MAZATLÁN Mexico is AWESOME! (Best Things to do) Part 1 - El Centro
Hola! Bienvenidos! Welcome to beautiful Mazatlan! Buenos dias. Good morning Country Collectors and welcome to state number 20. We're in Sinaloa baby! And today we are going to be exploring the beautiful coastal city of Mazatlan. We can't wait to show you around but before we get started make sure to hit that subscribe button and ring the bell so you don't miss out on any of our future adventures. And stay tuned till the end where we're
gonna give you some more of our recommendations. I thought the best way to start our day was with a map of the city because it is quite big it can be a bit intimidating when you're planning your first day so for ease of explanations I have divided it into the three zones we were told about when we got here. Starting with the north Zone also referred to as Nuevo Mazatlan. The central area is Zona Dorada or the Golden Zone aka the Hotel Zone and the southern region is known as El Centro the Historic Old Town. In this video we're going to be focusing on the southern Zone including the
central historical its beaches and much more Now et's check out where we're staying. Welcome to our casa! This house has been absolutely perfect for us. Upon entering it has a nice open living room fit with a smart TV, a large dining room as well as a full kitchen. The front bedroom features a double bed a trundle bed and a full bath. The back bedroom also has a double bed and a full bathroom so it can sleep six comfortably. Outside there is room for parking and there is also a small
yard in the back and laundry room. It's located between El Centro and the Golden Zone making it the perfect place for exploring the city. If you're interested we'll put a link to it in the pin comment below. It's also only two blocks from the beach so let's head there right now.
Welcome to La Playa baby! And oh my gosh I am already roasting I'm sure you've seen the sweat on my forehead already pooling. I gotta put my hair up. It's only 8:30 am in the morning. We're here in October. I heard that if you wanted a little bit cooler come between December and April but yeah this is Playa Norte here. Absolutely beautiful. Running along it are some Palapa restaurants. wWe went to one the other day called Puerto Azul and we got some aguachile and a fish fillet with garlic. We watched the sunset and there was a Banda band playing. It was just magical. As you can see we
are on the melacon right now it's considered to be one of the longest in the world coming in at 21 kilometers. We're just going to take this south all the way down to the central historical so come with us! And we definitely recommend coming down to the boardwalk and enjoying it in the early morning or like later afternoon because it is so toasty. But you'll see a lot of people running, exercising, walking their dogs, riding their bikes it's a lot of fun! If you don't feel like walking on one of these hot days remember there are tons of options here for transportation including buses taxis and pulmonias which we'll tell you more about in just a little bit. All along the malecon you will find beautiful statues like this iconic one right here that was built in 1958 to honor the local fishermen. And while we were walking along the boardwalk we ran into Victor! We've been talking in to him for a little bit he is very very nice and we just learned that he sells tours here. Actually we have a really good information in Mazatlan because Mazatlan is a beautiful place
for vacation. Yes it sure is! Actually so we have a different kind of tours in case you want to join us. So we have a Stone Island tours. We have a fishing trips. We have a Deer Island and all kind of tours you can enjoy so much. Come and join us anytime man! Sounds great! And we will put his number
down in the description for you. Thank you! What a nice guy. There are so many friendly locals around here. And as you're walking along you're going to see people really enjoying the water. So basically anywhere you are on Playa Norte you can just hop in and enjoy the cool blue ocean. Just across the street here you will find a little square. This is where the Mazatlan letters are which is a great place to
to snap a photo. Back here there's a little playground that your children can enjoy and in front of us is a basketball court. We've been here a couple times and enjoyed some games it was a lot of fun! And make sure to keep those peepers peeping people for details like this in the letters.
