AN INSIDE GUIDE TO MAZATLAN
[Note: David Eidell sent back a report to our readers through a "Mailbox" item that we thought was far too good to let rotate through the Mailbox and then disappear. So we've borrowed from it and serve it up here as an editorial in this unique series about RVing in Mexico.]
Hi Tom,
I must say, there's nothing like living in an area for months on end to give one an opportunity to root out unknown restaurants, and unspoiled beaches. I guess that it takes an RV'er to appreciate the need to know about which local bus goes where. Like I point out in my articles about driving in Mexico, RVs and "downtown" don't mix -- be it "downtown" a city or "downtown" a small village. For example, I can board a brand new air conditioned Mercedes Benz luxury bus and for seventy cents it will take me ten miles north to a hidden treasure of a palapa restaurant by the name of "Restaurant Brujas" (Restaurant of The Witches). Set out on a small promintory this palm frond open air restaurant specializes in "cocos de colima", ice cold coconuts, opened and served with a straw. After you finish drinking the delicious liquid you can ask the waiter to have it opened and the coconut meat broken up for you.
And there's Isla de La Piedra (Stone Island), across the channel from the Transbordador (Ferry) Terminal. Tell the bus driver driving the bus marked "Ferry" that you wish to go to the "embarcadero" and he'll drop you off right near the water taxi station. A dollar buys a round trip ticket. On the opposite shore there is a long, stunningly beautiful (read undeveloped) beach bordered by miles and miles of coconut palms. Better yet in the near distance is a parade of palm frond open air restaurants that specialize in mesquite broiled fish and seafood. It's a quarter-mile hike to these restaurants, but for the physically challenged, open air taxis will deliver you almost right to your table. Even in the heat of summer, fresh breezes blow off the (perfect for swimming) curling blue water, and a dose of near freezing "cerveza" should chill a person right down to a level suitable for spending an entire Sunday afternoon, feasting on Lobster, crab, shrimp, and iced oysters on the half shell.
Most of the computer "cyber cafes" have machines faster than one gigahertz, and better yet, most cafes are modem connected to blazing fast cable services in the hundreds of megahertz. All this for a tad under a dollar per hour. I do my online banking in a flash.
Mazatlan's downtown Central Market, the Mercado Municipal occupies an entire city block and from my experiences so far, in guiding friends (American) of the female persuasion, to this market, there is something in the air that fairly shouts: Shop! Buy! Shop More! Buy Everything! In this indescribable cacaphony of noise, jostling bodies, perfume-like fruit aromas, and cars honking outside, reposes a total shopping experience: A few days ago I purchased tender "New York" cut steaks, as tender and flavorful as any ten dollar a pound US steak, for two dollars forty two cents a pound. Need a wristwatch, or jewelry? Go down that aisle. A virtual warehouse of potions, medicinal teas, herbs and oils is sold right over there, past that freezer chest displaying hog's heads.
Wearily I trudge upstairs to the second floor "comedors", small restaurants that serve genuine homemade Mexican dishes. A blushing little girl advances and recites the menu by memory. I settle for the Chiles Rellenos, and a glass of "Agua Fresca de Jamaica", a tea of hibiscus flowers, lightly sweetened that puts cranberry juice to shame. Chiles Rellenos are large green (usually mild) chiles that are stuffed with a mild "panela" cheese, baked, then smothered with a tomato sauce loaded with onions. This particular batch turned out to be very mild. The chiles came with spanish rice, a small salad and a stack of authentic hand made tortillas (shaped not with a tortillas press, but by plip-plop-plip-plop from hand to hand. I received two refills of the delicious bright red tea. I asked for the bill. The little girl counted it up on her fingers and announced "Quince Pesos, señor" (A dollar forty six).
Tomorrow morning a friend and I are heading toward that special block that has women selling fresh shrimp out of huge tubs full of ice. The size of "camaron" that I am after is almost prehistoric sounding (eight to ten per pound). Not cheap at a little over nine dollars a pound, but these monsters are slated to end their day as the centerpiece for shish-ka-bob, with red, green, and yellow bell pepper, giant skewered green onions, roma tomatoes, sprinkled with Tequila.
And I haven't even touched on the Mango, Chocolate, Guava ice-cream!
¡Saludos!
David