Mazatlan, a beach day

Boogie boarding in Mazatlan
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The port area of Mazatlan is a little odd; our ship was docked far enough away from everything that after we got off the ship, they made us get onto a little cart and get a ride to the other side of the port, where shops and taxis await.  Here we found a better deal than in Puerto Vallarta:  five of us in a normal-sized taxi for $12.  We took our taxi out to the golden zone, where we soon found plenty of sandy beach to relax on.  It was great to lay out on our blankets with hardly any other beach-goers around.  There were, however, plenty of people selling things around.  It almost because humorous, how often the same people would walk by, trying to sell the same hats/jewelry/beach towel - every time they asked, and every time we had the same answer!  It probably didn't help that when we first hit the beach we got our main essentials (a friend got her hair braided, another picked up some sunglasses, another got a beach towel) and then wanted to be left alone - too late, when others see that you are willing to spend money!  The beach was just gorgeous though, the day was hot and the waves were perfect for boogie boarding.  We all stayed until we felt our poor, pale Alaskan flesh burning.

Our ship, the Carnival Pride, at the port area in Mazatlan
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After eating an excellent lunch at Ernie Tomato's, my sister and I continued to shop in the area.  There were a lot of stores obviously aimed at tourists; I know I am guilty of buying some jewelry from an air-conditioned shop that I probably could have gotten for half the price at a market stall somewhere else.  Much of what we saw in the shopping area, they also had at the large marketplace stalls at the port.  Riding an open-aired taxi back to the port area was much more fun than a normal taxi; on a nice day, the breeze in all that heat feels wonderful!  Mazatlan was a fun place, much quieter than Puerto Vallarta, and I would love to go back!