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.  



PREVIOUS POST
Mexico, Season 2: We Can Hardly Wait

FOR MOBILES, click "View Web Version" at the end of the post past comments and share buttons will appear. The Pin Button is at the end.

CLICK THIS TO PIN THE IMAGE

CLICK THIS TO PIN THE IMAGE

Feeling More Confident, Choosing a Different Route to Drive Home

It’s a far cry from the feeling we had driving down to Mazatlan. Yes, those urinals we bought will be of utterly no use. As a matter of fact, we felt confident enough that we even took a different route. We followed the advice given to us by a couple we met in El Cid who had been driving the route for years. 

This route is so much better because it divides the trip more evenly to 6.5-6-5.5 hours. The previous one we took was 8-6-4. (Both include border times.) We also bypass Los Mochis, Sinaloa the city with Level 4, the highest crime level according to the US State Department Advisory (our trip down was uneventful, too, but we were so cautious).

Saying goodbye to all the friends we had made in the three months we were in Mazatlan was not easy. We hugged lots and reminded ourselves that we would be seeing each other again on January 4, 2020. I gave copies of my book, Carolina: Cruising to an American Dream, and boxes of chocolates. 

Packing all the things we brought with us and all the things we bought in Mazatlan was not easy either. But, on the morning of April 1, 2019, we drove our car north on Mexico 15 D, the Cuota freeway. I delighted at the burst of yellows along the way on an early Spring Day. We also stopped at inexpensive Mexican pottery stores. 

Navojoa

The first stop of our three-day road trip was Navojoa. It is the fifth-largest city (population, over 150,000) in the state of Sonora just past the state of Sinaloa where Mazatlan is located.  The Mexican Revolutionary Álvaro Obregón was born in Hacienda Siquisiva in the small town near the city. After the 1910 revolt, he became the President of Mexico, introducing modern agricultural techniques.

Navojoa's Palacio Municipal

seen at the Main Plaza

He made the Valley one of the most prosperous agricultural regions in Mexico. Today, aside from agriculture, foreign as well as local investors have gone into many industries like shrimp farming, swine production, recycled containerboard and box making, and a Tecate brewery (recently acquired from Heineken). The Valley exports mainly to the US because of its close proximity to the border.

The colorful Navojoa signage stands out at the roundabout as you enter the city. Prosperity is evident and we had time to take pictures of the Main Plaza fronting the Palacio Municipal. Four monuments surround the Plaza and the City Clock Tower donated by the Rotary Club leads to it from the main thoroughfare, Mexico 15 D. The Cathedral is just a block away, its spires visible from the Plaza.

the Welcome Sign of Navojoa

Magdalena de Kino

The next stop should have been Santa Ana, about six hours from Navojoa and a little over 60 miles south of Nogales on the US border.  Santa Ana is a small city with a population of just over 10,000 known for raising cattle with over 20,000 head exported to the US annually. The movie The Fast and The Furious was filmed there throughout the months of June and July 2008, as well as the larger town of Magdalena de Kino (population, 25,000).

Padre Kino's Mausoleum

Temple to Santa Magdalena

Hotels.com did not have available hotels in Santa Ana so we booked at Magdalena de Kino which is even closer to the Mexico-U.S. border. When I researched the city, I found out that it is a Pueblo Mágico, one of 83 towns selected for scenic, cultural or historical qualities. 

We loved our stay at the 5-star Hotel Industria, one of six hotels in the city. It is just a half block away from the Main Plaza. The remains of Father Francisco Eusebio Kino, the pioneer Roman Catholic missionary who founded fifteen missions  in the area as well as Arizona was discovered in this town in 1966, 255 years after his death. A monument with a crypt housing his remains and a chapel with his effigy lying down are both in the Plaza. The city is named after him and the patron saint Santa Maria Magdalena. There is a pretty temple/church built in her honor also at the Plaza.

the Main Plaza of Magdalena de Kino

The border was only a little over an hour from our hotel. This time we went through the correct crossing called Mariposa. It is right after Km 21 where we surrendered our auto permit that refunded our US$400. However, we forgot to surrender our visitors’ permit. We will have to find out how to do that by mail. The wait at the US border was a whole hour and our car didn’t have to be inspected by the US Customs border agents.  

the Mariposa Border Crossing

After realizing that we had forgotten to surrender our permits we passed by the Mexican Consulate in Tucson. But we were told they didn’t have an immigration office there and we either had to go back to the border or forget about it. We wanted to make sure we would be given reentry to Mexico next year but we definitely didn’t want to go back to the border. We lost our appetite for lunch and continued on to Viewpoint. We simply said we will stop at the first McDonalds we spot. Would you believe we didn’t see any? We left Magdalena de Kino at 8 am and we arrived home at 2:15 pm.

We will find out if we can mail our visa permit to the Immigration Office. By next year, we will have all the border processes down pat. So, yes, we will drive down to Mazatlan again next year, if they’ll let us!

When You Have Three Home Countries, You Are Truly Blessed

Catedral de Mazatlan

In a little over two weeks, we will complete our three months in Mazatlan, Mexico. Last week, I shared with you the 2019 Mazatlan Carnaval which I thought best exemplified Mexican culture. This week, I would like to tell you about why I keep on returning to the notion of Mexico having become my third home. 

