amazing institution.  Why hadn't I been hear before?  No real good answer, especially after sharing the tempura shrimp and a bucket of beers.  Food, drink and ambiance was great.  I won't make the mistake of missing this place again.

We continued down the row of restaurants around Olas Altas,  Not hungry enough for a meal but stopped at each place for a drink.

From here, there's so many places to go and so many options to enjoy.  Some times from here we head into Centro and enjoy it's many offerings.  Sometimes we keep going and have some of the best shrimp I've ever had at El Shrimp Bucket.  Their beer battered shrimp just can't be beat!  And for a really tasty and expensive treat, I absolutely love stopping by El Fish Market for REAL Alaskan King Crab.  Not cheap but where else can you get that in Mazatlán?  And eating it in the afternoon, in the sunshine overlooking the water - just a really decadent experience - if you're into that thing (clearly I am!). This year I would also clearly add 101 Clausen to the list and try out their offerings.

Like I said, we could have turned, explored, dined in many other places.  So just go out and find what you like amongst the many great options.  The food scene in Mazatlán is really just amazing!

But I couldn't stop without a Basil Martini at Angelina's - the best!

Patio Crawl Series - The Golden Zone

So many places to go, so many dishes to try!  But a Patio Crawl in The Golden Zone (at least for me) has to start at The Aztec Inn for their Blended White Russians.  A ridiculously good, cheap (and strong!) drink that is blended all day long in a slurpee like machine so it is ready whenever you want one!  The bar at the Aztec Inn is a little hole in the wall often frequented by a group of regulars.  They will put your drink in a plastic cup if you want to go outside and sit by the pool.

Next up is The Saloon.  Despite the fact that this place is owned by Canadians, it usually isn't my favorite spot - but only because it is always extremely Smokey.  However, they do have one little dish that I discovered last year that is worth trying to get there during non-busy times to try.  I forget the name of it but is basically a potato roll that is stuffed with mashed potatoes, cheese and bacon wrapped in some type of wrapper (I already had two Blended White Russians by the time I was here) and topped with sour cream and chives.  Absolutely delicious!  I had to share it but it was very good.  Free calls to the US and Canada are offered with a purchase.

Now off to The Golden Star.  Great little spot for a snack and a drink.  Here I like the Oysters Rockefeller - or were they clams?  I'm pretty sure they were clams(I have now added a glass of wine at The Saloon to the two White Russians).

The next place that you HAVE to visit just opened up last year.  It has a difficult Spanish name so I just call it "The Volleyball Bar".  If you head towards the beach from The Golden Star you will find it to the right overlooking the beach and a bunch of volleyball nets.  Great place to people watch and watch a few games.  They have a Happy Hour during the afternoon but I forget the specific details (are you sensing a theme here?)

Now, of course, there are many more great restaurants in this area of The Golden Zone that deliver great meals.  Some of my favorites are Pancho's, Lucky B's, Vittore's and Margarita's but those deliver such great (and big meals) that I reserve these for dinner, not just for a patio crawl snack and drink.

Do you have others you would add to this list?

Patio Crawl Series - Stone Island

Where should we head to next on this Patio Crawl of ours?  Well, I guess the title of my post gave it away, but it was a hard choice.  If I pick the Golden Zone there's so many places to go.  If I choose Olas Altas, arguably even more.  Centro?  Well, that's an area that I'm not even close to being an expert in and yet so many great places to visit.  So, instead, I take the easy way out and pick Stone Island. 

Stone Island is such a great place to go for the day.  You don't even need a Patio Crawl to find great spots because you really can't go wrong with any of the tasty restaurants on Stone Island.  Walk down the beach, stop for a drink and an appy and then move along to the next great spot offering yet another abundant selection of fresh seafood, Mexican food, whatever you might fancy that day.  Easy, peasy.  You can keep going to your heart's content.  The restaurants provide loungers on the beach so you can enjoy the sun, the sand and the amazing expansive beach line - and lots of ice cold cerveza and nice, fruity, slushy cocktails.

For newcomers to Mazatlán, I can't express enough do not take a tour to Stone Island.  You won't get the same experience.  You will be stuck in a crowded restaurant right at the front of the beach jam packed with hundreds of other people eating substandard mass produced food.  It's super easy to get there and you can still enjoy all the activities on the beach - horse back riding, banana boats, ATV's - there's lots to do.  And, yes, the vendors are there too willing to sell you their wares.

I always take the bus and then the water taxi to Stone Island.  Take the Sabalo Centro bus.  It will go into town and past the market and then it will swing around to the ferry area.  You get off right at the end of the line (just ask the bus driver, he will help you) and then take the water taxi across and it's a short walk down the beach.  I believe the water taxi is 25 or 30 pesos per person round trip. 

I usually start off my day at Lety's - it's very popular on the "island" although Victor's and Carmelita's are repeat stops as well and I will hit all three during the day so I start wherever my mood strikes me.  No favorite meal, depends on what I feel like during the day but you can bet it's seafood!
On the way back, we will often stop at La Puntilla.  It's a great seafood restaurant on the other side of the water back near the water taxis.  They have an excellent menu with excellent food and plenty of excellent seafood selections so I usually stop because otherwise I don't often make it out this far unless I'm going to Stone Island so stop and enjoy before you head back.  Enjoy!

Patio Crawl Series - Heading to Cerritos

This is one of my favorite Patio Crawls because I love a long beach walk.  You can always choose to shorten it to suit your needs.

From our condo, we head out on the beach towards the Pueblo Bonito Mazatlán to maximize our time on the beach.  At the PBM we take the stairs up on the north side of the building and get on the street which we carry on to the left until we reach the El CID Marina.  Here we stop for our first beverage and appy.  This is such a beautiful resort and the restaurant is lovely with great food.  They have a great patio where you can sit outside overlooking the Marina and the beautiful boats while watching the birds and, if your lucky, an iguana sunning himself on the roof.  Here I like to sample their cheese soup which is just excellent along with a nice crisp glass of cold Pinot Grigio.  An alternative to this would be to cross the street and start your crawl at the fairly new Mariscos la Corona for a huge selection of seafood for reasonable prices but no water view.

Having started with our first bit of sustenance, we head out down to the Marina and down to the boat dock where we can take a little water ferry across to the beach.  This is free but we always tip and it just adds to much fun to our “adventure” for the day.  Walking down the Cerritos beach we used to be able to stop at the Blue Bay Hacienda for a nice cold Pacifico because we have friends that used to live there but they have moved so we have to keep trekking down the beach before our next stop.
So off we head to the great drink specials at La Fonda at Villas El Rancho.  They have a big banner on the beach side advertising their food specials throughout the week as well as their daily 2 for 1 drink specials.  I believe they changed the name but you won’t be able to miss it.  I will update this section with more information when I find it.

Next stop is La Palapa at the Torres Mazatlán Resort.  They serve breakfast until noon with reasonable prices.  Otherwise I find their Lunch/Dinner menu a little pricey but it is a restaurant in a resort so somewhat expected.  I came last year and they didn’t have the item that I wanted to try so I will return, despite the prices, because I definitely want to try the Shrimp Carbonara.

Okay, here is where it gets interesting as there are options.  Great options!  Depending on what time it is now, you may choose to bypass Mr. Lionso’s in favour of hitting the Last Drop and Roy’s for Happy Hour which at least at one spot begins at 3:00 pm.  If you choose this option, walk up the stairs to the right of Mr. Lionso’s.  Don’t get distracted by the great ambiance of Mr. Lionso’s, you’ll be coming back – don’t worry.  Turn right and hit the street and then you will hit a “strip mall” on the left with little shops and businesses.  You will easily find Roy’s and the Last Drop – both with great ambiance, service and food.  The Last Drop offers a free tequila and I am intent on having their Lobster Pizza on my next visit.

