A walk around the Golden Zone in Mazatlan - Construction and Jewelry making

First the news. Got the Jeep back last night. Will take it out on the road today and tomorrow and if all is well we will then decide on what we will be doing the rest of the winter. I checked average weather for Las Vegas and it doesn’t start to warm up until about the middle of March. So we will probably remain in Mexico until then.

Thursday we set out on another walk. Didn’t do as many steps - only 7241 – for the day. Guess we’re just a couple of slackers. Here we are waiting for the bus that’s coming down the road. This one was a seven and a half peso bus. No AC but we weren’t going far anyway.

We got off near the hospital where Bill spent a month a couple of years ago. My after surgery pills are going to run out – couldn’t get a 180 day supply of them – so needed to see the doctor for a prescription. Luckily Dr. Cruz, Bill’s doctor while there, was in. Can’t get the same brand I’m taking here in Mexico so he prescribed one that is for the same problem and lucky me it has the same side effects. Oh well. I looked it up on line when we got home and it is almost exactly the same thing. Haven’t gone to a pharmacy yet so no idea how expensive they will be.

From there we headed to the real Golden Zone where all the jewelry shops, restaurants and big hotels are.  A map of the area. We would be walking along Av. Playa Gaviotas.

But first we had to go by some sidewalk construction. Only way around was to walk in the street.

New construction on a big tall hotel/condo.

I think I’d rather stay in the hotel on the right. The older looking one.

First thing we came to was a micro distillery. Free tasting and tour.

Thursday they were distilling mango something alcoholic. Sure smelled good.

At the back of the shop looking towards the street. I could have tasted some but opted not to.

Back out on the sidewalk I saw this sign. All there is is the sign the store was empty and closed. Too bad.

A half a block further I stopped to watch this. He is filling the wheelbarrow with cinder blocks. Didn’t think to count how many.

Then the workers on top of the construction site pull the full wheelbarrow up to them with a rope!!! There it goes.

Almost to the top.

And just across the street was another building under construction with a huge zillion dollar crane taking stuff to the top. Bill was calling to me to keep moving and stop taking pictures because we are both nervous about being near those big cranes. And well we might be - one went down in NYC that day!

Around the corner to where all the shops are. Lots and lots of people walking around and shopping. There was another cruise ship in. What a difference it has made for this area. Now almost all the shops are open as compared to three years ago when almost everything was closed.

Just some stairs I liked. Don’t know where they went to other than up.

This is a narrow restaurant between two buildings. Very festive looking. Shops on one side and in the back. The bar on the other side.

This is not too good of a picture as I was too far away. But the waiter carried this drink from the bar to the front table on his head. [the waiter in front of the blue tarp]

Casa de Maya – more shops but fun to look at the building.

Yes, I’m still in Mazatlan – walking towards the back.

Nothing much back there.

Continuing on to another shopping area located between a couple of buildings. Way in the back we found this jewelry shop/store. 

For anyone who doesn’t know. Bill was a jeweler. He created one of a kind pieces in gold and platinum with precious stones. At one time we had a jewelry store in Beverly Hills, CA on Rodeo Drive. He would imagine the design, make it in wax then cast it in metal and finish it. And he was darn good.

Anyway – there were three young jewelers in this little shop and he started talking to them.

They each had their own bench and were working in silver and semi-precious gems.

The machine standing behind Bill is used to make wire out of pieces of metal. The metal is pulled through the machine several times until it is the right thickness. 

Some of their wax designs. He is showing us a ring design that will hold an opal. 

The wax design goes into a steel cylinder that has plaster in it. The plaster drys around the wax. Outside their little shop on the sidewalk was a little oven that the dry plaster cylinder goes in. The oven heats up to 1200 degrees and the wax melts leaving a hole in the plaster. Making a mold for the metal.

The mold then goes into this machine that spins. The melted metal is forced into the hole in the mold by centrifugal force. 

The bellows on the floor is pumped by foot to supply air pressure to their torches.

This machine was also outside. Used for polishing. 

One of the young men at his bench listening to Bill as he talks about different ways of doing things. 

 One of their finished products. They had some really beautiful pieces in the store. 

 A typical jeweler's bench and tools.

 Bill  gave them some hints on doing things an easier way. We left with three new friends 

We walked more and saw more things. But will leave that for my next blog. We want to give the Jeep, Willie, a test drive and today I may do something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Maybe...