Author Archives: Greg Webb

A Chance to Visit a Mazatlán Organic Farm

v1Just over four years ago, we had the opportunity to go to the community of Guillermo Prieto on the outskirts of San Ignacio and visit the totally organic and innovative farm of Sacramento, one of the regular vendors at Mazatlán’s Organic Market (or MOM for short).

Now, you all have a chance to do the same thing, coming up on Sunday, March 13. This event is coordinated by Verónica Rico, one of the founders and motivating forces behind MOM. At 8:30 a.m., guests will be taken by bus from Plaza Zaragoza to Guillermo Prieto, where you will be shown up close and personal how Sacramento and her team work, teach, learn and live. Highlights include: the water collection system, creation of compost, worms, and the gardens where they grow their beautiful produce.

Later, you will enjoy lunch / brunch in the fields with organic produce, prepared by Sacramento and her team. The cost is only 380 pesos, including the transportation, tour and lunch. You should be back in Mazatlán around 3:00 p.m. or so. This is a great way to understand the origin of organic produce in a small local farm and the people who grow them!

Here is a link to our tour in 2012. I can only imagine how much they have grown since then. Here are a few shots from a similar tour in 2013:

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You can write to Verónica Rico at mazmercadoorganico@hotmail.com or give her a call at 6691-48-4010 for any questions. Verónica speaks English fluently. Tickets will be available at the Organic Market in the Plazuela Zaragoza this coming Saturday from 8:00 to noon.

This is an opportunity that does not come along very often and we encourage you to go if you are able.

More information and updates are available on the MOM Facebook page.

We’re Going to the World Series!!!

team shot 2 It’s not every day you hear that around Mazatlan, but such has been the case since April, when the Mazatlan Pony League baseball team (Colt Division) won a tournament in Guadalajara with 8 wins and no losses and the chance to represent Mexico in the World Series in Lafayette, Indiana, USA from August 7 to August 12 of this year.

Competing in the World Series requires a lot of commitment by players, coaches and their families. Also, making a trip like this requires money. The good news is that the kids will not have to pay any hotel costs, but instead will be hosted by local families as part of a global outreach for international sports. However, the team has many other hurdles to jump in order to make this trip happen. By winning the tournament, the team received $3,000 USD to help with transportation costs. The team has also received a verbal commitment from the State of Sinaloa for $10,000 MXP. They will need more, and the team has held some fundraiser events and has been selling tacos every weekend since the big win.

The cost for the bus to Indiana (36 hours each way) has been negotiated down to 187,000 pesos. The team has managed to collect in cash and pledges 119,000 pesos, including the tournament winnings and the Sinaloa support. The rest has come from families like ours, local businesses and fundraising. That leaves the team short 68,000 pesos. For this, they are asking for some assistance.

Readers of this blog can show support by dropping off a donation to Post & Ship in the Golden Zone or by contributing via PayPal by clicking on the link below the video. The team did not have time to set up a special bank account for donations via PayPal, so instead, we asking you to donate to my PayPal account trusting that all of the funds collected will be given to the team.

In addition to transportation-related costs, the team also has to purchase a special uniform and has hired a professional trainer to aid the coaches. The team has a commitment and at this point they will go. If they do not raise the needed funds, the families will find the money themselves, somehow, some way—most likely by high interest credit. Please help them out if you’re able and willing!

Here is a little video of these great kids.

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Thanks in advance for your support.

Gracias

Palapa Mariscos Los Porteños

IMG_0868 Lots of changes these days amongst the palapas on the malecon. Many of the changes were precipitated by the storms during the summer of 2014 while other changes are just natural turnover and expansion. One of the more intriguing changes for us is the addition of Palapa Mariscos Los Porteños. Why is this intriguing to us? Well Los Porteños is one of the better known Bandas of Mazatlán (click here for video). It is an interesting concept to have the owner of a banda group open a palapa with the same name. One of the other welcome changes along the malecon is more banda music beyond the strolling musicians. More palapas are welcoming bandas to play at their restaurant, including of course, Mariscos Los Porteños. The day we ate there the band playing featured various members of local bandas. They were getting in practice time and played very well together. Their vocalist lacked a microphone, so he would sing at your table with the band remaining stationary at the end of the restaurant. A nice touch. Songs were 100 pesos each, but spread among 12 guys, that’s not a bad deal. We negotiated four for 300. IMG_0884 IMG_0908 We found Palapa Los Porteños to be excellent as far as palapas go. First, it is new, which means it is clean and a little more modern than others. It is larger than some as well with ample beach seating under umbrellas or seating under palapas. The kitchen is fast and efficient and the servers friendly and dedicated to your satisfaction. The palapa is well built with attractive supporting beams. The kitchen pick up area features a matching wood face that is unique to Mazatlán palapas. It has a very unique and deceiving floor which you can check out in the photos.

