Off to Copala with Ian and Linda

Thursday morning and Eric and I were off to Copala with Ian and Linda.  We all felt like it was time for a road trip and.... Copala fit the bill.  We started out by heading up to the free road, then onto the Mazatlan bypass and from there to highway 40 which takes you past Concordia and on to Copala.    Today's journey was only about 60 miles so not a long trip. 

Here we are on Highway 40 heading toward Concordia.

Just before Concordia the pottery and furniture shops start to appear.

Some of it is very nice and some of it...just crap but that's just my opinion!

I did like the trio of large pottery vases on the left as they match the colors in the house.  I asked the price and it was 550 pesos for three which I thought was quite cheap.  I decided to think about it.

Here you can leave the pottery outside year round while at home it has to be emptied, cleaned and stored inside.

Lots and lots of things to see.

This dog was half heartedly barking at us from the roof of the next shop.

We made a quick run through Concordia and up ahead you can see the very old beautiful church.

The town square was all decorated for Christmas.  We'll bring Ian and Linda back another day so they can have a look around and....have lunch.

Just past Concordia is the sign for the turn off to Mesillas.  This is a very high end furniture town which includes imports from Europe.  That too will wait for another day.  I do need a couple of things for the house so I want to have a look which makes Eric shudder as it's all very expensive.

Off the main highway and onto the cobblestone road into Copala.  Very easy ride in the Jeep and difficult on the Harley.  The roots of this huge tree always amaze me.

Today we'll have lunch at Alejandro's which is the only restaurant left in Copala.  Daniels used to be open until a few years ago and is now operating in El Quelite.  It was a lovely restaurant overlooking Copala and was located over old silver mine shafts.  Famous for it's banana cream pie.   When the new highway to Durango and the Bulauarte bridge opened most of the traffic that passed by Copala started using the new route.  Very little traffic means very few tourists and very little business.  When we were up here in 2015 Alejandro was serving food in a small restaurant over the bank down behind the square. 

Now he has a restaurant in one of the old buildings at the end of the square.  Linda is telling me about how their wine opener broke and she is doing a fine imitation. 

We sat down to order and the chips and salsa appeared. 

You can see how the old building is deteriorating and many have just crumbled.

I guess I should just fast forward to....lunch is over.  Somehow I just forgot to take any pictures as we ate and drank a couple of little tiny beers. 

Ian and I had chicken fajitas.

I guess I liked mine more than he did!  Eric had camarones relleno (shrimp stuffed with cheese and wrapped in bacon) and Linda had camarones empanizado or breaded shrimp.  All very good.  We were too full for banana cream pie!

Back out to the square. 

We all trooped across the street to Alejandro Rodriguez's studio where he sells leather masks.  Ian and Linda bought one.  Cost about 800 pesos. 

The square has been painted up very nicely.

A small tour bus came in while we were there so there were more customers for the shop and the restaurant.  A very quiet place.

Now for the very old church built in the 1600's. 

It is not in very good repair and will likely just crumble away at some point.  However it will outlast the four of us!

Lovely look through. 

Obviously services are still held here and it was all decorated for Christmas with the nativity scene.

Down the narrow streets and out of town.

Amapa tree

Featured snippet from the web

Tabebuia impetiginosa (amapa, amapa morada) Tabebuia impetiginosa is a widespread hardwood tree of the New World tropics, extending from southern Sonora to Argentina. In Sonora it grows 15 to 50 feet tall with a straight trunk that is usually unbranched to about half the tree's height.

After the huge rainstorm a few weeks ago the hills are just covered in pink.  At this time of year we will usually see a few but right now they are in bloom everywhere.  The hills are also nice and green due to all the water. 

These pictures were taken by my Samsung S7 phone out a dirty window at speed so they all actually turned out pretty well.  I am usually on the back of the Harley with my arm up in the air holding a camera.  This year the bike had to stay home so I was riding in the rear of our little Jeep with Linda.

A good time was had by all and we were home by about 3:30 pm just in time to pack up and head off to bingo.   Never a dull moment!

Ladies Lunch at Casa Country

On Wednesday the Ladies were off to La Casa Country for lunch. 

 "La Casa Country, rated 4.5 of 5 on TripAdvisor and ranked #16 of 496 restaurants in Mazatlan.

La Casa Country restaurant is characterized by offering delicious entrees of the finest American Cuts of Angus Beef, tasty Mexican food combos & steaks, table side hand made to taste fresh salsas & a variety of sea food platters; all served in a fun and friendly western style atmosphere.Our staff is trained & committed to La Casa Country principles: Quality, Attention & Festive atmosphere; this ensure that customers will savor an unforgettable experience."

