Category Archives: Expat Kids and Family

Enjoying Mazatlán with Kids

Kids love Mazatlán! The list below should help you enjoy our fair city with children—whether you are traveling here on holiday or live here and are wondering about something new and different to do with your kids during school break.

We first published this list in January 2012, so here we are updating it with more current information. The to-dos are organized alphabetically. Enjoy!

  • Aquarium and bird show: The aquarium in Mazatlán is a lot of fun. The most exciting thing at the aquarium is you can swim with the sharks! In addition to the indoor marine exhibits there are entertaining bird, sea lion and animal shows held on outdoor covered stages. Aquarium staff do most of the rescue of marine animals and birds here in town, so we all very much appreciate you supporting this venue.
  • Batting cages: On Avenida del Mar, right next to the double yellow towers (Las Gavias), is a batting cage called Wild Pitch. There is another one up on Avenida de la Marina in the Pacific Golf Center.
  • Beach day: Pick a beach, any beach. You can get chair-side service and do all your souvenir and gift shopping with the vendors at a hotel beach. You can dine on fresh, affordable seafood in a palapa/thatched hut on Playa Pinos. Make sand castles, pick up sea shells and sea glass, play soccer or football, volleyball or catch … You name it, you can’t go wrong with kids and a beach.
  • Bicycling: Biking along the malecón/oceanside promenade is gorgeous, easy and fun! From Valentino’s to the Pedro Infante Monument is about 4 miles one-way, it’s of course a very level ride, and safely out of the traffic. Our friend Estrella Caro runs Baikas, a bike rental located inside the Belmar Hotel in Olas Altas. Her bikes are incredibly wonderful. There is also a brand-new bike rental, Sea Breeze, located beside the La Paloma condominiums, at 7000 A Ave. del Mar (983-4070). Want something a little more adventurous, perhaps for the teenagers—something tougher, like mountain biking? Güero, Kelly, will take you on a tour, or take you around the mountain bike course he has set up. His shop, Kelly’s Bikes, is on Avenida de la Marina. He has bikes to loan out as well.
  • Bird watching, hiking and picnicking: The lush Estero del Yugo nature preserve on the north end of town makes for a day of hiking and bird watching. Bring a picnic lunch, binoculars, and your camera.
  • Boogie board: Bring your own, or buy one at one of the many shops along Avenida del Mar or Av. Camarón Sábalo. It’s a whole lot of fun!
  • El Bosque/City Park: Located one block off the malecón, just south of Ave. Insurgentes, this park has a large pond with waterfowl, swing sets and climbing gyms, a small zoo, and a walking trail. There are play areas in small parks throughout the city, though I recommend you check their safety before letting your kids climb up and slide down.
  • Bowling: Space Bowling, up on the north end of town near Marina El Cid, has fun laser-light bowling at night, and makes for good refuge if you happen to be here during rainy season. The newest bowling alley is inside the Gran Plaza: Recorcholis. There is also an ice skating rink and extensive video arcade here.
  • Boxing: Older teenagers and young adults may enjoy a night of boxing. Our boys love it, as you get up close and personal to the boxers. I imagine the ring card girls don’t hurt their eyes either 🙂 Held on Friday nights about once every month, downtown in the Cancha German Evers.
  • Catamaran: You can have one of the playeros take you and your family out for a cruise around the bay for very little cash. Watch the sea lions (Mazatlán is their southernmost point), cruise past Bird, Goat and Deer Islands, and view the city from the sea. A boat ride is always fun. There are also sailboats, or you can go out on a party boat and enjoy music, dinner or sunset.
  • Dolphin, whale and sea lion watching: Also one of our favorite activities! DEFINITELY do this if you are traveling here! You can read our blog post about this trip.
  • Driving range: Pacific Golf Center on Avenida de la Marina is a whole lot of fun for younger and older kids, as well as adults. They also have batting cages, a bar, and a full restaurant.
  • Fishermen: Sitting near the pangas/boats at Playa Norte beach in the morning, watching the fishermen bring in their boats, unload and sell their fish, can make for a very enjoyable morning for a family. There is excellent fishing in Mazatlán, and if your children enjoy it, you can fish from shore or rent a boat to take your family out deep-sea fishing.
  • Hiking: Climbing up the lighthouse is a terrific family event, with gorgeous views from the top. On this blog you can find many posts about the route. On the north side of town, Estero del Yugo is a gorgeous nature preserve with both a coastal lagoon (fresh water) and estuary (brackish water). Your family can walk or bike several trails. Nature walks and plant medicine tours are offered year-round. They are primarily in Spanish, but Sandra and staff speak English and will do their best to accommodate you. Just give them a call.