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We have long kept a tradition of dining at a palapa each Friday. Originally this was to celebrate Danny surviving another week of school, but now just a chance to remember why we live where we do and celebrate the end of a work week. We have kept a list of palapas in order north to south with our likes and dislikes and relevant comments, but it is sorely in need of updating. After the commotion of Semana Santa, I am committed to getting this done and will publish it for everyone to use and comment upon. Until then, take off your sandals, order a cold beer and some fish or shrimp and enjoy Mariscos Los Porteños. You will find more or less across from the Sands Hotel. Coming south from the acuario, it is the second palapa. Across the street are things like Qualitas Insurance and the Mara Gymnasium, Scorpio V and the road to the bus station. Provecho!

Update: The band contacted me and gave me the website for the restaurant.

Banda Baseball!!!!

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Went to a baseball game last night. Not your average baseball game however. Those of us who have been to see the Venados de Mazatlán play are familiar with the party-like atmosphere where the game almost takes a back seat to the music, the beer and extracurricular activities taking place on and around the field. Last night however, was not a Venados game. Last night was El Juego de las Estrellas – or Game of the Stars. By stars, I mean the stars of Banda Music, the style of music popular in this region of Mexico. (See my earlier blog post on the subject here).

Last night featured such stars as members of Calibre 50, La Bandononoa Clave Nueva, La Adictiva Banda San Jose de Mesillas, Julión Alvarez y su Norteño Banda, El Komander, Roberto Junior, Diego Herrera, El Coyote, Chuy Lizarraga, El Yaqui (Banda Recodo fame), Carlos Sarabia and many more, but you get the picture. All links are to memorable YouTube videos featuring the artist.

This is an annual event although the complete history of it is unknown to me, so if you can fill me in, please leave information in the comments below. Thanks.

The event is free to the public. The event has many sponsors, but the main sponsor was radio station 102.7 who gave away the tickets. The doors were set to open around 5:00 and people were in line before 3:00 to try to get the best seat. The real best seats, the box seats and cabinas, were not available to the public. We were lucky enough to score two tickets from our niece, Vanessa, to whom we are eternally grateful. Don’t know for sure, but I believe we may have been the only two foreigners in the crowd, much like our night at Julión Alvarez, a couple of years back (blog post here). Our seats were right behind the dugout for the blue team which gave us much amusement as we watched the stars interact with fans obliging them with photos and autographs and kisses for the ladies. The volume of screaming girls was deafening at time. El Yaqui is definitely the favorite of the young girls, but Julión Alvarez was the overall fan favorite garnering much attention. He played on the yellow team, so we could only see him well when he took the field. Did I mention there was a baseball game going on?

Each team was introduced one player at a time with full name, banda affiliation and a partial recording of a song the crowd would know. The team “managers” were introduced last: both legends in the banda business. Germán Lizárraga managed the yellow team while René Camacho managed the blue team. With introductions concluded the seven-inning game finally began around 6:30. The blue team got off to an early lead and never looked back – but who cares, right? Many players were rotated out, some only playing a single inning. El Coyote was the opening pitcher for the yellow team and lasted less than an inning.

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Chuy Lizarraga amused the crowd with a slow walk towards first after making contact with the ball to the infield for an easy out. Julión struck out his first time at bat, but made up for that with a single his next time up. Governor Malova showed up midway and joined the yellow team. He walked once and popped up to the shortstop the second time. This last at bat was booed by the crowd. Not sure if it was because the guy caught the ball and put the Governor out, or if they expected more from the big guy?

During the game there was a non-stop queue at each dugout to meet and greet stars. They were all extremely accommodating and gracious. Security had to intervene at times, but overall it was quite orderly. Somebody sitting in front of me was famous. I didn’t know who he was, but have since learned that he is Amilcar Gaxiola who pitched a no-hitter for the Venados this season. Thanks to our friends at Torres Mazatlan Vacation International for recognizing him and letting us know. The mystery is solved!

 

Mystery Guy?

Mystery Guy: Amilcar Gaxiola

The house band was Banda La Corona Del Rey. There were in the stands in box seats just near the yellow team dugout. They played before the game started and during each change of sides. The vocals were often handled by the stars including Julión Alvarez, Roberto Junior and Eden Muñoz of Calibre 50. Before each player batted, the house music would change to one of their hits which helped remind us who was who at the plate.

Click any picture below to enlarge or view a slideshow.

