February 7, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Memories of Mazatlan with Zeb and Eider Duck

It is time to leave Mazatlan and return to Colorado. As the humans are packing, Zeb and Eider remember some of the great experiences in Mazatlan. This is the view from our room at Torres Mazatlan.

From our patio at Torres Mazatlan

We are so close to the pool, hot tub, restaurant and beach. We loved the mariachis at our welcome party.

Mariachis to welcome us to Mazatlan

Some times we just relaxed by the pool, lounging, swimming and more lounging.

Lounging at the pool.

We were amazed by the variety of items in the market in Mazatlan. Everything from fresh meat

This is really fresh meat.

to colorful souvenirs is available.

Can we take it all home???

The cathedrals were all beautiful, but this cathedral in Mazatlan is so close to the market.

Main cathedral in Mazatlan, Mexico

We enjoyed walking around downtown Mazatlan. We loved all the beaches.

A relaxing beach day.

This one is on Stone Island. That was a great day. The tropical plants were a nice change for us. This sculptured tree was fun to sit on.

Great for humans and ducks

The flowering cactus was so pretty, also.

Flowers on the cactus

One day when we returned to our resort, this bride and groom were posing for wedding pictures.

Weddings are wonderful

We did enjoy our vacation, but the time has come for the sun to set on our time in Mazatlan.

Hasta luego, Mazatlan

We hope you visit Mazatlan soon.

February 6, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Zeb and Eider Duck on the beaches of Mazatlan, Mexico

Zeb and Eider Duck really loved the beaches of Mazatlan. Early in the morning we would walk on the beach with mom. One morning we met this brown bird.

Does he own the beach? Maybe he does

Then we saw this black and white bird with a bright red beak.

Might be a type of sandpiper??

Isn’t he so attractive? During the day, the beach venders were always ready to bring us some refreshments.

Not yet señor

There were many opportunities for fun and rides at the beach. This banana boat is ready to take humans for a ride.

Remember the banana ride at Stone Island?

Another daring choice is parasailing.

Waiting for a customer

The human wears the vest and the boat pulls the human while the parachute lifts him over the ocean. Too bad ducks can’t ride these. This person is finishing his ride.

Parasailing is fun for humans

The landing on the beach usually requires some assistance.

Ready to land on the beach

Mom’s favorite beach venders have so much silver jewelry.

Our friend and mom’s friend

She usually buys something from them. Usually more than one day of silver shopping. Of course, as the day ends and the sun sets, the sky turns brilliant orange and yellow. This display of colors was the result of clouds in the sky as the sun sets.

Loving these colors. View from front of our hotel

Wow! This is beautiful.

February 4, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Senor Frog Stores in Mazatlan with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb and Eider Duck, took a bus from our resort to town for dinner. We decided to dine at the crazy Senor Frog Restaurant. Boy, were we surprised—it was closed, but would open the next day. But we saw these frogs nearby. There are several official Senor Frog stores in Mazatlan.

One of several Senor Frog stores in Mazatlan

We loved the frog statues.

This frog is so welcoming.

The stuff inside was great also. Mom bought some pens and a souvenir license plate, but the outside frogs were so special.

Ms Frog is a surfer. We are going surfing too

Ms Frog is a surfer. We are going surfing with her

If you have been to Mazatlan, or anywhere that has Senor Frog restaurants, you probably remember these frogs. If you have not been there yet, this is what you will see when you do go.

High waves. Ms Frog is holding us now

We ducks just loved the frogs and wanted you to see them also. They should make you smile today. They make us smile. However, you really should go into the stores to see all the super stuff they have.

Don’t even think about not going into the store

January 31, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Dining in Mazatlan with Zeb and Eider Duck

There are so options for dining in Mazatlan. Zeb and Eider Duck just want to mention a few of our favorites. For breakfast our humans usually ate in the resort restaurant.

Eggs, toast, homemade sausage and artistically cut tomatoes

The food is always good at our resorts, and we usually have an ocean view.

We just could not wait

Walking down the streets of Mazatlan, you will encounter many restaurants. Many have outside dining available and some even have grills where you can watch the ribs and other items being prepared. One evening we went to Carlos and Lucia’s for dinner. Whenever our humans are in Mazatlan, they eat here. This was the first trip to Mazatlan for Zeb and Eider Duck. Carlos and Lucia are married. He is from Mexico and she is from Cuba. They both live in Mazatlan and run this restaurant.

Carlos & Lucia’s is a favorite restaurant

They are both very friendly and treat everyone like family. The night we were there, they were having a large reception for their son. He was married that day. Lots of their friends and family were arriving. When we arrived Carlos greeted us at the entrance. All the food is excellent, but our humans always have Ropa Vieja, a Cuban dish. Some times it is shredded and perfectly seasoned beef and sometime it is pork. Tonight it was pork and delicious. Another favorite restaurant is La Casa Country.

We like this restaurant, too

Again, our humans always eat here during their time in Mazatlan. One visit Eider’s dad had steak and Zeb’s mom had fish. They said it was great. Next time both humans had ribs. Boy did they smell good. Humans said they were perfect! And ice cream for dessert. The last night the restaurant was expecting a large group to come soon. While we were eating, some of the waiters danced.