  • Horseback riding: There is nothing like a family horseback ride on the beach, or through a forest of palm trees. Rent horses on Stone Island or as you head up the beach north of town (Ginger has recently retired, but there are others who walk the beach in Cerritos renting horses).
  • Inline skating: That 4-mile malecón is calling your name! You and the family can of course walk it, or you can rent skates in Olas Altas at the Looney Bean coffee shop.
  • Ice skating: Yes, you can come to the tropics and let the kids ice skate! The rink is inside the Gran Plaza at Recorcholis.
  • Island day: Spending a day at either Deer Island (one of the three islands in the bay) or Stone Island (it’s actually a peninsula) feels like going back in time to a simpler, more charming era. Pretend you’re shipwrecked, or that you own your own private piece of paradise. On Stone Island there are plenty of restaurants with lots of adult beverages; the beach is great for kids as the ocean is pretty calm. On Deer Island you can get a few things to eat or drink. You can get tours to either island that include banana boating, snorkeling or jet skiing; Stone Island tours often include horseback riding. Stone Island has an affordable water ferry (about US$3 round trip per person).
  • Kayaking: Rent a couple of kayaks on the beach in front of one of the hotels, and enjoy some terrific family time paddling in the bay.
  • Fly a Kite: Buy one anywhere, and spend a few hours flying it on the beach. Enjoy some ceviche, fresh fruit or turnovers/empanadas from a strolling vendor, and maybe some live music from a passing band.
  • Climb the Lighthouse: One of our very favorite family activities, we do this a couple of times a week. The climb only takes about 20 minutes, and the view from the top is gorgeous!
  • Movies: Movie theaters in Mazatlán are MUCH more affordable ventures than they are north of the border. If you don’t speak Spanish, be sure to see a subtitled movie rather than one that’s dubbed. Cinemex in the new shopping center, Galerías Mazatlán (north side of town), advertises a “4D” viewing experience. Cinépolis is in the Gran Plaza; Gaviotas is an older theater near Valentino’s in the Golden Zone; and the two Cinemexes are in the main part of town on Insurgentes Street.
    1. Cinépolis in the Gran Plaza
    2. Cinemex at Galerías Mazatlán
    3. Cinemas Gaviotas
    4. CinemexMaz
    5. CinemexToreo
  • Paint ball: For some weird reason, paint ball is called “Gotcha” in Mazatlecan Spanish. The nearest location is Master Gotcha located behind Casa Country in the Golden Zone. Closed on Tuesdays, check their Facebook page for specials. The second one is Gotcha Las Espuelas, located just outside of town.
  • Parasailing: Before I parasailed I never imagined I’d enjoy it as much as I did! It is amazingly fun and exciting! Book a trip on the beach in front of your hotel.
  • View or tour the Port: Watch the workings of the port from the Mirador or the Old Observatory. Drive, walk or bike up Paseo del Centenario to either of these places, and you will be rewarded with incredible views of the city of Mazatlán and the workings of its port. See the loading and unloading at the docks, the boats of the largest shrimping fleet in the Americas, as well as the tuna fleet. You an also hire one of the panga-owners to take you on a cruise through the Parque Bonfil, to see all the shrimp and tuna boats up close and personal.
  • Witness Sea Turtles laying their eggs: Witness sea turtles laying eggs on the beach from June through November or later every year. It is an amazing process to watch, but please don’t bother the nesting Moms! You can read a blog post about the sea turtles here.
  • Sea Turtle release: Groups can make arrangements via the Aquarium to do a private release of baby sea turtles, or you may call the Aquarium to see if there is a release scheduled while you are in town. Release season is August to December. On Stone Island (at Estrella del Mar) there is a sea turtle sanctuary, and the kids (and adults) may very much enjoy visiting it.
  • Skate park: Bring your skateboard, rip stick, BMX bike or inline skates, or just your eyes and good humor to watch the festivities. One skate park is next to the outdoor gym in Playa Norte—we did a blog post about it. A second and very wonderful one is in the median on the boulevard that runs beside the City Park/Bosque de la Ciudad.
  • Snorkeling: Playa Norte has a sheltered beach, just south of the swim club and the outdoor gym, which has pretty interesting snorkeling: lots of colorful fish and sea glass. On Deer Island you can snorkel for octopus or scallops. The oyster divers are also a very friendly lot here, and they will be happy to have you pay them to dive with them—only recommended if your kids are expert swimmers, of course.