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Fans
Julion at the plate
Julion singing for the crowd
Decibel level with music playing
Dianne with El Yaqui
El Yaqui heard his name called by the girls all night long
Official staff shirt
Roberto Junior
The dugout
Screaming Fans
Eden Muñoz of Calibre 50
The good seats!
Fans
Fans

And now you can watch this amazing video:

It was a great night for music fans and baseball fans alike. See you next year!

Post and Ship – A lot more than meets the eye.

IMG_0673Updated Dec 30, 2015 with new location information

Some of you are probably familiar with Post and Ship, and some may not be. No matter which category you fall into, most people don’t fully realize the range of services they provide, nor the history behind this Mazatlán institution. I encourage you to use their services, as it helps support local families, and you get the mail you want; so much better than those impersonal faceless scanning services, which suck the profit off to who knows where, but certainly not Mazatlán!

Post and Ship is owned by a U.S. American living in the States. When the store first opened in the 80’s it was a Mailboxes, Etc. franchise. After many years operating in this fashion, the decision was made to sever ties with the conglomerate and provide the same services at lower prices. Thus, Post and Ship was born in 2003.

When you see signs or business cards for the business, they say Post@Ship as compared to Post&Ship. The legal documents use the word ‘and.’ How the @ symbol got to be part of the printed name is a mystery, but a tradition that remains to this day.

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Despite the name, the largest and most important service provided to the community of Mazatlán is private mailbox rentals with a U.S. mailing address. This service is invaluable for many extranjeros living in the city, as well as Mexican businesses who want a U.S. presence. Renters are provided a unique mailing address in Laredo, Texas. There mail is sorted and shipped twice weekly to Mazatlán. The sorting facility is huge and shared with other companies, including Estafeta. There is a Mexican Customs (Aduana) representative on site, and any packages shipped to Mexico must pass through the customs office for clearance and applicable duty assessment. Packages are shipped separately from mail and bundled with others’ packages to keep the cost down.

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In addition to mailbox rental, as the name implies, Post and Ship will box up your national or international packages and help you get the best price from FedEx, UPS or Estafeta. They are an official UPS Access Point, so prepaid UPS packages can be dropped off there.

Another great service is outgoing mail to the U.S. and Canada using the U.S. mail. For 20 pesos for a one ounce or less letter or card, they will ship your stamped card to Laredo, where it is put into the U.S. mail service. It is illegal to sell stamps outside of the United States and Canada. So, you need to bring some stamps with you. If you don’t have stamps, they will ship the letter to Laredo where it will be stamped. This cost 45 pesos for U.S. and 65 pesos for the Canada (including the shipping).

Post and Ship is also part papeleria, selling a wide variety of office supplies like pens, envelopes, markers, folders, etc. They provide copier service, scanning service, incoming and outgoing fax service, and they even make keys! They are kind enough to maintain a community bulletin board with useful information to the foreign community in Mazatlán. They are often a pick-up point for tickets for various events happening here. And for those so inclined, you are welcome to use the wi-fi while you’re there.

Did I mention they also teach Spanish for free?! Well, not formally. Perhaps the best thing about Post and Ship are the two wonderful charming ladies who keep it running and provide customer service: Ana and Melva. Ana began working for the company in 2002 when it was still a MailBoxes, etc. Melva joined shortly thereafter in 2003 when the new business was born. They are both bilingual and happy to help you in English, but they are also the most patient and helpful Spanish conversationalists I have found in Mazatlán. They always smile, are incredible multi-taskers, and know all of their clients by name.

Post and Ship is open Monday thru Friday from 9:00 to 5:30, Saturday from 9:00 to 1:00, and closed on Sundays and Mexican holidays. Mail arrives from Laredo on Mondays and Thursdays. Sometimes it arrives in the late afternoon, and mail may not be sorted until the following day.

A standard size mail box costs 3,080 pesos per year or 1,940 for six months. Larger boxes are available, but are mostly used by local businesses.

They are very excited about their new location. The entire store has moved to Bugambilia 201 in between Laguna and Av. Camaron Sabalo. There is a Farmacia Moderna on the corner and they are just west of that. The best news is that Bugambilia is a two-way street with ample parking. If you are coming to the Golden Zone from the south, take the left at the light as though you were headed to the Hotel Playa and make your first right onto Bugambilia. If are coming from the north, slow down when you see DHL and Domino’s Pizza and be prepared to turn right at the aforementioned Farmacia Moderna.  They also have a Facebook Page.  Phone number is 916-4010 and email is postandship@prodigy.net.mx.

Finding a way to deal with the “business” of our lives while living abroad can be difficult. Some people forgo U.S. mail and favor all things electronic. But, a majority of people still like to receive mail. If you have struggled to find a way to receive your mail from abroad or just need to have some copies made, stop in and visit Ana and Melva. You won’t be sorry.