They take our orders, bring food, and entertain.

This restaurant advertises that the Old West influenced it. These waiters would have been great cowboys.

Our waiter is one of the dancers.

Most of the restaurants are in the Golden Zone tourist area of Mazatlan. Our resorts were north of town in a newer area. To get to the restaurants, we could take a taxi, but usually we just took the city bus. The bus stops in front of our resort and lets us off anywhere in the tourist area. Also, we can and did, take it to the market and cathedral area. If someone is not sure where to get off, if a polite request is made to the driver, he will usually tell you when you arrive at your stop. The bus is fun and you can ride for 10 pesos.

We take the bus for Sabalo Central in Mazatlan

That is about 80 cents. We like Mazatlan and we like the bus. The driver and other passengers are always very nice to us.

January 28, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Onilikan in Mazatlan with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb and Eider visit a tequila factory in Mazatlan. We went to Onilikan today.

Let’s go inside Onilikan

This factory and show room has so much stuff.

Making spirits

The agave is from the cactus plant and is the base for tequila. Onilikan uses this agave syrup with mangos to make a delicious beverage.

Tasty, but too potent for small ducks

This Mazatlan Cocktail display caught our attention.

Mazatlan cocktail?

These bartenders were really friendly.

These guys are our new friends

If you purchase some beverages, you may want some mole, salts and spices to enhance the drinks.

They have everything here.

If you cannot decide which you prefer, perhaps you would like a souvenir bag with a variety of flavors.

Purchase one of these and sample a variety of flavors

You have a huge selection for your souvenirs, or perhaps to sample during your stay in Mazatlan.

Mini bottles for humans

Onilikan is in Mazatlan near the Playa Mazatlan hotel. This is a very convenient location in the tourist area of Mazatlan. For more information visit www.onilikan.com and also visit www.agavespirits.com You will be amazed at the variety of products.

Something for every human

However, we Colorado Traveling Ducks are not too sure about this flavorful combination.

We did not try these. Maybe we should?

What do you think about this one? You will enjoy a visit to Onilikan in Mazatlan.

January 24, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Lunch on Mazatlan’s Stone Island with Zeb and Eider Duck

Zeb and Eider Duck are going to an island today. That means we will be on another boat. When we arrived at Stone Island, these pelicans were there to welcome us.

Welcome to Stone Island

We got off the boat and onto this wagon pulled by the big tractor.

Our ride from boat to the restaurant

Driving around the island, we arrived at our restaurant on the beach.

Beach front dining

We like Molokay Restaurant. We are ready to order our food.

Table with a view

Our table is really close to the beach! While we waited for our food there were many activities for us. First we rode horses with our humans.

This helped us with this horse. It is much bigger than ducks

That was the first horse ride for Zeb and Eider Duck. It was fun! We really like lounging on these chairs, enjoying the sun.

Lounging and enjoying the sun

We wanted to see everything, so we walked on the beach.

Zeb and Eider love the beach

Isn’t this beautiful? Riding the banana is a lot of fun, too.

Fun but water is chilly at first. Banana is pulled by a boat.

The humans could paddle this kayak.

Wow. A kayak!

Some of the humans drove these 4 wheelers on the beach.

Our humans did this before we ducks joined the family. Maybe next time?

So many choices for us. But, we liked the horses best. Of course, mom always finds a place to shop. She didn’t buy any silver today, but this man sold us this wooden sea turtle.

Mom liked this sea turtle and the man was very nice. Ducks liked him, too.

It is coming home with us. It is a great souvenir of this day. Our food came and the humans all were eating. The chicken looked and smelled good and everybody said it was very tasty. If anybody dropped any food, these dogs were ready to eat whatever they could find.

So cute and waiting for food.

I think many humans fed the dogs today, also. When you are in Mazatlan, you would enjoy a day on Stone Island. It was fun!

January 23, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Villas El Rancho in Mazatlan with Zeb and Eider Duck

Our second resort, Villas El Rancho,

Welcome to Villas El Rancho, Mazatlan, Mexico

was very close to Torres Mazatlan, our first resort. Villas El Rancho, or El Rancho, is much smaller. All the villas are two stories

Villas in El Rancho

and ours had two bedrooms, a kitchen, 2 baths, a large living room and lots of huge windows. Our villa was closest to the beach. The bar was small and close to us;

Restaurant is up the stairs behind the bar

same with the restaurant. From the bar, we can see the pool, surrounded by many tall palm trees.

Pool from the bar

Entering the resort, the winding path and lush vegetation enhanced the feeling of privacy.

Path near entrance of resort

Isn’t this wishing well great?

We are ready to make a wish

We think it is wonderful. We are heading for the hot tub now.

Let’s go to the hot tub

Definitely worth visiting. We love hot tubs.

Here we are by the hot tub

Leaving the hot tub we see the pool and the path to the bar,

Let’s go to the restaurant

and beach and the stairs to the restaurant. In the restaurant we sit at our favorite table, enjoying the ocean.