  • Spray fountain: Right across the street from the Fisherman’s Monument, this relatively new water park installation is a big hit with local and tourist kids alike!
  • Surfing: Many kids would love to learn how to surf! In Mazatlán there are a few options: Mazatlán Surf Center, Jah Surf School, Aqua Sports Center, or just do a web search or ask around on the beach.
  • Swimming: This would seem to be a no-brainer. In the pool, in the ocean, Mazatlán is a swimmers’ paradise. Something our family loves is, in the early morning, to go down to Playa Norte and watch the swim club swimmers do their ocean swims. Many are grandmas and grandpas and boy can they swim! In November each year the club does a Travesía, during which swimmers swim out to Deer Island! You are most welcome to join them in the early mornings, starting about 6:00 am.
  • Swim with Dolphins (in the wild): Go out with Oscar and crew from Onca Explorations. They will get you to a pod of dolphins, and let you jump overboard to be in the water with the wild dolphins. It is soooo cool to have them swim around you. Our blog post about this here.
  • Swim with Sharks: The aquarium offers this cool activity. Swimming with sharks sounds so cool and dangerous (yet isn’t)! This activity takes place in a glass-fronted pool with a guide.
  • Tide pools: One of the BEST activities ever, on the planet, for families with young children. Bring a book of tide pool life along with you, put on some water shoes, and take a walk when the tide is out along the beach south of Valentino’s. Starfish, crabs, tadpoles, sea urchins… Gotta love it!
  • Video arcade: Ok, I don’t like going on vacation to have the kids go to an arcade, but I do remember traveling to Prague and having my kid beg for laser tag, so it happens. The best video arcade that I know of is in the Gran Plaza shopping mall at Recorcholis. There is also a small, “cooler” one for teenagers just north of Valentino’s, on the second level.
  • Water park: If the kids want more slide action than the hotel pool or the spray fountain can provide, take them up to Mazagua, on the north end of town on the way to the Hotel Riu or Emerald Bay.
  • Whale watching: I definitely suggest you go out with Oscar and crew from Onca. Nothing like having a marine biologist, who knows these whales intimately, cataloging and tracking their movements, teach you about them. You can almost touch these gorgeous creatures, and the sound of their breathing will blow you away! Our blog post about this, one of our absolute favorite things to do here.
  • Zip line: Huana Coa is located in La Noria, close to the Los Osuna mezcal distillery. It is a whole lot of fun! They use double-cables for added safety, and state-of-the-art equipment. Veraneando has twelve zip lines, including one where two people can ride/race in parallel. They also offer a river tour. If you haven’t zip lined, we HIGHLY recommend it.
In addition to the above year-round activities, there are also terrific seasonal events that you should try not to miss. These include:
  • Carnaval/Mardis Gras (a very family-oriented five days before Ash Wednesday, usually February or March)
  • Easter Week processions
  • MotoWeek, a huge gathering of motorcycles from around the continent. Includes concerts, an expo and a huge parade (early April each year)
  • La Frasca/Shrimping in the estuary A once-in-a-lifetime experience for families, occurs only during shrimping season. You will need a car or driver and to speak Spanish or have an interpreter or guide (when shrimp season opens, usually in September)
  • Independence Day, especially “El Grito” the night before in the main Plaza downtown (September 15)
  • Day of the Dead, altars and callejoneada parade (November 1 and 2)
  • AeroFest, held in November along the malecón for a few years. This event was not held in 2013, but we trust it will be back!
  • Revolution Day (November 20)
  • ExpoCar, usually held in December, this is a car show and, I guess, drag racing event. Exhibitions, concerts, and lots of burning rubber.
  • Look for signs for special events such as Monster Truck shows, Lucha Libre, circuses (one going on somewhere in town at least once/month), carnavals/fairs (5-7 every year), NBA exhibition games, etc….
  • There are also “cultural” events such as bullfighting (held occasionally) and cock fighting (held all the time at various venues). Look for signs or ask around when you are in town if you are interested.
Kids love Mazatlán! I’ve only included things right here in town. There are also loads of things to do outside the city—small pueblos to visit, the petroglyphs at Las Labradas… Please let us know what adventures you and your kids or grandkids enjoy, and we’ll add them in!

