Day nine in Mazatlan - Tuesday 27 jan - labyrinths - shopping, casinos, music and pasta night

Woke up at 530  and decided to get dressed and go to the beach but it was very dark out so waited until a little after sunrise to go. To fill the time worked on the blog , had some spanish omlete for breakfast and then headed out around 7. The buses are running at that time and there were a very few people out to catch those buses on their way to work. 

The beach was deserted and it was beautiful. the warm breeze off of the ocean, the gently breaking waves and the few birds that were out made me feel very on holiday. I walked down the beach to find the right spot for the labyrinth. There is one place between hotels where, during the day, there are workmen constructing a seawall of some sort and so decided as it was a good spot that interfered the least with the hotels. It was the Right spot.

I started with half of the inner circle, then half of the next and so on for four lines of rocks in the sand. A few people were walking by and making comments of encouragement, mostly, as it was still very unidentifiable, wondering what I was so industriously building. 

The Men working on the building started to show up for work and were watching my creation expand. Around 7:50 two of them came down and asked what I was doing. I showed them the picture of the labyrinth and they still had a few minutes before work and so helped me gather rocks to complete it. Very nice of them. Antonio? and …..? They had gone to english school so liked to practise their english.  They went to work at 8 and I continued it to completion. When it was finished one gentleman walked by and asked if it was an inukshuk. An inukshuk? Obviously not Canadian. 

Another gentleman came by and asked if I was going to put the rocks back, because if I left them people would have to be walking all over the rocks. I thought he was kidding but he was not. Old grump. I got the rocks from the beach. Where did he think I got them from? Anyway had a great time and beat the sunshine as the shadow of the hotel was was getting smaller and closer to me with each passing minute. Walked back down the beach and saw an egret, lovely.

On the way home saw a rose that smelled sweet. A rose in January! lots of flowers. Diane was up when I got home, and wants to go down to see the inukshuk. LOL. 

We left around 10 to go to the mall, the casino and the mega market via the 'Inukshuk". There were a few more people on the beach now and the labyrinth looked great and there were people walking it! how exciting. I need to build a labyrinth in my garden back home. Diane and I walked it and enjoyed the moment of satisfaction when one gets to the centre and faces the sea. What fun.

On our way back to catch the bus to go shopping we met Peter who tried his best to get us to go parasaiing. We declined the offer of really cheap and although I am planning on doing this on the last day of my trip in Mazatlan ( I didnt tell Peter that) we walked on.

Caught the bus and downtown we went. Through the mall once again and to the bead store where  bought lots of things to make necklaces and bracelets. they had a display of  some of the gowns that the queens of the Carnaval wear on the floats.  Stunning headdresses with intricate beading , sequins and bright colours, and each one must weigh a ton too and be soooooo hot to wear. We had an ice-cream cone on our way to the casino through the mall so we   didn't need to go outside which I am sure in the summer is a great relief to folks. 

I got my first and only casino card. Loaded it up with 100 pesos (ten dollars) and proceeded to lose and win back again 188 pesos so I gained 8 dollars!  the trick according to Diane is to find the machine that likes you and that you like . All those bells and whistles and pretty lights. I cashed out and found that Diane who had been playing the whole time on one machine had won over 200 pesos, twenty bucks! I told her she was buying dinner that evening. 





We headed off to the Mega, like our superstore and picked up a few things. I found artichokes and soya sauce and listerine. I have caught the dreaded cough cold that everybody I know seems to have caught. Sad but I would rather be sick here than in Edmonton. 

We caught a pulmonia back to the house which was nice and  headed off to the El cid which is a hotel at the end end of our beach. they were having music today so we wanted to go and see what was what.  We caught the bus and some friendly expats helped us get off to the right stop for El cid. A short walk down an access road and we could hear the music. The place was packed but as it backed out onto the beach we went there and sat on some rocks and did not have to pay the cover charge. of course we also did not get any drinks but that was ok . while listening to some good old rock and roll we met Elizabeth from Winnipeg who had walked the labyrinth that morning and was quite excited to meet its maker. She had come down on a one week holiday and decided to stay so she found a place to room with a family and was staying a month.

It was very windy that afternoon and the windsurfers were out doing their thing which is hanging onto a kite or sail and surfing the waves. I do not know why they just don't blow up onto the bleach when it is so windy but they don't.  They were out there the whole time we were listening to the band. very pleasant to watch.

 We wandered back down the beach leaving Elizabeth to the music and  I took some more photos. surprising I know. We saw a small dead porcupine fish washed up on the beach and  I thought what if you were swimming and stepped on or fell into the water onto of that. Not very pleasant and we were sad to see him as the ones we saw at the aquarium were so cute.

A young couple was making valentines in the sand and as I took a picture of them a friend of theirs came running out of the water saying take a picture of him too, so I did  and then his friends wanted to get their photos taken ....so we did .....selfies. 

 Do not know who they were or what their names are but maybe some day someone will recognize them and  they can see their photo  on my face book page and this blog and remember that my arms were not long enough to get everyone in the photo. 

When we got home we immediately got ready for our dinner out with Phyllis and Michael and their friends, Sandra and David. Diane and I went to the restaurant around the corner at 6 and had part of a beer served by our waiter who wants to fish for salmon in bc, before the others arrived. We had sat outside but moved indoors as Michael is older and doesn’t like the breezy chill of the evening. It was lovely both places. Had a delightful 2 for 1 dinner of fettucine alfredo and another beer served by a different waiter who had a family and was very friendly.
We were all done by 830 and headed home which  as a I said before, being right around the corner, was not far. I did not fall asleep right away, too much alcohol and so uploaded photos to Facebook and then downloaded an episode of downton abbey and watched that before I finally fell asleep around one am.