El Fuerte to Mazatlan
We got to El Fuerte in the dark, later than expected. We had to get a taxi into the center of town, and we wound up sharing it with an American couple. They were staying in a posh hotel, so we parted ways there. Yet again, we encountered a taxi driver who was interested in tourists who make an effort to speak Spanish, and he was happy to tell us a bit about El Fuerte as we drove through it.
We went to a hostel recommended by our guide book, not the nicest place but cheap and with a really nice owner who was thrilled to have guests from a country besides the US (just for a bit of variety) and also who try to speak Spanish. El Fuerte is a small town, and it felt like we were the only tourists there. Perfect!
The next morning we got up early to walk around the town and find some breakfast. We went to mail some postcards and encountered Diego in the post office. Diego is a lovely Mexican man who is determined to live in the US. He was so excited that I'm American and that we're trying to learn Spanish. He encouraged me to speak more Spanish even though I was most likely getting it all wrong! He even offered to show us around, but alas we were leaving that morning. ¡Gracias, Diego!
We wanted to go to Mazatlan, and we had to get to Los Mochis first in order to get there. We got on a bus that turned out to be very slow. We stopped about every 5 feet for people to get on or off, but at least we got to see all of the area! We got to Los Mochis about 2 hours later.
Los Mochis is more of a city, while El Fuerte is a pueblo. There's not just one handy bus station in Los Mochis, so we had to find a bus station with a bus going to Mazatlan. We had to keep asking people for directions, but eventually we got there! Our bus was to leave in about an hour. While waiting in the bus station, I realised how effective a compliment in Spanish can be. There was a snack bar in the station, and when I wanted to buy something, the woman working there was glacial. She was friendly to everyone else, not to me. When I complimented her glittery nails, in Spanish, she became a different person, all smiles. Noted! I've noticed with other people as well that a little Spanish beyond the basics does wonders; people are happy that we're making the effort. People here are also very intrigued about life in Scotland, which is a good talking point!
Our bus to Mazatlan was uneventful. We got to watch a couple movies in Spanish, which is a good learning exercise. When we arrived in Mazatlan, I noticed that another couple got off the bus as well. We needed to get a taxi to a hotel mentioned in our guide book, and the taxi driver asked if anyone else wanted to share the taxi. Luckily for us, this other couple decided to share the taxi and try the same hotel...like us, they were winging it.
They're Barbara and Ken from California, and they are awesome. They've already traveled quite a bit in Mexico and Central America, and during the taxi ride they told us about their travels and local information about Mazatlan. We got to the hotel, checked in (despite the rate being more than in our book!), and wished each other well. Later on, we were wandering around looking for a place to eat dinner, and through a window we saw Barbara and Ken waving at us. They were nearly done with their food, but they invited us to join them. We did, and we had a great time. The food was lovely, and Barbara and Ken told us loads about their travels. What a lovely time! We made sure to exchange contact details when we parted ways; I hope our paths cross again.
The next day we were lazy, and it was wonderful. It's that kind of place, Mazatlan. We slept late and then walked miles along the coastline. There are lovely beaches and lots of pelicans to watch. We wound up having a late lunch at a posh cafe, which we normally don't do, but the food was really good. We were walking along the beaches when the sun set. We didn't manage to see anyone diving off cliffs into the surf, but we loved watching pelicans and even some kittens on the beach! Wonderful.
Our plan was to go to Puerto Vallarta the next day, so we managed to find the bus station to get our tickets for that. Unfortunately, we found out that the bus would leave at 4pm and only arrive at midnight...not ideal! We tried investigating other options, but in the end we decided we'd go to Guanajuato via Guadalajara the next day rather than to Puerto Vallarta.
Our final meal in Mazatlan was dinner at a place called El Tunel. We were the only tourists in there, and it was wonderful. They were nice enough to make their specialty for us with cheese rather than chicken, so we got to have their enchiladas mole. It was cheap and fast but delicious. And we had Tonicol for the first time, a vanilla-flavoured soda made locally. We went to sleep very happy with Mazatlan!