Another Gorgeous Friday Morning in Mazatlán

Sometimes routines can be a really good thing. We hike the lighthouse hill, as you know, several times a week. It’s wonderful to see those who also have that routine, and to notice the small, day-to-day and week-to-week changes.

Sunrises are always gorgeous here, and today’s over the harbor was no exception.

Flowers are in full glory right now. The smell is intoxicating, and they are also a definite feast for the eyes. I love how the flowering vines grow over and decorate the cacti, and I especially love watching the shrimp boats just outside the port.

The other day we noticed some young men painting new murals on the walls of Colegio Pacífico on the hill. There was already one there from 2011, but now there are quite a few more.

And, finally, as we worked our way home to start the day’s work, we met up with a march for World Mental Health Day. Marines, nurses, and a whole lot of young people took part in the parade. It was encouraging to see.

And, we’re showered and at our desks by 9:00 am! Thank you, Mazatlán, for all your beauty!

5th Anniversary and 200 Posts

5 yearsOur first entry on the VidaMaz blog was June 14, 2008. At that point, I had been a lover of and frequent traveler to Mazatlán since 1982; Greg since 1993. We had been married here (at the Hotel Camino Real in its heyday), and we had already owned our home here for a few years. In 2007, we had made the decision to change our lives, and the country in which we lived. In June of 2008 we loaded our just-out-of-sixth-grade son into a car, drove south by southwest, and enrolled him into junior high school here in our adopted hometown.

And oh how we’ve loved it! Danny did not want to come. He didn’t want to leave his friends. He didn’t want to learn Spanish. When we woke him up for school on the one-year anniversary of our move here, he proclaimed, “One year since we made the best decision of our lives!” We have made so many dear friends, we have learned so many new things, we have experienced events and realities that have stirred our souls. Our son has become bilingual, bicultural, the children of immigrant parents. He celebrated his 13th birthday in our pool, and just two weeks ago he celebrated his 18th. Every parent says it, but where has the time gone?

We started this blog in order to let our family and friends back home, and worldwide, see a bit of our new lives here. What I really treasure about this blog is the way it has helped us keep a record of our journeys, of some of what we have learned, and most importantly, of the people we have met along the way. Mazatlán absolutely has some of the world’s friendliest, happiest, and most open-hearted people on the planet! Thank you all for allowing us to live here in this beautiful port city with you!

In looking at the blog’s statistics, I realize that the blog has become a source of information for many of our fellow expats. We didn’t plan it that way, but we are very happy to be able to be of some service to others. We have thousands of readers who come here to learn how to enjoy Mazatlán with kids and how to choose a school and live here with kids (one, two, three, and many more). Two of our most popular posts include last year’s Immigration Forum (not a topic we’d normally write about, but the changes in immigration rules were hugely important for all expats, and no one else at the time, at least in Mazatlán, was really writing about it), and Getting a Driver’s License in Mazatlán (information that has of course changed since it was first published, but our readers have kindly kept it updated).