I, of course had not heard of this restaurant located in the north of the Golden Zone just south of El Cid and we were all in for a treat.  Ruth had eaten here before, perhaps on many occasions and hoped that we would be entertained by having the cowboy waiters perform for us.  Unfortunately in the middle of the day they are light staffed and that didn't happen.  What did happen was a very peaceful upscale experience in one of Mazatlan's best restaurants.  

 Beautiful decor and a Christmas Pinata.

 All seated and ready to order drinks.  Our waiter's name was Caesar and he was quite entertaining.  Linda and I shared a little smile and when I said " who does he remind you of?" she agreed when I said "Manuel" from Fawlty Towers.  Same accent except Manuel was supposed to be from Barcelona!  No one else seemed to have heard of Fawlty Towers except Linda and I...odd to us.

 Today I had my usual lunch time drink of Pina Colada.  After all it is almost Christmas time.

 I did notice today that the elegant restaurant had all the ladies talking quietly in almost hushed voices.  Also, there was carpet on the floor and lots of wood surfaces so the sound was dimmed unlike most Mexican restaurants with tile floors and hard concrete surfaces.  Very nice!

 Here Caesar (aka as Manuel to Linda and I) making salsa for us all. Very good. 

 Nice stone wall inside the dining area.

 The salsa is ready!  Funny enough Caesar was prone to bumping into things and almost knocked the metal purse stand over....these are traits that always had us laughing at Manuel in Fawlty towers. 

 First up my meal and today I splurged and had filet mignon, medium rare surrounded by roasted vegetable and garlic parmesan bread.  Just the right size for lunch and delicious.

 Linda had the Mexican plate with an enchilada, chili relleno, beef arachara and salad.  She said it was all good except the poblano pepper in the chili relleno was quite hot which sometimes happens. 

 Another chili relleno and as this is one of Eric and I's favorite dishes it's something we would have ordered. 

 Fettuccine with chicken on top.

 Ruth ordered the fillete mignon the same as I did.  When we compared notes later I asked who won for the best meal ....El Presidio or Casa Country.  We agreed definitely El Presidio although Casa Country was close behind.  At El Presidio the beef is served on a bed of garlic whipped potatoes, with poblano pepper sauce and roasted vegetables.  Hard to beat!

 For Diane who has just joined us for the winter " seafood molcajete (hard to spell) and it looks yummy. 

 Pat's salad.

 Yes Sandi I think Linda is enjoying her lunch!

 Medium rare and very tender...just the way I like it.

 Sandi ordered a shrimp cocktail.

 Chicken fajitas for Anita and Jeannette.

At this point I must have stopped taking pictures.  I did get Diane to take a picture of Ruth and I but...she must not have pressed the button hard enough and ....no pictures.  Doesn't matter... you know I was there.  So....a very good lunch although not a cheap one.  Most entrees are between 200 and 300 pesos and my bill with a drink and a tip was over 500 pesos.  Still that is under $40 for an excellent lunch just before Christmas.  A good time was had by all. 

At this point Linda and I were off to Mega/Sorianna to get some cleaning supplies for her maid and a ham for Christmas dinner.  By the time we were done we had enough packages that we needed to take a pulmonia home.  Too much for the bus.  When we went out front we were surprised that there were no pulmonias, taxis or red trucks.  It only took a couple of minutes for a one to show up and he was in a big flap that there were people waiting and no one there to pick them up.  He frantically waved and honked at other pulmonias on the way home trying to send them back to the grocery store.

"Native to Mazatlán, pulmonias – open-air taxis that resemble golf carts – are the most plentiful form of transportation in the area, and undoubtedly the most fun. Travel between hotspots while enjoying the boardwalk sights and warm breeze on your skin in what have become a tourist attraction in their own right.

Pulmonias were first seen on the streets of Mazatlán in 1960, when a local named Miguel Ramírez convinced the government to allow a parade of these peculiar vehicles. Modified golf carts were used at first and later replaced with fiber-glass structures, which are still in use today. The origin of the name is unknown, but rumor has it it derives from a concerned Mazatlecan expressing his fear to catch pneumonia – the english translation of pulmonia – if he rode in an open-air car. The name promptly caught on, and remains in use to this day.

A must while you’re in Mazatlán, there is nothing quite like our pulmonias."

 This was a very old one and he spent all his time holding the glove box lid closed or readjusting his side view mirror that went out of whack every time he hit a bump.  A fun ride home!

Linda was giggling at him at this point.   All in all a good day but a tiring one for me as I'd already been down to Centro at 8:30 this morning to get bread.  Never a dull moment!