7 February 2018 - Wednesday - Day 8 - beach, Music at the Rec and Brazilian BBQ

Woke up and did our morning routine of:
feed the birds, breakfast and head for the Beach.
 We love the beach and the Inn at Mazatlan. Such a rough day. swimming, wave jumping, reading, sipping drinks, swimming, wave jumping, reading, sipping drinks... you get the picture.
We had decided to do the music at the Recreo and then had a Brazilian dinner theme going for the evening (we had panned on this the night before at the pot luck so it was other spur of the moment), so around three we headed back to get changed for the evening.
 Diane brought us downtown safely enough by bus but then took us on a circuitous route to the Rec room.  We did get there in plenty of time to get  a chair. The music was very good. They jam every Wednesday evening and it is different folks playing each week depending on who is in town.  They are all very talented and we enjoyed it very much. We had to leave before the evening was finished as we had reservations to keep. walking over to the restaurant was quick as it was only about three blocks away.

Brazilian BBQ was on the agenda for the evening meal there was a special for groups so some one in the group had made reservations for us all.
 It was great food for both vegetarians and carnivors.  A lovely long salad bar and the bbq pineapple was delicious. They just kept coming around with big skewers of different meats, chicken, beef, pork. I kept covering my plate but they eventually figured it out as far as I was concerned and they stoped offering meat to me.  I did go for seconds of the pineapple.
We all had more than enough and at a very good price too

Left the recreation and walked down to the stage set up for Carnaval and listened for awhile. it was very loud. The Mexicans love love love their horns. We walked a bit further down the Malecon past some kids swimming in the ocean pool. it looked like they were having fun. We passed some stands with food and lots of people out and about in the warm evening. Someone  decided that our dinner had settled enough so  we started to look for a bus or taxi to take us home, but as there were quite a few of us so we decided on the good old mazatlan truck taxi.

A ride home in the back of a truck was something that I would have done in my youth and since we were all feeling pretty youthful, we hopped in. Trying to figure out how much each of us owed  was quite comical. We had to divide the total of 120 pesos by 6 or 7, which it seemed was very difficult for us. Maybe the wine and beer had gone to our heads. We had a great ride home and were dropped off at our corner so only had to walk one block to Gaviotas while the others carried on to their apartment blocks further on. What a lovely evening. I walked Diane up to her apartment and then came back to play ten thousand with Margie and Kelly on the upstairs patio.

6 February 2018 - Tuesday - Day 4 - A tour of Mazatlan with Jesus and a potluck

Our morning routine was getting pretty ingrained. a relaxing cup of tea or coffee, breakfast, feed the birds.
Today we had a tour planned with Jesus in the morning and then maybe the aquarium in the afternoon  and then a potluck.

Jesus picked us up and Kelly sat in the front as it was her first time to Mazatlan. Jesus was wonderful as usual.
They have rebuilt the Malecon so that you cannot really stop anywhere along it now. there is a new bicycle section which is great but no parking anymore. Although we did not stop at the seal statue he drove past it very slowly also we could get some photos. the same with some of the Carnaval statues. further down the road there was parking so we could get out and take proper photos which was nice too.

Then on to the pelican and frigate feeding. It was fun to watch Kelly nd Margie feeding the birds. Margie was the same last year as Kelly was this year. I was probably the same the first time I fed them too. You pay a couple of peso for fish and they put it on a stick for you. The idea is that you hold the stick up and the birds fly by and take it off the stick. Well the first few times you do this, you invariable hold the stick down and so the birds fly very low to try and get the fish which makes you duck and hold the stick even lower which causes the birds to fly even lower. You get the picture. "Hold the stick up,  hold the stick up".
Onward around the Malecon, past many Carnaval statues, to the dolphin fountain  with a nice stop there for photos of the fountain and the views. Kelly was enjoying the tour and the history of which there is a lot.
and then onto watch the divers. I think that I would never do this as it looks too dangerous. We all watched and then gave our pesos to the fellow collecting money for the divers.

