Thirty years ago, it wasn't possible to catch a taxi or a pulmonia and head to Señor Frogs, but you could catch a burrow-drawn buggy and ride around Centro. Hilda Rosenthal knows. She was there. Every year, for thirty years now, Hilda had been coming to Mazatlán, staying in the Sands (Las Arenas) hotel. Although much of Mazatlán has changed over the years, Hilda's love for Mazatlán has not. Her first trip to Mazatlán was in 1970, when she drove down from Toronto-- where she was born and raised-- with her husband, Saul. After discovering an instant rapport with the Mazatlecos, Hilda and Saul made the trip to Mazatlán an annual event. As Hilda describes it: "We found our Shangri-La here... and never went anywhere else." Although her husband passed away in 1979, Hilda continues to return every year-- from the beginning of December to the end of March-- to her second home: "I sometimes feel more at home here that I do at home." The magnets that keeps attracting her back to Mazatlán are "the people and their culture." The Mazatlecos have made her feel right at home. She is drawn to their positive attitude and friendly manner: "No matter how rich or poor they are, they always seem to be happy," says Hilda of the people she has met here. Today, many of those friendly people are more than just another smiling face. Hilda has made many friends in the community. In fact, she has a hard time walking down the street without hearing at least a dozen "Hola Hildas." She is just "part of the family"