Most of our posts, as you our readers know, are about events and people here in town. We definitely enjoy life here, despite or because we work more than full-time. Other popular posts have included:

HOLIDAYS

  1. Quite a few on Carnavál (one, two, three, and our “eternal calendar” of Carnavál events)
  2. Day of the Dead
  3. Spring Equinox at Las Labradas and the Deer Dances (one, two)
  4. Celebrations for Independence Day here in town
  5. Religious tourism in and around Mazatlán for Holy Week

EVENTS

  1. Happily for us, posts about our favorite event all year—Desayuno de los Pollos, a charity event conducted by my good friend Yoly (one, two), are popular. We have participated in this event from the time we came down as tourists. Danny was maybe eight the first time we had the privilege of participating.
  2. The extremely cool annual swim to Deer Island, the Travesía Anual

PROFILES

  1. Eating breakfast with oyster divers
  2. Interview with a cancer survivor who opened a meat shop and deli (and the story of a historic restaurant we enjoyed decades ago)
  3. Shrimp fishermen (one, two)
  4. Lots of excitement around Ice Skating at Christmas last year

OTHERS

  1. Travel nearby (weekend trips): Mezcaltitán, Bird watching in Singayta
  2. Definitely take longer to fully enjoy Copper Canyon

There are hundreds more posts—our observations and experiences of the culture here, dozens of other holidays, events and people. Please check them out.

Everyone, thank you for joining us! We work full-time, we have a son still at home, we enjoy nature, like to exercise, are always ready for a good time, and we enjoy the opportunity to record some of our pleasures here in this space. We are most grateful that you have found this blog interesting or useful. What has been your favorite post?

Ciudad de los Niños, Day Two

Hard workers, proud of where they live

Hard workers, proud of where they live

You saw the photos and Indiana Jones-spoof video about the big earth-moving project Danny and his friends did at one of our local orphanages a couple of weeks ago. Everyone worked their buns off and had a great time. Well, yesterday they were back for round 2. Far fewer people, but the hard workers definitely showed up.

It started off with just Danny. He got out a pick, shovel and hoe, and went to work on the two remaining, much smaller than they had been, piles of dirt. It was HOT and humid, but he had a lot of water in a cooler. Pretty soon, remarkably to us, several of the boys from the orphanage came out to help. And they did! They worked hard! They shoveled despite the heat, they laughed, they asked Danny how to do it, and we were privileged to witness them taking pride in making their home a better place in which to live.

Soon Danny’s friend Juan Carlos showed up. He was there the first time, too. He’s a great friend. And the boys worked hard for an hour or two, in the mid-day sun.

Then, gratefully, the bulldozer showed up. Hooray! Bless Noel! With the big machine he of course made much quicker work, flattening out the remaining dirt piles. In a couple of hours more Scouts and another ICO friend showed up, and the guys continued their shoveling. Danny is truly blessed with some good friends here.

After a while one of the two the volleyball nets Danny had purchased was set up on the new supports they’d made, and an inaugural game was played. I missed that part, so no photos of the game, I’m sorry to say.To conclude the day, the young men played a soccer match with some of the boys from the orphanage. It was a terrific second visit for all involved!

Mouse over any photo below to read the caption. Click to enlarge it or view a slideshow.

Equipment ready to go (thanks, Irving!)
The remaining piles of dirt to tackle today
Danny starting out with boys watching
Boys getting their equipment, eager to work, too
One of the boys asking Danny for guidance
Hard workers, proud of where they live
Danny’s got helpers!
It was HOT! Frequent breaks required!
Hoes were the second step after the pickaxes loosened things up.
The portable volleyball net, set up and ready to go
Finally, to cap off the day, a futbol soccer game
Let’s all climb on the big guys!
Hopefully this is the second of many Scout work/play days here.

The International Road to Eagle Scout

Cub&WebeloTitle

Our 17 year-old son has been a Scout since first grade. He was active in Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, and Webelos, all of which I led, and then he “crossed over” to a high adventure Boy Scout troop. He has learned so much from Scouting: first aid, outdoor survival, swimming, cooking, sewing, teamwork, respect, discipline, leadership, how to take care of and teach the younger Scouts.

Swearing in ceremony

Danny being sworn in to Mexican Scouts by Jefe Carlos and Jefa Graciela

When we moved to Mexico Danny very much wanted to continue with Scouts, and was welcomed into a troop here, Grupo 4 Conforti. The leader, Jefe Carlos, was bilingual, and Danny loved the experience. It was quite an adjustment learning the ways in which Scouting here differs from Scouting up north. Danny met a lot of very good friends that I’m confident he’ll have for a lifetime, and Mexican Scouts helped him perfect his Spanish and learn the culture. He’s learned to lead here as well, an invaluable skill. I know he loves the more laid-back way of learning here, with much less focus on progression and earning badges and ranks.

