Mazatlan’s Stairway to Heaven Leads to a Modern Lookout

the new sign

Although this is already our fourth visit to Mazatlan, there is one landmark that we had meant to conquer from the very beginning but we haven’t. We decided we would not let this visit pass until we climb the highest lighthouse in North America, the El Faro Mazatlan.  Located on the top of 523-ft high Creston Hill at the entrance to the Port of Mazatlán, the lighthouse is accessed by climbing 300 paved stairs after a moderately steep gravel path.

I was unsure that, at 71, I am a healthy individual with good physical abilities for whom the website says the hike is recommended. But people had been telling me that it is well worth the climb because of the great views of the city and the sea around it. It is free of charge, open from 6:30 am to 8 pm every day.  It is, however, NOT wheelchair accessible.

the stairs going up

We made sure we were ready for the hike, wore good walking shoes, and brought enough water to drink. After breakfast, at about 9:30 am, we rode the Green Bus to Sabalo Central which takes you through downtown and Old Mazatlan. The stop on the road leading to the hill and the entrance to El Faro is the last one on this line. It was about a 30-minute ride from our El Cid El Moro Beach Hotel.

Since it is a very popular attraction, there were many others hiking with us that morning, a lot of them even older than me. I told myself I had to make it to the top. Besides, there were many improvements made in 2018, including a new 'Faro Mazatlan' sign next to the entrance where there are also restrooms. Plastic webbing was also added to 50% of the gravel path for additional stability but there seemed to be not much of it left., after only just more than a year. But it is good that we had waited this long to go.

a view of Port Mazatlan from the top

After about 30 minutes and countless stops to take "breathtaking" photos, we reached the top. We stayed quite a while to have all the photo-ops we could have of the scenery around, with us in them. We especially loved the new glass-bottomed lookout added as part of the 2018 improvements. Although a small fee of M$10 (US$0.55) is charged to go out on it—and we had to wear blue plastic shoe fittings—the experience was both exhilarating and scary, given my fear of heights.

at the end of the new lookout

the Virgin Mary on the rock

They say there were also plans to add a zip-line from the top of the El Faro to Paseo Claussen. That would have been so extreme that it would somehow end up being unsafe so the plans were dropped. In fact, on the way down, almost near the top, we noticed flowers thrust onto the side of a rock. We thought it was to remember an ill-fated death. But the locals pointed to a plaque of the Virgin Mary engraved higher up into the rock. These are so common everywhere in this predominantly Catholic country. My native land, the Philippines, is also predominantly Catholic but we do not have such devotional practices.

The hike down took us no more than 15 minutes but I was so tired I wanted to get a taxi to get back to the hotel fast. But I also needed to shed some pounds from all the all-inclusive food so I resisted the temptation and took the Green Bus again. That was a great day trip. It was too bad we were not allowed to go up the lighthouse as it still functions as a lighthouse.

El Faro

In 1828, the location began to be used as a reference point to guide the ships to the port. The Lighthouse was added in 1890 to 1892 and was built at a height of 157 meters above the middle-high tide. This makes it the tallest natural lighthouse in the world. Its location is 23⁰ 10.5 'north latitude, and 106⁰ 26.5' of west longitude. With a light beam that is 1,000 watts and an angle of illumination 270⁰ at 170⁰, it can be seen by ships at a distance of 30 nautical miles or 55 kilometers. 

I woke up the following day with sore calves. But I will always remember trips to lighthouses. They is always something magical about them. This one even more so. It is Mazatlan's stairway to heaven with a modern lookout.  



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Prepare to Be Dazzled at Mazatlan’s Carnival

…and Witness Mexican Culture at its Best!

This is my third time in Mazatlan but I always went in the Fall. Luckily, we came in winter this time and ran right smack into the Carnaval de Mazatlan 2019.  It is reputed to be the third largest carnival in the world, after Rio and New Orleans. We have been in Mazatlan for ten weeks by this time so it was but natural for us to have learned a lot about Mexican culture. But at the Carnaval Parade, it was encapsulated in dazzling hours of pageantry from 5-10 pm. We saw the best of Mexican culture.

dramatic sunset

This year’s theme was Equinox and the Parade started near the Diver’s Point on the Malecon. It traveled along the Avenue del Mar that hugs the long boardwalk. We watched the Parade from a raised platform built by the Hotel Hacienda, almost where it started. Jutting out from the hotel’s façade, our front row seats were a strategic spot from which I could take pictures of the floats and the people with the glorious sunset glowing on the ocean as a backdrop.

