Oh! to wake up early and look out over the City of Mazatlán. I took this photograph at 6:50am on January 16, 2021. Mazatlán has been our winter get away for the last 30 years, and it has a magnetism that keeps us coming back. You are overlooking a city of 500,000 people much the same as Albuquerque, both having metro populations of about 750,000.
Before I digress let me tell you about this photo and Mazatlán . The beach in the upper right is the Playa Norta and along the beach is the 12 mile Malecón, the longest in Mexico. Central Mazatlán surrounds the two hills with the radio towers in the very upper right. We are located in the Gold Coast on the main avenue show, the Camaron Sábalo at the Timeshare-Hotel the Inn Mazatlán .
TIMESHARE, TIMESHARE.....OMG those Come On Artists get to you man? Yep, they sure did and we love it. Manuel Sorio, the manager of the Inn, presented us a cake when we arrived in December for having been an Owners for 35 years.
I'd like to share a little about the Inn and then cover the fascinating shrimp and fishing industry of Mazatlán .
The Pacific Ocean and the wonderful beach at the Inn. This view is nestled between Deer and Bird Islands
Let me show you your Suite.
In the main tower, Azteca, this will be your one bedroom suite.
If you happen to be in the Inca Tower next to the Pacific then this will be your one bedroom suite.
And if you happen to be in a Studio, then this will be your room
The Sunsets from the Inn are probably the most photographed scenes in Mazatlan, but guys this one was taken at 6:45am just as the sun was peaking over the mountains
We just happened to note the whales right off the point of Bird Island, so enjoy them as they blow!
If you want a more active life style, then maybe Para Gliding might be your thing. I remember in 1970 in Acapulco, when my Mother gave this sport a go. She was 61 at that time, but for her "This was No Hill for a Stepper".
This rainbow was greeting the Whales of yesterday.
Connie and Larry Catlett enjoying the sun. If you wonder where the people might be, these photos were taken this year; and the Chinese Virus had most of our regular Owners staying at home. Oh, President Biden has mandated that all Federal Employees refrain from using the term Chinese Virus and call it the Covid-19. I'm not on active duty now; so I'll place the blame where it belongs, and that is on the Communist in China. It is the Chinese Virus!
Debbie Grant enjoying the pool.
Ringo is our barber and hair stylist, and he is great. Too, in the background you might notice a reflection in the mirror of a young lady with her mask on. She and Cuk are our Masseuses. Be sure to treat your self to a Massage or two when in Mazatlán, they'll cost you from $20.00 to $50.00, and your choice of Parlors is abundant.
The Inn added a wood fired brick Pizza Oven this year, and the pizza's are fantastic.
The guys at the pool side snack bar at work. Fresh oysters any one? In the mornings one can see the Oyster drivers working from your room.
It must be 5:00 and happy hour. The sun is about to set. You'll want a jacket; as when that ole sun goes down, the Pacific sends you a gentle breeze. It does cool things off.
Right from the Papagayo Restaurant and we're going light this evening with a bowl of tortilla chicken soup.
Elisa and the girls are loaded in the Pulmonia and headed to town. With Dottie is our Granddaughter Kylee Ribble and her friend Bengi.
Now what the heck is a Pneumonia? The pneumonia came into being in Mazatlán when the Model A Taxi Cabs faded out. The chassis is a Volkswagen beetle with at canopy top. Remember the Volkswagen Beetle is/was manufactured in Mexico. There are 500 licensed pneumonias operating in Mazatlán . The name originated as a joke, as the story goes. Being they are open air vehicles the local suggested that any one riding in one was subject to catching pneumonia. Pneumonia in Spanish is "Pneumonia".
This bronze Pneumonia is displayed on the Malecón.
The Malecón in Mazatlán is 12 miles long and has a bike and a walking path. If you notice the two hills to the right of this photo the Malecón extends past that second hill.
The Malecón as it extends back toward the Gold Coast. This is totally packed for Carnival or Mardi Gras to you. Mazatlan's Mardi Gras is the world third largest, following New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro then comes Mazatlán.
Now let's look at the Shrimp Industry in the State of Sinaloa and Mazatlán . The jumbo shrimp, he is displaying, runs 350 peso per kilo which is about $8.00 per pound. Of course smaller sizes cost less. 
How big is the Shrimp Industry in Mazatlán? I admit to being totally awed by the numbers. There are 1120 shrimp boats operating out of Mazatlán . Each is independently owned and each carries a crew of 8. So the boats alone employ some 9,000 fishermen.
Who is Pinsa? This is the Mazatlán processing company that services the shrimp boats. They purchase and process the shrimp in shrimp season from November through April. The boats then shift their fishing to Tuna, and Octopus, squid, and even sharks. Pinsa employees 50,000 people in their operation. Fifty thousand jobs. Unbelievable 50,000. This dock area is one of three ship docks in Mazatlán, and with all the people coming and going they are bused to the plants and the boats.
Looking north on the dock... you see these boats are 4 deep against the dock. Hold on as the next photo is looking south, and remember this is only one of three docking areas.
Now look the other direction. This total docking area is about a mile long.
You never knew that I was such as artistic photographer.
A mile of shrimp boats docked 4 deep, Sunday is a day of rest.
This photo taken by Elias was when the fishing season was changed to Sharks. The Chinese are the market for sharks, and on the dock you'll see where the fins have been removed and disregarded.
Question; do you think that this shark meat comes back to us from China as Talapia?
Now back to the Malecón and at the Fisherman's monument. To put this in prospective we have traveled a couple of miles on the Malecón to reach this point, with 10 more miles to go. We're stopping here to take a minute to visit the Shrimp Market. This is where the people of Mazatlan go for their sea food and shrimp.
This market is a couple of blocks long. Over the years we have come several timeS for sea food, shrimp, lobster, fish, oysters and scallops.
All you see is fresh daily. What might be for sale at this shop? Quickly we see crabs, fish, lobster. scallops, and probably 4 different sizes of shrimp.
This lady is turning her shrimp in the ice water. At first glance one would think there to be a weeks supply, but Elias tells us that the vendors sell out daily. Fresh means just that. Any thing not sold is marked down and sold as 'day old,' just like we do bread. This is why Mr Shrimp is at its best in Mazatlán. Elias also mentioned that he and Patty eat shrimp and fish 5 or 6 days a week. They had us over one evening and Patty fixed both a skewer of shrimp and then added fried battered Coconut Shrimp for good measure. She shared her receipt with me and Elias the next morning brought me the batter Patty uses as well as her favorite coconut.
Here Today and Gone Tomorrow!
Don't come to Mazatlán to eat steak. You can do that at home and most any place else, but here spoil yourself with sea food that will delight your culinary expectations.
And we'll close with a Mazatlán sunset, as we say goodbye
BUT REMEMBER WHAT TO EXPECT, IF YOU STAY HOME!
Come on Willie sing us another verse, and we’ll move on down the road.
Wait a minute, wait a minute, why are we moving? One can't beat being in Mazatlan.
