At around 7:30am we docked in Mazatlan, Mexico. The wharf here is very similar to the one in Noumea, New Caledonia. There are shipping containers all around and you have to be escorted off the wharf in one of the many trolleys available. Once we were able to go ashore, we made our way down to the gangway and joined our group for the Historical Mazatlan Walking Tour. We were then escorted onboard an air conditioned van, and driven about ten minutes to Paseo Claussen and the cliff diving area. The moment the van pulled up there were several market sellers waiting for us so they could try to sell us hats, ponchos, wooden toys, sunglasses and more. These guys were really in your face about trying to sell their wares, and would ask us several times each if we wanted to buy something. Although we kept saying no, they just kept coming back with more things. The tour began at The Life Monument, which shows a man and woman being led by several dolphins. It’s a lovely monument, but is currently undergoing maintenance, so the fountain it sits in was empty. Once we left this monument we walked towards the Glorieta Sanchez Taboada monument, which is a mermaid sitting with a cherub. Very cute. From here we walked to the cliff diving, and one of the local young men climbed up to the top to dive for us. We waited with excitement for him to jump, and when he did we held our breath in anticipation of his landing. It’s a very rough area of sea with large crashing waves and many sharp, jagged rocks. The diver made the jump easily though, and he climbed out of the water safely. This is a pretty amazing thing to watch, and I’d recommend seeing it if you get the chance. Our group left the boardwalk and we made our way along a narrow street towards a gallery that sold many different items. There was silver jewellery, figurines, religious statues, stone statues and art for sale. We browsed for a while as we enjoyed the air conditioning and the free soft drink, then made our way back out to the narrow street and to our next stop. We wandered more of the narrow streets of the old Mazatlan area, taking photos of the many old and restored buildings along the way. Many residents are restoring their historical homes, and we were fortunate enough that one of the construction crew were willing to open up one of the homes to let us have a look around. It was very rustic, and more than half of it was open. It was almost an “L” shaped building, with the yard being inside. We then made our way to the end of this street to the local bakery. This business has been running for 3 generations, and the current owner happily opens up her home at the back of the shop to allow visitors to view her many family photos. When we left the bakery we then walked to the Casa Machado, which is one of the foundation buildings in old Mazatlan. We rested here for a few minutes before making our way to the Angela Peralta Theatre. This theatre was built in 1874 and almost destroyed by a hurricane in 1975. In 1990 it was restored and named a place of national historical heritage and is now one of the most beautiful buildings in Mazatlan. After leaving the theatre we crossed the road to the Machado Square where there were several café’s, one of which was our lunch stop for today. We were each served one drink and chips with salsa. The salsa and chips were delicious and a little spicy, but hey, we’re in Mexico – it’s supposed to be spicy, right? We stayed at the café for around 45 minutes, then re-gathered and made our way back through the narrow streets towards the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Construction began on this cathedral in 1856 and wasn’t completed until 1899! It was a very impressive cathedral, with gold detail all around the walls and ceiling, and many statues of saints around the walls. Here is where the tour ended, and our guide arranged open air taxi’s called a “Bronchitis” for us all to either return to the ship or head into the Golden Zone for shopping. This is the second post from Jo, here you can read her first post about her Mexican Cruise Adventure. Third part will come soon :) We would like to thank Jo very much for sharing both her passion for travel and her cruise experiences with us. If you would like to contribute to our blog by sharing your travel experiences with us, please contact us. Do you need travel insurance for your next cruise? Here are some great reasons why you should InsureandGo:
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