Año Nuevo - at Playa Cerritos und Playa Bruha

Over the holidays tour buses and corresponding masses of visitors from the interior have invaded Mazatlan, including the beaches next to the trailer park.

Playa Cerritos:

Playa Bruha:

Happy New Year!

Juarez Market again

Mazatlan's largest market - Sunday Flea market at Juarez (=not the famous drug and crime center at the US border, but a part of Mazatlan) needed to be re-visited. But I must say, after a few minutes there I escaped to a side street and back to the bus stop. It is an incredibly busy and congested place, both with cars and people, where hundreds of businesses and traders congregate over a few blocks, without any special assigned place or area, everybody spreading out his wares on the sidewalks, under tents - and some walking among the crowds draped with their particular wares or items. In some streets, of course, there are regular businesses including fast food outlets and tace shops.Whatever the item, here is where you probably find the best prices for both new and used items, and gadgets you have maybe never seen before. I wanted to take lots of pictures - but it is so crowded, you feel inhibited and limited in what you can do. I bought some strawberries, fresh off some fields and some citrus - and fled the scene.

Slowly moving through the crowd:

Here a merchant created a small traffic obstacle - nobody cares:

And overhead I saw an advertisement for a young lady with the nice German name Gretel - candidate for "Child Queen" for the carnival (whenever that will be). Her Hansl probably got lost in the crowd.

Happy Hour

Some Park inhabitants have their daily rotating Happy Hour where they discuss philosophical, political, religious or ethical issues of the day.

One one of those occasions I joined them and actually supplied some sustenance in form of a cake and some condiments. Actually, these I supplied for some of the neighbors who kindly had helped with manpower and trucking of items from J&R's downtown location back to our trailer - during their temporary absence in Canada. But, the word spread and many others showed up - not to miss the sustenance:

Eventually some non-human visitors also showed up - they may well be recent arrivals from Canada: I learned a lot interesting things about these critters from an Attenborrough BBCvideo  (there re some others, look for them on YouTube).

 And all evening I had a view of the most recent palapa that was built by a newcomer to the Park - it now happens to be the highest or largest of palapas and has thus been labelled the "Trump Tower":

I doubt I will become a regular attendant of those Happy Hours sessions, because, as it turns out, political, ethical, religious, philosophical discussions do not really take place - and i do not need information on how to install a TV dish (have no TV), find parts for your truck (do not have a vehicle) or review restaurant menues (don't attend any). I am asocial and a certified bore. And the women are all taken.