And then, if you still have energy left – and room, return to Mr. Lionso’s for a great evening.  They have amazing food, a great view, live music most evenings AND two for 1 drinks every night after 5:00 pm!  The seafood here is great.  Many rave about the Tequila Shrimp made tableside but I think Pancho beats this one out at the beach location of Pancho’s.

Depending on how many stops you have hit and how much food you have enjoyed, you may or may not have room for one more stop.  At the corner of the strip mall get back on the bus heading to the Golden Zone.  Look for the Mayan Palace or ask the driver to let you off at Tacos Escorpios by Henry.  This is one of the best pop up taco stands I have ever tried.  At night it comes alive in the parking lot of the little grocery store with the Corona sign directly across the street from the Mayan Palace (so if you drive by during the day to find it you won’t!). Dinner comes with complimentary black bean soup and is delicious.  They offer great tacos and other such fair as well as Papas Locos.  It’s super cheap and well worth the stop when in Cerritos.

Stay Tuned for the next instalment in our Patio Crawl Series!

With the Winter Season Upon Us . . .

I thought I would share my favorite “patio crawl” routes with restaurant suggestions.  There are so many great restaurants in Mazatlán.  One of my favorite things to do is to grab a few friends and hit five or six restaurants in an afternoon.  We enjoy a libation and share an appy at each place thereby not filling up to much making it possible to enjoy a special dish at each place.

For the first instalment of my “Patio Crawl” series, let’s go to La Marina to enjoy all the great restaurants in this often missed by tourists location.

To start this great day from the Golden Zone, hop on a bus that goes to Home Depot.  Get off at Home Depot and go right down the street behind Home Depot.  This is La Marina.  If you follow this street all the way down you will hit many great treasures for an appy and some drinks
.
First stop, El Montalayo.  This is a great little spot, super cheap, authentic food, largely unknown by tourists.  Everything is great here but I love the Papas Loco’s.  On the table you are provided with every condiment you would want to load up your potato.  Super good!  I can never finish a whole one.  The other big hit is the rice pudding.  I had never had it before but couldn’t help but help my friend finish hers when she offered me “a bite”.

Next (I think because I don’t know the exact location cuz I haven’t been to this newly opened location yet) is El Memin.  This is the first food memory that I have from my first visit to Mazatlán 10 years ago.  It is awesome!  Shrimp made in every different way you could imagine and for reasonable prices.  Believe it or not, I remember that 10 years ago I had the Camarones Charly.  I love cheese and cream sauces and this is covered in a cheesy sauce.  This will be the first dish I try when I return and then I will make my way through the menu on future visits!

Somewhere in this area, another must not miss stop (at least for me because I haven’t been there yet) is Todos Santos.  Can’t wait to try this place and the Camarones Caramelo – looks delicious!

Next on our stop is Barracruda’s.  This is a highly popular restaurant that has been packed every time I have visited.  It has a great beachy feel with an extensive menu.  They have a pink lemonade that they serve in a big frosty mug that is just delicious.  (I clearly was hung over the day I last visited and was very thirsty!). And oddly enough I think the item on the menu that I want to try on my next visit is a hot dog!

Next stop El Guamachilito’s.  The menu is in Spanish.  The Staff don’t speak much English but I think I can make my way around the menu.  They have Shrimp Pate for 60 pesos which is the lowest I’ve seen so far and Lobster Thermidor for just 225 pesos.

A New Blog Is In The Works!

Hello!  I haven't forgotten about you I promise.  And I still do plan to write a final write up to my great extended stay in Mazatlan this year. 

But, now that I'm home and back into the swing of things, my husband and I have returned to hitting all the excellent restaurants in Edmonton.  So I got thinking and the next thing I knew, the next blog was created!  It's entitled "Curb Your Appetite With Sunseeker" and it will detail all my culinary adventures, wherever I am.

The first installment should be posted by Sunday, hopefully.  It will be entitled "10 Restaurants in 10 Days" and will detail the places we've gone and the food we've experienced since I've been back from Mazatlan.  Unless of course we hit 11 by Sunday . . .

You can join me at sunseeker37food.blogspot.ca.

Okay I Found A Few More Pictures

And they are great!

The Sandcastle in Emerald Bay:

Hard At Work:

View From Our Condo to the North:

Banda Banda!

We Were Supposed To Get On A Catamaran This Time!

Our Deck (Well, Suzanne's Deck):

More Views From the Deck:

And Some Pics of Centro:

How Busy Was This Trip??!!

Phil, the photographer extraordinaire, normally takes SEVERAL HUNDRED pictures each trip.  This time he took TEN!  Here's a few pics of our trip:

A Kite Surfer - Amazing!

View From Our Condo:

Our Friend John:

Tacos at Delirium:

On The Art Walk:

From The Rooftop at Jonathon's:

Retiring In Rocking Chairs?

Another Beautiful Courtyard on the Art Walk:

Thinking of You JoAnn

All of our thoughts and prayers are with you my dear friend!

Lots of Love,

Laura and Phil

An Update Soon - I Promise!

Not tonight - too tired, got some bad news tonight, still dealing with the aftermath of Phil and Dante's accident and, of course, trying to enjoy the four day weekend with lots of food and wine.

Maybe tomorrow . . .

Finally Some Updates!

It has been a busy several days.  Not sure I'll remember everything but let's give it a shot!

Thursday March 19th

We left off going to the Martini Party.  It was great.  Great friends, great drinks, great snacks (thanks to Melanie, Pam and Londa that brought them!  Did I mention I'm the worst hostess ever cuz I had no snacks??!!)  Then we went up to Paul and Londa's to watch some great Dick Damron videos, a few of the Brenster and some of the Three Amigas.  They are such great hosts and their penthouse is just so beatufiul.  We drank a LOT!  Loved getting to know Bruce and Opal's family and friends who are absolutely amazingly lovely people.  I hope Opal doesn't mind me saying but she had a little to drink and she had to lay down on the cool tile for awhile (we've all been there right?!)  In a move of solidarity and friendship, I lied down on the tile with her!

Now, despite what you think, I am always conscience of being a gracious guest and to never outstay my welcome.  Well, Paul went to bed and Londa and I were still talking and he came out three times telling Londalicious that she had to come to bed.  I did leave - finally!

Friday March 20th

All I remember is that I drank a lot!  Was I at the pool?  I'm pretty sure I was. Oh yeah, then it was Happy Hour at Buzz and Marg's.  They have a beautiful condo and put on an excellent spread of drinks and snacks (this has been mentioned previously and will become important again later in the blog because I don't make snacks!) After being lucky to be invited to HH, I was again lucky to be invited to Bill and Melanie's for drinks and appies and out for dinner later.  As usual, Melanie put on a lovely spread and their penthouse is abslutely spectactular!  Bill and Patti were there as well and we all had a great time.  We then headed to Casa Loma for dinner which was excellent as usual!  I had the filet mignon with bearnaise sauce which was excellent!  I couldnt finish it all but I certainly finished the baked potato with butter and sour cream.  And we had some Spanish Coffees - along with the light show - beautiful!  When Bill and Melanie went home, Bill and Patti and I got in a Pulmonia to go home.  Well, of course, wouldn't the brilliant one of the group suggest some White Chocolate Martinis!  Like we needed more!  That was at my place but then some other equally intelligent soul decided it would be a good idea to go to their place (I don't know whether it was Bill or Patti but someone is guilty!)  We stayed up a long time!  I fell asleep on the couch on the deck (because why not, I'm in Mazatlan!)  and they went to bed.  Luckily I was able to stumble home a few floors down a  few minutes later.