 The tour continued around the Malecon and up into old town winding up through some very steep roads, passing very big houses, stopping for some very magnificent views of the whole of Mazatlan and the bay.


Onto the other side of the big hill to see the lighthouse. Diane and I walked up it two years ago and feel that we do not need to repeat that effort again. Jesus told us all about the history of Mazatlan and the shrimp industry and his kids and family. He is such a nice guy. A nice bite of lunch at Machado square and then we were back home. Thanks Jesus for another great tour of Mazatlan.

The waves were calling us so we were off to the Inn and the beach for the afternoon. Had a great time as usual and lovely happy hour drinks.  Kelly could live on the beach. She really could. well to be honest, so could I.  When Happy hour was over we headed back to Gaviotas and got ready for the to luck at Colleen's and Mary's apartments. We brought eggplant parmesan, a nice vegetarian dish for me. we walked over toothier place and a good time was had by all. every Tuesday there is a BYOB and potluck there attended y about 12 to 14 people. Diane friends and now my friends too.
at eh end of the evening we walked back to Gaviotas and played ten thousand again it is a pretty good game.

5 Feb 2018 - Monday - Day 3 Mazatlan - geckos ,birds and beaches

Had a lovely sleep despite the fact that we all snore. Margie and I wake up earlier than Kelly so we went down to the kitchen and were making our tea and coffee when we spotted a gecko by the window on the ceiling above the sink. Just as we looked at him,  he fell down onto the counter and just laid there. well, thought I was he dead.  Turns out he was just stunned and di crawl off to hide behind the curtains after he warmed up or came too. Poor little thing.

We made a lite breakfast of toast and peanut butter then did our duty of feeding the birds. a nice chat with the owners and Kelly woke up and had some breakfast too.

Diane came and we then packed up and headed for the beach which is only three blocks away. As we were staying at the Gaviotas gardens we got cards to use the towels at the Inn at Mazatlan.  a nice walk there looking into a few shops along the way and then picking up our towels and getting set up with our loungers. I need to sit in the shade and Kelly and Diane want to sit in the sun. Once that was arranged we were into the surf.

our day was spent between the ocean, the pool and the loungers, all the while sipping at our drinks. The Inn has a couple of big iguana that reside by the pool an sometimes in the pool kind of a novel thing to be swimming around and find yourself looking eye to eye with a large iguana. Turns out that Margie was quite the iguana whisperer.

Margie, Diane and I read our books as we relaxed by the pool in the warm sea breezes. occasionally we would all hit the waves. Margie and Diane did not like getting too far out to take the chance of getting tumbled in the waves. Kelly and I liked getting tumbled in the waves. Well not tumbled. We jumped them so as to not get tumbled in the waves. the challenge was to go as deep as you could and try to ride a big wave in without getting tumbled in the waves crashing down you. It was fun.

Kelly hit the beach and the pool more so than we did. stayed for lunch and happy hour.
After we went home to have a supper of guacamole with Tostitos and chicken and salad. it was good food. I love Mexican food.
ten thousand for us again tonight.

4 Feb 2018 - Sunday - Day 2 in Mazatlan - groceries, the beach and ten thouusand

slept ok
up early to have a cup of tea
Debbie and Brian got up later and gave us the Rules to Gaviotas Gardens
which included: feed the birds in the morning
(there are lots of birds)
Make sure you lock the gate when you leave and do not forget your keys. America (the cleaning lady) is there almost all the time but not always s if you lose your keys you might be locked out for awhile.

A nice bite for breakfast. toast and tea with the birds.