During the whole night, it became obvious that Mexicans enjoy music. This includes traditional Mariachi, Norteño, Ranchera, and Corridos. It was in Mazatlán that the loud, booming Banda music was born. In fact, bands are a regular feature at Mazatlan beaches. But at the Carnaval Parade, it was front and center. One of the most applauded floats regaled the crowd with Banda music played by a band from a gigantic platform on a very tall float.

"bullfighting" at the Parade

prized seafood on floats

The national sport of Mexico is Charreria, which consists of a series of equestrian events. But bullfighting, a tradition brought from Spain, is also popular. In fact, Mexico has the largest venue for bullfighting in the world, the Plaza México in Mexico City which seats 48,000 people. There is one in Mazatlan but the city has banned the sport due to the urging of animal safety enthusiasts. At the Carnaval Parade, the penultimate showcase was a surprising and entertaining mock bullfight of a matador and two huge “bulls.”

Mazatlan’s economy is built upon the strong foundation of agri and aquaculture. Being next door to America is, in fact, a major stimulus to the country’s economy and Sinaloa is so close to Arizona that it is even more pronounced here. The city is extremely proud of its seafood. On this previous post, I wrote about Mexican food and mentioned that Mazatlan is the “shrimp capital of the world.” Many floats featured the prized seafood: pulpo (octopus), langosta (lobster), delfines (dolphins), etc. in contrast to the others that put Mexican beauties on pedestals. 

Mexican beauties on pedestals

Of course, Bill preferred those ladies to the bulls and the seafood! But both will not win against the favorite drink. Pacifico beer, the most popular Mexican beer, was founded in Mazatlan in the 1900s by German settlers. At the Parade, there was a special viewing platform for their people. In fact, because they partly sponsored the event, it was a huge Pacifico float that started the parade.

The dancing horses of Mazatlan ended the Parade. That’s when we started to walk back to the hotel as there was no taxi or pulmoniya around. It took us about an hour to reach the roundabout where the Carnaval Parade was just turning right at Avenue Rafael Buelva to go to its end point, Old Mazatlan near the Catedral. On the walk, we saw hundreds of thousands of Los Mazatlecos, families having spontaneous parties with food they had brought (or bought from the many street food kiosks on the main avenue and all its side streets), senoritas and senoritos dancing to the loud Banda music on the street, children collecting confetti so they can throw them again, and chairs seeming to float on their own as they were being carried on shoulders back to the cars.

picking up confetti to throw again

The Parade was well staged and directed. It brings to mind Mexico’s outstanding film industry that has produced Oscar winners in the Best Director category like Alfonso Cuarón who just won for Roma (which also won the Best Foreign Film category). The outstanding color and creativity all along the Malecon also brought to mind the famous  Mexican painter Frida Kahlo.

Mexican History on a Float

Mexican culture reflects the country’s complex history: the Aztec and Mayan roots that became an important cradle of civilization, the 300 years of Spanish rule and influence, and the turbulent road to independence. In one night, the warmth and expressiveness of the Spanish and the creative and artistic bent of the indigenous were meshed and on display. We were prepared to be dazzled at the Carnaval Parade. And we witnessed the best in Mexican culture.

POSTSCRIPT

One of the floats seemed to caricature the President of the US with whom Mexico seems to have a tenuous relationship. You be the judge!

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12 Interesting Finds on American Roads, Going West from Kansas to Washington

A Wagon in the US Midwest

In my last post, I wrote about six of nature’s best spots that we were lucky to see on our road trip west to Washington from Kansas. In this sequel, I focus on the twelve interesting finds on the same 7-state, 10-day trip. They are works of art, unusual creations, and one-of-a-kind historical sites.

Blue Sky Sculpture

 

Blue Sky

About two hours from Kansas City, this Sculpture at the Centennial Park in Newton, Kansas is one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Art. Designed through the joint efforts of artists Phil Epp, painter, and Terry Corbett and Conrad Snider, ceramists, it is made of cobalt-glazed tiles. The artwork seems to have eye-catching, unobstructed movement towards the natural sky which is the artists’ goal.

                  

Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum

Mennonite Museum and Agricultural Museum

Less than thirty minutes north of Blue Sky is a Museum that tells the story of Mennonites who emigrated from Russia in 1874 and settled near present-day Goessel in Kansas. The Agricultural part showcases the progression of farming mechanization from the 1800s to the mid-1960s in the Turkey Red Wheat Palace. These immigrants brought Turkey Red, a winter wheat variety, to Kansas and the US.

The World’s Largest Ball of Twine

World's Largest Ball of Twine

Two hours further north, in Cawker City, Kansas, a ball with total twine length that has surpassed 7 million feet is kept growing by the city. In 1953, Frank Stoeber started it and then donated it to the town in 1961 when it had grown to 1.6 million feet of twine. Every August, there is a "Twine-a-thon" to add more. When we were there, a car pulled up and two ladies also gave us some to add!  