Saturay March 21st

Oh crap it's Poker Run and I just woke up at 11:000 am!  I have to be at Hank's trailer to catch the Auriga by 11:30 am or it WILL leave without me!  Now I wouldn't call how I felt like a hangover (like Hangover Sunday) but I was certainly slower than normal.  I arrived at Hank's with a bottle of water in hand and was surprised to find Bill and Patti already there!  Patti with a bottle of water in hand as well!  

I made it through the day - just barely - and wasn't the normal "ray of sunshine" that I usually am. In fact at one stop I ordered a lemonade - but it was soooooo good!  We went to some great venues including Barracruda, El Muchacho Allegre, Social Cafe, La Mazatleca, and Twisted Mama's.  And we played dice this time.  I didn't dare eat at any of the  great venues and delay Hank's Aurgia - I learnt last time so thanks for putting up with me again this month Hank!

After the run I got a ride from Michael and Linda to Macaws (thanks guys!)  I missed my friends but saw others and even fit in a world famous fried chicken dinner. Enjoyed our evening there with the Troubadors playing.  When I left I stopped quickly at Puerto Viejo for a glass of wine and Salty Feet was playing.  They will be at the beach fest tomorrow as well.  Well, let's just say that any band that calls themself Salty Feet. . . 

Sunday March 22nd

What the crap do we do on Sunday??!  Oh yeah, I planned to make it all the way to Macaws for brunch and their great Eggs Benny but for some reason that never happens!  The Beach Fest was starting at 1:00 pm and my dear friend Melanie offered to pick me up at 12:15 pm to go so off we were!  It was perfect.  Good parking.  Good seats.  The music for the most part was excellent (but Salty Feet was playing!)  Rock Creek and Kannon were, as usual, out of this world except for a small technical difficulty which I will not reveal and the names will be changed to protect the innocent! Quick jaunt to La Catrina to see KraKen and then down to Las Flores to see Kannon again.  Full, long day.  I did eat though - a great smokey at the bash and Salted Potatoes with butter (the potatoes down here have made it to my favorites list along with their eggs and rice).  

Monday March 23rd

Okay, all caught up.  After the stressful morning of laundry, cleaning and packing I finally just filled up a "sippy cup" with rum and a refreshing blend of a variety of juices and headed to the pool. Because everything was packed, I didn't even have my beach bag but a small blue garbage bag holding my sunscreen and essentials. Obviously I didn't use them because tonight I'm suffering from a burn on my face - after over two months here!  I did pack the After Sun so I have brought it out again!  

After a pool day my "responsible friends" (see previous other posts) came up for the second White Chocolate Martini Party.  Boy were they good sports.  There was hardly anything left but they were obliged to finish all of it.  They were real troupers and they succeeded in the mission they were given!   This party created SEVERAL quotes of the night for the blog that were entirely funny.

In first place comes Tom, dear Tom.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE Tom and so does Phil.  In fact they were boyfriends for a night when Phil was down here in a night that had Phil kissing Tom.  They broke up the next day for reasons unknown (no, no more details, the story is funny with all the mystery!)  In any event, my dear Tom is one of the lovliest men I know and he is legally blind.  Mid way into the party he offered to take the glass bottles down to the garage cuz we can't send it down the garbage chute (and glass disposal is his chore in the penthouse).  I told him he didn't have to clean up at my party but he insisted so off he went.  Shortly after he got back I realized that there was still an empty Godiva White Chocolate bottle on the counter.  When I asked Tom about it he surmised that we hadn't finished it when he left but I knew otherwise.  It did, however, take me another several minutes to discover that the Kahlua, that was not empty was missing.  So we sent the blind guy back down to get the Kahlua!  It was really cute and funny -- and Tom delivered!  And then at a party that was already classy - no snacks but for a few stale crackers, I then managed to serve Kahlua that came out of the garbage room!  Just when you thought this was the classiest party ever - you missed out on the Martini Shaker - which I managed to break this week.  So I used a plastic yogurt container!

Some other funny quotes of the night - the prize goes to Dave who said "This is my kind of cocktail party  Heavy on the booze, no food!"  He was good with finishing off the Tequila bottle.

With honourable mention are the gals from Michigan that think that Regina is the funniest name ever for a city.  I kind of thought that the fact they have been to Effingham Missouri was kinda funny.  I think they win though cuz I don't think "my girls" will be coming to Edmonton from Michigan for a visit because they can't get there without travelling through Regina (which just cracks them up!) 

White Chocolate Martini Party!

It's White Chocolate Martini Party Night!  Brought two bottles of Godiva White Chocolate and two bottles of Bailey's down with me and still haven't drank them.  I know - what a different year from last year when I had a Martini on the deck and watched the sunset almost every night.

So having a bunch of people over for Martini's.  I do this every year and I stress myself out every year!  I have a party to finish off the remaining stuff in my fridge and bar but then I worry that I won't have enough stuff so I go out and buy more.  It's a viscious circle.  So this year I said I wasn't going to have any snacks (who says that?!) because I have no food in my fridge (cuz I haven't eaten this whole trip!) so my friends are bringing all the snacks (I'm a terrible hostess!)  Oh well.  We'll have tons of fun and I'm sure if I feed them enough Martinis they'll forget that I didn't give them any food (oh yeah, except that I just admitted to it on a blog that can forever be accessed!)

Yesterday I headed on the bus to Centro by myself.  Was planning on finding something to eat and wandering around.  But the pull was just too great.  As I was passing La Corriente where Kannon was playing I pushed the button on the bus and got off.  Was glad that I did.  Bill, Melanie, Tom and Pam were there so I sat with them and enjoyed the afternoon.  I then headed to Angelina's for dinner.  Russ and Jane were there so I was able to get a pulmonia back home with them after a very nice fettucini alfredo dinner and some wine.  It was good.

What Happens In Mexico Stays in Mexico!

So today is Tuesday and we all know what that means (even those of you not down in Mazatlan must know after eight weeks) that Tuesday is Brenster's day at Diego's. And one of the songs he sings is "Whatever Happens in Mexico stays in Mexico".  I always laugh because, even though I don't even know how to spell Facebook let alone know how to find it, I know that what happens in Mexico ends up on Facebook!  Well, Joani outdid me today - and props to her because it was super funny - because when I was singing that what happens in Mexico ends up on Facebook, she said "No!  What happens in Mexico ends up on your blog!!!"  Super funny.  So kudos to Joani for making the best quote of the night on the blog tonight!

Seriously, there was one more but I can't think of what it was.  Gosh, if I don't write them down I'm screwed!  Well it was a marathon day after all.  We started at Diego's at 2:00 pm for Brenster.  Then Kannon played there at 6:00 pm.  Then we went to La Katrina to see KraKen quickly (and yes Phil they let me sing!) and then we went to Por Que No to see Kannon again.  It really was an amazing day!