Diane came down and we go to the store for groceries. the grocery store is always fun as it is a search to find what you want. they do not carry black tea. they do not carry arborio rice . they do carry lots of other things.

took a pulmonia home

put groceries away and make lunch

go to the inn at mazatlan and the beach
jump in the waves, chat away
wander the beach. Chat away
read a book and chat away
sip a drink and chat away
jump in the waves again chat away
a dip in the pool again and chat away
sip a drink  again and again

happy hour is now over so we head off to make supper





lets play ten thousand a dice game that neither Margie nor I know but Kelly teaches us till the late hours. Kelly is a night owl and both Margie and I are early risers.

3 Feb 2018 - Saturday - Mazatlan and the Four Amigo's

left Edmonton on the 2 feb and flew to Vancouver where we spent the night which is crazy. In the early morning on the 3 Feb we then flew to Mazatlan and got there by 3
caught a cab to Gaviotas Gardens and got there by 4
There were flowers blooming, with giant bees buzzing around and palm trees gently swaying. the weather of course was lovely.



The whole top floor was ours which was so nice.
Three big double beds in one big room bed room, a big living room and the rooftop patio as well.
Debbie and Brian Gifford are the current owners and they gave us a tour of the place. Wifi included in the price... yahooo.  Diane came and there were introductions all around.

We sisters changed into beach dresses and and we all headed off to the beach
Kelly loves the beach and thought the water was lovely
Margie loves the beach but thought the water was too cold. Silly girl.
Dennie just loves the beach.
Diane loves the beach
We all love the beach

A walk up Gaviotas past a few pulmonia's and shops,
to Panchos for supper by 6 pm
guacamole starter ..... yum
Shrimp for Margie and Kelly
bean burrito for me
salad for Diane
drinks  all around
great dinner, great company

 A lovely evening watching the sunset from Pancho's. then a nice stroll home.  I walked Diane home up to her apartment which is only about three blocks up the street.

Margaritas takes their toll
lets play ten thousand

27 Aug 2017 - Fare thee well to Nova Scotia

Had a lovely sleep and when we woke up we went to look at our beach again, the tide was way out and the red sand/mud was splendid. The weather was kind of cool with an overcast sky and so I went to find my rain jacket. Where did I leave my rain Jacket? The weather had been very very nice for the last three days and the last time it was raining was in Charlotte town in PEI... I had left my jacket in the hotel in PEI. Oh well, I would have to deal with that later.
We went for a  short drive to see some more of the wonderful scenery of Nova Scotia. We stopped for breakfast in town and then thought maybe we should not go exploring too far and so just went back to the motel and packed. Around 11 we loaded up the car, checked out and and then carried on up the highway,  back to the airport outside of Halifax.  We had a  flight to catch  at 630 pm so were not in a big rush to leave the motel as the drive would only take us about an hour.
We returned the car at the airport car rental place after filling it up and then settled in for our  fairly long wait. We would not be getting to Edmonton until 1130 pm, so it was going to be a long day.
We had had a great time on this trip. The east coast of Canada is captivating with so much to see and do. History around every corner and the scenery is to die for.  I was so glad that we had done this trip. Margie is such a good travel buddy. The flight went well and, as we were on the cheap flight,  did bring our own water and snacks, but it got us home safe and sound.
note:
I did get in touch with the Hotel in Pei and they did send me my jacket. Such nice folks in PEI.

26 Aug 2017 - Annapolis valley and Wolfville

We both slept very well and were up around 7. Another beautiful day in Grand Pre. We looked at the beach again and the tide was so far out. We were amazed that so much water could come in and out so fast.  Headed off to the Annapolis Royal Botanical Gardens, our destination for the day.
 The Annapolis Valley is world famous for being very picturesque. Having said that, the Highway 101 down to Annapolis Royal cuts through the middle of the valley and does not actually allow for very many of those wonderful views. We did see lots of trees, lakes, hills, a few farms and some small towns. Wolfville looked quite interesting and we figured we would stop in there on the way back if we had time.

It took us about an hour and a half to drive to the Historic Botanic gardens and they were very nice.  They were releasing monarch butterflies that day and so we stayed around for that momentous occasion and were glad that we did. while we waited we wandered. 