They've actually selected very special things from the area and included them like up here we have the cliff divers we're going to be taking you to see in a little bit and the cathedral right down here. And just across the street down here is this restaurant called Muchacho Alegre. We walked by many times and it's always been packed! And in the afternoons there's live music. So if you're looking for something like this this could be the spot. As you keep continuing down you
are gonna run into all the fishing boats here. You might smell it first I know I definitely did. But besides tourism Mazatlan has other main industries. It is a working city and one of the other main ones here is fishing. So when you walk by you know just make sure to appreciate these hard-working men for that food that you get on your plate here. And if you come in the morning you can watch them bringing in their catch and you can also buy some if you'd like. And something else I love about when fishermen bring in their catch is that it also brings in the birds like these frigates here.
This fisherman down here is filleting the fish and he's holding up pieces and they're actually coming down and picking it right off of the knife. It's so cool. And check out these Pelicans here waiting for some scraps maybe a little treat. Yeah it's like they're just waiting patiently. And we were just walking along and saw some delicious looking fresh seafood. And he offered us an oyster to try. Look at that! He literally just took this out of the ocean. It's a little early but I'm gonna go for it! Come te llamas? Alan! Gracias. That's so sweet. He even gave me the accoutrement. Let's drip some
of that on there. I mean it couldn't get much fresher than that right! Wow! That is so good! Mochas gracias. Look at this mountain of oysters he has right here! So yes definitely come down and see him he's right by where the fishermen are. Yeah check out
the fisherman grab yourself some fish and then come and have some delicious oysters! Gracias! Wow we have already met like two or three really nice people and we just started. I think that's the takeaway from this video maybe a lesson the next time you go on vacation just be open. And when you are open and you talk to people talk to the locals you'll have all these other experiences that'll just make your time so much more fulfilling. I mean I think it's not even just a vacation lesson that is a life lesson. Be open to the world, let the love in. The world is your oyster and if you're lucky you might even get one for free! Good one! Just a bit further down here is Playa Los Pinitos. It's a quiet smaller beach. The waves are gently rolling in so it's a nice place to swim. There are some surfers out here this morning which is really neat. And here you can rent
umbrellas and chairs and they have some little restaurants set up here as well to get your fresh seafood. And I just asked how much the umbrellas were he said it is 150 pesos for an umbrella and a chair. If you want a table with four chairs and an umbrella it'll be 300 pesos. As we've been walking around you've probably noticed some of these very cool and unique looking vehicles. They're called pulmonias. They're privately owned taxis here in the area. They have such character. It's absolutely an essential that you take a ride in them. They got their name because when they started out there were only one or two and it wasn't a big deal. But as the numbers
grew and it started to take a toll on the taxis and buses in the area they tried to come up with a plan that would make it so people wouldn't want to take them so they said hmm what can we do? Well... since they're open and all that air comes in we'll tell people that it gives them pneumonia, and then they won't want to take that anymore. Obviously that is not true but the name stuck hence the name pulmonias. Walking a bit more we have found this statue here it is called the monument to the continuity of life and up over here is Icebox Hill which is aptly named. During the mid-1800s
they imported ice here from San Francisco and it was actually stored in these Limestone caves and used to keep their perishables from spoiling. You have to remember back then there was no modern refrigeration so this is how they did it. That's so cool. I know! Literally. It sure is! And as we're walking down a little bit more I wanted to point out that right next to that statue there are some public restrooms for six pesos just in case you gotta go. And just a little bit farther right here is some place you do not want to miss let's go check it out! Right now this Esplanade is quite empty but in the afternoons it comes alive with vendors and tourists. They have some great viewpoints as well as statues like the mermaid over here with the view of the city behind her. As well as a platform that we're gonna go check out right now. Any guesses what this platform is used for? I'll give you one hint Acapulco. Maybe you've
