After a tour of the Pacifico brewery on Wednesday morning with our friends from Sirocco and So Inclined (see their blogs for a description), in the afternoon the Pacifico crew continued being "turistas" by participating in an entertaining "Salsa y Salsa" show at the Hotel Royal Villas in Mazatlan. (Mark's friend Leonique runs the show & let us join in the fun at her cost.) This was very much a hands-on experience, where our two young instructors, Maaike & Stephanie, taught everyone how to use an authentic Mexican "molcajete" (stone mortar & pestle) to work in pairs to make seven different salsas. These covered the whole range from a spicy salsa roja, salsa verde and guacamole to a dessert-like salsa consisting of pineapple, cantaloupe, coconut & a creamy rum-based liqueur, served with ice cream. Plus we received a lesson in concocting an authentic Mexican margarita from one shot each of tequila & Controy plus fresh-squeezed lime juice, served over the rocks in a salt-rimmed glass. Our hosts supplied authentic chef's attire to everyone, so be sure to check out the photo gallery! What's the first thing that comes to mind when you see Dave in an apron & chef's hat (think "börk, börk, börk!")? If that doesn't ring any bells, check out this video:
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Our young instructors provided useful tips such as how to slice open an avocado, a safe technique for slicing and removing the seeds from the hot Serrano chiles, along with a reminder to avoid touching your eyes, nose, etc (use your imagination here) after handing the chiles!

The house margaritas kept flowing throughout the show, so our instructors needed to periodically get everyone's attention by ringing a little handbell & have us all shout "Ole!". Since we were consuming the various delectable delights as we made them, by the time the food part of the show was over we were ready for a nap! That provided a natural segue to the second part of the show. Tables & chairs were cleared away and Stephanie did her best to instruct her students in the basic moves of salsa dancing. Rather than rely on traditional directions such as left, right, forward & back, she used more interesting points of reference such as beach-side, street-side, bar-side and ship-side (most folks came from a cruise ship). Don't know how successful Stephanie was in teaching her class of learning-impaired students, but everyone had fun! (Again, look at the pictures.)

After the show, Mark introduced Dave & Marisa to Leonique, who encouraged them to look her up the next time they passed through Mazatlan. We then hurried off to the Mega market in town to buy chili ingredients for our evening pot-luck with our friends on Sirocco and So Inclined. I bet you all didn't fully appreciate the rigors of the cruising life!

Mark is leaving the boat this evening to return home to CA, and so has passed the mantle back to "Chez Dave" and "Chez Margarisa". Although the Sea Monkey was originally slated to return home with Mark, he stomped his little primate feet and said he was staying with Dave & Marisa (he really does have a foul temper sometimes). So I guess you'll continue to read of his adventures in Mexico.