Going back to cover yesterday we went to the street party which was good - not as much activity as last year though, that's for sure.  Then I broke from the Las Gavias crew - who split between going to Taco Time (not the Canadian one) and Nasha's.  I decided to head out to dinner by myself to Vittore's.  Because I haven't eaten much I was really looking for a filling pasta meal.  Well, I ordered it but only ate a couple bites.  It wasn't as good as I was hoping for but not bad either.  I brought the leftovers home.  Today I ordered a cheeseburger at Diego's which was good, but I couldn't finish it all so I gave the other half to Buzz, Brent's dad.

Everyone was commenting today on how much they miss Phil and how they wanted me to pass on hi's from all of them. He's a pretty popular guy around here!

Overall a really great day but I really want to remember the other funny line that we said was going to make the blog.  I'm sure someone will remind me tomorrow!

Down to my last week . . .

Hangover Sunday!

Tried to leave the couch a few times but just couldn't. So I watched the Nascar race and the Juno's (in three different time zones I thnk!) and was in bed before 8:00 pm. So nothing interesting to report from yesterday (unless you count Kurt Busch's return to racing following his supension for alleged domestic violence).  We're off to the Street Party for International Week though so that should be fun. And then maybe I'll get somewhere for dinner and will finally have something food related to report!

Patio Crawl #3 - Golden Zone

So yesterday (Saturday) I finally got around to my 3rd patio crawl.  This one was in the Golden Zone.  I started at The Saloon cuz I had to use my big 100 peso winnings from Karaoke a few weeks ago!  I get there to find out that it was the semi-finals night and that the winners from the last several weeks were going to be competing for the finals next Saturday night where the top 9 will compete for a 5000 peso prize.  Josie looked at me sideways because she was intent on getting to Kannon so I promised her I wouldn't stay and I would go with her as promised (sometimes I've been known to change plans at the last minute down here!)  Next stop was Azteca Inn for blended white russians.  I think this is where I made my first mistake of the night - I had two! (not feeling so good this morning).  Then we went to check out the "volleyball bar".  It is a really great new spot right on the beach.  Very neat with a good menu.  We will return.  Then to the Golden Star for Roquefort Oysters.  They were good.  Then we got to Lucky B's to see Kannon.  It's been a few days!  Laura was there and it was great to finally meet her.  After Kannon is was off to Baja Style to see Zaz.  Here I switched from wine to Margaritas on the rocks - why? why? why?  That was my second mistake.  Did I mention I'm not feeling too good this morning?  So it's another beautiful day in Mazatlan but I'm sticking pretty close to home and watching Nascar for the day.

Brenster and Carrum Show with Joan Kennedy

Friday night's Brenster and Carrum Show was absoutely excellent!  Brent and Tanya were just outstanding - the best I've ever seen them.  They were really good.  And when Brent sang with Dick Damron it was so great.  Then Joan Kennedy sang and she was simply amazing.  I enjoyed every second of the show and didn't want it to end.  It was a really good night.

I Missed a Day - A Very Important Day!

I can't believe I missed Tuesday - Brenster, Kannon and KraKen - all in one day!

Spent the morning by the pool but headed to Diego's early as they were expecting a large crowd today.  It was great as usual.  Had the Mac and Cheese before we started "imbibing".  It is so good there.  Shared it with three others!  Sammy from the Joan Kennedy band sat with us - very nice guy!

After Brenster, Kannon played from 630 pm on for the first time.  It was great!  Many people stayed.  We had dinner.  I had the Fish and Chips.  It was okay but I was sick so I'm sure it tasted better than I thought.  Tom finished it off and didn't complain!

Then we headed to La Katrina for KraKen.  They asked me to sing "Sweet Caroline" with them but I preferred to dance to it so I let Leslie rock that song and then they let me sing with them again after that.  Always fun - thanks guys!

And I think that ended the day.

This Is For "The Other" Deb

So I haven't blogged for a few days.  It's been busy and this tablet is frustrating beyond belief so even when I get a few minutes it's not working.  So my other friend Deb emailed me the other night and said that she goes to bed, opens her ipad, looking for the day's updates and it's not there and she has to go to bed disappointed - so this is just for you Deb (you made the blog and you're not even here!) Also, I hope the other Deb that was supposed to be joining me tomorrow is feeling better and her wrist is healing.

Pretty hard to go back three days - I can't remember what I did yesterday!

Thanks to my last post I know that Wednesday started with us having breakfast at The Social Cafe.  It was great!  My friend's daughter owns it (they are Canadian) and it's a great spot.  I have been there before to watch Rob and Lori play but have never had breakfast there.  It was delicious!  I had the breakfast slider - a perfectly runny egg with bacon and cheese on a fluffy slider bun for 35 pesos.  It was just the perfect size for me.  Others had the breakfast bagel and said it was yummy as well and Darlene wanted me to make sure that I noted that the scrambled eggs were good as well!

After breakfast and a walk we headed back to the condo for pool time.  We've had beautiful weather. Just as I was starting to get a little bored at the pool Bonnie announced that she was going to Bingo so I asked if I can join them.  It's every Wednesday afternoon at 4:30 pm at El Paraje (The Place).  What a hoot!  I had lots of fun but had to leave early, running out the door, as the gang had plans to meet for dinner and if I'm not on time they will leave without me!  Which they did!!  But luckily that Cerritos bus only runs every so often so Melanie and I made it to the bus stop in time to catch the same bus.  We went out to the Last Drop for dinner which I was very excited about and it did not disappoint.  They did not have an all you can eat lobster special but they did have a "way more than I can eat" lobster special!!  It was two lobsters plus four shrimp for 199 pesos.  It was excellent!  I want to go back to try their lobster pizza (lobster, cream cheese and gouda cheese!)

After dinner we went back to the condo and went up to the penthouse for a nightcap. A lovely evening and another early night for me!

Yesterday was Melanie's last day so I told her we would do whatever she wanted to do.  We hit the pool for the day and enjoyed another day of great weather.  I quickly headed down to Loco's Loco's for a bit, back for a quick shower and then we headed to the Palms for Happy Hour (which turned out to be not so happy hour - but that's another story!)  So off to Pancho's for dinner with John and Diane.  You can't come to Mazatlan without eating at Pancho's and it was great.  Melanie got the fajitas and I got the queso fondido with chorizo and we shared so we each got a bit of everything. It was delicious and made for a great poolside lunch the next day with I shared with Josie and Joani and there was still some left!

Melanie headed home and I stopped at Palapa Del Mar to see Rock Creek.  Love those guys (and Melissa of course!)  They stop playing at 9:30 pm so I walked home with another couple from the building and it was another early night.

Today Tom left, then Tessa and Brady and then Melanie.  It was sad to see everyone go - and involved three trips to the lobby to do our traditional group send off as everyone had different flight times.

Tonight is the Brenster and Carrum show with the Joan Kennedy band as guests.  It should be great! Pretty much everyone is going - except Chris who has came down sick during his golf game today. Hope you're feeling better soon Chris!  I suspect a large crowd will end up at Las Flores afterwards for KraKen.

Well, I best get upstairs to shower and get ready - and I am pretty anxious to hit send before somehow everything I've written has disappeared!

I'm Home at 10:30 pm - What Am I Going To Do?

What is up with that?  I don't even know what to do when I'm at home at 10::30 pm. Melanie stayed home tonight and was in bed by the time I got home so I didn't know what to do!  Kidding - it was actually a great opportunity to catch up on emails, on my forum (mazcommunity.com) and to blog. And now I am actually tired and have forgotten most of what I wanted to blog about today!