The gardens are quite large and varied with many flowers still in bloom. I liked the rose garden especially, and the bay walk and the old house that showed how people lived way back when. What must their lives have been like?  
As we wandered we chatted about other gardens we had been to in Europe. Not exactly comparing but rather identifying similarities in all gardens, pathways, statues. fountains. views.

 We made our way back to the butterfly release area of the garden and there was a small group of people already there. Two people bought out two large net containers. the lady reached into one of them,  and gently took hold of one of the monarchs. bring it out she asked if anyone had a birthday that day. 

A young lady said it was her birthday and the lady with the butterfly came over and put the monarch on hand which then flew to  the young girls nose. The monarch sat there for awhile before fluttering off. It was very fun. They did this for each butterfly. Bringing one out and either placing it in your hands or on your person. I did one and it flew away straight away no lingering loitering there. but it was fun and very different. 
 

Annapolis Royal is a smallish town but with a lot going on. We found the information centre and we were waiting for the information centre to open up there was a great number of people arriving in the parking lot getting ready to go on a wine tour bus. It looked like a fun group and sounded like it would be a great trip but we were all ready to explore the area and not ready to drink and drive. When it opened up we picked up some info on Nova Scotia, Annapolis Royal and  we asked about going to the historical houses of the area and did find one that was close enough to walk to.  One thing that both Margie and I noticed about just about all of Nova Scotia is that all the houses are so well taken care of. The older ones are all painted and with cleaned up yards. We did not see hardly any junky houses or messy yards, and the people were all so nice and friendly too. 
Wikipedia says" Today's Annapolis Royal is the second French settlement known by the same name and should not be confused with the 1605 French settlement of  Port -Royal National Historic Site also known as the Habitation. This new French settlement was renamed in honour of Queen Anne following the Siege of Port Royal in 1710 by Britain.  The town was the capital of Acadia and later Nova Scotia for almost 150 years, until the founding of the City of Halifax  in 1749. It was attacked by the British six times before permanently changing hands after the Siege of Port Royal in 1710. 
Over the next fifty years, the French and their allies made six unsuccessful military attempts to regain the capital. Including a raid during the American Revolution,  Annapolis Royal faced a total of thirteen attacks, more than any other place in North America. As the site of several pivotal events during the early years of the colonization of Canada, the historic core of Annapolis Royal was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1994.

We headed back after a bit of drive around town and stopped off in Wolfville which is also a very active town. The market was open and so we started there. Then we wandered up one side of the Main Street popping into shops and then back again on the other side of the street. Stopped into a wool shop and bought some lovely wool and the lovely owner told us about a website that would give you free patterns for items made from one skein of wool. Ravelry was its name and here is the link ; https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/crochet-one-skein-wonders-101-projects-from-crocheters-around-the-world/patterns.  We stopped in at Elmer and Joe's Food Emporium for lunch and it was very good, though we each had a breakfast for lunch.

We headed back to Grand Pre going a different route. we found a wonderful lookout of Grand Pre, with a church and a statue of Evangeline and an historical marker  with some historical information about Grand Pre.  there is an area in Grand Pre where the migratory shorebirds gather in huge numbers so we  wanted to see that. It was not exactly a bird sanctuary, more like a part of the beach that had lots of signs " do not bother the birds" there was a young lady there taking a poll about why we were there and giving us some information about the birds and the area. 

We mentioned to her about the turtle rescue in Mazatlan and how they got the schools involved as part of the education of the locals.  She was very interested in that.  We enjoyed walking along the dykes and the beach with the birds and we made sure not to bother them. 
We then headed back to our little Sea breeze Motel to walk the beach one last time.We did stop and get an ice cream at the little pizza ice-cream place next to the motel too as it was quite warm out. We walked the beach and watched snails in the sand, the water rushing out and the wonderful sunset again.