Just out and about in Mazatlan

The days are flying by – and guess I missed one. So will have to do some backtracking.

Saturday we just went out for a drive in the morning. Stopping in the area where the cliff divers perform. There was one there who asked us if we wanted him to dive for us – for a price of course. We told him No. It was too early for much to be going on there. But we just like walking around the area. This little girl was waiting for her Dad – a Pulmonia driver in training perhaps. Have not seen a woman driving one yet. 

Some new art work in the area. In front of the big apartment building across the street. There were several more birds painted on the wall but cars were parked in front of them.

I always like the sidewalks, If only all the gum could be removed. Very pretty design.

Up a ways and across the street is this building – for years it sat empty and was slowly deteriorating. Before we left last spring I noticed some work being done on it. Thank goodness. Now it is back in all its glory. Part of it is a new restaurant.

One of the towers – the tile work and stained glass is beautiful.

And the stairs – I love them. But would you get dizzy walking up them?

Across the street there was some construction going on. Of course we had to investigate. 

This area has been ruins for many many years. It is called Carpa Olivera – a picture of it in ruins from the big poster in front of it.

What it looked like in its prime.

A closer look at the work going on. There are so many projects going on in the city – it is so great to see.

What it is proposed to look like when it is done. The picture is looking towards the street. The swirl and tower can be seen being constructed in the previous picture.

Spent some time fooling around town. The nearer it gets to Christmas the busier it gets.

Friday evening we drove out to the lookout point by the light house to watch the sunset. Not up to its usual standards but pretty none the less.

Watch a bride and groom over on the next look out getting pictures taken.

From there we headed to the Plazuela Machado for dinner. Got stuck on the street until this pick up got unloaded. You can't be in a hurry here. 

The Kiosk has now been decorated.

We were going to eat dinner at the Italian restaurant on the corner but it has changed hands and the menu has changed.

So we ended up back at Beach Burger – both had fish and we got a sauce for it that was really good – I’d have never combined this – catsup, mayonnaise and crushed pineapple. Surprisingly good.

Saw this young girl arriving to celebrate her 15^th birthday.

As she passed by us her group noticed my camera and posed for a picture.

Sunday morning we treated ourselves to breakfast at Torres again. We were entertained by this gentleman from Kansas who accompanied the sax player with his spoons. Very very good and really into the music.

The sax player.

Last night, Sunday, we went to a function with Paquis Corrales, the congresswoman. She was honoring all the people who work for her and with her in all the surrounding little towns. {last year before Bill got ill we accompanied her to many of the little towns}  Here is Paquis, Roberto and Bill on stage drawing names for gifts.

Today we are dragging some new friends – a couple from Colorado traveling with their four young children for the winter in Mexico – to the Centro Historico. Should be a fun day. The sun is out and there are a few wispy clouds in the sky. 

Everyday life in El Quelite - Part 2 of our Visit

Looks like it will be another nice day. There are some wispy clouds high in the sky but most of it is blue. Yesterday there was a great breeze so only had to open the windows and not run the AC.

We went downtown yesterday morning to pick up Bill’s last and favorite watch that was in for cleaning and new battery and picked up my glasses. Wow what a difference. Love my new sunglasses. Just got new lenses in my old regular glasses frame. In the states they old me I couldn’t reuse the old frames HAD to get new ones. That’s one reason I had them done here. Spent the rest of the day at home.

But back to our visit to El Quelite. I mentioned we visited the ladies who sort the beans. This is the warehouse where they do it. There was only the manager and one lady when we got there. There are usually four or five ladies. You can see the piles of beans on the desk and table.  – Kind of in front and to the right of Bill is a pile of toys being collected for children for Christmas.

This is a bag of people eating beans – they are sorted out first – mechanically. By a shaker of some sort.

This is what is left, mostly half beans – any stones, husks bad discolored beans are taken out by hand. These beans will be used as livestock food. 

Bill with a handful of beans that need to be sorted. The kind of orange looking one by his index finger will be discarded.

Enough beans –

Walking towards the restaurant we stopped to watch a narrow side street being paved.

Here they have the strips of wood that will separate the pavers from the cobblestones.

The pavers will go up the middle

The stones on the edges. All done by hand.

The curbing is new too. Most of these little side streets were just dirt when we were here in the Spring.

Back to the restaurant - the name of it is - El Meson de Los Laureanos. Lots of work being done there too. This is the wash just next to the restaurant. Chicken and turkeys running around in it. And men working too. At first we thought they were repairing damage from the rains in September. So we went to take a closer look. Turns out they are repairing some damage but they are also working on stairs and a walkway to another section of the restaurant that will be on the other side of the wash.

The stairs leading down from the main restaurant. See the pretty tile. The railings are made of iron wood and they were having a devil of a time getting the screws through the wood.

The walkway in the wash leading from the stairs to the other side of the wash.