guessed it by now. This is where the clavadistas or those Daredevil divers will plunge down into those treacherous waters. It doesn't seem like there is any sort of schedule. We've noticed later afternoons more people come around. And they dive also on the cruise ship days they go all the time. This diver actually just came over to just us and said, "do you want me to dive for you?" So if it's just you I think they'll do it as well. Maybe you'll even catch it at night. They have torches
and dive in the water with them it's really neat as well. So yeah definitely one of the biggest attractions here to see! When you're done marveling at the divers come across the street and check out the Cueva Del Diablo or the Devil's cave. It's actually one of those Limestone caves we just mentioned before that's in Icebox Hill. There's a bunch of stories that are surrounding the meaning
of it ranging from a revolutionary place where they used to keep the ammunition or even where the Pirates used to keep their booty! But my favorite is that they use it as an overflow drunk tank during Carnaval. Mazatlan is actually the third largest Carnaval in the world so I don't know what to think is true but it's definitely worth coming over and snapping a photo! All right we have made it to what I would say is the start of the Centro Historico off of the malecon. You can see the restaurants and stores have started again. What do you say we continue on this boardwalk all the way to the end before we head into town? Love that idea. Let's do it. Behind me here is one of the coolest things along the entire malecon, The Carpa Oliveira Saltwater Pool. It was built in 1914 and it was originally part of a larger development that was unfortunately destroyed in one of the Hurricanes that came through here. it's a saltwater pool that fills naturally from
the ocean's waves and I wish we could go in right now but unfortunately it is closed so hopefully when you come it'll be open for a nice little swim. Man did we luck out with this weather. Actually I'll be honest every day has been like this we have been quite spoiled. But right next to the swimming pool running along here is the main beach this is Playa Olas Altas which means high waves as there are some pretty big waves out here. We've seen some surfers. This is just a great place to come and enjoy the sand and the water with yourself with friends and family. And also come down here to catch the sunsets because they are just gorgeous! And actually the other day when we were down here viewing the sunset we ran into two couples who watch our channel. Hi Billie and Mark. Hi Julie and Luis. Julie and Luis actually live here so they gave us a ton of information some
of which we are using in this video so let's all give them a big thank you! Muchas gracias! We have made it to the beginning of the malecon well I guess it's the end of the melacon for us. But behind me here is a statue that's dedicated to one of Mexico's most beloved actors and singers, Pedro Infante. Who just who happened to be born here in this city in 1917. You can even hear this guy over here playing some of his music. It's just so soothing and beautiful. Gracias Pedro! All
right I think it's time to head into town and check out the bones of this area so come along! If you enjoy learning the history of buildings you are really going to like these next two. This one here behind me is the Best Western Posada Freeman. It was built in 1944 and is the first high-rise hotel in Northwestern Mexico. Our friends Julie and Luis told us if you go up top to the tippy top it has the best view of this area so why don't we go try to see if we can do that! One more flight to go I can see sunlight come along! Wow they were not lying! You have a 360 degree view up here. Over here I can see the port where the cruise ships come in. And in the distance you
can see the islands, the cathedral back here. This is incredible we're gonna sit down and enjoy a couple drinks and then head back down we'll see you there. The second building we wanted to mention was right here, the Hotel Belmar which was the first hotel built on the beach here back in 1922 which means this year is its 100th year anniversary! Happy birthday! It was also known to be one of John Wayne's favorite hangout spots while he was on vacation. We crossed the street and we're walking under the Hotel Belmar and we saw this place called The Looney Cafe and it just brought me back to home because we have a Loony Bakery. I feel like these two are just
like a match made in loony heaven so of course we had to stop. I mean we needed a little break anyways out of the sun and to rest our legs. So we got something to eat and drink which we will show you when it arrives! While we're waiting for food we noticed there is a bike rental place next door called Bikas. They do bikes for 70 to 100 pesos for one hour or five hours for 200 to 250 pesos. Could be a great way to see the city! Check out these beverages we just got delivered. Adam it with a coffee frappe and I got this juice it's called the Tropical Zinger. Let's try it out.
