Mazatlan: 11. Yate Fiesta, Seals. Valentino's
Tuesday we at last walked on the beach. It is a several miles long, with very fine, pale of finely ground shells and the purple, golden, white and other colours of rocks of the area. Big rolling waves come in between the islands, apparently straight from the wonderful Pacific Ocean. A wide gap between islands near our area you see many long swells and an empty ocean horizon, with maybe a few winged shrimp boats far away. That's the place to go to see past the islands and
out to the most wonderful sunsets imaginable. These are semi-tropical sunsets,
-- gorgeous and dramatic. The sand is very firm for quite a width along the waterline and it's a delight to walk there, although you must be careful of your toes when the occasional tongues of lava rock that once flowed into the ocean are
occasionally exposed.
I love to walk on that wonderful beach. When you pause for a wave or two with your feet in the water the sand washes out from under them, and if you stayed there you would just sink deeper and deeper until you disappeared. I suppose other
tides would uncover you again. Once we saw a huge, beautiful shiny male seal laying dead by a hotel wall at the high tide line. It had been very stormy that
night and somehow strong Mr. Seal lost his life. I couldn't bear to go near to
stare at him, although a few people were examining his carcass.
I collect lovely coloured rocks and shells;, so at home I have a fine collection
very pleasant to examine in winter and remember the beach they came from and adventures there, or in summer admire in their wet splendour when they are in a little room fountain under a small flow of plashing water.
This morning Ben again bravely went in alone for a swim, (the beach was still deserted by others less hardy or less determined not to be deprived of swimming in
salt water), and he came back with three little shells, each one smaller than the last, and all nested together which he said means "I love you." Now they're
in one of my special little places here at home.
Thursday was the day for the Yate Fiesta. We try never to miss this boat triparound the islands and the mainland whenever we're here. At 10:30 am a truck with seats on both sides in the truck box arrived at our hotel. We climbed in and
held on tight. Next we picked up a Mexican couple at another hotel and then it threaded its way through the city to a private dock fairly near where the big cruise ships arrive. While at sea saw that there were a couple of big birthday cake-like Carnaval Line ships silhouetted along the inland horizon where the commercial harbour indents the mainland.
A television crew was at the dock setting up, preparing to film the good ship Fiesta as she sailed away with her burden of passengers. Unfortunately there weren't many of us for the double decked ship, so we had to make ourselves look as big as possible. I think Ben and I probably appeared a few times in that video that we will never see. Usually there is a live band aboard, but the
season was still a bit young for Spring, and late for Winter. It was a "shoulder season" but it worked well for us in shortening the winter yet returning home
in time for the beginning of Ben's heaviest business season.
Our captain had already cancelled the trip the day before due to stormy weather
and few ticket sales. We sailed for a delightful three hours. A girl aboard gave a running commentary about the caves in the islands, the seals that swim down
the coast all the way from Alaska to winter on a very tiny rocky island here off Mazatlan, and then after six months they swim all the way north again for their summer vacation. All the seals were there on their rock, big, sleek, damp dark-furred and very relaxed. Occasionally one slips into the water for a refreshing dip, or probably a snack. Sometimes a male or two hoot in deep, hoarse voices.
The young woman's English was a little shaky so Ben volunteered to take the microphone to explain about Valentino's -- a beautiful white towered group of buildings that look extremely romantic, almost like they came out of The Arabian Nights. They are built on a rocky point extending out from an area of beach quite near our hotel.
We have been good friends for years with the first wife and the two daughters of
the physician who originally built the place. I suppose he's an old man by now
, or maybe not even in this world any more. Both of his daughters are married and their children almost grown. We saw them last time we were in Mazatlan. Their mother died a few years ago.
Once the daughter, Lourdes, a very beautiful young woman, worked for a travel agency and was able to arrange an overnight and return trip for us on the beautiful big ferry to La Paz on the Baha Peninsula. Tickets on short notice are impossible to get, but the Captain of the ferry had a soft spot in his heart for Lourdes, and we enjoyed the trip and some of the company of the Captain, and Lourdes
met us again when we returned. She is now married to a physician who was finishing his internship. They have a tall, sturdy young son named Paul who is busy studying English.
Valentino's was decimated in the last big hurricane and it has not been in operation for a few years, but now it's as lovely as ever, and we heard that it has become a gambling casino. I suppose it makes plenty of money to keep itself in such gorgeous trim.
Ben took the wheel of the ship Fiesta for quite awhile until he realized it was
time to make a wide curve and return the way we had come. He had to signal the
captain a couple of times from where he was relaxing, to take the helm. We passed the mangrove swamps and circled back a long way along the shorefront, where
some foreign freighters and Mexican navy ships were docked. We went to say farewell to the Captain and his mate.
Later the young woman came with the ship's t-shirts, one for each of us. I have
mine before me as I write and see the seals, leaping dolphins, protected sea turtles, pelicans and the Yate itself with three red and white signs advertising Cerveza Tecate on her side panels. They were gifts for spelling the Captain and
helping her out when her English faltered. Soon we were back on land where a car met us and the young woman to swish us all back through the city to wherever we had come from. The sweet young woman hugged us goodbye as though we were family. It was very warm and touching to be treated so lovingly so far from home.
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