When I sit in the central plaza of old Maz, sipping my Mocha Grande, I might be in Europe.
more great photos – Mazatlán – flickr – Bryce Edwards
Mazatlán is dead. I’ve never seen fewer tourists. The streets are deserted at night.
Gringos don’t visit July through early October because it’s considered “the rainy season”. I would call it “the humid season”. It’s been 90F and 90 degrees humidity some days.
Mazatlán – Wikipedia
Finally.
A corporate behemoth smart enough to hook into the blogosphere.
… actual bloggers appearing in the ad are Xeni Jardin, Cory Doctorow, David Pescovitz, and Mark Frauenfelder of Boing Boing and Pete Rojas of Engadget. I hope they’re getting a bunch of money for it. Or at least free tickets.
Emerging From The Hall Of Justice? – Leo Laporte
You’d think I’d be excited about Virgin Airlines expanding in America.
But I was quite disappointed with Virgin, Australia when I took 8 flights with them earlier this year. I will stay away from that airline if I can.
Another very positive trip report from climbing Huang Shan (Huashan) in China.
Gotta get there one day.
… its right up there with the Great Wall in my book as far as the top sights to see in China.
More photos are posted on this page: Short stroll in a Chinese national park. (Thanks Rob and Yvonne.)
related post – crazy cliff scramble – Mt. Huashan, China
My wanderings reminded Rocco of the great Fatboy Slim song The Journey:
That journey-a call me quick,
That journey-a call my name,
That journey-a have it’s way,
an’ have me wonderin’ all my days.I can’t stay home, I gotta keep movin,
I gotta keep doin’, I gotta get out,
I gotta roam, it’s somethin’ that moves me,…
Sometimes I get beat up, sometimes I’m the beater,
Sometimes man my feet hurt from walkin’ so long,
Sometimes I’m defeated, sometimes I get cheated,
Sometimes I just need it, ’cause sometimes I’m wrong,…
Coincidentally the album art looks something like the beach out front here in Mazatlán,
I’ve spent more time vacationing in Maz than anywhere else in the world. Twenty weeks or more over the last 30 years.
But somehow I had never made it up to the World’s second highest lighthouse (or some such nonsense tourist hype).
Mazatlán’s lighthouse began to shine by mid-1879. The lamp had been handcrafted in Paris, and it contained a big oil lamp with mirrors to enhance the light. Since the light was static, in the distance it was often mistaken as a star. By 1905 this lamp was converted to a revolving lamp. Today, the 1000 watt bulb can be seen from 30 nautical miles (60 km).
Vista towards the old town from the top:
Bryce Edwards – original – flickr
I ran back to el Centro from the top.
Katrina pointed me to this site, a starting point for those looking for inexpensive, fun accommodation.
Works very well. However, not all great hostels are yet linked.
Hostels, Youth Hostels & Cheap Accommodation With No Booking Fee!
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I already use Mobissimo.com for flights. I will use HostelBookers.com and a Lonely Planet guidebook for deciding on travel accommodation in future.
Hey, did you see that the BBC bought 75% of Lonely Planet? LP hopes that the BBC will help them expand their on-line presence.
Just checked in to the legendary Belmar Hotel in Mazatlán, Mexico. One reviewer called it “Haunting and Charming”.
The Belmar, built 1906, was the first resort hotel in Mazatlan. And our favourite when Hemmingway and I came down to fish and hunt back in the 1930s.
It’s true the Belmar has seen brighter days. But the ghosts of early Hollywood celebrities still prowl the marble hallways at night.
US$26 / single for a large clean, quiet room with air conditioning and, unfortunately, TV. (That’s the only downside.) Free wireless internet, how about that, Ernest!
trip advisor – original photo
My Gringo dental clinic is about 3 blocks away. Going for consultation … mañana.
“My Favorite Vacation” Write-off: Mazatlan, Mexico – Maz travel recommendation by Epinions
I’m a big FAN of religious architecture: the art of convincing people your God is important by impressing them with a building.
The one I’d most like to visit next is Tiger’s Nest Monastery in Bhutan. (Though I may need to become a monk to do so.)
Tiger’s Nest Monastery, perched precariously on the edge of a 3,000-feet-high cliff in Paro Valley, is one of the holiest places in Bhutan. Legend has it that Guru Rinpoche [wiki], the second Buddha, flew onto the cliff on the back of a tigress, and then meditated in a cave which now exists within the monastery walls.
The monastery, formally called Taktshang Goemba, was built in 1692 and reconstructed in 1998 after a fire. Now, the monastery is restricted to practicing Buddhists on religious retreats and is off-limits to ordinary tourists.
And I still haven’t seen Borobrodur in Indonesia:
Neatorama » Blog Archive » 10 Most Amazing Temples in the World
(via Dark Roasted Blend)
Neatorama also posted 10 Divinely Designed Churches (and a token Mosque).
Bill and Joan are in Italy.
I have to assume this trip is Bill’s birthday present for his Dr. wife.
Happy Birthday Joan.
From the hiking blog:
The JMT is our #2 hike in the World, about 220mi of trail without crossing a road.
I’ve been section hiking it over the past 3yrs. This summer I thought I’d try to knock off about 110 miles.
I brashly announced I’d hike 20mi / day from Bishop Pass to Tuolumne in 6 or 7 days.
… the BIG story of my hike was Hurricane Dean. More exactly, the remnant circulation of Dean which brought serious thunder storms to California and Nevada. …
When the storm finally cleared, I had been walking for days in wet socks and shoes. My feet, for the first time in many years, were blistered.
I love the JMT — but had to exit over 30mi earlier than planned, limping out at Red’s Meadow Resort. …
Read my photo trip report – problems hiking the John Muir Trail
If you might want to hike the JMT yourself, check my JMT besthike information page.
Hikers may even be interested to see my current gear list.