Giant Van Gogh’s Painting  

Van Gogh's Giant Painting

Three hours to the east, there is a visually unique attraction. It’s a 24’ by 32’ reproduction of Van Gogh's "3 Sunflowers in A Vase." It rests on an 80-foot steel easel. There are three such Big Easels erected by Cameron Cross: the first in Manitoba, Canada, in 1996, the second in Emerald, Australia in 1999 and this one in Goodland, Kansas in 2001. We returned to see it glisten at night, braving light showers and high winds!

Cheyenne Big Boots  

Big Boots in Cheyenne

It took us one whole afternoon to hunt down all 20 giant boots around Cheyenne, Wyoming. Each one is 8 feet tall from heel to the top of the pull tabs and 8 feet long from the pointy toe to the back of the heel. Painted by various artists in 2005 to showcase Wyoming's and Cheyenne's history, they were later purchased by civic-minded businesses to display at their locations. An excellent way to spend an afternoon!

Old Town Fort Collins 

Old Town Square Fort Collins

Less than an hour south of Cheyenne is Fort Collins, Colorado. When you walk the streets of Old Town Square, the buildings, especially the Old Firehouse Bookstore, will make you think the place looks so familiar; déjà vu! Fort Collins’ Harper Goff helped Walt Disney sketch up plans for Disney’s Main Street USA. And that is why you will Old Town Square such a charming place to stroll around on a lazy day.

Jazz Alley  

Some of the Pianos

A lover of jazz, Bill noticed an artsy piano in Old Town Square Fort Collins. Later, we saw a few more.  “Pianos about Town” is a collaborative project between the city and some organizations. The pianos are painted from May-October right in the Square and at several indoor locations during winter months. The completed pianos are distributed throughout the city, inviting people to enjoy the art and play a tune.

Buffalo Bill’s Grave

at the Grave of Buffalo Bill

About one 1/2ours south of Fort Collins is Lookout Mountain Park, part of the Mountain Parks System of Denver, Colorado. You will find the one and only grave of William F. Cody there. It is one with a view as it overlooks the natural beauty of the Great Plains and the Rockies. Born 1846, his skill as a buffalo hunter gained him the nickname "Buffalo Bill." And all of you know I love the name, Bill!

JC Penney’s Mother Store

JC Penney Mother Store

We were driving from Fossil Butte National Monument to our hotel when we chanced upon the JC Penney Mother Store. On a corner of the main street of Kemmerer, Wyoming (population, 2,600), the first store of the department store giant (with almost 1,100 stores in 49 states) was built in 1902.  We later learned that JC Penney’s tiny home had become a museum and was just down the road.

Bruce and Brandon Lee’s Grave 

Bruce and Brandon Lee's Graves

In the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle, Washington is an unusual attraction that has become a national and global pilgrimage site. In Lake View Cemetery, halfway up a hill with unobstructed views of Lake Washington, one space is marked by evergreen shrubs.It is the final resting place of Bruce Lee, legendary Chinese American martial artist and film star. His son, Brandon's tomb, lies beside his father’s.

The Market Theater Gum Wall

Gum Wall

The Gum Wall, made of brick, is covered in used chewing gum in Post Alley under Pike Place Market in Seattle. Parts of the wall are covered several inches thick, 15 feet high for about 50 feet. The tradition began around 1993 when patrons of the Market Theater Box Office nearby stuck gum to the wall. Theater workers scraped the gum away twice but eventually gave up around 1999. Too bad we didn’t have gum to add!

The Fremont Troll

The Fremont Troll

The Fremont Troll is a colossal statue under the north end of the George Washington Memorial Bridge in Seattle, Washington. It is clutching an actual Volkswagen Beetle as if it had just swiped it from the roadway above. 18-feet high and 13,000 lbs. in weight, it is made of steel rebar, wire, and concrete. His right eye is a hubcap. It is hard to find a place to park and to wait our turn to get pictures.

The area under the bridge was becoming a dumping ground and haven for drug dealers. In 1990, the Fremont Arts Council launched an art competition to rehabilitate it. The Troll was sculpted by four local artists: Steve Badanes, Will Martin, Donna Walter, and Ross Whitehead. They borrowed the idea of a troll living under a bridge from the Norwegian fairy tale “Three Billy Goats Gruff.”

Our road trips are always made more precious by the natural landmarks we get to see along the way. But interesting finds like these intriguing works of art, unusual creations, and one-of-a-kind historical sites add exotic spices to an already flavorful dish!