Today the pace picks up as we rush the van to the shop at 8am, and I try to meet-up with my fellow blogger Nancy.
The marina has changed so much since the first time we were here in 1998, I wouldn't have recognized the place. Back then, there was always a Full Moon Howl, with cruisers gathered around a bonfire telling stories, doing skits, singing. A ragtag get-together like that would be frowned upon in these glitzy surroundings.
In its favor, the marina now boasts a good coffeehouse on the malecón. A cruisers' lounge for internet, exercise classes, card players and music jams. Easily acquired and fairly reliable wifi. But the store on the malecon carries only booze, sodas and the usual snack foods. The boutique store across the highway sells their produce as though it were some rare and precious commodity... an apple for 16 pesos, for instance. At least a dozen upscale restaurants have sprung up, everything from pizza to steak, all catering to the deep pocket diner. Where once there were acres of open space between the docks and the highway there's now a row of condo complexes, parking lots and promotional kiosks. At least none are higher than eight stories, unlike the gargantuan citadel resort hotel we passed near the once-pristine Playa Bruja.
But there are still trees. Palm trees in tidy rows, a requirement for any self-respecting Mexican coastal development.
Maybe today while the Capt is packing up what he wants to take home, I'll take a bus to Old Town, my favorite part of Mazatlan. Hit the mercado where apples may not be as pretty but I can get a whole bag for 16 pesos.