Port 21 Mazatlan, Mexico
Buenos dias!
We come into harbor a little early. (We guess the Captain wanted to beat the Carnival ship coming in after us!)
The Mazatlan port is a lagoon, and looks more like a waterway than a harbor
The mouth of the lagoon that Insignia just entered
These tugboats are our dockmates – at least for now
Our view from the ship is limited to what we can see over the port buildings. Little did I know the golden spires and dome on the right is the cathedral we’ll visit in a few hours.
Communications antennas dominate this hill
All pedestrians must ride a tram in and out of the port area
Irene, our tour guide
Mazatlan’s dock terminal area is the nicest we’ve seen anywhere!
Irene introduces us to our tour area – we’re seeing the Old Town, the area marked in red on the right and in the zoom-in map on the left
The streets are lined with fabulous examples of the early architectures, but the wiring problems are reaching levels seen in India
Here is the cathedral we saw from the ship.
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Parishioners are welcomed to the cathedral by the statue of Jesus
The baroque interior is stunning in its elegance
The minimal use of gold leaf is refreshing, letting the tile work and frescoes balance the soaring ceilings and crystal chandeliers
28 stained glass windows displaying the Star of David pay homage to the Jewish community that supported Mazatlan
We left the cathedral and headed to the square, then to the ocean.
A beautifully maintained building on Carnaval Street
Plaza Machado
Plaza Machado, again – I love its clean lines
Check out the beautiful headdress!
Native dancer and drummer performing in Plaza Machado
The deer is the symbol of Mazatlan – locals are known as the deer people
The Olas Atlas beach is scenic – view to the south
Olas Atlas beach – view to the north
The mermaid sirene statue adorns a scenic overlook
Three statues line a part of the ocean walk:
Jose Angel Espinoza Aragon – a tribute to Mazatlan’s musician
Jose Alfredo Jimeni – a tribute to Mazatlan’s singer
Don Salvador Sanchez – a tribute to Mazatlan’s musician
And this lovely statue graces the end of this walkway.
A monument to the women of Mazatlan
Off in the distance a paraglider was hovering over the beachline. I didn’t see a boat, and it wasn’t moving much, gently swaying side to side, so I snapped this with my 300mm lens. As I got closer – surprise!
Mysterious paraglider
Batman!
Batman is the mystery paraglider!
We heae a little further to see the “cliff diver” of Mazatlan. One diver, and he has an easy climb to the dive platform, unlike the Acapulco divers scaling the rock face. This diver’s challenge was getting back to land – the swells kept pulling him back, but he eventually made it.
Mazatlan’s cliff diver
New Mazatlan in the distance
Then this was a surprising find!
Can you say Abbey Lane?
OK, you should know by now what my tagline is for this one!
“Look, mommy! A tardis!” “Oh, my, yes, darling!”
And sing along with me!
“We all live in a yellow submarine! Yellow submarine! Yellow submarine!”
Continuing our walk…
Mazatlan’s ONLY public pool is filled with seawater
Insignia at dock in Mazatlan
We see this poor this pass by.
This boat shows poor material choice can’t handle the pressures of the seas – might as well be aluminum foil
Carnival came in to port after us. In town, the only people not wearing masks were the Carnival guests. Anyone we passed in town with a Carnival badge on a lanyard was not wearing a mask. Irene told us everyone in Sinaloa is required to wear masks. We saw NO ONE coming back to the ship wearing masks.
Back at dock we see our neighbor, Carnival’s Panorama – they arrived as we were leaving for our excursion
Insignia heads out – there is a cute cruise ship on our port side – the Vidanta Cruise Lines “Vidanta Elegant”
The scene behind the breakwater is interesting – derelict hulks and a fascinating hillside!
The point’s lighthouse passes on our starboard side
The lighthouse point and Mazatlan fade in the distance
Dusk falls over the west coast, and the layers of mountains rise softly in the background
We bid Mazatlan goodbye! Next port of call – Acapulco!
