Everyday Life In Mazatlan by a Happy ExPat

I was wowed when I first visited Mazatlan. My friend Darryl printed up T-shirts that said, "I've fallen in love with Mazatlan." Here's Dave who comments on living in Mazatlan from Retire Abroad! MEXICO:

Hola Barbie,

I have been living in Mazatlan for about 8 months now and I am living in Playa Sur in el centro. The city is very beautiful and has much to offer an American retiree.

The delicious fresh fruit and vegetables at very inexpensive prices are a bonus. I often shop at Fruiteria Emma in the Juarez colonia for amazing prices.

Difficult for me are the lack of some common American foods (grits). As many different ways as they have here for elota (corn) they do not have grits. A giant Sams club and a new Costco across the street from Sams will have many gourmet products and some American foods.

I use satellite radio (Sirius) for stock market, news, sports and NPR. The signal is excellent here. They will merge with XM radio in the next few months for even more options. I brought with me nearly 300 DVDS of US movies as the Mexico DVDS are area 4 (not compatable with US area 1 DVD players).

The local newspaper “Noroeste” is excellent at 8 pesos a copy, but you need to be able to read Mexican. I say Mexican because it is not Spanish. It uses Aztec words like cacahuate (peanut) guajalote (turkey) elote (corn) ejote (green beans) Guadalupe (lupita) achote (savory sauce) guajillo, molcalete, etc. Also the level of slang words is huge and only the locals understand the slang.

Voy a casarme con Angelica en Noviembre en Club Nautica, cerca del Faro (Translated: I will be marrying Angelica in November at Club Nautica by the lighthouse).

Buena suerte amiga!

Sincerely, Dave

Here's Why You Should Plan a Trip to Mazatlan

Photo: Mazatlan Tourism Board

Christine Delsol, Special to SFGate, updates us on the changes in Mazatlan. Here's an excerpt of her story:

Mazatlan's malecon, the seafront walk tracing its long crescent beach, is one of the world's longest at more than 14 miles. It's a delight all on its own — especially when traveled on one of the open-air pulmonias built on modified VW bodies — but it has the added virtue of being a pathway to restaurants, the city's cliff divers, the aquarium and baseball stadium, and the lighthouse. Baby sea turtles are released along here each year, and it is the official staging ground for Mazatlan's Carnival celebration, a family-oriented version that is counted among the largest in the world as well as the Festival of Lights at the end of November.

This isn't the first time the malecon has gotten a facelift, but this go-round has one of the most eye-catching ever, with a phalanx of tall palm trees, which are lit up at night. It looks more tropical than ever now. New benches also have been installed along the entire length of the malecon. They've also restored the surfaces, which makes it cleaner looking and easier to walk, and installed new benches spanning the length of the boardwalk.

It can't be a coincidence that the malecon's makeover was completed in time for Mazatlan's 117th Carnival celebration, which will be celebrated Feb. 12-17. Right after that, the Spring Cultural Festival has a program of 75 performances of ballet, contemporary, classical and folkloric dance, song, opera, music, literature, film, documentary and theater. The Day of Music, Jose Limon International Dance Festival, Children's Cultural Festival and the Festival of Youth are all under the umbrella of the cultural festival, which runs from March to July. You don't need to look far to find an excuse to head down and have a look at Mazatlan's latest facelift.

6.2 Quake Strikes in Sea of Cortez

 

M 6.2 - 121km WSW of El Dorado, Mexico

PAGER - GREENShakeMap - IVDYFI? - II

Time

2014-10-07 19:40:54 UTC-07:00

Location

23.817°N 108.423°W

Depth

10.0km

There were no immediate reports of damages.

9 Reasons Why Single Boomer Women Should Relocate To Mexico

Kerry Baker is a fundraising professional and development consultant currently living in Mexico who is researching and writing about topics related to single women dividing their time working and living in Mexico and the U.S. Her U.S. home is Denver, Colo.

She wrote a article for Forbes listing 9 reasons why single women should relocate to Mexico:

1. Life is more interesting here. I think living on the beach and taking a water taxi to the gym is way better. I still have a lot of adventure left in me.
2. You can make your nest egg last longer. Once I found a place I liked on the beach, I calculated I’d cut my monthly expenses by half. Once I learn my way around, I bet I’ll spend even less, which will help make my savings last longer.
3. Technology has made connecting with people in the U.S. easier than ever. Long-term friendships, a lifeblood for most women, are much easier to maintain abroad than even five years ago.