We went to a hostel recommended by our guide book, not the nicest place but cheap and with a really nice owner who was thrilled to have guests from a country besides the US (just for a bit of variety) and also who try to speak Spanish. El Fuerte is a small town, and it felt like we were the only tourists there. Perfect!
The next morning we got up early to walk around the town and find some breakfast. We went to mail some postcards and encountered Diego in the post office. Diego is a lovely Mexican man who is determined to live in the US. He was so excited that I'm American and that we're trying to learn Spanish. He encouraged me to speak more Spanish even though I was most likely getting it all wrong! He even offered to show us around, but alas we were leaving that morning. ¡Gracias, Diego!
We wanted to go to Mazatlan, and we had to get to Los Mochis first in order to get there. We got on a bus that turned out to be very slow. We stopped about every 5 feet for people to get on or off, but at least we got to see all of the area! We got to Los Mochis about 2 hours later.
Los Mochis is more of a city, while El Fuerte is a pueblo. There's not just one handy bus station in Los Mochis, so we had to find a bus station with a bus going to Mazatlan. We had to keep asking people for directions, but eventually we got there! Our bus was to leave in about an hour. While waiting in the bus station, I realised how effective a compliment in Spanish can be. There was a snack bar in the station, and when I wanted to buy something, the woman working there was glacial. She was friendly to everyone else, not to me. When I complimented her glittery nails, in Spanish, she became a different person, all smiles. Noted! I've noticed with other people as well that a little Spanish beyond the basics does wonders; people are happy that we're making the effort. People here are also very intrigued about life in Scotland, which is a good talking point!
Our bus to Mazatlan was uneventful. We got to watch a couple movies in Spanish, which is a good learning exercise. When we arrived in Mazatlan, I noticed that another couple got off the bus as well. We needed to get a taxi to a hotel mentioned in our guide book, and the taxi driver asked if anyone else wanted to share the taxi. Luckily for us, this other couple decided to share the taxi and try the same hotel...like us, they were winging it.
They're Barbara and Ken from California, and they are awesome. They've already traveled quite a bit in Mexico and Central America, and during the taxi ride they told us about their travels and local information about Mazatlan. We got to the hotel, checked in (despite the rate being more than in our book!), and wished each other well. Later on, we were wandering around looking for a place to eat dinner, and through a window we saw Barbara and Ken waving at us. They were nearly done with their food, but they invited us to join them. We did, and we had a great time. The food was lovely, and Barbara and Ken told us loads about their travels. What a lovely time! We made sure to exchange contact details when we parted ways; I hope our paths cross again.
The next day we were lazy, and it was wonderful. It's that kind of place, Mazatlan. We slept late and then walked miles along the coastline. There are lovely beaches and lots of pelicans to watch. We wound up having a late lunch at a posh cafe, which we normally don't do, but the food was really good. We were walking along the beaches when the sun set. We didn't manage to see anyone diving off cliffs into the surf, but we loved watching pelicans and even some kittens on the beach! Wonderful.
Our plan was to go to Puerto Vallarta the next day, so we managed to find the bus station to get our tickets for that. Unfortunately, we found out that the bus would leave at 4pm and only arrive at midnight...not ideal! We tried investigating other options, but in the end we decided we'd go to Guanajuato via Guadalajara the next day rather than to Puerto Vallarta.
Our final meal in Mazatlan was dinner at a place called El Tunel. We were the only tourists in there, and it was wonderful. They were nice enough to make their specialty for us with cheese rather than chicken, so we got to have their enchiladas mole. It was cheap and fast but delicious. And we had Tonicol for the first time, a vanilla-flavoured soda made locally. We went to sleep very happy with Mazatlan!
posted by Trace at
5:22 pm
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home