Monday, January 3, 2011

COOKIES AND CHIPS

boardwalk in La Paz


Our stay in La Paz was cut short when we went to prebook our cheap cargo ferry and discovered that it was leaving in four hours and not another one for four days.  So we scrambled our way back to the hotel, packed in seconds and hopped back in the truck to get back to the ferry with about thirty minutes to spare, only to sit in front of the ferry for four hours during loading - with nothing but cookies and chips to eat.

our ferry




The ferry ride was definitely interesting - Carnival Cruise it was not!  It was filled with truckers and a big semi filled with goats.  The gentle rolling of the ship did not lull us to sleep as hoped.  We spent our time watching T.V. on the laptop and eating cookies and chips.  We arrived in Mazatlan tired and cranky but excited to get to the mainland.

imagine the smell


arriving in the Mazatlan harbour 

One of the great aspects of travelling with your own vehicle is being able to pick up and leave whenever it suits you.  In our six thousand some odd kilometers we've made plans to stay awhile in a town only to discover its not what we're looking for so we jump in the truck and put that place in the rear view mirror. Case in point Mazatlan, its a perfect city for drinking and partying but not for those on a limited budget.  At every turn, we we were bombarded by people trying to get our money (in more ways than one).  And that goes to you - guy following us in the market.  On the other hand big cities come with big stores! We  discovered the MEGA MART, with shelves stocked with all kinds of tempting goodies.  All of the markets and stores we have been in have had limited and random food selection - it was fun to reload the truck with food other than cookies and chips!!!

streets of old town Mazatlan



Before leaving on this trip we were trying to leash train Anna with no success.  She would get angry when we put it on her and just sulk.  Being the curious cat that she is, we thought that we would revisit training and this time it worked.  Except that she led us around.






Travelling without a schedule and with a vehicle is the ultimate in freedom.  It allows you to leave if the place isn't right for you and stay if it is, and we think we found another gem....... San Blas!!!