I can tell why it's called the tropical zinger! Delicious. They set the food down on the table and Adam and I were like a couple of ravenous animals just jumping in. But I went with a garden salad. Very simple. Comes with chicken and balsamic vinaigrette. So tasty! And then Adam got a blat- bacon, lettuce, avocado, tomato with chicken on it with a side of zucchini fries that he is just adoring! I absolutely love this spot. You know right
on the water, we got that ocean breeze. And what a lovely pick-me-up we definitely needed that. Well we are heading down to a really unique spot right now you're not going to want to miss it come along! Welcome to Callejon Liverpool where you can come and get a taste of England right here in Mexico. Make sure to stop by and say hi to John, Paul, Peter and Ringo! Peter?! I always get him confused! I meant George. George I'm sorry I forgot your name but I do remember you! Oh my
gosh. They also have a British telephone booth, Mini Cooper as well as a yellow submarine. And a Marilyn Monroe with her little skirt blowing up in the wind! It's not that windy Marilyn. It also looks like they have some Dia de Muertos skulls set up so let's go down and check it out. Say hi to Peter! Hey Peter! Wow these Calaveras are so beautiful. Adam said he actually saw them making these in an
art school right? Right in town. It looks like they are just setting them up right now so they might have a special night down here for Dia de los Muertos. But I just love this colorful papel picado just paired with these Calaveras. It gives it such a beautiful unique touch. I'm in love! If we all live in a yellow submarine we all have to be very tiny because this is not that big! Sure would! And while we're in England we would love to give a shout out to our newest Patrons: Shannon, Kevin, Deegan, Karly, Chris, Joshua, Daisy, Anastasia and Kate! Thank you so so much for everything. You
really help keep us on the road and having so much fun that we get to share with you at home so thank you so so much. Yeah we're so happy and grateful and blessed that you are a part of our community. And we just love it and love you. If you would like to join our patreon community we will put the link in the description below. Well there is, right around the corner another very colorful spot and we'd love for you to join us so come along! Just around the corner is Casas de Colores, or the colorful houses. It's a great place to come down and take a
stroll enjoy all the green and colorful houses as well as snap some photos. We were down here the other day and there was a photo shoot going on so why don't we do one right now! Good one! America's Next Top Model. That's right baby! It really is just so nice wandering through town back here in these beautiful streets it has so much character! We have found ourselves down here in Plaza Republica and behind me here is the Main Cathedral of the city. It took over 45 years to build and was finished in 1899. You can see it has Baroque, Neoclassical and Gothic types
of architecture. Something really interesting we learned was that whoa there are pigeons everywhere. But the 28 windows on the outside all incorporate a Star of David and that was because there was a wealthy Mazatlan Jewish Family who donated construction funds so it was a way for them to give back which is really neat! But yeah, you can come down here relax and enjoy the views of the cathedral. But what do you say we head down to the main plaza? I love that idea! Let's go. Welcome to Plazuela Machado. This is the beating heart of the historic Center. Originally constructed in 1837 this is the oldest Plaza in the city. I've just taken cover under the iron gazebo here this was built in 1870. It's just beautiful. And there are so many
directions... directions... decorations there we go I got a little brain sizzle from all this heat today. Decorations set up for Dia de los Muertos. There's a large la Catrina, they have the papel picado, and behind us here they're setting up a large offend as well. We heard that on November 2nd at 8 pm there is a grand parade with over 20,000 people in attendance that we're gonna go to. And when you're here hopefully you can come around this time too because
it's very exciting! Someone just dropped the plates! Just around the corner from the plaza you will find the Angela Peralta Theater. This is one of the city's cultural treasures and main attractions. With over 800 seats it is a powerhouse of a performance center. Outside here you can see they do have a schedule of their performances so hopefully when you're here you can catch a show! Just across the street Adam sniffed out a place with gelato. You know he's always looking out for our sweet tooth. I'm an expert in these matters people! And the name is Helarte Sano which I believe is a play on words. Helado which is ice cream and then artesano
which is a Craftsman because inside it was filled with a bunch of art and I mean this is crafted really well! Oh yeah this is so creamy and delicious. I went with the Ferrero Rocher and let me tell you it hits the spot. Yeah and then I got the Blackberry cheesecake. Hey! Yeah we definitely recommend this. So we're gonna finish these up and then just head up the street to the Museum of Art we'll see you there! Just around the corner and heading back towards the ocean you will run into the museum of art here so if you're looking for some fine art this is the place to do it! I'm just kidding! But seriously here is the place to do it. They're open Wednesday through Sunday and admission is free. All right friends we have one last very special stop that we want to take you to. We actually haven't been there yet so we're gonna be you know seeing this
together for the first time. What do you say we take one of those really neat pulmonias to get there? I like that idea no more walking. Well he doesn't know but there's gonna be a lot more walking. Okay. Let's go find one. Look at us! We are riding in style!cI love it. It's yellow. He's got some music playing. You can feel the breeze and see the ocean out here. I hope you don't get pneumonia!
