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I could be in heaven. If not, heaven
could do a lot worse. It's late afternoon and I'm sitting by the motel
pool in San Blas. This is a small village about 300 km south of Mazatlan.
About 15 ft to the right of me is a fountain into which every bird in the
area is taking their nightly bath. Swallows are diving at the pool surface
for their evening meal. In the distance, what looks like very large
seagulls are riding a thermal. The courtyard is beautifully landscaped as
is the pool area.
We didn't know what to find here and simply took a shot. The proximity
of the ocean was our main draw, but the ocean was not as clearly visible
from the end of the road. Instead we stumbled onto the Hacienda Flamingo
Hotel. Forrest and I couldn't be happier. |
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| We found it difficult to leave Mazatlan and
seriously considered staying a couple of days. Instead we talked each
other into leaving. Each day of this trip has brought pleasant surprises
and that, along with the possibility that something could break, pulled us
forward. Who knows where the road will lead.
In Mazatlan, we have a great breakfast on the veranda of the Shrimp
Bucket, overlooking the ocean. While we are there we are asked if we
wanted our bikes washed. We seemed to be in the Mazatlan car wash as
several cars were being washed by men with buckets of water. I initially
say no, but then I look at this old man with no shoes and figure that a
few potential scratches are worth it.
He works on the bike the whole time we are at breakfast, a few feet
away. It wasn't a perfect job, but if I had given him the time he needed,
I'm sure it would have been. Truthfully, the bike was so dirty from all
the unpaved roads we had been on that it will take several cleanings to
get it back to normal. |
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It takes a while to get out of town on Mexico
15. We stop at a couple of churches on the way out. Rather than work our
way south on the backroads we elect to take the Cuota or toll road. This
is a beautiful 2 lane road heading south. The speed limit is 100 kph and
it costs about $3.50 US. A toll road in Orlando is equally priced, but has
more lanes and many more cars. |
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All too soon the toll road ends and we are back
on the regular Highway 15. There are a lot of trucks out here and in
general the traffic is very heavy. People pass everywhere with no
consideration for your safety. There are also a lot of police out here.
Some are moving quickly while others are following the 80 kph limit. |
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Perhaps the funniest signs to me are the ones
that tell you to use your seatbelt because it's the law. Then you'll see
10 people in the bed of a pickup. That pickup could easily be a police
vehicle. I wonder if they ticket themselves at the end of their ride.
We've even seen people on the back of a flatbed semi and hope that this
wasn't the case of the jack knifed truck we see later.
The highlights of the included passing by a Mexican prison. You don't
want to get thrown in jail down here. All you can see from the road are
very high walls (at least 30 ft) and gun towers. Highlight #2 was Butt
Mountain. I'm not sure what the real name is, but the formation looks
exactly like two cheeks. As we drove by I stood on my pegs and pointed at
my posterior. Forrest almost crashed. |
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So, here we are in San Blas. On the
way in off the main road we couldn't understand why the foliage was so
strange looking. There were fields of palm trees, and these looked okay.
The avocado trees were somewhat mangled while the tller trees were snapped
and broken. Then it occurred to us that this is where the category 5
hurricane came onshore just recently. The whole town had been evacuated
and there was a tremendous storm surge. Traditionally built buildings
survived with minimal damage. More modern buildings were torn apart. It is
sometimes difficult in Mexico to tell a destroyed building from a normal
one.
I highly recommend the Flamingo and the Walla Restaurant down the
street. Many years ago, the Flamingo was an embassy. The mahagony trim
alone (native to the area) will amaze you. |
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