La Marea for ladies lunch.

 

On Wednesday we were off to La Marea for lunch.  It is located on a high hill at the south end of Mazatlan and gives you a 360 degree look at the city and harbour.  We were supposed to be 14 but ended up with 12.  You can't get up to the restaurant without climbing an extremely long and steep set of stairs or walking up a long, narrow winding road so...augiras or red trucks were in order.  Although I organize the lunches Ruth is my travel coordinator and she orders the trucks.  Ruth ran ladies lunch for many years and as of last season it became my turn.  We make a great team!

Six to a truck and the driver on the truck that Ruth and I were in spoke decent English which is a help as my spanish is minimal.  

Ready to roll.  Our truck first as we had to stop by El Cid in the Golden Zone to pick up Connie. 

Susie, Jeannette and Chantal.  

Jeannette, Chantal and Ruth. 

Here we're stopping for Connie. 

A beautiful day for a truck ride.  That's the landmark Valentino's behind us as we start along the Malecon.  

Looking south as we travel the malecon. 

Just heading toward Olas Altas and I'm not sure what the large building on the water side is.  It is the only one from the start of the malecon to the end.  

The road is rising here as we head up by lightbox hill. 

This is the rock that the cliff divers dive from.  In a past blog I got a midair shot of a diver.  Scary as they have to time the waves just right before they dive.  Has anyone ever been killed...I don't know!

Coming into Olas Altas. 

The road winds around the rock cliffs here and the walkway continues.

As we wound our way through the neighborhood below the restaurant it was very congested.  Lots of tours head up this way and there were two cruise ships in.

That's El Faro the lighthouse where you can climb to the top.  Connie did that last Saturday and it was hugely crowded early in the morning.  She didn't realize that it was the Benito Juarez holiday weekend and lots of national tourists were in town. 

Part of the group waiting to go in.  I'd made a reservation which probably wasn't necessary as it is a very large restaurant.  However, it is polite to let them know a large group is coming.  

We were quickly seated at two tables of six.  You will note most ladies have a sweater on.  The restaurant is covered but open above the glass and even on a warm day the breeze makes it chilly.  From the left Monica, Nora, Mar, Marilyn, Almost and Liz.

My table with Chantal, Ruth, Susie, Connie and Jeannette.  

The stairs go down and in front you can see the causeway that goes to El Faro and the lighthouse climb.  

Spectacular views and in the distance two very large cruise ships.  When the cartel violence was high in Mazatlan the cruise ships didn't stop here.  They are back which is good for the local economy. 

Here you see the ferry dock and container port. 

Mar brought some friends from the condo complex with her today and they are ordering drinks. 

I think I will call her " Margarita Mar" for her love of margaritas.  Her sister in law and our friend Marilyn is having a sangria.  

Bottoms up!  She said the margaritas at Torres and also Chayitos are excellent.  Not sure about this one. 

The menu here is very extensive and it takes awhile to figure out what you want. 

Lots of sushi on the menu.  I'm amazed at how popular it is in Mazatlan.  It is excellent here because of all the fresh seafood. 

Tostadas and a seafood tower. 

Ceviche anyone?

Our waitress was very efficient and spoke excellent English.  Ruth had asked her what drink to order and here the waitress is lighting a sprig of some herb in her " Summer of Love" cocktail which she suggested! Matches Ruth's outfit😁

Connie always teases me about my non alcoholic drinks and yet she orders water.  When I called her on it she ordered a " Cadillac Margarita" which I've never heard of. 

Me and my Pinada.  

Alma and Liz ordering.

The kitchen and prep areas are open and on this level.  This guy had a blazing fast knife going.  I didn't check to see if he still had all his fingers!

Connie says yum to the Cadilac margarita. 

The food came out quickly except for the sushi which takes extra time to prepare.  This is coconut shrimp and it was as good as it looks. 

Fish and chips.  The chips were hot and had a very tasty seasoning on them.  By the way they disappeared off the plates they were obviously very good. 

Marilyn had a mixed seafood tostada.  Again, very tasty!

Alma ordered a soup....seafood I think. 

I do believe this is Susie's shrimp el pastor.  The shrimp are flayed open but still have their shell on.

Shrimp and chips....looks good. 

Liz was starting to wonder if she was going to be fed.  She'd ordered a sushi roll so she was waiting ...just like us.  No worries!  On the left Monica and beside her is Nora.  All three ladies including Alma are from the Marina Villas where Mar and Marilyn rent for the winter.  

Liz said it was worth the wait although she said she wouldn't order it again as it was too much of the same thing.  Sushi is better shared as we did at our table. 

Ruth, Chantal and I shared.  Ruth ordered the crab concha or crab on the shell. 

Chantal ordered a roll and I can't remember what it was!

Very well presented and it was delicious. 

I ordered the ikuramagu roll and it was excellent as well. 

This is my plate with some crab and two different rolls along with a shrimp from Susie who can never manage a whole meal.  

The meal was very, very good and I enjoyed every bite.  The only one to take anything home was Ruth since the rest of us cleaned our plates.

The view is spectacular, the service was quick and efficient (even the individual checks), the food was all very good and was delivered promptly and  piping hot.  Not a complaint from anyone.  The last time we were here was in February of 2023 and it is always a top notch place to eat. 

The ladies are milling around outside and warming up!  One truck was asked to return as five of us were going down the stairs to catch the bus.  Ruth said he showed up right on time...excellent!

Mar didn't want a picture in front of the sign so I took it anyway.  

Liz and Marilyn who are both from northern Alberta and are friends at home.  That's our friend Connie peeking through.

Marilyn and Connie heading down.  This is steep but the worst part is that the rise and run of stairs are all different heights and widths.  You have to side step down most of it and it's really hard on the knees and quads.  I'd never attempt the climb due to the uneven heights.  A killer!

It is straight down and there is only a low railing.  Mexico is never overly concerned about saving you from doing stupid things! 

Twisting and turning our way down. 

Here comes Susie and Chantal. 

That is a long, steep way up!

We started out by heading onto the street to catch a bus home but everyone decided to go with Susie to the Tres Islas micro brewery.  Not to be left out...I went too.  We ran into all the secondary technical school kids who were just getting our for the day.  The students start early here and...get out early. 

We did end up catching a bus for part of the walk and here we are at Tres Islas.  Susie likes dark craft beer and her husband Stu and a couple of friends were there waiting for her.  I was surprised at how tiny the seating area is.  

I ordered a Sabalo Centro pale ale for 75 pesos a glass.  Not really my cup of tea as it was a bit too bitter. 

Chantal and Susie with dark beer.  I think Chantal tried a Sugar Mama stout which is 10.8% alcohol and has a hint of coco.  She got a small one because of the alcohol content!

We stayed and chatted for about an hour and then it was time to hit the road ...or in this case board the bus.  Susie stayed behind with Stu and her friends.  I've forgotten their names but they are from Edmonton Alberta and this is their first year in Las Jaibas.  We arrived home around four and I was tired.  A very good day!