Three Mexico Cities--All Different

PV Malecon

In the last month and one half, we have cruised to many secluded beaches and coves, but we have also visited the three largest Mexican cities we see while on the Pacific coast of Mexico. All three are fun, all the are colorful, all three are safe, and we like them all. Here is the run down.

LA PAZ, located near the bottom of the Baja California peninsula, is the capital of Baja California Sur and is largely a resort town. As with all three cities, good, varied, and inexpensive restaurants abound, making eating out a highlight of each day. Another feature of each city is their Malecon, the seawall walk way that goes on for several miles. It is a gathering place for locals and tourists alike is a great place for an evening stroll. It also is where you can find a

Chuck and Chris in Mazatlan

number of pieces of monumental sculptures, many dealing with the sea, some festive, some a bit quirky. It is like having Fremont’s “Waiting for the Interurban” a dozen times over.

MAZATLAN is the oldest established city of the three, having been a gathering place for native Americans for millennia, then a port for the Spanish, dating back to 1545, and then a fishing center. As with all three of these cities, there is an Old Town, a compact few dozen blocks exuding colonial charm. Then there is urban sprawl, Mexican style, that extends for a couple miles along the shore and inland. Hotels dominate the beaches

Salty's 7th Birthday

and behind them are commercial districts and residential areas that vary from middle class to struggling.

In Mazatlán we had the pleasure of meeting up with Chuck and Chris Cox, two friends from our church in Magnolia. They took us to their lovely condo atop a hill in Old Town and we saw how two gringos live ashore in Mexico, at least when they live in Mexico for a month or two a year. Chuck is also our Mazatlán restaurant advisor and found the restaurant where we celebrated our 49^th anniversary. Chuck and Chris spend quite a bit of time looking out at the sea, but had never seen Mazatlán FROM the sea. So, we untied Schatzi and took them on

Christmas Time at Oxnard

a tour around the bay, including a stop at one of the islands in the harbor. It was a great day—both for the seasoned mariners and for the established gringos.

Mazatlán also is a good place to leave the boat, which we did to journey north to Oxnard, California to be with our family for Christmas. Kevin and Christian drove down to join us at Andy and Lorraine’s home, to have Christmas with our grandson Clark. While in Oxnard, we had the evening electric boat tour (there is nothing like a boat trip while on vacation from a boat trip!), dinner at the Pacific Corinthian yacht Club, hiking the hills behind Oxnard, great dining a la Chef Christian, and fun with the family.

Our 49th Anniversary

PUERTO VALLARTA is perhaps the best known of the three cities since it is a favorite American tourist destination. For us it marked the beginning of the Tropics, complete with warmer (did I say hot) air, very swimmable water and humidity. Several communities string along the shoreline of 20 mile by 15-mile Banderas Bay, with PV at the south and Bucerias, La Cruz and Punta Mita at the north. La Cruz has become the yachting center, with the marina most welcoming to boaters and the location we spend the most time.

While at La Cruz, we noted that quite a few other Seattle Yacht Club friends were in town. There is a tradition among SYC members that began with a green painted electrical box on our dock at Port Madison. When a number of boats had tied up, someone would announce

Green Box in Bucerias

a “Green Box”, and about 5 PM everyone would bring an hors d’oeuvre and a beverage of their choice to an afternoon hors d’oeuvre party. Well, we decided to hold a Green Box in Puerto Vallarta. Due to conflicts it overflowed to two nights. On Sunday night, seven of us met up for dinner at the No Way Jose restaurant, a favorite, offering Mexican dining specialties. At dinner were yours truly, Steve and Peggy Leonard (down from Seattle on their boat), Tom and Mary Ann Liebert (part time PV residents) and Dore Anderson (a full time PV resident and lifetime sailor). The following afternoon the actual Green Box was held at the Bucerias condo rented by Denis and Pam Thomas, joined again by us, Steve and Peggy Leonard, good friend Fred Roswold, and the Gifford family—Jamie. Behan, Niall, Siobhan, and Mairen, accompanied by their film crew. The Gifford Clan has recently completed sailing around the world and this week were being filmed by a movie company from Montreal, doing a documentary on how a family sails for ten years with three teen and pre-teen age children.

That’s about it for cities. We are sending out this blog from Bahia Chamela, a lovely, teensy fishing village with a superb beach, Next posting we will talk about quiet seaside hideaways—the main reason to visit the Pacific seashore of Mexico.

Here’s to wishing you a Nuevo Prospero Ano,

Roger, Lynne, and Salty

You can reach us at 206-755-4193 or email rdwerner47@gmail.com