Our day started out today with another shopping trip (shocking I know!)  But it ended quick when Jodi hit a pole that was just randomly sticking out of the sidewalk and cut and bruised her shin.  I felt so bad for her.  She was tough as nails though.  I would still be on the sidewalk crying and feeling sorry for myself.  Hope you're feeling okay Jodi!

Speaking of injuries, I also spent a lot of the day thinking about my dear friend Deb who has been looking after Nikko for the last two weeks so that Phil could come and join me in Mazatlan.  On the day that Phil left, she fell on the ice in dreadful Edmonton and broke her wrist.  Amazingly, she stayed and looked after Nikko despite all of her pain and discomfort and on Friday she found out that she needed surgery which occurred today.  She is in pain and it has been awful for her.  I just want her to know how much we appreciate her and that I'm thinking of her every moment and hope she feels bettter soon.

So with our shopping trip shortened we walked back to the condo.  Phil will be pleased to hear that I didn't buy the teacups - they were over $1000!  Now the rest of you won't know what I'm talking about and are probably questioning why I would buy $1000 teacups!  But it is a sculpture - a piece of art - very funky and Melanie had me convinced that I wanted to buy them.  They are cool (Bruce and Opal have them in their condo) but I resisted!  So do I get diamond earrings instead Phil?

Then after an afternoon in the beautiful sun (it was nice and sunny and hot today after a cloudy and rainy day yesterday) I headed off to Ocean Palms for Happy Hour at John and Diane's and to watch the sunset with John, Darlene, Mark and Jackie. Very nice.

Then we headed to La Chupeteria to see Rob and the All Stars.  Our friend Gerry Perkin plays with them (as well as with Rock Creek on Thursdays at Palapa Del Mar) and I always love to see him play.  We had dinner there as well and that is the second time I've eaten there and the food is really good.

They also have a market there as well that night and for the first time I FINALLY met Linda Lee.  She is a chef and a caterer and I have been trying to hit one of her events for awhile.  Tonight I got to introduce myself and bought a few of her items. Although I was full I came home and had one of her Lumpias - its a Filipino egg roll filled with meat and veggies.  It was absolutely delicious!  I am glad I have another one for tomorrow.  She is at the Saloon on Tuesday and usually at the Market at Palapa Del Mar on Wednesdays but won't be there this week.  I suggest you check out her products.  I also bought the Clam Chowder to put in my freezer for some late night snacks.

Okay, off to bed.  At this rate, maybe I will be up in time to meet the gals for breakfast at the Social Cafe.  You never know!

I Miss Phil Already!

What a crazy day!  I woke up this morning (well, in fact I didn't sleep much) cuz I was sick from allergies - exposure to smoke.  So I couldn't breath and my chest was in so much pain.  Terrible way to send Philly off.  But we went to breakfast at Loco's Loco's and for the record - I was there before the scheduled 900 am arrival.  I was dead tired and hated getting up that early but I was there!!

We had a really nice send off breakfast for Phil with Darlene and Louis, John and Diane, Melanie, Art and Mark and Jackie - and Javier of course.  So sorry that Ada-Lou was sick and couldn't join us.  It was really nice for Phil though that everyone showed up to send him off.

Then back at the condo - everyone showed up in the lobby to wish him well and say goodbye as well - only I sent him off in the cab a few minutes too early (cuz I'm a stress pot on travel days).  So many thanks to Dave and Jodi, Darlene and Dan, Tom and Diana, Chris and Joani, Anne and Larry and Josie - and of course Melanie - for showing up to say goodbye.  I told Phil that he missed his goodbye kiss from Tom.

When Phil left I was really sad and had a bit of an anxiety attack.  I Skyped Deb and Nikko and they made me feel much better.  And after doing a bit of laundry I headed down to the pool (instead of heading to bed which is what I really felt like doing cuz I was feeling sorry for myself).  I'm so glad I did because we ended up having a great day!  It was overcast and cold so sitting by the pool wasn't good but then the gang said "You wanna play Mexican Train?"  Well my Aunt and Uncle will be shocked because we played it at Xmas and New Years and I hated it - but Phil loved it.  We played today (a different version albeit) and I loved it.  We had tons of fun.  So much so that after the first game I said "Who wants to play another game?"  It went so long that we were late for happy hour at Josie's to meet her grandaughter and her boyfriend but we got there!

Then we headed to Fat Fish for dinner - and I actually ate!  I know it's shocking but I've hardly eaten since I've been here (even Nikko asked me today when we were talking about how many restaurants I've been too - cuz that's what I do - but it's been hardly any).  And Phil - you'll be glad to hear that I threw out those seven or eight boxes of half eaten meals that have been in our fridge for the last week!

After dinner we went to La Catrina and had a great time.  KraKen let me sing with them again - what a treat!  And Melanie finally stayed up late enough to see it!  And some of my Las Gavias friends were there as well so that was great.  Hank and the gang headed to Las Flores to see Kannon and normally I would have gone but we headed back to our condo for a nightcap.  It was fun to have Tom and Diana, Tom and Josie visit our place and we had lots of fun.  All of that to say, I was so sad when Phil left today but my great friends made sure that my day ended up okay.  And for that, I am eternally grateful.

Philly's Last Day - Sad!

I thought I was going to start with today and work backwards - but maybe we'll start with Thursday night where we left off.  Because that's when Anne decided she was going to host Phil's going away party tonight - she had a few Golden Margaritas (and I know from experience never to plan a party and invite all of Mazatlan at night when you are drinking!)  But I am so thankful that she did and it was a great time tonight and a great send off for Phil.  Thanks Anne and Joani for all the work and preparation.  And to Darlene, Jody, Diana, Josie, Dave, Dan, Tom, Tom, Larry, Chris, Lorraine and Allen, Colleen, Bill, and Teagan, Buzz and Marg, Linda and Mike, Marv and Linda, and Melanie for coming and having a great send off for Phil.  And thanks Phil for recognizing that it was a going away party for you (unlike your welcoming party when you were clueless that every one was there for you!)

After that we headed to The Palms for Happy Hour and another send off with our friends Darlene and Louis and their son Mark and his girlfriend Jackie that arrived today, along with Diane and John and Lori - and Josie and Melanie were with us of course as well.  Another great send off.  I will actually get up tomorrow morning at a respectable hour and we will all meet at Loco's Loco's for breakfast for one more send off before Phil has to leave. 

Oh, and then, after the Palms we headed to Lucky B's for one last night of Kannon.  And Mazatlan Royalty Bill and Melanie showed up so they got to say goodbye to Phil too.  What a great day for him!  It will be so sad to see him go.

Okay, now I'll work our way backwards.  Today started out with the Las Gavias girls going shopping - and me going with them!  It took me about three days to work myself up enough to go and after a temper tantrum in the driveway before we left which Darlene quickly (and rightly so) told me to grow up and get on with it - we were on our way shopping!  I love Darlene - she's the best!  They were also very smart and strategic in convincing me to go shopping.  First they told me there would be drinking involved and they said that we were only going jewelry shopping.  Well, if there's any shopping that I can do (after grocery shopping) it would certainly be jewelry shopping.  Jodi said "it's okay Laura we won't go clothes shopping" so I was okay.  These gals REALLY know me!  I did great and had a great time.  We were at some pretty nice stores and at one they even offered me a Kahlua and I turned it down!  I know!!  But I was there for the whole experience and adventure and wanted to enjoy it with my friends.  After all the gals got everything they wanted we went for drinks (and by the way I did spend some money myself - I got a new watch battery for my watch that has said since Phil arrived that it's 5:00 o'clock - which is kinda funny cuz it's 5:00 o'clock somewhere!) So now my watch is on time and I don't have that excuse!  Okay, back to the drinks.  So I took my friends for the first time to Azteca Inn so they could enjoy the blended White Russians from a slurpee machine.  They were a hit and we all agreed we would be back.  And for the record - I was the last to finish mine in our group of seven!  Who would've thunk that??!!  Anne - the trouper was finished first!

