LOVEBIRDS ARRIVE FOR VALENTINES DAY

Jeanie and Ray arrived on their GIANT cruise ship yesterday, the day before Valentine’s Day. They held hands, kissed, smiled, and generally acted like newlyweds the entire time… the proximity to Valentine’s Day, the romance of the cruise, or??? They were, as always, so much fun!

We had planned what we hoped would be the perfect one-day “Fall in Love with Mazatlan” tour. We picked them up at the cruise ship terminal and headed out of town to the foothills. Our first stop was the village of La Noria, known for its leatherwork. Jeanie and I both bought new belts: Ray and Odel bought wallets. Next thing we knew, Ray was involved in deep conversation (in Spanish) with one of the leatherworkers, busy crafting a gorgeous saddle.

While Jeanie explained to us that, yes, they are going to sell the ranch and travel, they will no longer have horses… Ray learned that he could have a custom-made saddle in three days, for just $400. The look on his face, the satisfied smile - Jeanie said maybe they will have to pull both the 5th wheel and a horse trailer. Before he could finalize a deal, we set off for our next stop, El Quelite.

There we went back to the same restaurant we enjoyed before (when we toured the tequila factory with our friends from the RV park). Jeanie and I both had Carne Asada, the best beef I have EVER had, eating every last bite (and remember, she has been eating gourmet meals non-stop during the cruise).

We ate in the garden, surrounded by huge trees, with caged and wild birds squawking, talking, and chirping, and a very large iguana shaking a nearby tree. As we oooohhhh-ed and aaaaahhhhh-ed, the waiter said, “Oh, the baby dinosaur (he pronounced it deenosaur); wait until you see its mother”, and laughed. Pretty funny.

After our early lunch, we came back to Las Jaibas, to our house, so Jeanie and Ray could see what the RV facilities are like in Mazatlan. A quick walk to the beach, then we hopped on the bus. It is the best way to get around, and a good way to see a lot of the city. We got off near Mazatlan Viejo, old town, because you can’t leave Mazatlan without seeing this beautiful area. We lounged around the plaza on a bench, took in the scenery, then caught a pulmonia (a taxi that is more like a golf cart) back to the Muelle Touristica, the tourist wharf where the cruise ship docked.

We had an excellent day. I’m pretty sure they would like to some back to spend more time in Mazatlan… and we might consider a cruise!