No holds barred battle royale

  Mazatlan, Mexico
Tuesday, February 13, 2007

It had been a few days since we exercised and we needed to get back into the groove. We woke up early and settled on jogging to the main downtown market in Mazatlan as we were out of fresh fruit and vegetables. We underestimated the length of the jog and only made it about two thirds of the way to the market before the sun was taking its toll on us. We guess that we jogged about 3-4 miles in any event before laying up and walking the final few blocks to the market. The outdoor markets are different in every place we visit. This one in old downtown Mazatlan was quite a treat. We walked in the side that was mainly meat and were greeted with smiles from full pig heads sitting on the racks in front of the booths. Next to the row of pig heads were their feet. Want not waste not! We opted not to buy any swine at the market.

The fruit stands were plentiful and had a wide variety of local goods and some imported fruits from California. The prices varied from fruit stand to fruit stand as did the quality. A bit overwhelmed, we decided to walk the streets a bit and return to the market before heading home. This proved to be a wise decision as we did not have to lug around all the fruit and vegetables with us. Next to the market is the downtown Cathedral. By far this was the nicest church we have seen to date. The outside was immaculate from the stone courtyard to the soft yellow painted walls and white steeples. Expecting to be wowed we were not disappointed when we entered the church. The ceiling was massive reaching up about 30 feet. The floor and wall were decoratively tiled with wood inlays. There were stained glass windows around the upper portion of the church that we intricately designed with catholic scenes. The greatest part was that the sunlight shone through the stained glass and hit an enormous crystal chandelier above the alter that glistened in shades of red, orange, green and blue. The refracted light from the crystals lit up a portion of the wall which was the exact location of a statue of Joseph. As the sun moves throughout the day, the glistening rays of light are ever changing. We took a moment to sit down and stare in wonderment at the sight before us. Words barely do justice to the views we saw.

On the walk back toward the market we spotted a small fruteria (fruit and vegetable shop) across the street. It was filled with locals and by our rationale we determined that this was the place to shop. The prices were lower than anything in the market and we were able to fill an oversized shoulder bag for less that $2.00. What a great day. The only downfall was that we had to walk 5 miles back to camp lugging our goodies. Exhausted and ready for a siesta we arrived back at camp. As we turned at the side of the van we were excited to see Peter and Lorella were sitting in our lawn chairs sipping on some beers. Finally, we had connected with them. There was no time to have a shower and get all cleaned up after our morning exercise because the party train was leaving....ALL ABOARD!

We quickly washed up, changed clothes and were ready to paint the town red. Peter does not mess around when it comes to convenience items as he actually hired a pulmonia (golf cart like taxi) for the entire day. He mentioned that when we were ready his "chauffer" would take us anywhere we wanted to go. We were a bit confused by this as there was not a car or driver in sight. Little did we know that he was parked around the corner in the shade....keeping the vinyl seats out of the sun for our tender tushies. With a whistle and a wave Carlos jumped in his pulmonia and sped up beside 'Nilla to load us in. We were starved and thankfully so were Peter and Lorella.

M&G 4ever

First stop 'Canucks Restaurant', which is in Olas Altas a section in Old Mazatlan. This restaurant was filled with Canadiana including streets signs from every major town, sports jerseys, and of course the place was painted red and white from top to bottom. The chairs in Canucks had names painted on them. The waiters offer to bring you the chair with your name on it, however we opted to go incognito for the meal. Peter sat on the 'Enrique' chair, Lorella assumed the role of 'Max', Michael became 'Louis' and Geraldine landed 'T.C.'. It was childish fun, but we enjoyed every minute. 

The afternoon was rolling by quickly and the beers were going down fast. It was quite hot and all we could do to quench our thirst was ingest another beer. By the time we left 'Canucks' we were all ready to hit the dance club. It was a bit early and there was nothing really offered in the way of dancing at 2:30pm.

Hot new look!

Peter and Lorella wanted to hit the market and we had no objections. We were really just along for the ride at this point. Had we known, it would have saved us the jog to and walk back from the market in the morning. At least we got our exercise for the day. The market was very entertaining the second time around. Instead of searching around for the freshest vegetables we were able to try on weird wigs, hats and odd clothing all in the name of good humour. Our friends were on the hunt for some souvenirs, which gave us time to window shop a little more and see what the market had to offer. Aside from eyeing some nifty leather goods and 10 for 1 T-shirt deals, we did not find anything that made us open our wallets and spend any cash. We were just happy to be out on another adventure.