It leads to the second set of stairs and into the room beyond the door. I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

This is the restaurant where I had my encounter with the iguanas a few years back. 

Then on to buy some tortillas from the little Tortilleria. 

Didn’t want to use the flash so the pics are a little dark. This is the whole room – it is open in the back on to a patio where clothes were drying on a line. The building itself is over 150 years old. The tortilla making machine is there with a big hunk of dough ready to be put in it.

He is catching the tortillas as they come down the conveyer belt. The lady uses the step ladder to put the dough into the machine. On the right is a galvanized tub where the dough is mixed/made.

Wrapping the fresh hot tortillas for sale. ½ Kilo for 7 pesos – less than 50 cents.. The ones that have been wrapped are under the red towel. Some of them will be picked up by a boy who loads them into a small insulated chest on his bike and delivers them to homes.

Bill buying some.

She told us this machine which is no longer used – can’t get parts for it anymore was used to make tamales.

Back outside – Cactus growing out of the roof of one home.

The vegetable truck making it's rounds. He has a digital scale. 

Just everyday life in a little town. A truck with a saddle on the hood, the water tank and chickens wandering around.

 Never ending chores - laundry on the line.

We took the detour on the way out of town. Didn't want to run into the big machine again. 

Heading home. Wonder if he is looking for the cow we met on the way in?

That evening there was also a beautiful sunset. Taken from the campground. 

In case you're wondering where El Quelite is - this is how we get there from the campground. 

If you haven't already read the first part of this day in El Quelite - it is right below this blog. 

Visit to El Quelite Part I

Well this morning got off to a good start. No I missed the sunrise, but don’t think it was pretty anyway. What I did do was manage to spill a half a cup of coffee all over the dinette table. Just missed my laptop – thank goodness – but got the mouse, mouse pad, tablecloth, new table mats – glad now that they are plastic, would have ruined cloth ones - and the dinette seat!  The seat is a brown tweed so it won’t show I hope. The rest is all washable. Mouse pad is outside drying. Mouse works fine. Whew. So off to a brilliant start today.

Didn’t pick up my glasses yesterday so will be doing that today, some time this morning before it gets hot. I think the overcast has left us. And temps will go up.

Yesterday we decided we wanted to go out for breakfast so instead of going across the street we got in Willie and headed inland to El Quelite. We go there several times every year. Love the little town it is so pretty. And the restaurant we go to is amazing.

A few years ago the Doctor who owns the restaurant held a raffle of a very nice silverware set – he used the money raised to buy and plant bougainvilleas all along the road into El Quelite. All the way from the turn off of  the main road to the town. They are now growing like crazy. Both sides of the road.

As always watch out for the livestock, never know what you will see.

Just past the arch into town we saw that there was a lot of work going on in the road. New curbing and paving.

Oh Oh – didn’t expect to meet him on this very narrow stretch. We ended up on the new curbing and held our breath until he cleared us. Poor Willie we get him into some tight spots. 

Hummm….I wonder if we should be driving on this section? Turned out there was a detour sign but it was right where the big truck passed us and we didn’t see it. The guy took pity on us and moved out of the way. Don’t think we made any friends though. They probably were thinking @#$% Gringos.

A lot of the streets in the little town are being repaved. A big government project to help restore the town. This street though remains dirt.

We visited our friends, the ladies who sort the rocks out of the beans. (will add that second part of blog) Then parked to go eat. A new addition right outside the restaurant. He wouldn’t spread his tail.

The colorful street right outside the restaurant that is on the right.

Dora – one of waitresses – greeted us like family. She’s the one who gave me the blouse to wear when the iguana pooped on my head. Just a few of the extras you get with breakfast. Fruit cup, cheese made in the town, fresh OJ, coffee and of course chips and salsas.

My huevos revueltos con jamon – scrambled eggs with ham – some cheese and flat corn muffin. So good.

The prices here have gone up some too - but for the price of the meal you also get the glorious town. 

We were sitting up under roof instead of under the trees. Looking out at the outdoor patio part of the restaurant.

A memorial in the patio for Lola the parrot who had the run of the place for years. She'd go in the kitchen and the cooks would chase her out with a broom - all the while she'd be yelling at them. She died last October.

One of the ladies bathrooms

A new mural in the big back room of the restaurant.

A table runner all hand embroidered for sale in the restaurant. Beautiful.

After breakfast we walked around town some. We watched them building this house last spring.

A neighbors front stairs.

I mentioned the government is helping to pave the streets they are also helping refurbish the outside of several homes – this one is newly painted BLUE.

Another of the buildings that has been repainted. It was built in 1899

Even the side of it got painted. The road is newly paved. Was dirt last spring.

Much more to write about yesterday’s visit to El Quelite but will do another post for tomorrow. Tortilla making, road paving, building a new room for the restaurant...Have to go now.