The Philippines is where I was born and lived for 54 years. It's my first home. The USA is where I have lived for the past 16 years after I retired. It's my second. And starting this year, Mexico is where we will stay for three months each year. It has become my third. It was Bill's decision to spend this much time here but now there are many reasons why it really feels like home to me, too.

Mexico and the Philippines share major parallels in history. Although we started with very different indigenous cultures, we both were ruled by Spain for centuries, Mexico for 300 and the Philippines for 377, both starting in 1521 at the height of the global Spanish empire. Thus, Spanish influence is heavy in both cultures. It is why we have the following  similarities in our cultures:

       First, 90 % of both countries are Roman Catholic, although Mexico is bigger by 20 million people with 130 million in population. Therefore, one of the obvious comforts for me is that we do not have a hard time finding churches to hear mass on Sundays around El Cid Resorts where we stay. There are two only a kilometer (ten minutes walk) away in each direction.
    

Mexican dishes that are also Filipino

     Second, Mexico may be the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. But many Tagalog words are the same as their counterparts in Spanish: silya for silla (chair), sapatos for zapatos (shoes), deretso for derecho (straight), kamiseta for camiseta (shirt), banyo for bano (bathroom), for example. This resulted in the relative ease with which I  can carry on a smattering of conversations here even without learning it formally. And, as you know, I am learning the language in free El Cid classes. I can't wait for the time when I can speak it fluently. I've had progress.

Third (and what I am thrilled about), we share so many dishes. I thought it was just tacos and fajitas and burritos and enchiladas. I delighted in finding a lot of my favorites in buffets and a la carte menus. One of those is chicharrones (crispy pork rind) especially since they are almost discarded after the pork meat is shredded for the tacos de puerco. The pork thighs and legs are first roasted, much like how the Filipino lechon is cooked. Don Ignacio chicken could easily be mistaken for chicken inasal. Sopa de mariscos is actually a version of sinigang na hipon or isda. I love to eat my pescado frito or pritong isda with a plate of fried garlic rice and sliced tomatoes. Even their grilled mahi-mahi, pescado zarandeando is similar to our inihaw na bangus. Finally, for dessert, I always have the option of flan (just like our leche flan), candied camote or plantain banana, or the tropical fruits I have so missed for desserts. Jicamas (singkamas in Manila) have been mainstays in my salads, too. The only part of Filipino cuisine we do not share with Mexico is that which comes from our Chinese heritage. So I miss pancit and the various forms of lumpia. 

Feliz Ano Nuevo

     Fourth, even music is shared due to our common Spanish origins. I loved singing Cucurucucu Paloma when I found Lola Beltran’s Museo in El Rosario, an hour south of Mazatlan. And I always sing or hum to La Bamba, Besame Mucho, Sabor a Mi, or Cuando Caliente El Sol whenever they are aired through the piped-in music of the 9 El Cid restaurants.

        

Dia de Los Muertos

         

Fifth, festivals and traditions are very much alike: Navidad (Pasko), Dia de Los Muertos (All Souls Day), and Dia de Los Santos (All Saints Day), for example. This year we had a Feliz Ano Nuevo party at La Concha just two days after our arrival, complete with fireworks and round fruits. Then on Feb. 14, we had a party called Dia del Amor y la Amistad (Day of Love and Friendship). Filipinos celebrate these festivals with the same pomp and traditions.

Feliz Dia del Amor y La Amistad

pinnable image

Sixth, both Mexicans and Filipinos are warm, expressive, and hospitable. Whenever Mexicans are complimented, I tell people they should also go to the Philippines and they will experience the same level of helpfulness and hospitality. We have many new friends not just from the guests from Canada and America like us, but from the staff of El Cid. We have even been invited to their family parties. 

Lastly, our climates are so alike: sunny, warm, and humid. And our sunsets are gloriously the same.

After the periods of Spanish rule, both of our histories became intertwined with the USA. The Mexicans were defeated by the Americans in the Mexican-American War and Mexico ceded half of its territory to become the southwestern USA. The Americans also defeated the Spanish in the Spanish-American War shortly after that and the Philippines was ceded to the USA in 1898. This began the 50-year rule of America over my native land until our independence was granted in 1946. But we could say that, during this period, the Philippines developed like its new territory, the southwestern USA. 

pinnable image

pinnable image

It is not by chance that we have also chosen to live in southwestern USA, Arizona in particular, as our primary home for the major part of the year. Filipinos, Arizonians, and Mexicans are truly brothers in history and culture. It's good that I do not have to travel the 24-hour flight to Manila to be “home.” Now in my 70s, it has become more difficult to do this. I will still visit the Philippines once every three to five years. Today, I can just take the 2 or 3-hour flight to somewhere in Mexico and I am also "home!" 

