Jan 21, 2013
…and no more alliteration but it was fun for a week. Did anyone happen to notice? Probably not….:(
The only thing memorable about Sunday other that it was a perfect day on the Isla, was the great pizza I made for dinner and….
Jan 20, 2013
Saturday was spent resting in the morning in anticipation of the grande soiree. Tonight was the official crowning of the 2013 Queen of Carnaval and I had front row tickets, well sort of ?? The evening began with an early dinner ( ? 5PM ~ American standards; it would have been much more exciting to eat later in the Plazuela with the locals ). Reservations were made at a very new restaurant here in Mazatlan, 'El Presidio, Cocina de Mexico'. First off our driver could not find the place as it had no name nor address posted. Here is a wee write up on the place. Casa Garcia was the home to four brothers ( one is the chef ) and this was their great grandmother's home where they rode their bikes in the courtyard. An excellent write up by Mazatlan Life is found here including the history of the Casa, the family and the restaurant.
It really is a wonderful environment but best left for later in the evening to enjoy the ambience and the mood lighting.
We were a group of 11, down 3 due to a cold floating around the park.
For Mazatlan I found it very high tech, from each of the waiters wearing an electronic headpiece to very clean restrooms complete with auto flushing toilets and on/ off water basins. Somehow they still got most of the bills wrong.....
...but the food was outstanding! Every morsel was divine. Unfortunately the wine pour was very small for 65 pesos per glass and it was quickly noticed by most of the ladies, not an equal amount in any glass. This was the Mexican fried noodles with grilled Zarandeado Shrimp that I had ordered for 179 pesos. Absolutely delicious but I was left still wanting a bit more. Pan was served at the request at one of the ladies. Indeed a new restaurant, but perhaps worth another visit next year once the kinks have been worked out.
The location is excellent, just a few short blocks from the Plazuela Machado where the electricity was flowing.
It was not quite 7PM and the action was happening.
The reason our group was in town tonight was to attend 'the Eleccion de la Reina' which took place at the Theatre Angela Peralta. Our seats were on the 3rd balcony, yes the nose bleed seats but really front row along the front of the balcony. It really does give one a unique perspective of the theatre and the stage. Note to future patrons, if you go that high up, be sure that your seats are # 10 or higher. Any lower in number and you do miss most of the performance due to technical obstructions
The hosts for the evening.
The theme for Mazatlan Carnival 2013 is “La Linterna Magica”, the Magic Lantern. Not really a movie but a type of projector yet much of the movie industry has fast become a part of the theme for this year. Mazatlan Life had a great explanation of the this year's theme as well as the events.
The evening began with an homage to Charlie Chaplin, both on film and with a dance number.
We were then presented with the candidates. There were ten of them and they all had huge amounts of support in the sold out audience. Lots of noise and fun for sure.
...waiting for their question. They all did well, it was difficult to get the entire response as they spoke very fast. There was one that I have no idea what she said but you could tell it was said from her heart and by her body expression. Sadly another lost her train of thought and was the first to be eliminated. She also had the least fashionable and expensive wardrobe. I have no idea if these things have a bearing on the outcome. There were 10 judges and they were polled twice for their choice by show of a numbered sign, ten being the highest. Sadly the potential queen mentioned above was given a' 4 ' twice! We only saw the 'walks' and the 'question'. There was no talent part.
...one of my favorite moments, Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's.
...and of course, you know who....well I hope you do?
The final walk before the judges final vote.
The final production.....Dracula. Very well done with a great pas de deux in the middle.
The winner is.....uhmmmm.....the winners are???? The lady in purple on the left is the Queen of Carnaval 2013 while the one in red on the right it the Queen of the Floral Games.
I don't understand how or why 2 where picked. Were they the two highest scores? Why two at once? Perhaps Nancy or Zoe could comment and explain or any of my other Mazatlan readers. Regardless it was a great moment. Confetti flowed and flowed from the ceiling, a live band played. Lots of energy and then it was over!!!!!!!!!!!
Most of the ladies wanted to return to the Isla but a few of us just wanted to revel in the moment and enjoy the ambience of the Plazuela Machado. The square was alive with Mexicans, a few tourists, many vendors ( actually selling really neat stuff for very very low prices ) and many musical groups. Of course the restaurants all around were open to serve and make you happy. For certain next time dinner will be afterwards in the Plazuela.
...and so ended a magical evening. It really was a Splendid Saturday.
Jan 19, 2013
Yesterday consisted of the usual beach walks, reading and relaxing and making some decisions.
We are in the process of making arrangements for Chiquito to be re released into the wild.
