We have arrived in La Cruz, just north of Puerto Vallarta in Banderas Bay, and as I have internet again, I can now add some few details about our stay in Mazatlan.

Mazatlan is the first place where we stopped long enough to learn our way around the city and come to appreciate what it has to offer. Our conclusion is that we could live here (perhaps at some future time). We awake each morning to the call of the Cruisers Net on Ch 22VHF - to find out what is happening around town, get advice on almost any topic, find out who has arrived or is departing, etc. It has been fun getting to know an ever widening circle of cruisers, many of whom we hope to continue to see on our travels south over the next few years. They are an interesting group of people - each with a story to tell. We have the common bond of stepping out of the mainstream of life ashore and share a sense of adventure. Some of our activities ashore this past month included enjoying some excellent Mexican meals, music performances, visiting markets, exploring Old Mazatlan and shopping for boat parts and hair cuts. Ted got to experience Mexican dentistry first-hand when he broke a molar; which required a root canal, pin and crown to repair. Mazatlan has some excellent dentists and the cost of the entire procedure with two specialists totaled $500US, about one-fifth of the cost in Canada! We attended a wonderful classical music performance at the famous restored Angela Perralta Theatre. Two young artists (ages 16 & 17) from Mexico City were the soloists - the brother played cello and the sister violin - they were amazing and the venue was a treat to experience. The Theatre has quite the history - built in 1874, it has been the home to opera, boxing, circus, vaudeville and burlesque shows before closing for 30 years. It was restored and re-opened in 1992 - photos show trees growing up through the orchestra and balcony seating which makes you appreciate how extensive the restoration process was. A group of us took a trip out to the Sunday market in Juarez, where everything imaginable was for sale. My friend Maureen even talked me into participating in a Yoga class 3 times a week on a patio overlooking the ocean with the surf coming in - how perfect! My one regret was that we didn't take conversational Spanish classes while we were here; but we hadn't planned to be in Mazatlan for so long. Sadly our Spanish practice has fallen aside, as the Mexicans want to practice their English with us! As there is a very good shipyard here, Ted decided to haul the boat and replace the 3 remaining original through-hulls. Once Roundabout was out of the water, we realized that the anti-fouling paint had never been stripped back to the gelcoat and the multiple layers were starting to fall off in clumps, so we decided to do that job too. This meant being on the hard for about 12 days. As the Eileen Quinn song says "Life on the hard is "hard"," because you can't run water, or use your sinks and toilets. Fortunately, our friends Chuck and Karen asked us to stay in their condo at El Cid for a week and then we moved on to the Tatems boat for the last few days - big thanks to both couples. As our time in Mazatlan neared the end, I decided that it was time for a "Pot Luck" - amazingly we managed 17 people on Roundabout for a sit down BBQ supper, not bad for a 40 ft boat! A great time was had by all.

As much fun as Mazatlan was, the sea was calling and it was time to head further south...