After the market we headed back to El Cid Resort where Peter and Lorella were staying. Carlos was kind enough to stop off for beer on the way back from the market. We must have looked thirsty. We were all hot and tired and decided that a quick dip in the pool would right the ship. Michael was like a school kid jumping off the rocks, diving and throwing in the odd cannon-ball. After the swim, we towelled off and got ready for a sushi dinner.

Sunset at El Cid Resort

While we were waiting for Peter and Lorella, the sunset view from their balcony was fabulous. We snapped a few shots and then simply sat back to enjoy the view. There is a small restaurant in the tourist area (Golden Zone) called Soho Sushi. When we emerged from the El Cid the first person we saw was Carlos. He was patiently waiting for us in the parking lot as requested by Peter. We were all starved from crushing beers all day and ordered up a feast fit for 10 at Soho Sushi. The fish was fresh and mouth-wateringly good. We stuffed our faces full and nearly had to roll out the door. The night was far from over at this point as Carlos whisked us away to Joe's Oyster Bar for drinks. Everyone was looking forward to dancing, however the large dinner made us all a bit lethargic. We could barely muster enough strength to sip drinks sitting around the table. We again ran into Bill Flynn at 'Joe's' and he joined us for a drink. He again offered up his second condo unit at El Cid and this time we cold not refuse the offer. We made some tentative arrangements to meet him at El Cid the following afternoon.

We partied at 'Joe's' until last call and then waved goodbye for the night to our El Cid friends. We were only a few blocks from home and decided to walk. Along our walk we came across a young guy selling cigarettes and gum. With his tray of wares in one hand and a rock in the other he was bashing away at the lock on a parking lot attendant booth. As we approached he turned to offer us some smokes and gum and once refused he did not miss a beat in turning back to continue smashing at the lock. We decided it was best to ignore his criminal activity and kept walking.

Photos of our first day with Peter and Lorella...http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=16xvaj2z.6jpec9j3&Uy=-78tk5b&Ux=0

After the long day we were happy to be back at 'Nilla to get some much needed rest. The next morning on Tuesday February 13, 2007 Michael got up and walked to Home Depot in an attempt to find the plumbing parts to fix the drain in the sink. Geraldine did not sleep well and was left to rest at the van. The Home Depot adventure was all for not as they did not have anything that even closely resembled the parts we needed. Back at camp we started on the task of packing up our gear and getting ready to move on up to the 4-star living at El Cid. We packed some food for the condo and finally checked in around 4:00pm. Bill F. had left a nice welcome note for us in the room and instructions to meet everyone poolside for some afternoon cocktails. Not wanting to miss the party, we headed straight for the pool. It was not hard to find them as Peter stood out like a bright red beacon with his blazing sunburn. Drinks were short lived as everyone was craving a siesta before the night got underway. We headed back to the room to prepare some food for dinner the following night. We washed our fresh fruit and chopped vegetables for over an hour and our room finally took on a homey feel. The gang decided to congregate in our room for drinks and we were more than happy to accommodate. We had no intention of going out, however Michael decided to join the party bus again and head out. Geraldine was content to spend a quiet night at the room.
Bill F. disappeared after waiting for slowpoke Michael to get ready so Michael walked around the hotel lobby aimlessly for awhile until he met up with Peter and Lorella. They had another person with them named Tina. We caught a cab to the new staple bar 'Gus-Gus'. Tina was sitting in the front of the pulmonia and on the way she leaned back and pinched one of Peter's lobster legs. Peter was livid and let Tina know that any further pinching activity was going to get a certain someone a face full of fist. We think she got the point and the pinching immediately stopped. Lorella and Michael giggled in the back seat.

