This popular port is known primarily for their seafood, especially shrimp. We booked the tour…read morecompany with Costco Travel and the instructions was to find our guide at the "umbrellas". We got a lot of bang for our buck with this tour.
Our tour guide was Juan, but he said we can call him "Chilly Willy", a nickname his friends call him. This 6'5″ giant was a delightful tour guide. Very articulate, humorous, and a local to Mazatlan. Originally, we were supposed to stop first at the Cathedral, but had to make a stop at the shrimp market. It wasn't a market you'd find inside a building at a ports of call. It was rows of independent vendors selling their catch under a tent in the streets of Mazatlan. Unfortunately, we didn't see the actual market as Chilly had the driver go outside to bring back 2 samples of the shrimps from Mazatlan.
Following the quick "show and tell", Chilly had the driver take us to another market, similar to a Grand Bazaar. You can find everything from clothes, souvenirs, to fresh food ranging from seafood to produce. Chilly tried to give us a quick overview of the market, and moved rather quickly. I didn't want to get separated from the group, and was only able to capture the seafood and meat section. I had wished he gave us a little more time here.
We hopped back on the bus and made our way back to the original stop: the Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, located in the heart of the city center. We were given a brief summary of the church, and then allowed some time to roam the grounds, grab a snack, or use the bathroom at the Panama bakery.
We left el Centro (the center of town) and Chilly had the driver take us to the Golden Zone Mazatlan with the fancy hotels and condos. Our next stop on the tour was at a micro distillery called Onilikan. What's interesting about this micro distillery is the company was founded by Canadians! Like our other tequila stop in Puerto Vallarta, this place gave samples of their spirits. Stephen didn't care for their tequila, but did enjoy their liqueurs and purchased 2 bottles. What was surprising was Stephen's dad really enjoyed a liqueur, he even purchased a bottle!
This tour is far from over as we piled back on the bus and made our way along the coast for the highlight of the trip... to watch the cliff divers (or cliff jumpers). Acapulco is more famous for their cliff divers, but Mazatlan has been jumping since 1961. The divers expect tips so have a few bucks handy.
Our tour continued back to the historic part of town, stopped at the Casa de Haas (as in Haas avocados) and we walked to the Angela Peralta Theater Opera House, before heading back to the ship around 2:00.
I wish Chilly allowed us more time to explore certain areas. I know he is on a time schedule, but most of the tour was on the bus, not on the ground. Its a good oversight of the town, and to make note to visit places next time.