Mazatlán Written by Yvon Marier
Mazatlán History Mazatlán (which means 'land of deer') for herds that once migrated along beautiful countryside. 'Old' Mazatlán, traditional town center, dates from 19th century. Tourists started coming in 1930s, mainly for fishing and hunting, and some hotels began to appear along Playa Olas Altas, Mazatlán's first tourist beach, in 1950s and that's when Mazatlan became know as 'Mexican Riviera'. The town continued to grow steadily through 1960s. From 1970s onward, a long strip of modern hotels and tourist facilities has spread north along coast. With a population well in excess of half a million, Mazatlán continues to get bigger and bigger. Still, part of Mazatlán's charm is that it's not just one big tourist resort. Transportation Mazatlán International Airport is 20 km south of city on Highway 15. Several airlines schedule flights to and from this airport every day. The average price for a taxi is 200 pesos, roughly a 30 minute ride. You also have option of airport buses which cost 38 pesos per person. The bus will drop you off wherever you are staying. An inexpensive way of getting around town is 'Pulmonia'. A Pulmonia is an open air vehicle, similar to a golf cart, usually seat two to four passengers. The word pulmonia comes from Spanish word for 'pneumonia'. The old residents got idea that riding an open air car can give you a cold!! They are cheaper than taxis and they are a lot of fun. Mazatlán has regular taxis, often called 'eco-taxis', which are usually painted red-and-white or green-and-white. They also have local buses which run along main routes. From downtown central plaza they head along malecón, continuing north through Zona Dorada to various north-end destinations, which are marked on windshields. Fares should run less than half a dollar. Hotel Mazatlán offers a wide variety of accommodation choices ranging from budget hotels to 5 star resorts. You can choose from luxury villas, penthouse suites with panoramic views, deluxe condominium units, elegant resorts and motels. The camp trailers and backpackers will also find lodging that suits their needs, and be assured they will all be close to beach surrounded by shops, nightspots and restaurants. For detailed hotel information or to reserve a hotel in Mazatlán, please visit: http://www.easytraveling.net Beach Mazatlán has one of longest stretches of white sand beach in Mexico. Its gentle slopes and calm waves of uninterrupted 16 km of sandy beach is most inviting. Not to mention most beautiful sunsets of Pacific Coast. Water temperature of 65-75 degree year round is ideal for all sorts of aquatic sports. Olas Atlas Beach - main beach, is where first tourism began in 1950s. Cerritos Beach - warm, beige-colored ocean water bathes coarse sand on this gently inclined beach. Playa Los Pinos Beach - is where local fishermen sell their catch. The water temperature waries between warm and fresh. Norte Beach - perfect place to enjoy seafood. Restaurants are scattered along this beach facing open sea. This is one of longest beaches in country. Sábalo Beach - with magnificent view of three big islands, this beach is ideal for tourists, Mexican vendors, swimming, practicing water sports or just enjoying a lazy day. Isla de la Piedra (Stone Island) - Southern end of Mazatlán peninsula, is a short 5 minutes boat ride from town. It offers miles of mostly undeveloped sandy beach lined with coconut groves and open-air restaurants. Isla de Venados - you can see three rocky islands from Mazatlán's beaches. Isla de Chivos (Goat Island) is on left, and Isla de Pájaros (Bird Island) is on right. In middle, Isla de Venados (Deer Island) has been designated a natural reserve for protection of native flora and fauna. These secluded beaches on islands are wonderful for a day trip, and clear waters make great snorkelling. Shopping Mazatlán is place when it comes to shopping. You can buy almost anything in any color, style and taste. Souvenirs are abundant, and plenty of bargaining opportunities from T-shirts to precious stones. Zona Dorada (Golden Zone) - is main shopping area of Mazatlán for souvenirs and arts & crafts. Hugh selection of handcrafts from all over Mexico. The shops and galleries feature an assortment of clothing, jewelry, seashells, leather goods and furniture. Plazuela Machado - for a more authentic Mexican shopping experience. Located in Old Mazatlán, municipal market features open air stalls packed with food, clothing, pottery, handicrafts, piles of fresh shrimp, fish and produce, and some of best vanilla you will find in Mexico. The assortment varies and price is right. Flower Market - in place where old bus station used to be, now it is selling nothing but flowers. Several dozen stalls surround building at corner offering a color burst and delicate perfumes. The Flower Market is open 24 hours. Dining The Mazatlán dining scene centers around fresh seafood, many varieties of shrimp, fish, octopus, clams, oysters, shark, squid. Mazatlán is shrimp capital of Mexico, their shrimps are prepared in every way imaginable. Seafood is always a good choice. The local restaurants serve almost every cuisine from American fast food to great steaks, prime rib, Italian and oriental food. Fiesta nights are popular, featuring finest in Mexican cuisine and entertainment. Restaurants tend to be casual and meals are reasonably priced. If you want a light breakfast, make sure you try "licuado": Fresh fruits (papaya, melon, banana, mango, etc.) are blended with milk and sugar or honey. You can add wheat germ (trigo), oatmeal (avena), nuts or whatever they've got. You can specify water instead of milk (con leche). There should be no cause of concern for drinking water. Most restaurent and hotel used purified water and ice.
| | My visit to Little Rock's new William J. Clinton Presidential LibraryWritten by Will Robertson
Today, Wednesday, January 12, 2005, I visited Clinton Library. It’s not my favorite architecture, glass and steel, but it’s nice, and it works with site and message that it gives. In fact I had a wonderful, informative, even inspired experience.I went with a good friend, Craig. We met in lobby. He showed me Cabinet Room replica, and then we ran to catch next viewing of 20 minute introductory film about Clinton, his presidency, and library/museum. The film was well worth time. It’s well done and informative – at least to me. Afterward, we strolled through museum displays. Well, I strolled; my companion had done an internship in Washington and was immediately glued to first exhibit. I moved on and made a quick brush. In 45 minutes Craig had only gotten to third exhibit out of 16. We were both hungry and went down to restaurant on lowest level overlooking river. It looked pretty busy, so we walked to River Market, only five minutes away. At Farmer’s Market I had a big ole salad and Craig had a Turkish Stew. We sat at a picnic table in front of amphitheater overlooking Arkansas River. After lunch we stopped at Clinton Museum Store. It had a bunch of interesting and silly Clinton souvenirs and other stuff. This is place to go for a Clinton bobble-head. Remember to keep your ticket handy if you leave Clinton Library like we did. The ticket has date on it and you can come and go all you like that day. The crowds both at Clinton Library and River Market were diverse and lively, but not dense or annoying. There were several high school and college groups (20-30 people). A few small groups of Seniors (6-10 people) milled around here and there. The staff at Clinton Library was really helpful and sweet, though not fully up to speed on details. In fact I saw one staff member in museum section reading up on some of same brochures I had just gotten in lobby. Oh well, they’ll get hang of it. One staff member shared a few facts she had memorized about Clinton papers, “library.” Apparently ones in museum represented only 1% of actual amount. The other papers are stored in archives on site and will be made available to public soon. The ones in museum were in boxes, on shelves, secured by metal bars, so you couldn’t read those either.
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