While the gals were out Phil went and spent the day at Loco's Loco's with his dear friend Javier.  They had a nice day today.  It's always so sad to see them have to say goodbye.  Because what happens next is this crazy texting between a guy that can't speak Spanish and a guy that can't read English all that well.  But it's so funny watching them try and communicate with each other from thousands of miles away and they both just laugh, laugh, laugh trying to understand what the other is saying.

Okay, so a bit about yesterday.  God, what did we do yesterday.  Ah yes.  We started with breakfast at Loco's Loco's (about an hour and a half later than our friends were there and probably much later than Melanie would have liked - but I made it!)  Then we had some pool time so Phil could even out his "Phantom of the Opera" tan before heading home (reference previous post where he lost half his face and chest).  Then we headed out to the Art Walk (where everyone commented on how dark Phil's tan was).  We had a bite at Delirium which was just great and then went up on the rooftop at Johathon's to see Cheryl Gaudet play. We had tons of fun up there.  Paul, Londa, Bruce, Opal, Hank and Kelly were all there.  As was David, Patti, Penny and their whole group - had tons of laughs with all of them.  This is such a great town with such great people!  Headed to Lucky B's to see Kannon (shocker) and then Melanie was done so we sent her home in the safe company of the Las Gavias group.  Phil and I went to Las Flores to see KraKen and sat with Hank, Donna and Denny.  Had a great time as usual and Leslie was kind enough to let me sing with them again.  Awesome! 

And I would be remiss if I didn't give a shout out to my very special boy - Nikko.  He turned 17 today - without his mom and dad there.  But our great friend Deb is taking great care of him and I know she made it special for him.  We love you both - thanks for allowing us to be away and having a great vacation! 

 

Busy, Busy

Okay, a post completely dedicated to Philly - and the clothes he wears!

It is pretty funny - now that Darlene explained it to me.

But for those that know Phil - particularly on vacation - he wears the best clothes ever!  He arrived in Maztlan in bright lime green runners - that didn't match anything else he was wearing - but he looked great!  And everyone commented.

Since then he has been in typical Philly style - a loud Hawaiian shirt with some great shorts.  Today, Darlene and the Las Gavias girls told me he was "busy, busy".  Apparently there is a comic strip of a husband and wife where the wife tells the husband you can wear "plain and plain", "plain and busy" or "busy and plain" but you can't wear "busy, busy".  We have discovered that that is Phil's life!  A loud Hawaiian shirt with busy shorts - that don't necessarily match.  But he's too cute!  He's so handsome though he even looks good falling through a floor!!!!  LOL!!  

Laura Stayed Up All Night and Started the Next Day Drunk, Laura Bumped her Head But Then Phil Broke the Floor!

So, obviously, I have lots to catch up on since my last post.  Can't even remember where I left off!  There are some pretty funny stories but god help me, none of us can remember them all!!

Okay, let's see if I can go back two nights.  After my "KraKen Singing Deubt" I doubt I could get over the excitement.  Soooo, I stayed up all night while Phil and Melanie slept like babies.  When Melanie got up for Zumba in the morning - I was still up!  So I went down to the lobby in my jammies, with my wine glass in hand, to say bye to all the gals and wish them well as they set off for  Zumba.  I planned to go every Mon, Wed, Fri this season but haven't made it once yet.  Honestly though, I think the funnier story is that I was still up, drinking wine, and in the lobby saying bye to them all as they went to Zumba!!

Best part of that day - I started it already drunk.  It was pretty fun!  We headed to La Corriente to see Kannon.  We gave them the great pictures of the band that Phil took last year and got mounted on poster boards.  We had one made for ourselves that we got the guys to sign.  That's gonna be worth something some day soon cuz they are great and will be famous!

Then we headed off to Happy Hour at Allen and Marilyn's.  It was Marilyn's mom's birthday so we had a great time.  Then we had to run back to the condo, drop Melanie off, pick up our friends Art and Aida-Lou and head to a Mexican Street Party for a 25th Anniversary.  Way too much fun.  Chuck and Katy invited us to a Mexican Posada last year but Nikko ended up getting sick so we weren't able to go so this was our first time.  What an experience.  Hundreds of people dancing in the street to Banda Banda.  Food, drink, so much fun.  And the only four gringos there!  And then Phil, who NEVER dances, all of a sudden asks me to dance.  I immediately jumped up, excited for the opportunity, and HIT MY HEAD on a metal spiral staircase (like a fire escape on the side of the building we were sitting under).  The funniest part of this story is that I hit my head REALLY hard, I had ice on it forever, we never did dance and I didn't remember anything about the whole incident until the next day when Aida-Lou sent me an email asking how my head was doing!!!!  My friend Darlene would be saying to me right now "Laura, you really shouldn't be saying that out loud!!"

The party went all night into the morning.  I went home at a respectable 3:00 am.  The night before Melanie said I was slurring my words.  This night when I got home I left Melanie a note about the plans for the next day and I think I was slurring my writing!  I don't know how she ever read that note but she said she understood every word.

So that gets us to today.  We were going with a large group to Surf's Up.  I was up in time, even got in a beach walk and headed out for the day.  It was great as usual.  But I was sooooo tired and not all that fun.  But when it was over I had promised Mel we would go for Cosmos and I was all in!  So we went to Macaws for Cosmos and met up with our Las Gavias friends. 

For dinner we headed to Hector's Bistro.  It was great.  Two of us had the spaghetti carbonara which was excellent, John had the lamb which everyone raves about, and Phil and Diane had sandwiches/paninis of some sort.  Hector came by to check on us himself twice.  Very nice.

So, it's fairly well known that at a certain hour each night, Laura goes and "Laurita" comes out.  But did you know that Melanie has an alter ego herself?  Yep.  When Melanie goes "Gladys" comes out!  It's lots of fun!!  She's going to hate me for revealing that!

And then there's Phil.  We ended up at Gringo Lingo tonight (never been there before in how many years?) but Kannon was playing so we went.  There's kind of this little bird cage kind of thing in the air that hot, young, (and perhaps I should say LIGHT) girls get up and dance on.  When Tom and Phil decided (perhaps with some significant encouragement from the rest of us) to get up there and dance  well, won't you know it - PHIL BROKE THE FLOOR!  His foot came right though the floor.  Broken pieces everywhere, sawdust on the table below.  People - don't lose your souvenier pieces of floor! 

And I think we're caught up - almost! 

I Made It On My Own Blog Tonight!

Crazy, amazing day - as usual.  Poor Melanie.  When I told her we run from one place to the next, without anytime in between - I don't think she really believed me!  She thought she'd have time to change her clothes (ironed and all) and shower, put on her makeup, do her hair, all that - but NO!  She realized today that that isn't how we roll in Mazatlan!

We planned a simple morning, sunning by the pool but then a walk to the bank machine.  That quickly changed when Michael and Linda offered to take us to the bank, then to Mega for supplies and then to a taco place for lunch.  It was amazing!  Great experience and so nice to share it with such great people.

Then we headed to Diego's Beach Bash.  Not sure that Melanie knew what to expect but she did great!  Honestly, she met at least 100 people in the first 18 hours that she was here and she did great.  She has already been invited on a girls' jewelry shopping trip which is great - cuz I don't shop! 

