|
NONSTOP TO MAZATLAN: |
|
 |
|
 |
 In addition, local tour operators like Playa Sol (Tel from USA 011-52-669-913-7777) understand where to take visitors. Playa Sol run by Rosita Parolari has English speaking guides like Andres Magallanes who know the best view of the 1864 Lighthouse (built on a rock and rising 505 feet) the second highest lighthouse in the world after Gibraltar. They know the best spot to find on Icebox Hill for a panorama of the city, know where the most interesting statues stand along the boardwalk and know the most delightful part of town lies around the square where Carnaval Street crosses Constitucion. They can help you explore the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and lead you later to El Tunel, an old-world restaurant with plastered walls and 1940s décor. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
   |
|
| And truly proving the value of local guides,
they can drive you into the Sierra Madre Mountains past the town now
called Villa Union, built by the Conquistadors over the Rio Presidio
in 1531; past the little village of Malpica where the village baker
and the village tile maker toil amiably all day and where volunteers
climb up high on the Guadalupe Church to repaint the religious figures
on the roof; and past the town of Concordia where local artisans make
furniture just as their fathers did before them. |
|
 |
And local guides can help you discover Copala, a former silver-mining village built by the Conquistadors in 1565. Not much has changed: the homes are still tucked into the hillside, children ride donkeys along the cobbled streets and goats, pigs and chickens wander among the houses and even into the Church of San Jose with its always-open door. The church, built in 1610, was renovated "as recently as 1740" but has fallen into disrepair. |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
Those intrigued by Copala's past invariably end up at Daniel's restaurant. And if they ask a man sipping a beer in the cantina if they may take his photograph, he readily agrees and is back in a moment with daughter and wife in tow for another portrait. Daniel's sits on top of an old silver mine, and lunch there on its veranda that overlooks a hillside of lush mango, coconut and banana trees - and savoring Daniel's famed coconut pie -- is as splendid an end as any to a Mazatlan vacation. |
 |
|
 |
|
HOW TO GET THERE Don't try and drive; it's a long two-day trip and dangerous at
night because of hidden potholes and straying animals. Go by air.
Airlines fly nonstop to Mazatlan from Seattle, Denver, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, San Antonio, Houston, and Phoenix but the exciting
news for many is that Aero Mexico now has a fast nonstop from San
Diego which suggests a fun trip to Mazatlan is now an easy add-on
for those vacationing in Southern California. Aero Mexico presently
is offering special mid-week deals but be aware the city posts substantial
departure tax for visitors. And the hotels really stick it to American
visitors foolish enough to call the USA from their hotel room. |
|
| PAGE 1 2 |