Cathedral and Olde Town - a busy Fat Tuesday!

Fat Tuesday - Mardi Gras - Shrove Tuesday....
We enjoyed pancakes for breakfast to commemorate this last day before Lent in keeping with Carnaval tradition.  In the early afternoon we hopped a green bus (9 pesos each - 80 cents).  Half an hour later we arrived at the Municipal Mercado on Serdan in the heart of downtown Mazatlan.  The last day of Carnaval - would there be any bargains?  The best we could find were 3 ball caps for 100 pesos.  Kelly picked out a Pacifico logo and a Carnaval cap and I chose a blue Carnaval one; not really my style but a fun souvenir.

It seems sales were slow in the market as we were "encouraged" at every booth to buy something. Nothing appealed.  We headed across the street to the peace and quiet of the Cathedral, a lovely structure which we'd seen briefly in December.  It is slowly being restored with donations and fund raising.  We spent a few quiet moments inside thinking of and thankful for the family and friends who keep us in their prayers and thoughts as we continue this journey.

Cathedral arches and ceiling

Ceiling medallion closeup

Altar

Cathedral carvings

The streets were quiet as we walked 6 or 7 blocks towards the beach and malecon with no festivities taking place at that moment.  There are steep staircases off some streets as this part of Mazatlan is built around several hills.  Once on the malecon, where we'd waited for the fireworks, we found a shop with more colourful Carnaval shirts featuring not the Muses, but a Jester's cap.  They still don't cater to Damas styles, so I passed on buying anything.  The ladies in the small grocery/gift shop were so helpful and agreed that the festivities could be a bit hard on one's hearing.  they had to endure the sounds it every night.

Old steps and greenery

Our next stop was into an older hotel which had a tree growing in its courtyard, near the Shrimp Bucket restaurant. It had a Kerouac quote from his novel On the Road, in Spanish, near its door.

Commemorating Jack Kerouac and his visits

Our meanderings took us back towards the Plazuela Machado, stopping at a lending library along the way to add to our onboard library and chat with the friendly fellows who work there.  Carol picked up brochures for the upcoming Art Walk self guided tour this Friday.

A nice cold Pacifico hits the spot!

The Plazuela is a pleasant green rectangle, with a gazebo and surrounded by restaurants, cafes, a few hotels and bed and breakfasts, and is located next to the Angela Peralta Theatre.  We chose a spot on the shady side to enjoy some refreshments and people watch.  Young children amusing themselves while parents chatted, a sweet dachshund patiently waiting to continue his/her walk, friends playing backgammon.  A quiet time before the final parade and festivities of the evening.

A pina colada - more my taste!

Vendors were setting up nearby with masks, jewellery, treats and snacks as we walked back to Juarez to catch our Sabalo-Centro green bus.  Not too long to wait and we were on our way back to INTREPID II.  Happy hour was underway with an invite to join folks on board SV Optical Illusion; then a treat of fresh shrimp for dinner.  The water taxi driver, Gilberto, had sold us a fine looking bag of large shrimp and Kelly always does an excellent 'camarones en ajo (garlic)'.  Finally, yours truly worked on downloading pictures and some editing while the Captain joined a friend to watch a movie poolside....quite the full day!