After Diego's we went with the whole Las Gavias crew to Baja Style for dinner.  It was great - as usual.  They are my responsible friends though, after all, so after dinner they all wanted to go home - and so did Melanie.  So we sent her with them in their capable hands and Phil and I partied for what - another four hours or so??!!  We went to La Catrina to see KraKen - AND I GOT TO SING WITH THEM!!!  It was awesome!  Leslie is so great.  And the crowd went wild - but I'm sure it was cuz everyone had lots to drink that day!!

Then we went to Gus Gus to see Kannon.  There was a bit of an incident there before we got there.  Lots of blood.  And lots of stories - most of them hugely inaccurate from what we could decipher.  I hope the victim of the assault is okay.  He was taken to hospital by ambulance.  Lots of people were a little upset.  Unfortunately, I go to a blood fight almost every working day of my life so I was hardly phased (and I think I actually walked through the crime scene getting blood on my flip flops - oops!) 

But let's focus on the great news story - I SANG WITH KRAKEN!  Too much fun!!  Melanie missed it but maybe she'll build up her stamina over the next week and be able to stay out longer!  She does plan to get up early though and head to Zumba by 730 am! 

Santa Finally Got His Christmas Present - in March!

Laurita and Philly

View From Our Condo

Our Condo

El Sol La Vida

A Day At the Beach

The Malecon

La Corriente

A Hard Day At Work

Our Lunch View - With Friends

 Does It Get Better Than This?

And for December - "Just Call Me Hank"

People Find My Clothes Funny

So we had an absolutely great time this afternoon and this evening at Jody's birthday party!  How can we not have a great time with such a great group of people??!!  Highlight of the night - doing the "congo line" to give Jody a birthday hug.  Too much fun!  Many others in the restaurant joined in as well - it was so great!

And I want to give a huge shout out to Melanie's new followers - her family and friends!  She arrived in great form like a real trouper!  Gave her a glass of wine upon arrival, showed her her room, had her drop her luggage off and quickly change and then told her to meet us on the 20th floor for a party!  Within 15 minutes we were headed off in two Aurigas (they are open aired red trucks) used to transport big groups (well, crazy groups too but that's another story!)  Mel was great, and even finished her wine before I did - who can do that??!!  We had a great dinner and she fit in great with all of our friends.  While in the Auriga heading to dinner we saw Chad and crew on the street.  Sounds like he had a good fishing day. 

After dinner we headed back to the condo and put Melanie to bed (after giving her the iron and ironing board of course!  LOL!!)  We headed back up to the penthouse for a night cap.  On our way out, Dave - who clearly wanted to make the blog tonight - said "Are you going to the Drunk Place tomorrow"?  We all laughed cuz clearly he was referring to Diego's Beach Bash.  And even funnier was the fact that we ALWAYS go there every week!  Like we wouldn't be going!  Too funny.  But you made the blog Dave!  And with something way better than "I give out birthday cards for those that don't bring one for Jody" (which is how he was trying to make the blog earlier in the night)!  Speaking of birthday cards - despite my last blog - I did give Jody a b-day card (thanks Dave).  It listed the top 25 songs for old people.  It was hysterical but my great American friends from Michigan and Minnesota thought the best was YMC-eh!  Great card - so I guess Dave makes the blog twice after all.   

So finally on to the title of my post - People Find My Clothes Funny!  This actually happened last night and the night before but is very funny and very worthy of making the blog before now but, you know, I might have forgot for some unknown reason.  But for those of you that know me you know that I'm not a shopper (Auntie Karen??!!)  So the other night I was wearing a shirt that I have received a lot of compliments on.  It's kind of a tie-dyed ripped looking thing.  I have finally had to tell the real story of where I got it.  Because I'm not a shopper, you will never find me in a mall.  But one day, just before coming to Mazatlan, I had to go to a Government building downtown for the day and during a break I headed to the drugstore in the building for a bottle of water.  In the drugstore were these beautiful tops and dresses and the sign said $14.99.  I couldn't believe it.  I asked the girl and she said that was right so I bought two tops and one dress to take the Mazatlan.  So two nights ago a woman approached me and commented on how beautiful my top was to I told her the drugstore story.  Last night the woman saw me again and approached me to tell me she was the one I saw the night before.  She then commented on how nice I was dressed that night (I was wearing a mini-skirt and a t-shirt).  She asked me where I got the t-shirt and I told her what grocery store I had bought it at (the same one that I bought my matching $4 flip flops).  She said,  "Girl - Do you ever go to a mall??!!" It was hysterical.  And even funnier she starting texting her sister, that we had seen the night before but who had already gone home, to tell her.  Very funny!  So don't be surprised that I buy my clothes in the drugstore and the grocery store!

Another funny comment was said tonight - which I love but I get that when reading a blog it always doesn't come across as funny - so work with me!

Melanie arrived and she wanted to make sure that she is a good house guest and that she doesn't "make me mad for peeing where she isn't supposed to pee".  She said that she remembers me travelling with a gal and I was mad at her for peeing somewhere and Melanie doesn't want to be "that girl".  I said what?!  I couldn't recall what she was talking about but assured her that we have three bathrooms and she was welcome to use any of them any time she wanted.  But then I recalled what she was talking about.  Many, many, many years ago I travelled with a gal who unfortunately got "the runs" in Mexico.  We were sharing a hotel room with one bathroom.  For reasons unknown to me, instead of using the toilet she decided to crap in the garbage can in the middle of the room!  I don't know why she did that!!  And Melanie's right - I was probably more than just a little annoyed!  But I also assured Melanie that that was not the same as what she recalled!  But we clearly established the boundary - no crapping in a garbage can in the middle of the room - feel free to use the bathroom!!!

Okay, maybe this isn't so funny after all.  Is this going to be on the internet forever??!!

Life is good today. 

It's Jody's Birthday!! And Melanie Arrives Today!!

Happy Birthday Jody!  Haven't seen her yet today because they are all preparing for her big party but Happy Hour starts in the penthouse in just about a half an hour.  I'm bringing Oysters Rockefeller from El Fish Market so we'll have to see if they are good.  After drinks and appies on the deck and some cake we're headed off to La Mona for their brick oven pizza.  Two Aurigas are scheduled to pick us up at 5:30 pm.  Melanie's plane lands at 4:00 pm so it may be a little tight!  She'll have just enough time to drop her bags off and run - and so her Mazatlan experience begins!!  Hope she didn't want to shower or anything like that!

Otherwise, yesterday was another fun filled day.  We started off at Loco's Loco's for breakfast.  It was packed as usual on a Sunday. Then headed to the pool for a bit of sun and sleep (I was tired cuz I had to get up early for breakfast!)  Then showers - but ahhhhhh!  As Phil came out of the shower and I discovered he has lost half his face and half his chest!!  He scrubbed too hard in the shower and he's peeling so half his nice dark tan is gone.  It looked a little bad at first but it's blending in now!

Walked the beach and hit Pueblo Bonito for happy hour.  Not very good there.  Drinks are expensive (though we do get 2 for 1) but their blended White Russians weren't nearly as good as the Azteca Inn.  A funny thing happened there though that is worthy enough to make the blog!  As we're sitting having drinks at the pool bar which, by definition was surrounded by the pool, a woman actually came up and asked the bartender how to get into the pool.  It was so funny.  He couldn't understand so she actually asked him about four times before she gave up and tried to find her way into the pool (which was right there!)  Too funny.  (I think she had a few drinks!)

