Enjoying Mazatlan

Here, in this beautiful colonial beach-side City of Mazatlan, we live a lot more with a lot less cost. We have cut our monthly living expenses by about half and yet we still live very well – much better than in the Eastern Caribbean. For US$600 / month we rent a brand new condo with a patio, car park, a/c in every room, in-suite laundry, and a place for secure bicycle storage. Our neighbourhood is very safe and our neighbours are friendly. It's a fifteen minute walk to beach, and a five minute walk to a huge grocery / housewares store (Soriana) with a great selection of everything you need in your home.

We have a roof deck with a hot tub and can look across the city to enjoy gorgeous sunsets.

On an average day, we get out of bed at the crack of 8am and start the coffee brewing. Internet surfing and social media takes up the first hour or two in the morning, along with coffee and a nice breakfast. Morning stretches and exercises take place and then we discuss the approach to the day which usually involves a quick walk for a few groceries.

Four or five times per week we have an afternoon / evening destination in mind for enjoying live band music and the occasional adult beverage. This is Mr. Rio (Mario and Richie) at Veintiocho. There are too many great bands to see here and they overlap their shows so it's impossible to see them all. We have many new friends who run local establishments such as Rafa and Suzi at La Tortuga, Jim and Kim at Veintiocho, Cindy at Twisted Mama's, and we visit lots of places to enjoy an afternoon or evening out such as Barra al Mar, Speedy's, Margarita's, Friend's Diner, Pancho's, Pin-ups Bar and Grill, Munchkin's Restaurant and Bar, Gus Gus, La Catrina, Mary's Cafe, La Casa del Cameron, Diegos, and many more.

We have visited many restaurants and the prices are so low that it's almost cheaper to eat out than it is to buy groceries and turn on the stove.

We have many favourite stops so it would be unfair to single out any one of them. Although we must say that we enjoy spending time right on the beach at La Tortuga Beach Bar (this photo) where we can enjoy the sun, surf, great food, awesome music and fabulous sunsets. Another favourite stop for afternoon sea breezes and a cool drink is Barra al Mar on their balcony overlooking the beach. As an indication of prices, ice cold beer in most places is $25 pesos ( $1.70 Can) – a bit more in the big hotels – and it is usually served with tostados and salsa.

We love walking or taking a long bike ride on the malecon. The sea breezes are awesome there and there are many places to stop from one end to the other. The bus service in Mazatlan is very good and we use it regularly along with the fun-to-ride-in Pulmonia taxi service.

Mazatlan has many historical elements – especially in old town centro - that make it feel like you have taken a step back in time. People here are very friendly and it is rare for us to go out and not see someone we know.

These type of alcoves or courtyards are found everywhere...

We like to visit the huge Centro Mercado (downtown open market). Here you can buy anything from fresh fruit, vegetables, hot food, to souvenirs, shoelaces and to whole heads of pig. During mango season, we can purchase about two pounds of sweet, juicy, ready-to-eat mangoes for less than $1. The fruits and vegetables here are abundant and fresh and for about $5 to $10, we can leave with more than enough carrots, bananas, squash, onions, pineapple, and broccoli to last us the week. Quite a far-cry from our grocery bills in Vancouver. There are also many modern shopping conveniences, including Sam's Club (like COSTCO), Walmart, big chain burger and pizza joints, large grocery store chains and huge shopping malls. And we recently found a european sausage place for local deli foods.

We chose Mazatlan because of its mild and relatively dry climate, and its direct access and proximity to the beach. Great grocery shopping and low prices for everything also had a big influence on our decision. Fresh seafood comes in daily off the boats at Playa Norte. Shrimps, shrimps and more shrimps along with mahi-mahi, swordfish, lion fish, tuna, marlin... and many of them are deliciously smoked.

So far our life in here in Mazatlan has been nothing short of amazing, and is simply a wonderful place to be. Whether we’re spending a beautiful night listening to live music while having dinner under the stars in the Plazuela Machado, or learning about and releasing baby sea turtles, or feeding the huge sea birds on the beach with a bit of fish on the end of a stick - our new home has already given us many wonderful and memorable experiences. Culture in the arts like music, dancing, sculptors, painters, etc., can be found everywhere here. There is no shortage of things to see and do. We love it here.