Boys at summer camp

Jon and Danny at their first Boy Scout summer camp—a week or so away from home

But it was also very important to our son to continue his Boy Scouts of America (BSA) path even after we came to Mexico. He was already a Star Scout when we moved, so only two ranks away from Eagle, the highest rank in BSA. However, we experienced some real challenges trying to fulfill his desire to continue with BSA internationally, and we almost gave up.

I have friends in Tokyo and in other places around the world whose children belong to BSA, but they live in cities with a US American community and an internationally-based BSA troop. We don’t have such a troop in Mazatlán, and we couldn’t find anyone within the BSA organization to help us learn how he could continue US Scouting while living internationally, in the absence of a troop. Finally we learned about the “Lone Scout” program. What a godsend that has been!

Wheelbarrow and shovelers

Danny with “Peli” (a friend from ICO), and a Scout brother

We are bursting-at-the-seams proud to report that, yesterday, Danny COMPLETED HIS EAGLE PROJECT! (That’s him in the photo above, with the wheelbarrow.) Some of his friends from his original BSA troop earned their Eagle several years ago; it has taken Danny much longer. He hasn’t had the support system that a troop provides on the path to Eagle. He’s had to be additionally disciplined and creative, using every opportunity he could create, to accomplish the necessary steps and qualifications. And, he did it! All while being an active leader in Mexican Scouts as well!

Existing cages at Amigos de los Animales
Existing cages at Amigos de los Animales
Existing cages at Amigos de los Animales

So, let me tell you a bit about his Eagle project. That in itself was a journey. Danny has volunteered for a couple of years with our local humane society, Amigos de los Animales. So he naturally hoped to do his Eagle project there. He talked with the director, and had a major project planned to repaint and restore the cages (photos above). He met with various painting contractors to learn what had to be done and how, and had a list of equipment and supplies to purchase and a plan for the big day. Then, just before project day, word came that Amigos de los Animales were going to remodel the building. The cage restoration would have to be delayed. But Danny’s Eagle project couldn’t wait. You have to complete Eagle before you turn 18, which for Danny will be this next September. So he had to quickly find another project. And, he still promised to do the cages, once the surrounding remodel is complete, as long as it can happen before he graduates from high school next spring.

Ciudad de los Niños
One of the bedrooms
The central hallway
Clothes hanging out to dry
32 kids make for a lot of clothes to wash, iron and fold.
Danny and Madre Velia, signing off on things

After meeting with a few other organizations in town, he decided to work with one of our local orphanages, Ciudad de los Niños (photos above; click to enlarge photos). The Head Mother and Danny agreed on a two-part plan.

  1. The first part was the biggest: clearing several tons of dirt. You see, a couple of years ago there was a large soccer tournament here in town. A nearby school had asked permission to build a soccer field on the orphanage’s property, and they’d agreed. The problem was, after the soccer field was created, the builders left seven huge piles of dirt, rocks and garbage — tons and tons of heavy, compacted mounds— along the wall of the orphanage property. In rainy season, it causes runoff and flooding on the orphanage property, plus lots of mud, and in the dry season dust and dirt blow everywhere, hurting the kids’ eyes as they try to play or study. So, Danny would arrange to first loosen up the dirt in the mounds, smooth it out and use it to fill in the holes,  ruts and uneven terrain at various places around the playground. To give you an idea of the enormity of the task, the wall in the photos below is four meters high.
  2. Secondly, Danny would build a portable volleyball net, so that the kids could use the existing basketball court (concrete) or soccer field (dirt) for volleyball.
Tons of dirt—that’s a 4-meter-high wall in back
Tons of dirt—that’s a 4-meter-high wall in back
Tons of dirt—that’s a 4-meter-high wall in back
Tons of dirt—that’s a 4-meter-high wall in back
Tons of dirt—that’s a 4-meter-high wall in back
And a bonus mound of stuff
Tons of dirt—that’s a 4-meter-high wall in back
Eagle-Patch

The Eagle Scout patch that Danny hopes to earn

As you may well know, an Eagle project is a culmination — the highest rank advancement in US American Scouting. To achieve it the Scout needs to demonstrate the skills he has acquired throughout his Scouting career; he must be the leader, in every way, of the Eagle project. Danny started by getting a dirt-moving expert out to take a look around and advise. In the process, the guy agreed to bring the bulldozer for a day and do the work on a voluntary basis, because he, too, is a Scout. Hooray! First hurdle jumped.