 Read the article for the other six reasons why a single woman should relocate to Mexico.

The Malecon In Puerto Vallarta

Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta have malecons that stretch for miles. Both are wonderful walks along the sea. You hear the waves, watch them build and then roll ashore. You can watch the young surf the waves and families frolic on the beach as young ladies on skates dodge the traffic on the concrete. The big difference between the two cities?

Mazatlan Malecon

Mazatlan's malecon is built between the sea and a four lane road, while the malecon in Puerto Vallarta is peaceful and no road. The road runs behind the buildings that border your walk.

Both have public art, yet PV's seems wider with trees and restaurants and shops.

Living and Retiring in Mazatlan

Tropical Storm Sonia

"Tropical Storm Sonia has increased in strength and is expected to make landfall in the area between Mazatlan and Altata late Sunday night or early Monday morning, Nov 4th, 2013.

 The Mexican Weather service is calling for 3-6 inches of rain with up to 10 inches expected in isolated areas. Residents should expect flooding in low lying areas and possible flash flooding in mountainous regions."

Our prayers are with you!

Look What I Found In Mazatlan

Yo Amigos! I was reading Mazatlan My City and saw familiar face, Rick Wise, and this headline: Rick Wise – Pitching Mazatlan Now. It was written by Lisa Lankins, a Portland, Oregon native. Lisa was born in Portland in 1962, went to grade school in Eastmoreland and then moved to Estacada for high school  Her brother and sister went to Cleveland High School. Lisa claims she is a Portland girl through and through.



The article about Rick Wise brought back old high school memories of Madison baseball. Rick and team-mate Keith Lampard tore up Portland teams with their power hitting and Rick's pitching. I graduated in 1962 and Rick and Jeith graduated with my sister Cheryl in 1964. Here's the article which Lisa Lankins allowed me to reprint:

You know the guy, maybe a favorite uncle, that looks at your shirt, points at a spot and makes you look, then flicks your nose with his finger and says, "Gotchya"? The funny guy that stands behind a 4x4 post and pretends you can't see him and peeks around it until you do see him? That is Rick Wise, a loving jokester that is very down to earth and enjoys making people smile. You would never know that Rick is also a very famous retired baseball pitcher. He comes to Mazatlan as often as he can.

Rick is from Portland Oregon. After graduating from high school, he was signed by the Philadelphia Phillies. His rookie year was 1964 when he was 18 years old. His career blossomed and on June 23rd of 1971 he played the game of his life when he threw a no hitter and made two home runs in the same game against the Cincinnati Reds. That is a record that still stands to this day, 42 years later. His career in the major leagues lasted a total 18 years, a veritable marathon compared to today's short runs. After retiring, he became a pitching coach in the minor leagues. He coached at every level of the minor leagues including independent ball, for 24 years.

In his first major league win, he pitched the 2nd game of a double header on father's day 1964 at Shea Stadium in New York. At the end of the first game, I remember everyone came streaming in from the field talking about the perfect game of Jim Bunning, and I said "I need a baseball to go warm up!" I needed to be ready for game two. It wasn't my first start, but my first win. They don't play double headers any more. The closest thing is a split day-night double header. Two games in the same day, a whole different crowd usually. That allows for 70,000 people to attend. With today's baseball salaries the way they are, they have to do that."

Rick loved the competition, and still does according to his wife Susan who says he and his brothers are constantly trying to outdo each other. He knew he wanted to be a big league ball player when he was 7 or 8 years old. "We went out and played sports all the time, played whatever sport was in season. I was a born athlete, had college scholarship offers for three sports, but I was consumed by baseball. I was in the little league world series in 1958, where we were beat 2-1. Three years later at the age of 15, I went to the Babe Ruth World Series. I threw the 2nd no hitter in the history of the Babe Ruth Series in 1961. Then 14 years later I was in a Major League World Series".

In 2009 Rick and Susan were coming north on a baseball cruise and they spent eight hours in Mazatlan. It was a port-o-call for their cruise. They REALLY liked it. They had already wanted to come back to Mexico, having been to San Miguel de Allende 20 some years earlier. Then, because they liked what they saw in Mazatlan, they decided to come back here.

They found a condo to rent on-line, on icebox hill, and booked a 6 week trip. Hurricane Rick just happened to hit while they were here. It didn't affect their love of Mazatlan and have been back several times since, renting houses or condos and have found house-sitting jobs, a total of 5 visits since then.


