Quote:
Originally Posted by YaVengo
If I may, let me jump in here regarding Mazatlan. I must confess to having recently been one of those cruise ship locusts visiting Mazatlan for one day. The parts of Mazatlan we were treated to were very disappointing to someone who had been quite interested in it as a possible retirement destination based one many good things I had read. What we witnessed on our admittedly meager exploration was touts ("Amigo,amigo, what would you like to buy?") as annoying as the jejenes I've heard of. Then there was the omnipresent (at least on our route) graffitti. I get to see enough of that here in the Chicago area. The humidity was pretty oppressive (it was August) but I was expecting that. Now I'm assuming that we were just treated to the "bad" side of Mazatlan and it was only one day. So, if I go there again for a longer visit to check it out, where in Maz would any of you suggest? I guess somewhere the day tourists don't go.
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Sorry, YaVengo. I guess I was a tad harsh on cruiseship tourists. It must be frustrating for those wishing to see and learn something about the stops on the itinerary, when all the efforts of the onshore folks are directed at separating you from as much of your money as quickly as they can in the short time available to them. Likewise, it's hard to be too harsh on that part of the local economy that depends on cruise ships for its livelihood. However, aside from those directly involved in serving the industry, it's hard to find anyone....residents, expat residents or longer term tourists....who have anything nice to say about cruise ships.
Zihuatanejo has its own battles with "cruzeros". These monsters dominate the relatively small bay....there isn't (yet) a cruise ship pier....and on some days there are two of them out there. Disgorging 2 or 3 thousand passengers at a time into Zihua's small streets and alleys isn't a positive experience.....unless your livelihood depends on them.
Mazatlan is a large city with an economy that doesn't depend solely on the tourist trade. It has its gritty side, to be sure. A short visit of 5 or 6 hours being bussed from the port to the Golden Zone certainly wouldn't offer much of a glimpse. Most gringos reside in pleasant areas 3 or 4 miles north of "Centro", in and around the Golden Zone and north from there, up the beach. The old Centro area is quickly becoming gentrified, with prices increasing accordingly.