But yeah this is one of my favorite ways to just cruise around the city. We are paying 70 pesos to get over there I think it should have been 60 but that's all right. It's okay we're just having a good time. And we're so happy that you're here with us! We've arrived! All right chicos we have made it to our last stop here. Does anybody know what
Faro means? It means the lighthouse and here in Mazatlan they have a very special one. It's located 160 meters above sea level making it one of the highest in the world. To get there we have to take some steps and I heard that there are over 350 of them. Excuse me? It is free to enter but if you want to go out on this Crystal platform it costs 30 pesos to do that so we are gonna buy our tickets up here for that so come along. Let's go start this hike! Three tips before we head out sorry
to be like your dad right now. 1. Make sure to use the restroom here before you go up. It's 10 pesos and you know you don't want to have to go when you're all the way up there. 2. Hold on to your tickets because if you lose them you're gonna have to walk all the way back down to buy more to go back up. That's what we think. But maybe you can buy them up there too. You might change your mind. It's true. And 3. Make sure you bring water because it's hot out here and we care about you. Yeah all right let's do this! Let's do it! And I just saw a sign down there that said the hike takes between one to two hours and Adam was like, "are you serious?" I had no idea. It's 4:45 pm and they said they close at 6:30 pm so I wonder if they just close it and then like you can still get out? Yeah I mean they didn't give us a warning before we came in like make sure you're back down. So we shall see! We'll see together. Let's
go. Oh my gosh and look right here, there's cats! There's like five of them. They are so cute! And up here there's a sign that says clean up after your pet so you can bring your pets up on this walk if you would like. They just have to be on a leash. But these are free cats, they're living their best life. Liberty for all! So far this walk has been a quite gradual uphill. I thought there were going to be steps. Maybe we just haven't made it to the step part yet. I hope not, I hope it just stays nice and gradual like this. For you I hope so too but I doubt it! And they're gonna be little furry friends beside cats along the way. We've seen a couple of raccoons already
and they're just doing their raccoon thing. Oh my gosh right there! Raccoons are so cool their hands they have opposable thumbs just like we do. That's how they can open everything so well. They're also very sneaky! Yeah they are. It looks like we have made it to these steps. I was really hoping there weren't going to be steps and Heidi said 350 but it turns according to the sign there's only 336 so I can I think I can do it! Can you guys do it? Yeah 14 less than than what I said, so we got this. Okay let's do it! And at the beginning we got up a little bit and I was like man I wanted to count for us but look they do it for us right here it says we're already at step 90. So good job everyone! Let's keep going. You're doing great. Thanks and definitely make sure you're drinking enough water and
go at your own pace. The gentleman down here just had a sort of collapse and they had to call for the paramedics to come down and help him out. Be careful it's definitely worth the view but take your time! Absolutely. All right we are at 270 so what does that mean we have 66 more steps! 63, 62, 61. I feel like Rocky! You did it babe! Adrian! Faro Lighthouse! We're here! Let's go check out this view. Let's do it! We earned it. Wow what a view. You can see the entire city all the way down to Cerritos. You can see the islands out here on the ocean, the mountains in the distance. When you come here you
have got to do this. And I feel like we did it at the right time of the day. It's cooler than other parts and the sun will be setting in not too long so that could be absolutely incredibly! Well let's go check out the lighthouse and that crystal walkway. I like the sound of that! Behind us here is the lighthouse they're having an event right now. Outside here you can see some of the artwork it is so beautiful. Something really interesting that I read was before the lighthouse here they would
actually build bonfires so the navigators out in the sea could be directed into this port here. How did they get the wood up here? I mean they probably just cut the trees down up here and just built it really high. It had to have been quite a large bonfire. For sure! These are some very impressive photos right here and it looks like the crystal walkway is right over here let's do this thing! Right now we are just in a small queue I think they limit it to 10 people out there at a time. I think you get
five minutes right? Yeah enough to get your photos and just get a view. I mean safety first people. You don't want to put 100 people out there and we all get the quick way down to the bottom. No thanks. That's quite a visual. Thank you. All right it's time to head up I'm so excited. And before we head out there you have to take your shoes off because they don't want to damage the glass while you're walking out.