When you ask what he likes the best about Mazatlan, he quickly answers and goes through his list:
"The people - happy, always smiling, such hard workers, so engaging, helpful, friendly, and outgoing".

"The food- I like everything about the food, I like the different ingredients, the flavors, and you can sit here on the Malecón and watch the sunset during dinner. Mexican cuisine is not the Taco Bell flavor that we know in the US. It's made with local ingredients known to the area. It's very, very good. "Chuletas" or pork chops, are my favorite food on this trip. The bread and desserts are wonderful, not to mention the fish and seafood. They take such care making their food."

"The weather- the weather is kind of a given. Summers down here are hot, there no getting around it. I have worked in this kind of heat before as a professional ball player, St. Louis and Philadelphia can be similar in the summer, especially back in the 70's where they were cookie cutter stadiums with Astroturf. It felt like it was 170 degrees on the field. They were nasty hot."

"We love the summer storms and the lightening. Mazatlan has some of the most beautiful storms at night in the summer. Normally it rains at night unless there is an actual storm coming through." Rick and Susan seem to stay a little longer every time they are down, "We are here for two months this trip and going home in a week. We arrived on August 3rd."

"I have gone to see the Venados games (Mazatlan's baseball team), a few times and really enjoyed the games. It's really a good brand of winter league baseball, really good competition. Mazatlan came in 2nd in their league a few years ago. If in Mazatlan, please watch them play. The season starts in October. Players use this league to hone their skills to try to get to the big leagues. So they can get experience in the off season. Everyone is trying to get to the big leagues."


When asked about how he feels about retirement, Rick replied, "Wish you could play forever, but physically you can't. It's a young man's game. You figure the average career today is 4 years in the major league, I spent 18, it was a long run".

"I went to get cigars a week ago in downtown and the guy knew I was a former pitcher in the major leagues. It stuns me how many baseball fans are here in Mazatlan. They love baseball here. They know the stats, the players and teams. It's amazing really. Everyone asks me if I know Fernando Valenzuela, who played for the Dodgers. He beat me 2-0 his rookie year in 1981. He was rookie of the year that year. He was great for Baseball, great for Los Angeles and great for Mexican Baseball."

When Rick is in Mazatlan, and you never know when that will be, he can be found enjoying a cold beer with his Mazatlan buddies, enjoying a walk with Susan around old town, or trying to make interviewers look at a spot on their shirts, haha.

In Bed At Night, I Listen to the Waves

Inland  

by Edna St. Vincent Millay

 

  

People that build their houses inland,
   People that buy a plot of ground
Shaped like a house, and build a house there,
   Far from the sea-board, far from the sound

Of water sucking the hollow ledges,
   Tons of water striking the shore,--
What do they long for, as I long for
   One salt smell of the sea once more?

People the waves have not awakened,
   Spanking the boats at the harbour's head,
What do they long for, as I long for,--
   Starting up in my inland bed,

Beating the narrow walls, and finding
   Neither a window nor a door,
Screaming to God for death by drowning,--
   One salt taste of the sea once more?

Mazatlan - Top Ten Cities

http://www.sdpnoticias.com/economia/2013/04/21/revista-del-financial-times-ubica-a-mazatlan-como-ciudad-del-futuro


Mazatlan. - FDI Intelligence magazine, which publishes the world renowned London newspaper The Financial Times, specializing in economics,  placed Mazatlan in the "top ten" of American cities of the future.

According to a study by the British magazine, in its segment "Cost Effectiveness", Sinaloa port is among the top 10 cities in Latin America with greater economic and profitability expectations.

In an interview, state Tourism Minister, Francisco Cordova Celaya, said the outcome of the English edition, Mazatlan positions on the world stage and aims at an important juncture of business opportunities.

He noted that this situation becomes even more important, for the upcoming opening of the Super Mazatlán-Durango Highway and strategic projects of introduction of natural gas.

A recent conversation on Mazinfo had an expat seeking info about flour weevils. What to do if you find contaminated food and how to rid your kitchen of it. Stephanie Raney in "How to Get Rid of Flour Weevils and Keep Them Away," writes that you should take all your food out of your cupboards, throw away all that you know is contaminated or that you think might be contaminated. "Be sure to check all sugars, grains, dried beans and breakfast cereals for signs of flour weevils. Do not throw the contaminated food away in your kitchen trashcan you will want to remove it from your home immediately." Then, thoroughly clean and disinfect your cupboards. Even replace the shelf paper.

