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Welcome to Mazatlan, all you former dot com billionaires who didn’t feel
comfortable with the usual safari in Kenya, tour of the pyramids in Egypt
followed by a Mediterranean cruise, then on the Himalayas.. Good old Maz,
where the closest thing to a terrorist is an aggressive I-want-to-write-your-name-on-a-grain-of-rice
artiste, and you can watch the sun set slowly into the west for a fraction
of overseas prices. So if you’ve had a rough year, and had to sell the
Rolls to pay off the Ferrari, let me offer you a few tips on how to get
more fun for your peso while you’re in town. Walking around is pretty
much free as long as you don’t spend any money. You can soak up sun on
the beach in the ritzy Golden Zone, where the sand is the best and the
waves are surfable. After a couple of pampered days your bones should
be thawed out enough to brave some exploratory expeditions. One of my
favorites is the connect= the= statues route, which starts at the Faceless
Family Statue next to Valentino’s and after a couple of hours of sauntering
along the malecon ends up at the Deer Statue in the middle of the road
in Olas Altas. Maz is truly blessed with world class sculpture, most of
it in a nude classical style that people go all the way to Italy to ogle.
They just don’t make them like this, anymore. If you stick to the seawalk,
one of the world’s finest strolls, you’ll pass a bronze pulmonia taxi,
looking like a giant Monopoly token. On the eastern side of the road,
look for the statue of Lola Beltran, the Pasty Cline of Mexico. The Fisherman’s
Monument is not as dull as it might sound, and around the bend dolphins
and more nudes abound. And any city that proudly displays its first beermaking
device on a pedestal can’t be all bad. After you’ve gotten enough sand
and surf in your socks, you might want to head inland. A fun experience
the whole family can enjoy is the let’s-get-lost-and-try-to-find-the-Cathedral
route. Old Mazatlan is filled with ancient buildings which feature awesome
architecture and even the occasional street sign. Why go to Greece when
there are ruins right here? Just spend a few hours wandering in circles
around the Cathedral, then try to find your way back to the ocean. First
one to whine loses. The movie theaters here are a real bargain even if
you just want to escape all that warm sunshine and sit in the dark, air
conditioned room for a few hours. For a free blast of cold air, go into
an ATM booth and pretend to use the machine, or step into the post office
and scribble on a piece of paper until you cool off. They say
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there is no such thing
as a free lunch, but if you go to Edgar’s Bar (see ad) around two in the
afternoon, the waitress puts a delicious little plate of Mexican food
in front of you whether you’re hungry or not. It is kind of like a museum
that serves cheap beer, the walls are covered with old historic photos,
and the ceiling is full of piñatas for that ambient Mexican. If you take
advantage of all the inexpensive stuff that Mazatlan has to offer, you
can actually come out ahead on your vacation. Stock up on cheap yet exotic
gewgaws and trinkets, and you can take care of all that pesky Christmas
shopping in one pleasant, sunny afternoon of browsing and forget about
Toys R Us and Nordstroms. Have a couple of teeth capped, maybe a mole
or two removed, and don’t forget to stock up on prescription drugs, duty
free liquor and cheap cigarettes. Don’t worry if you go broke in the process.
As a last resort, if you find yourself completely tapped out, you can
always scavenge for coconuts and stay for free at the Hotel Camarena,
where the cama (bed) is arena (sand). All in all, Mazatlan is the perfect
place to pass the time frugally while you’re waiting for the technology
job market to pick up, or your Argentine investments to rebound. See you
on the beach!
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