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mexliving

Nov 21, 2009, 8:12 PM

Post #1 of 3 (2530 views)

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mazatlan....

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i was driving on the toll road at night heading south bound towards gdl.... spotted the usual exit sign "mazatlan beaches" so i decided to go ....the exit takes you to the road next to the beach.... less then 2 miles long from toll road..

the first place i came to was the most expensive resort in mazatlan...... could not read the name but they would not let me in to check it out.. i got back to the street and the next place i could see from the distance was a las vegas style hotel/resort.... WOW.... it was simply amazing and large.. they also would not let me in to check it out.....

along that end of mazatlan ...... theres a few new restaurants..... i tried the new steak house... really nice food and service....

Hound Dog

Nov 22, 2009, 11:01 AM

Post #2 of 3 (2482 views)

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Re: [mexliving] mazatlan....

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MAZATLAN
An old port town with a fine local culture and splendid beaches but also:

Fresno with palm trees. Incongruous tan beaches and turbid seas surrounded by concrete high-rise dormitories for drunken weekend revelers escaping responsibility in such places as Guadalajara or Los Angeles and seeking semi-concious mental states induced by alcoholic/chemical imbalance or, perhaps, families with screeching and uncontrolled children running loose through the halls and pissing on your paradise or nearly comatose students from such places as Arizona State in drunken stupors vomiting on your garden of eden while you sit there in that $400USD a night tacky condo wondering what the hell you were thinking in the first place.

I am reminded of the time when we were staying in a condo in Akumal, Quintana Roo and it came to our attention that a resident of another condo across the bay was staring at her cross bay condo through binoculars and we asked her why she was so concentrating her efforts on that endeavor- Her response:

"Well, I know for sure that the manager of my condo building is a cheat and is renting out my condo on the side without telling me and pocketing the rent so I plan to catch the sumbitch in the act and if I see the lights go on in my condo tonight, which, supposedy, is not rented according to condo management, I´ll have the sumbitch by the balls!"

Then what, I thought.

Between morning snorkeling adventures and drunken afternoon margaritas - dying in paradise with a lump in your gut and a failing liver and hatred of those you anticipated would be your friends who are now sucking you dry. A great way to exit the planet.

(This post was edited by Hound Dog on Nov 22, 2009, 3:38 PM)

Altahabana

Nov 23, 2009, 7:46 AM

Post #3 of 3 (2394 views)

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Re: [mexliving] mazatlan....

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What you saw and the first responder satarizes is the Zona Dorada and points north. Venture south of there and the old port city with fine local culture he mentioned dominates. My family vacationed in Mazatlan in July, renting a home in a neighborhood off the Malecon near the mid point of Playa Norte. A few drunken local residents, but no puking ASU coeds.

The Centro Historico-Downtown area resembles what it is---a modernized 200 year old Mexican seaport. In the evening the Malecon downtown is almost puro Mexicano. While some may have been out-of-towners from Guadalajara, it was mostly local residents with an very small sprinkling of backpacker types. The vibe was the same in the downtown plazas and the surrounding streets which I found indistinguishable from those in Saltillo, Torreon or Monclova except for the humid Pacific air.

Mazatlan certainly has its overdeveloped, ex-pat/retiree/beach tourist gringo enclaves, which you obviously found. But it is also a traditional, populous Mexican coastal city gradually undergoing urban development. From what you posted I am not sure how long you stayed or what other parts of the city you actually visited. If your impression is that it is just an expensive resort for norte americanos you missed alot. Perhaps you were making another point, but I missed it.