When you bring in new sugar, flour, cereal, beans etc. first put them in the freezer for four to five days. The freezing will kill any weevils. Raney writes that "...the most important things are to keep foods prone to infestation sealed in airtight containers, to use older food first, and to only buy small amounts of foods that are prone to becoming home to flour weevils at a time. Good advice!

Mazatlan Tourist Aide

Book Review: Mañana Doesn't Mean Tomorrow By David Kindopp

We’ve all had lovers who just didn’t love us back as we wanted. David Kindopp describes his love affair with Mazatlan, Mexico in “Mañana Doesn't Mean Tomorrow, An unbelievably, ridiculously, painfully, delightfully true adventure in Mexico.” David gave up his real estate career in San Diego, settled up with his two ex-wives and sailed to Mexico on a 50-foot ketch.  All he wanted to do was start a charter business, taking tourists for sunset sails at $35 apiece.  He would provide the cervezas and food in a first-class manner and tourists would fall in love with the city as he had.

David is 40 and loves sailing and is good at his job.  He isn’t afraid of hard work and his mind overflows with the music of Jimmy Buffet. Working with tourists can pay well, but the ups and downs of the economy and the seasons can savage your endurance.  I’ve seen “Davids” in Mexico and Hawaii.  Sharing living quarters with other “Davids” enjoying the life in paradise. David is good with people and the lady tourists, looking for adventure, find it on the sea and in David’s bed, all in vivid detail.

Mexico is another story.  He loves the culture.  He feels alive.  Here he is not an American sheep with predictable futures, always paying for the new house, new car, education, healthcare. However, the corruption and inefficiency just beats him down.  He needs to get a permit to take tourists sailing, but is told by his business partners that the permit will be here Mañana! Those expats who live in Mexico know the most maddening part of living there is the lack of concern about time.  If it doesn’t get down today at 11:00am, there will be another 11:00am tomorrow or next week. He doesn’t understand why officials make it so hard to be an entrepreneur promoting tourism.

I loved the book. David Kindopp had me from the opening pages and I felt his love and hope for Mexico and also his pain and disappointment.  He says he has much more to tell and he plans on going back, so look for a sequel.

Today's poem from Poem-A-Day is from Ezra Pound:

Come My Cantilations
by Ezra Pound

Come my cantilations,
Let us dump our hatreds into one bunch and be done with them,
Hot sun, clear water, fresh wind,
Let me be free of pavements,
Let me be free of the printers.
Let come beautiful people
Wearing raw silk of good colour,
Let come the graceful speakers,
Let come the ready of wit,
Let come the gay of manner, the insolent and the exulting.
We speak of burnished lakes,
And of dry air, as clear as metal.

The first thing I did upon reading the poem was to Google "Cantilations."

Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Hebrew Bible in synagogue services. The chants are written and notated in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible (or Tanakh) to complement the letters and vowel points.

Ezra Pound at the time he wrote the poem was part of the Imagist Movement concerned with intense precision and condensation.  It seems that here Pound bemoans the "...shallowness of village life..." I like the poem because it speaks to me about the lifelessness of city life when we should be enjoying nature.  What better place to do that on Mexico's beaches with their "Hot sun, clear water, fresh wind,..." Don't forget the food and conversation, leisure and sound of the surf as we fall asleep at night.

Enjoy a taste of Mazatlan!!

Travel To Los Osuna And El Caliete

We've been back from Mexico now a week and I will not forget our trip to the Los Osuna tequila Factory and El Queliete about 30 miles northwest of Emerald Bay. We hired Fernando who works for Avis. The van for six of us and the driver was 1,000 pesos plus gas.

We left at noon headed for Los Osuna. Along the way some scary marines were randomly stopping traffic. They carried automatic weapons and were dressed in jungle camoflage. Their faces were covered to protect their identity. We were not stopped, maybe because Fernando was a marine.

The tree pictured here at the factory is over 220 years old!

Tequila is made from blue Agave. We were told by comely Marina that the workers in the field slice off the leaves and then dig out the root, which is about the size of two bowling balls.

First the root is chopped in pieces and steamed to soften the root. 

In the early days a horse pulled a rock grinder around in a circular pit . 