Sitting at our favorite table

You can see some of the repair work below.

Working to repair the damage from high waves

The high waves did a lot of damage, but it is being repaired, and there is no reason for not visiting Mazatlan. The repairs did not interfere with our vacation. We really liked Villas El Rancho in Mazatlan, and we think you would like it also. We love these flowers–and they are yellow, like us.

So pretty and a great color.

January 21, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Mazatlan’s Storm Damage is Being Repaired

Zeb and Eider Duck and their humans had a great time in Mazatlan. We were able to do everything we wanted to do. You may remember that a strong hurricane hit Los Cabos, Mexico in early September. Los Cabos and Mazatlan are really very close. The Gulf of California separates Los Cabos on the Baja Peninsula from Mazatlan on the mainland. For several weeks after the hurricane, Mazatlan was hit with extremely high waves. We want to show you some of the water damage we saw, a few months later. Our first resort, Torres Mazatlan, has a lot of beachfront property. There is a cement wall between the resort property and the waterfront.

Wall between beach and resort

The water did a lot of damage to parts of this wall. There had been many high walls of sand bags to protect things.

Sand bags to protect resort.

Some of these sand bags remain here. One of the days in our vacations we experienced high waves. Not doing damage, because the sand bags still offered some protection. Much of the damage at Torres Mazatlan had been repaired before our arrival. Our second condo was Villas El Rancho. This is a much smaller complex. The repairs were beginning while we were there. From our condo, the doors opened to a grassy area with lounge chairs over looking the beach. However, the water was so high, that the entire area was covered in water, and mostly washed away. This is how our patio area looked when we arrived.

Our patio, but repairs are being completed

However, the repairs were being made very quickly. We bet the repairs are all finished now. The resort sits above the beach, so this was the only area of severe water damage. The water had also damaged the stairs from the beach to our condo.

Stairs will be replaced

Several areas along the beach were being repaired.

Working on beach front property

We just want to show you that there was not much damage away from the beach. We love these palm trees with the bright red berries and no damage here.

We love the red berries on these palm trees

The restaurant at El Rancho is elevated overlooking the beach. The restaurant, Lupitas, was serving tasty food and the view was great.

From our restaurant during breakfast.

The repairs were progressing quickly, so we hope you will visit Mazatlan soon and enjoy the beaches and the friendly people. We are glad we were in Mazatlan.

January 16, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Concordia, Mexico with Zeb and Eider Duck

Concordia, Mexico, founded January 20, 1565 was first named Villa de San Sebastian. Concordia is located in the Sierra Madre Mountains in the state of Sinaloa, in Mexico. Most of the people make a living by making and selling furniture and pottery. Last time, Zeb and Eider Duck, showed you a small pottery factory on the way into town. In the center of town, we found the cathedral.

San Sebastian church

This church is more than 350 years old. That makes this church, Concordia’s San Sebastian church, the oldest church in the state of Sinaloa. The church occupies one side of the main plaza of Concordia. We love the pretty white benches around the plaza.

Concordia’s main plaza

Zeb and Eider went inside, but mom did not let us sit on anything in the church. We did not want to offend anyone there. This church is often referred to as a stunning baroque landmark with ornate gold detailing.

Inside San Sebastian church

We really liked this church. It is so nicely decorated. We wanted to see the statues in the front more closely.

The higher statues

Aren’t they beautiful? This church is so pretty and we thought it was very peaceful, also.

We like San Sebastian church

The benches outside by the plaza are the perfect place to have a snack and chat with friends.

Relax with a friend

We hope you leave the beaches of Mazatlan for a while and visit Concordia. We like Concordia.

January 12, 2015 by coloradotravelingducks

Caring for Coconut Palm Trees at Torres Mazatlan

Coconut palm trees are really tall. We love to see the trees with coconuts growing, but what would happen if it got windy and the coconuts started to fall? Ouch! This tree has a lot of heavy coconuts.

Lots of coconuts on this tree

One day Zeb and Eider Duck saw men trimming the coconut trees. They cut down coconuts and many palm fronds. We first watched them use a ladder to climb part way up the tree.

Using a ladder to begin climbing

When they reached the top of the ladder, they climbed higher in the tree. This man got to the top of the ladder and climbed even higher. You can see that the ladder is still there. The other men on the ground have not moved it away yet.

And still climbing higher

Now he is cutting, both palm fronds and coconuts.

Much cutting

This man just cut a bunch of coconuts off the tree. You can see one of the bunches of coconuts falling to the ground.

See the bunch of falling coconuts?

When he has cut as much as necessary, he starts to climb down the tree.

Starting down

As you can see, he really does not climb down, he repels down the tree trunk.

Repelling down the tree

There were three men climbing and trimming the trees. Several more stayed on the ground removing the fallen coconuts and palm fronds. This is another man repelling down the trunk to the ground.

More than one tree trimmer

Torres Mazatlan has many palm trees, but this is the area they were trimming while we watched.

Trimming trees in this area today

We loved watching, but we ducks do not want to go to the top of these coconut palm trees. We like staying on the ground while they climb and trim.

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