Once at 'Gus-Gus' we all sipped on beers and this was when Michael learned that our friends had no idea who Tina was as they just met on the elevator ride down to the lobby at El Cid. At 'Gus-Gus' we all realized that Tina was super smashed and appeared hopped up on goofballs. Tina was stumbling through her words and at one point decided that she needed to return to El Cid as she forgot something. Michael was the only one sitting solo at the table and was given the task of escorting the drunkard back to keep her sorry butt safe. Back at El Cid, Tina fumbled through her purse looking for a room key. None was found. At the front desk, she hissed and cursed at the clerk, Eduardo, in an attempt to ask for a key. Eduardo had no idea what she was asking for and stared at her astonished. Perhaps he was trying to determine how someone that smashed was able to stand upright. Michael intervened and got the key Tina needed. When they arrived at the room, Tina opened the door and began screaming and yelling at her roommate. Michael was a bit baffled by the sight before him and opted to stand at the doorway. Within seconds the screaming and yelling turned to pushing and shoving and then the two ladies were locked into a full scale wrestling "no holds barred battle royale". There was hair pulling, eye gouging and lefts and rights being tossed around like candy falling from a pinada. In a state of shock, Michael stared in amazement with mouth open at the brawl before him. It was only when a knife entered the picture that Michael stepped backwards from the room and hightailed it to the elevator. Safe at the lobby Michael was flagging a cab when "Crazy Tina" appeared once again, with broken fingernails and a bruised cheek ready to hit the bar. Cautiously, Michael sat in the back away from "Crazy" and made her pay for the ride back to the bar. As we pulled out, the second girl from the "battle royale" was wandering the front of the hotel...possibly looking for round two to begin. Wow! What a strange encounter.

Back at "Gus-Gus", Michael hid out at the bar and sipped on a beer while soaking up this odd yet entertaining experience. Bill F. was handed the task of babysitting "Crazy Tina" for the rest of the evening. Phew! Oh, by the way, "Crazy Tina" is Canadian and may be on the wrestling circuit coming soon to a town near you. It was nice to return to the room at El Cid and climb into bed to arms of Geraldine. Michael tossed and turned all night with cold sweats in fear that "Crazy" may come to argue with him. Just kidding!

The next day was Valentines Day. We had planned a romantic day of walking hand in hand along the beach with the ocean splashing at our ankles, however this plan was thwarted when Michael decided to go golfing with Peter, Bill F. and Bob MacDonald (also from Calgary). This is not the first time Geraldine has been alone on Valentine's Day as back in Calgary Michael used to go on a ski trip with the guys on Valentine's weekend. Oh well, it's a Hallmark holiday anyway. The day was slightly overcast which was great for a long walk on the golf course. The course was lined with large palm trees and flowering bushes. At the first tee there were iguanas the length of Michael's arms roaming all over the place. Michael tried to get close, but the iguanas would have none of it and ran for cover in the nearby pond. Golfing at El Cid is a bit pricy and wound up costing about $80 USD including club rental and caddy. The caddy is mandatory, which made walking the course a bit easier. Two of the guys golfing rode a cart and shared a caddy named 'Chewie'. Michael wanted to save money so he decided to walk the course and was pleased when Bill F. joined him. The caddies all had nicknames and were given some new ones throughout the day. Bill's caddy was slower than frozen molasses and was named 'Andale' as he was never even close to Bill when he needed a new club. Later in the day we renamed Bill's caddy 'Senor Rapido', which made all the other caddies laugh. All in good fun. Michael's caddy was 'El Pollo' translated to 'The Chicken'. We never did figure out why he was called that. Even Michael was given a nickname. In talking with the caddies, Michael commented that he liked to cook and they gave him the handle 'Mandilon', which means housekeeper. They all had a good laugh at Michael's expense. The round of golf was great, but tiring.

While Michael enjoyed himself, Geraldine was busy shopping for food. We had made tentative plans to cook dinner for the crew so she spent the entire day searching the streets of Mazatlan for barbequed chicken breasts. Sounds like an easy task in a city where barbequed chicken stands line the streets, however on this particular day there were none to be found. So she ended up walking all the way to the market and back before finally caving in and buying a whole barbequed chicken from the grocery store. The walk seemed to be more than her tired feet could handle and when she started limping, she caught the first bus that rolled by.

Upon arriving back at the condo, she was greeted by an equally exhausted Michael. Living the high life sure was taking it's toll and we took an hour to nap on the couch before getting up to prepare a feast for dinner. The condo was only equipped with a microwave and a toaster oven, so Geraldine was sent down to the van to cook some orzo while Michael prepped the rest of the ingredients for the orzo salad, made a cucumber salad and created a mandarin sauce for the barbequed chicken. Peter and Lorella stopped by for some wine and appetizers before heading to make their dinner reservations, which left Michael, Geraldine and Bill F. to enjoy a delightful dinner together. Plans were again made go out after dinner, however when Peter and Lorella returned from the restaurant, we were once again full and ready for bed. It was hard to turn down another night on the town, however the partying was taking a toll on our budget. It was then decided that tomorrow night would be our big party night as it was also going to be Peter and Lorella's last day in town.