Now the agave root is ground by a large circular rock.The juice is then drawn off and fermented in oak casks.

Just look at that ceiling, all hand made and the building was cool on that 95 degree day.

After the tour, for 25 pesos, we could sample the tequila. I don't drink, but took a small taste on my tongue. I'd forgotten how much alcohol is in the taste of tequila. It was not as good as my cup of tea.

We all jumped back in the van, foregoing the zip lines down the road, and headed for El Quelite. 

Before going into the town itself, we parked and took a short hike up a prominent hill that looked over the valley. It was all very dry as was the river. The Sierra Madres loomed in the distance. Fernando wanted us to arrive at the restaurant El Meson in time for the entertainment.

Not only is there a great view, but a shrine on the top, maybe to thank God we didn't have a heart attack hiking up.

The restaurant is El Meson. We had heard great things about the restaurant and we were all starved. 

Oddly, we all ordered Barbecoa. We wanted to sample what Taco Bell has been advertising so frequently on TV. Barbecoa is beef that has been cooked until it's well done and stringy. In flour and corn tortillas it was very good and spicy.

After lunch we were entertained by two couples showing us traditional dances. Then native Mexicans danced a dance that told the story of the Eagle pictured on the Mexican flag killing the snake.

Finally, we paused to reflect on the wonderful food and entertainment on the front porch in the setting sun.

We were gone about five hours. If we had chosen to go on the zip lines, we would have returned much later. In the end we tipped Fernando 600 pesos for his tour and safe driving. Bev brought home her bottle of Los Osuna tequila for her margaritas.

Crime Comparisons by Country: U.S. and Mexico

When I told my friends I was vacationing in Mexico, they looked at me as if I were nuts. I always kidded them by saying I was going to be ok. I would wear my Kevlar vest! The truth is I've never felt that it was unsafe to travel to Mexico. Recently, a study was released that compares crime rates in the U.S. and Mexico. Here's what the study shows:

The U.S. is 8th in the world in total crimes at 80.0645 per 1000 residents, giving you an 8% chance of being a victim in the U.S.

But here is the real clunker – Mexico — the country the U.S. government tells you not to visit, and the U.S. media has a field day reporting any crime, be it significant or not, to further put the fear of God into staying away from, well, Mexico ranks 39th in total crime in the world with a per capita of slightly less than 13 crimes per 1000 residents… That is a 1.3% chance of being a victim of crime in Mexico.

According to almost every measure, Mexico is much safer than the U.S.:

Assaults — the U.S. ranks number 6, Mexico number 20

Burglaries — the U.S. ranks number 17, Mexico number 34

Car thefts — the U.S. ranks number 9, Mexico number 22

Fraud — the U.S. ranks number 18, Mexico number 29

Rape — (Canada number 5) the U.S. ranks number 9, Mexico number 17

For me, it's the perfect place to be a snowbird. I enjoy the warm days, perfect sunsets and soft evenings in the city of Mazatlan on the Pacific Ocean as far south as Cabo.

14 Days In Mazatlan

Why do I have to leave, again?

Two Weeks To Vacation!

We are down to the final two weeks before leaving for two-week vacation in Mazatlan starting March 6th. We check the weather forecast every day and it clings to 80 to 85. Here in Portland, we are expecting snow on Thursday and then an extended stretch of 13 days with temps below freezing and snow almost every day.

I have lost almost 15 pounds and can fit into my new red and white swimming trunks with only a little "dunlop." I go to sleep thinking of sitting in my lounge chair looking out over the pool at PBEB, sipping a smoothie or cold beer sin alcohol.

I saw an ad today for a fourth floor two-bedroom condo that looks out over the Mazatlan marina for $250,000. Sight unseen it looks pretty good. However, we need to visit a number of Mexican places for at least a month before deciding to put down roots.

This week I started throwing out junk that clutters our home thinking, "Would I take this Mexico?" If the answer is no, then out it goes. It's just junk that no one would want.

Mexico Beckons

Today, I am spinning off coverage of “Travel”, "Ex Pats" and “Moving to Mexico” at Mover Mike by creating Mexico Calling.  My goal is to become a snowbird, spending at least six months a year in some area of the country.  Mexico calls to my wife and me.  I want to chronicle my preparations for the change and impart to you what drives us to move there.

Here are links to posts about Mexico at Mover Mike.  I hope you will take some time to check them out.

• Moving To Mexico
• Travel
• Ex Pats