Then we got a text from Chad who said he was at The Palms so we quickly headed there for Happy Hour.  Phil finally got to meet Chad!  Of course they had a great time laughing and joking.  I knew they'd like each other.  We also met Chad's girlfriend Natasha and their friends Andy and Jamie.  We all had a great time.  We had plans to meet friends for another birthday party at Twisted Mama's so we left these guys at Pancho's saying we'd meet them later at Las Flores for Kannon and headed over.  We were late but made it in time for cake.  Closed out the night at Las Flores.  I sure hope Melanie likes staying out late and sleeping in late, otherwise, my body is in for a total culture shock!

Again, Happy Birthday Jody!  Looking forward to spending your special day with you!  Sorry I couldn't find an English birthday card and I knew I couldn't just get any old one in Spanish not knowing what it said after last year when you got the best birthday cards ever! 

Blended White Russians, The New El Sinaloense and Massages at Our Condo!

So I have lots to recap over the last couple of action packed days! 

What started out yesterday as a lazy day by the pool quickly turned in to anything but!  We decided to go for a beach walk and just planned to walk.  Well, we got down to Ocean Palms and everyone was sitting on the bar stools near the edge and quickly called us over to join them.  They are such great people!  So, again, we spent the afternoon in the pool there and then upstairs for Happy Hour. Does it get any better than this? 

After Happy Hour drinks our friends introduced us to something new in Mazatlan - Blended White Russians at the Azteca Inn.  Absolutely amazing!  I love them!!  They were 45 pesos and absolutely delicious (I learned later that they are actually much cheaper than this!).  I am going to bring my Las Gavias friends down and introduce them to them!!  You will have to go there and try them!

Then we absolutely had to eat - for god's sake no one can just keep drinking without eating!  We headed to the new El Sinaloense restaurant - across from Sam's Club.  Last year it was the new Gamba.  We had a good meal there last year but this year it wasn't as busy so I wasn't sure.  We got a menu and I was totally impressed.  Now if the food would just live up to it.  I ordered a glass of wine but they only had Merlot.  I asked if I could just have my own wine (in my "wine purse") they said "Yes".  I asked if they would bring me a wine glass they said "Yes".  I asked if I could take one of their huge laminated menus so I could blog about them they said "Yes".  So far, we're off to a good start!!  And then the food came.  It was totally amazing!  Great menu that also delivered on good taste and quality.  We will definitely be back.  But what is the problem?  There were four of us that shared three appetizers and we were totally full.  We planned to go to La Brochetas for our entrée after but could not.  Too full.  We must be getting old. 

So instead we walked to Lucky B's to see Kannon and then on to Las Flores and enjoyed KraKen for the rest of the night.  Good night!

Today we started our days with massages at our condo.  A gal came to us and we have two massage rooms available.  It was AMAZING!  Phil's still not too sure about others touching him though!  But it was great and we both enjoyed it and were very relaxed afterwards.

After another rushed shower, we were heading out to Happy Hour at Josie's.  Another new set of friends came in today and that's how we welcome them!  Then down to Diego's to see KraKen.  2 for 1 drinks and the best company ever - how can you beat that?  Then we went to Fat Fish for dinner.  Now Fat Fish is a controversial place - you either love it or you hate it.  Lots of debate about the smell, the cleanliness, and how many birds crap on the grill.  But they serve good ribs - and how bad can it be when the grill is 500 degrees!  In all fairness, Phil and I did catch e-coli there last year but it didn't deter us from attending again tonight with our friends and we've never bad mouthed them - we just wouldn't eat the salad!  Darn - another excuse to not have to eat salad!!  Why? Why? Why? though do we continue to order full meals.  Ever day our fridge fills up with half eaten meals - we need to just share!  Tonight though two full meals for 190 pesos - how do you pass up on that?  And we got a fully loaded baked potato - so good after being gone from home for over a month.  And many will tell you the potatoes down here are way better than home!  So Phil has a whole steak he can enjoy tomorrow. 
 
Headed back to Diego's to hook up with friends and watch the last few songs of a couple from San Diego.  They were good.

Then off to Baja Style to see Zaz play.  They are always good.  Maybe because I only ate about an 1/8 of my dinner, and maybe because friends told me it was so good, we ordered the Steak Papas.  It was delicious.  Really good.  Now another Styrofoam container in the fridge though . . .

All that to say - it was another really good day in Mazatlan!  Life is good today.

Beach Walks

So one of mine and Phil's favorite things to do every day in Mazatlan is walk the beach.  Yesterday was, I think, just our second beach walk this year.  Partly because Phil was so sick for so long but also because the beach just isn't the same this year.

For those of you not familiar with Mazatlan, or who haven't arrived yet this year, the beach is totally different from years past.  While Mazatlan was not hit with the hurricane that Cabo had so much devastation from, a tropical storm did come this way and has left its effects even now, months later.  Whereas we used to be able to walk for miles from our condo in both directions, now we are more limited.  Yesterday when we walked we encountered things we have never seen before, or at least not very often.  The beach in front of our condo is so different.  There are a bunch of rocks that really you can't get around unless it is a really low tide.  So when we ventured out we said "let's try climbing the rocks".  This involved numerous trips on my butt, some slips on the slimy green rocks, and some finangling of my "wine purse" to balance me out.  Then we were faced with the most slanted beach we have seen in years.  That matched with sinking sand that sometimes sunk us several inches.  The normally soft sanded beach was covered in rocks and shells and a foot into the water you could see that it dropped off substantially - at least a couple of feet.  Our friends that know these things though say that mother nature will eventually bring our beautiful beach back.  And for those of you not yet here yet but coming - don't despair.  The real effects for us are from our place down to The Palms Resort.  After that, down to El Cid, to Ocean Palms and beyond - still a beautiful beach. 

On The Mend

Okay, so we were on the mend enough to hit the pool yesterday (Phil is now officially dark again and not "pasty" like when he arrived - not bad for one pool day after two days in bed!)  Then we got invited down to John and Diane's at Ocean Palms and hit their pool for a bit.  That, of course, turned into Happy Hour on the deck.  Then a quick pulmonia ride home for a shower then out to Macaw's for Cosmos!  I love Thursdays!! 

Then we headed to Topolo for dinner.  I get that this is one of the top rated restaurants in Mazatlan but I knew there was a reason we didn't visit it on either of our two trips last year.  It really didn't impress.  The prices are high for Mazatlan and I think you can get better shrimp at many other places for a better price.  We shared the combination cilantro and tequila shrimp and dinner for me was just okay.  The ambiance, of course, is beautiful.  And I have to say the Oysters Rockefeller were amazing - the best I've ever had.  But the wine prices were outrageous (although I did have a nice glass of Chilean Cab Sauv and it was a healthy pour).  So, overall, I would return in the afternoon for appies and those Oysters Rockefeller but otherwise will probably be awhile before a return visit.

We weren't quite ready to end the night so we dropped John and Diane off and headed to Gus Gus to listen to some music.  Unfortunately, as is usually the case, there were some really drunk first timers staying at the El Cid (that's where we stayed when we were first timers!) and I was drinking red wine and wearing white so pretty much saw a disaster looking to happen so we headed off on our walk home.  It was a great night for a walk.  Rob tried really hard at Gus Gs to get the "funniest quote of the night for the blog" and I'm sure he would have if he had just a little more opportunity.  Keep trying Rob!

I'd say we're on the mend!