It will be a step by step process. As of today we are no longer handling the bird nor letting it fly around the RV. When it gets to where it is going, it will be happy to be free as opposed to being in the cage. Carmeh is much more relaxed with the bird locked in and we need to help her make the transition also. Of course I will post details as they happen.
Back home in Canada our new house awaits us. We will wait until the snow leaves before going back, needless to say. Thanks for the photo John. Poor John and his wife Val, they were vacationing here in Mazatlan in a condo for a month and have had to return back to this. Guess who made a reservation for four months beachfront for next December? Smart move John! See you end of April.
Looked like this fellow was practising landing on the water. He made a few attempts then flew off.
We experienced our first sunset in quite a while and what a beauty it was.
The sun was still high up behind the cloud.
Coming lower...
A subtle change in colors.
A flawless sunset for a flawless Friday.
...hmm how did this get here? A perfect ending!
Jan 18, 2013
So much to be thankful for but most important that the cold snap is over and we are heating up again.
Also happy to see that some of our seeds have grown and flowered.
Our first zinnia from a seed.
So very thankful there is a great hairdresser in town!
Not only does Deb do hair at Tippy Toes but now has lots of neat things for sale like gorgeous leather handbags in her Marrakesh Boutique, located upstairs. She is the author of the one of the books discussed in our bookclub last winter. Now I found out she had painted this beautiful piece of art. She does it all. Colin got his hair trimmed also. One stop shopping.
While Colin waited for me, he watched the bird watching the surfers just off Olas Altas.
It won't be long now and this malecon will be body to body during Carnivale.
Thank goodness there are many good restaurants along the malecon. We were hungy and these blue corn quesadillas hit the spot. 60 pesos included 3 quesadillas but I had already eaten one. Perfect way to enjoy the sun, the surf and people watch.
I have had some issues with parts of my body that my weekly massage isn’t quite reaching and had heard there was a new acupuncturist in Mazatlan. Dr. Judy Mazurin is a Canadian trained acupuncturist as well as a Chinese Medical Doctor. What I did not know is that she is located above Tippy Toes so how great was that.
She had a very full day but was able to fit me in. After taking careful notes she was ready to begin. The experience was very comfortable except for a few twinges in a particular painful area.
Contessa the human pin cushion. Actually it was a great experience and I would not hesitate to refer Dr. Judy as she is a specialist in pain of all kinds.
She can be reached at Judy Mazurin <judy@theartofgoodhealth.com> or 669 100 0053 here in Mazatlan. She still does have clients in Calgary, Alberta and goes back and forth. She will be away from Mazatlan Feb. 2- 27 inclusive.
I was ever so thankful to get back to our house here on the Isla and soak in the peace as I sipped my vino blanco. I am feeling much much better today so I have to say it really was a ‘Thankful Thursday’.
The day ended with a bit of a sunset, our first in several days.
Jan 17, 2013
Aha....the fish. We actually were able to track down the very fish that were caught on our beach.
We later found out that another barca way far down the beach had also caught a netful of the same fish. This is where RV2 went and got their fish from.
We purchased 2.6 kilos of filleted fish for 120 pesos.
That is $9.50 USD for 5.73lbs . But what kind of fish is it? No one seemed to know and the locals kept telling us it was a type of tuna. So I emailed my Mexican born friend Chuck who is a fisherman.
This is Chuck’s reply…
Yes it is a Jack Cravelle or the Mexicans call it a Torro. And it fights like a bull when fishing. It is considered a game fish because of its fight. Not very good eating in our opinion, meat too dark and not very tasty. The Mexicans eat it and we always gave ours away after our first attempt to cook one.
They will try to tell you it is a yellow tail/ Jurrel to sell it, but don’t be fooled its not!
We did cook it and enjoy it but more on that in a bit.
First we had to go shopping for some dinner ingredients. This is the 'big' store on the Isla. I really should take inside photos for you one of these days.
A little further down the road at one of the roadside tiendas I picked up some zucchini to grill. The gato was just trying to keep warm the owner said.
Back home Colin had a small photography job he had to edit, so he had to cast aside the guitar.
There was a special spaghetti dinner planned at a local restaurant but we really wanted to eat our very freshly caught fish. So we compromised and went for happy hour.
The son of one of the RVers was there visiting. Mark is 7'4" and I am a mere 5'4".
Finally back home where Chef Rick is tending the fish....
...and the rest of us put together the salad, the potatoes and the veggies.
Now that was a meal. From the ocean to our plates in mere hours. We all really did enjoy it.
Now that was a Wild Wednesday!