Second impressions

March 7

The evening began at a bar where, legend has it, a strange man was dancing with a woman when she passed out on the floor. The others chased the mysterious man to a cave nearby, and he disappeared. When awakened, the woman said the man was very handsome, but smelled funny. It was, they determined, the Devil, and since then the nearby cave – Cueva del Diablo – is permanently closed with a wrought iron gate.

(PHOTOS)

We were at the bar to see Bamboo perform a set with the local gringo jazz band, then he and Patty led us up and down the stone staircases and back alleys of Mazatlan to the old city square, for dinner at El Tunel. There, stone-faced Mexican women prepared a modest feast of tacos and enchiladas, and fresh horchata, in a 60-some-year-old restaurant tucked in the middle of a block of buildings.

Mazatlan struck me, at first glance from the sea, as a disagreeable stretch of gritty city (particularly having just been in Chacala and the Riviera Nayarit). But first impressions can be harsh, and the city has grown on me: from the lengthy Malacon (the longest contiguous beachfront promenade in the world) to the many statues, the old colonial city square, the modern resorts, the red open air taxis (much like what you’d expect a farmer to transport his chickens to market in) and friendly people … Mazatlan feels safe, with musicians playing here and there, festive party lights strewn on trees, and a cool ocean breeze flowing through. I guess it reminds me that second impressions can be more accurate, and that sometimes you need to turn your head from first impressions (and hope that others cut you some slack as well).

We’ve been here since Friday, re-provisioning and waiting for a bit of a better weather window for our departure to Cabo. Tomorrow (Monday) we leave and expect to arrive in about 24 hours (Tuesday). There Coco will leave, and the rest of us will head north to LA (by way of Turtle Bay and whatever other hidey-holes we need to poke into along the way). It has been a great passage thus far, with wonderful scenery and times (including fun in the waterslide and grotto at El Cid). Mazatlan (and Patty and Bamboo), we will be sorry to leave you astern!