Travel Advisory Was ‘Do Not Go’ but We Drove from Tucson, Arizona to Mazatlan, Mexico Anyway

“Do not go and, if you have to, fly” is what the US State Department warns about Mazatlan, Mexico. But we were horrified that the airfare was $700pp when it is usually $200. It is probably because we were going in the height of the holiday season. After calculating that we stand to save just under $1000, we decided that we would go by land. Besides, we could use a car since we were staying for three months.

Preparations for the Road Trip

We were nervous about our road trip, especially since one of the cities on our route is rated Level 4, the highest in terms of crime. Also, the situation at the Nogales border may have deteriorated with the current migrant crisis like in Tijuana. So we bought male and female urinals. We figured they will not necessitate getting out of the car for rest stops. As for gas, we would look for the safest and newest looking PEMEX (government) gas stations. If they looked ok, we could even make our rest stops there.

very new PEMEX gas station

We also booked the most expensive of the hotel chains we found on hotels.com. Then we took a three-day Christmas vacation in Star Pass Golf Suites in Tucson, Arizona for Christmas. What a different Christmas that was (please see this post). It reduced our total driving time by two hours. But it would still be a long 15 hours plus time at the border. Unfortunately, it became 22 hours in all.

Border Crossing Woes

When we approached the Mexican border at Nogales, Arizona the signs indicated Truck Route. Since we had a car, we didn’t follow it. Instead, we got lost. Eventually, we found our way to the downtown border crossing called Deconcito on Grand Avenue instead of the border crossing called Mariposa on the freeway. We were happy they waved us in until we found ourselves in the heart of downtown Nogales.

Yes, I was scared and Bill was a little concerned. Later, we found out that there was even a third crossing, a border station called the Morley Gate. And much later, when we were already at our hotel in Hermosillo about three and a half hours away, we discovered that we had to go to Km 21 to get tourist cards and a temporary vehicle permit for the car. The route we had taken had bypassed that point. It was ten kilometers past the Mariposa border!

Km 21

It was good we were booked at the Hermosillo hotel for two days. So our second day was used to go back, this time to the Mariposa crossing, and process our paperwork at Km 21. That’s where we found out we needed to put a $400 deposit on the car. Hope we do not forget to get it refunded on the way out or our savings would disappear! The beginnings of our trips are always problematic. In Europe, it was $3,000 more expensive when the airline declared bankruptcy the day of our flight. In Mexico, it was having to drive for seven more hours.

From Hermosillo to Los Mochis

view from Hampton Inn in Hermosillo

We stayed at the Hampton Inn by Hilton in Hermosillo, the capital of the Sonora State. The Liverpool Mall was just across the Paseo de Rio Sonora. That’s where we had a good late Mexican lunch. Plus we found an English movie showing, Mary Poppins Returns. There was a complete selection of English TV channels. And in the morning, there was a Mexican and American breakfast buffet. We will definitely go back to this hotel on the way home to the US.

Cuota Collection Kiosks

Mexican 15D is the name of the freeway that connected Nogales to Hermosillo. From Nogales to Los Mochis, the concretion of the highway is about 70% complete. It runs straight south and we registered  44-46 mph throughout. The toll fee collection plazas were not collecting fees but there were men and women asking for donations. We handed out  an average of M$20 at about eight stops on the eight-hour drive.

chapelitas

It was like a new drive since the last time we drove it was November of 2009. The chapelitas and other religious signs were all along the highway from the get-go, especially on the sites where tragic fatal accidents have happened. We noticed that there are no huge mountains but just major hills around the vast flat Mexican lands. And there was not much going on those lands.

From Los Mochis to Mazatlan

Sagrado Corazon de Jesus in Los Mochis

We stayed at Best Western Plus in Los Mochis in the Sinaloa state. In front of the hotel are the Sagrado Corazon de Jesus and a Plaza that came alive at night with many colorfully lighted kiosks of Mexican food. But I didn’t want to risk it.  This is in the area rated Level 4 in terms of crime. So we had dinner at the International Restaurant inside the hotel. We should have gone to the kiosks! Plus they didn’t have any English channels on TV. We won’t stay there on the way back to the US.

old highway with potholes

But from Los Mochis to Mazatlan, it is as we remember it from ten years ago, full of potholes and Cuota Collection stops every half an hour. The fees exacted varied from M$22-137. There were eight of them on the four-hour drive from Los Mochis to Mazatlan! The fees were adding up. By the time we go back, we probably will have very little savings left if we count all the dollars and cents.

thriving farms

The Sinaloa state has a thriving agricultural industry. But corporations must have taken over many small farms. We saw plenty of innovative farm implements that protect the plants at various stages of growth. And the color of the soil they are tilling are still reddish brown, probably infused with a lot of fertilizers. But we also saw many men lined up in truck stops and in front of farm entrances waiting around for farm managers to pick them up to work on the fields. The scenes were both uplifting and depressing.

pinnable image

pinnable image

Once we approached Mazatlan, the big blue ocean appeared to our right. It stayed with us in the last hour of our road trip. We are now in Mazatlan for a three-month vacation and a more intimate look of Mexican culture and life. Are we going to drive again next year when we go back for another three-month vacation? We will see how it is on the way back to the US. If we don't get to use the urinals, we probably will drive down again!  

pinnable image