Alright! It actually said that you only get 3 minutes but I feel like it's enough still. This breeze is incredible, amazing! Everything I hoped for after that hike. All right we're about to step out onto the glass and... Whoa! Look at that you can see the cliff side here all the way down to the ocean! If you're scared of heights this may not be your thing. It's true maybe you want to stay over on like the main part of the mountain. I can see some of you at home gripping onto your couch right now! Wow but we're so glad you're experiencing this with us. So beautiful what a special experience. Wow just again.. Oh you're welcome! When you're
up here and you see people families you know taking photos asked to take photos for them so they can all be together. We always do that and that's something we really like doing. But look we are on the edge here! It is just it's so so beautiful. Woo the Sun is setting right now. Feeling very grateful to be here! Nobody is out here and it is so magical. It's quiet. The breeze is just so refreshing. And this view, I just can't imagine there being a better one. And I bet like in during whale season you could probably see whales out here! That would be Whaley cool. It Whaley would!
Oh amazing! That was just like the cherry on top of our wonderful day today. And we just learned if you don't buy it down there you can come here actually and put your 30 pesos in this little machine. So if you're unsure, come up take a peek at it and decide then. It's a great idea. Yeah well we're gonna head over here and give you some more recommendations so come along! All right I know we covered a lot in this video but just down here in the old town there is so much more to see and do. Just a few other notable places we found are the Mercado Pino Suarez which is
built in 1900 and is a great place to go down and get some food or a souvenir. Yeah the other spot is Stone Island. We went there the other day. It's not actually an island but it's a peninsula. You can take a boat over there from playa sur. And it costs 35 pesos round trip. Once you're over there it's really chill. You can just go swimming, eat some food, enjoy yourselves. It's
a really fun time we definitely recommend taking a day there. And the observatory, which we have not had a chance to go to yet but it's definitely on the list for this week. Yeah absolutely. But thank you so so much for joining us here. It would have been nowhere near as much fun if you hadn't been here to share it with. It's true I feel like this is one of the most fun videos that we filmed. We had a great time today even dying in the heat! And it was so nice being back on the ocean. You know like, I think that's it we really missed it! For sure it's just something so special about it.
And I feel like this place was so so different than a lot of the other resort towns we've been to that were actually made for tourism because there is so much history and culture here. I mean when you're wandering the streets there's 500 year old buildings. The cathedral was incredible! There's just so much to do and see. Yeah well this was here you know before the tourists came in the 50s you
know way before. Way before. It definitely has that interesting aspect. But thank you so so much again for being here, we just loved having you! And if you enjoyed this video please give us a big thumbs up comment, subscribe and don't forget to... DLING, DLING, DLING, DLING the crystal bridge! We'll see you, next time! Adios!
2022-11-16 08:14
