Concordia
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Wednesday, February 18, 2009:
The colonial town of Concordia is about an hour's
drive east of Mazatlan. Sheri on "Tigger"
arranged for her friend, Korina, to drive
us in her small mini-van so she could practice guiding tours.
There were seven of us total including Korina, Rick and Sheri, their
daughter Cristina and her husband Eric and their new baby, Josiah and
Charlie and Sharon. It was a tight squeeze but we managed nicely. |
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| From left: Cristina, Eric, Rick, Sheri holding baby Josiah and Korina standing outside the Concordia cathedral. |
On our way to Concordia, Korina stopped at a small town just outside Mazatlan, and unfortunately I did not get its name. We visited the town plaza and the cathedral below. As you can see in the pictures, the cathedral is very colorful. On your way out, a very large striking painting of Pope Benedict appears above the door.
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Condordia was established in the 17th century by a French mining company. Many of the buildings that remain are of the French baroque style architecture. The town is well known today for making furniture and in particular, rocking chairs. Concordia is very well cared for and well worth seeing.
Just outside town we stopped to view its cemetery dating back over 100 years. Some graves had simple wooden crosses and others were covered with elaborate buildings. The oldest marker I found, pictured below on the right, was dated May 15, 1896. I was a little worried about rattlesnakes and didn't venture too far off the main path.
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As I walked through this cemetery I couldn't help but think how nice it would be if the people living in the shacks just a short distance away could live in such beautiful structures. |
For lunch, Korina chose the El Granero restaurant, Est. 1881. We arrived at about 11:30 a.m. to an empty restaurant and chose to eat outside in the patio. Before we knew it, the place was packed. It was no wonder, the food was excellent. An original picture of Doroteo Arango Arambula, better known as Pancho Villa, is a main feature.
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Tienda (small grocery store) in Concordia |
Capala
The next stop on our tour was the town of Capala established in 1565. Not knowing what to expect, we were in for a real treat. We travelled about 10 miles east of Concordia when we came to a small sign on the road indicating the way to Capala. We wound around a dirt road probably less than a mile, down a hill, then back up again before reaching this ancient small gold and copper mining village. With its narrow and winding streets in a mountainous setting, it couldn't have been more charming. The mines are no longer in operation so the village relies on tourism, although when we were there it appeared we were the only visitors. One of the old buildings on a bluff is now a very nice gift shop with arts and treasures from throughout Mexico.
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Like most villages and towns we visited, Capala also had a town plaza and cathedral, but one wouldn't think that this small village would have such a large cathedral.
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 This
is the original gazebo and because it is very fragile, no one is allowed
to go into the garden, except the chickens! A close look above the
window, jutting out of the wall of the cathedral looking downward is a
bust of a man wearing a hat. |
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| Gift Shop with beautiful mural |
Back at Mazatlan
(and, ready to depart again)
February 19 through March 6, 2009: We enjoyed the company of cruising friends, shopping and sharing taxis to Sam's Club and Walmart, and doing basic boat maintenance. We had originally scheduled to leave Mazatlan around March 1st, but Charlie had a recurrence of irregular heart beat so we thought it best that he see a cardiologist before we headed across the Sea to La Paz. We found a terrific English-speaking cardiologist who advised him to stay put until his heart rate became normal. He prescribed some medications and within four days Charlie was no longer in a-fib and the doctor cleared him to leave Mazatlan.
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| Pam on "Mollyhock" is assembling the quilt she is making for her daughter's wedding present. | Pam and George at the Singlar Marina in Mazatlan showing the finished quilt. |
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| Laundry Day! | Sheri and Rick in their Portabote |
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| Dock pot-luck at the Singlar Marina lounge | Singlar Marina, Mazatlan |
Saturday, March 7, 2009: 7:55 a.m. we left the dock to fuel up before beginning our crossing across the Sea to La Paz in Baja California Sur. The Sea was calm and glassy as predicted.
Next stop--------La Paz and the Sea of Cortez going north along the eastern coast of Baja California toward San Carlos.
