Carnival starts today.

Thursday, Feb. 11, 2010

Today is the first day of Carnival here in Mazatlan and it will run for six days.  Out at this end of town not much will happen but if you venture into the Gold Zone or Centro there will be lots going on.  Parades, fireworks and many other events.  Lots of people in the park will go downtown for the parade and fireworks and I'm sure it will be spectacular.  The Tycho's will not be attending.  I understand that getting downtown for these events will be easy but the getting home not so much.  The crowds will be huge and for those people who like that sort of thing there will be a lot of fun.  Maybe next year if we come back.

The Caravan from the back of the park left earlier this week and I took a picture of the rigs leaving.  I don't know where they were heading but they were from all over the U.S. and Canada.  We didn't notice them much other than the tour buses coming in to ferry them around. 

The Caravan leaving the park.

A motorhome parked close to us from Quebec had a little work done on it.  Eric thought they might be rotating the tires to start with but it turns out he had to have his front brakes replaced.  He came west through Durango (the devils spine) and burned up his front brakes.  We had been advised by other people in the park that this was not a road to travel with your RV.  Betsy and Boomer from Ontario came that way a few years ago and had the same experience.  Betsy said she was so terrified she couldn't look most of the way and used the "Oh F..." handles to hang on the whole way.  Boomer also got to replace his brakes.   When we were in Copala, south of Durango on a Harley ride the owner of the restaurant said we should not travel that road on the bikes either.  Nuff said!

This past week has been quiet.  I usually have to spend a whole day updating the blog and loading pictures so that takes up some time and the weather has been cloudy and cooler so there has not been any swimming as of late.  I have been walking and Eric has been bicycling so that helps our fitness a little.  Eric found a gym yesterday but the drop in fee is 60 pesos which is about $5.40 each so I don't know if that will happen. 

Our green folding chair seems to be a magnet for little creatures.  A couple of weeks ago there was a good sized frog in it when it was opened after a rain.  Sorry,  no picture!  Yesterday when I opened it this little fellow was inside.  I took him to the pretty pink bougainvillia and let him go. 

Gecko.

Travellers hand out personal cards (like a business card) and that is something that is new to me.  I talked to Frank and he said to visit the Avery label sight to see how to set one up.  It took me a couple of days but with help from my old Microsoft word program I managed to format a card.  I did find some Avery business cards for an inkjet printer here at Office Max but then I had to reformat because they weren't the same template number that I had used.  In the end it worked out fine.   I did include my blog address on the card as a few people had asked for it.  A photo of Eric and I was also put on the card so that people wouldn't look at the card and say " Now who the heck was that!"   Eric noted I forgot our postal code but, who would write us a letter anyway! 

I have explained before that this is my trip diary and although anyone is free to read it you " may find yourself mentioned and/or a picture posted" on the blog.  I try not to say anything that will offend anyone but, you can't please all of the people all of the time!

Yesterday Eric spent some time with the hood of the truck open because the engine has been surging.  Here in the park if you open a hood or start working on anything the closest men appear.  Everyone is quite helpful and since they are all bored to a certain degree they are looking for something to do.  Most of the people who do this type of travel have expertise in many areas  so someone always has some helpful advice to offer. 

Rick, Dick, Barry and Eric. 

I have booked another month here and so we will stay until we head out on the 12th of March.  We will likely go back to San Carlos for a few days to a week before we head back into Arizona.  We will then start to work our way north and back into Canada.  We haven't planned anything definite yet but we will be back in Terrace by the end of April at the latest.  The winter at home has been mild (so far) so hopefully spring will come early or at least on time.

Saturday Feb. 13, 2010

Adrian and Sandi have arrived back in Mazatlan from Rincon de Guayabitos for a week before heading home and they are staying back at the Cerritos park where they parked  on the way down.  We met them in San Carlos on the way south and have kept loose contact with them.  They live in Summerland, B.C.  They enjoyed their time down south although they did comment that they liked the weather here in Mazatlan as it was not so humid.  This is their first RV trip into Mexico and so it is all new to them just as it is for us.  Nice people.   

I've been a bit under the weather the last few days but am feeling better now.  A bit of "La Tourista" with tiredness and headache.  I spent Thursday afternoon sleeping and that helped.  I do have some Treda that I can take but I thought I'd see if I could kick it myself. 

Monday will be the Bocce ball tournament and I will be Connie's partner.  Neither Eric or Manny(Connie's husband) are big joiners so we'll buddy up.   It should be a good time.   I don't mind joining in on these types of activities as long as it remains fun.  Some activities including cards get some people into an overly competative mode and although  I like to win it shouldn't be at the expense of fun.