It has been awhile! I took some time off to relax, travel and spend time with family. It was nice to disconnect for a bit. Part of my ideal health goal is to live a balanced life and to take time to fully appreciate the beauty around me. With that being said, I’m back in the swing of things and highly expectant for the year to come.

We’ve decided to take some time to explore different areas of Mexico while we live here. In December we took lovely trip to Mazatlán. There are quite a few Expats who have chosen this area to retire to so we thought we would check it out. The city is much larger than San Jose del Cabo and the main hotel area is very commercial. However, the bus system is amazing and it’s very easy to travel to more desirable areas of the city.

Our favorite place by far was El Centro Historical. The streets are all cobblestone. Most of the restaurants offer alfresco dining and many overlook beautiful plazas. It feels a bit European and even has a monthly art walk. We enjoyed quite a few meals here and a beautiful view of the sunset from a rooftop restaurant at the Freeman Hotel. We even met a fun couple there who were on a 4 month journey to explore mainland Mexico by car. Definitely would recommend this area as a do not miss if you find yourself in Mazatlán.

The next day we met up with our new friends on Isla de la piedra (Stone Island) We took a 12 peso bus to a 30 peso ponga boat and arrived on the small ’island’ by 11ish for about $2 US each. This area is really a peninsula but it takes about 45 minutes to reach it by car versus a 5 minute boat ride. The beach is lined with restaurants that offer you umbrellas and chaise lounges in return for ordering drinks and/or food from them. There is no minimum to order. In fact our friends simply had mineral water and 1 piña colada for the day. The beaches in Mazatlán are very calm with little to no waves. Nice to stroll along but i missed the crashing sound of the waves and the contrasting white of the surf against the deep blue of the sea. If I were to have an extended stay in the area I would strongly consider this isla.

Overall we really enjoyed Mazatlán. The people who we spoke with were all very kind and seemed to love their city, Even friendly to crazy Americans who take the wrong bus and end up on a dirt road way outside of town😂 For those who want to fully immerse themselves in the Mexican culture I think Mazatlán is a good place to go. I believe it would be easier to learn Spanish here because not as many natives speak fluent English. I do have to admit, however, I was really happy to be going back to our condo in San Jose🥰