Then Danny set up a Facebook event, where he announced the project. He invited many community leaders, as well friends and his Scout group here, to participate. He met with teachers at school (ICO: Instituto Cultural del Occidente) to obtain permission for those helping to earn community service hour points. He asked everyone to bring shovels, and got rakes, brooms, trash bags, ice water, even some popsicles. He secured recycled poles and tires, and worked with his godfather to cement the poles into the tire bases to support a volleyball net that would be movable rather than permanent. He purchased two nets and a volleyball. He worked hard alongside loads of blessed friends and Scout brothers and sisters, and he supervised every step of the project.

Scout Grupo 4 Emblem
Escudo del ICO
El padrino and friends

The scheduled date of the work day had to be changed twice: once due to the heavy machinery company’s changing schedule, and another time due to the orphanage’s  schedule changes. Finally, work day arrived. That was yesterday, Saturday June 1, 2013.

All went off splendidly. I have never seen 26 young people work so hard in all my life! My official role was photographer (thank goodness!), and it was so thrilling to turn 360 degrees and see people working on different projects everywhere I looked!

  • On one side, the bulldozer (driven by Danny’s good friend, Noel) worked all day moving dirt, while young men with shovels helped. Click on any photo to enlarge it.
    Danny and Noel, bulldozer driver extraordinaire
    That stuff is heavy!
    Danny supervising the work
    Dusty stuff, too
    The shoveling crew
    Hopping on for a break
    Bulldozer! Cool!
    Putting their backs into the work
  • On the other side, young people cleaned, fixed and reassembled playground equipment. They also made a big pile of miscellaneous broken toys and parts they collected from the huge yard.
    Toys and parts of toys collected from around the property
    Cleaning the play sets
    Fixing the border chain
    View of the playground and some workers
  • On a third side, a group of young women painted the volleyball net support poles.
    The cemented poles for the volleyball court
    Getting the paint ready
    Painting the supports
    Painting the bases
    Always a smile…
  • In the middle of everything, groups of kids cleaned up trash, raked, and swept walkways.
    Picking up garbage
    Sweeping the walkways
    Have rake, will work…

  • Another group removed rocks that were a danger to the kids, and repaired landscaping details.
  • Yet another group of young people with shovels filled in holes and ruts on the playground with some of the dirt that was being removed from the fence line. The dirt was so hard that they had to soften it up with water in order to be able to spread it around.
    Spreading dirt to fill in ruts on the playground
    Wheelbarrowing dirt to fill in ruts
    Even the wee ones got in on the action
    Definitely need to stay hydrated!
  • One of the young women arrived with a big bag of toys for the orphanage kids.
    Bag full of toys to donate
    Handing the toys over
    And the commemorative photo
  • As the heat of the day got to be a bit much, a group of the young women got the hose out to water all the plants. Which, of course, also started a laughter-filled water fight.

About 4:00 the bolis arrived—Danny had ordered delivery of popsicles in a pushcart as a surprise. The orphanage kids, nuns, and of course the workers loved that. A couple of the Scout leaders went shopping to buy sandwich fixings at one point, as some of the kids were hungry. The ham sandwiches were very well received. The kids worked hard, and they played. They loved the playground equipment: the swings, teeter-totter, slide and merry-go-round, almost as much as the orphans. A group of orphans at one point all climbed up in the bulldozer for a ride, until the nuns put a stop to that, of course. Some of the young workers actually climbed into the shovel of the bulldozer and got a ride around, too. There was a lot of fun to be had amidst the dirt, sweat and hard work. (Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.)

Bolis! Bolis! Who wants a popsicle?
Cuties climbing
Cuties hanging
Workers cooling off
Kids cooling off
“We do this all the time! It’s safe!”
Boli eating ladies take a respite
And the shovelers cool down, too.
Even Mr. Bulldozer likes popsicles.
Any left? Really? We ate 100?
Eating some sandwiches
Gotta go for a ride!
Mom and two handsome lads
Just swinging around
Paleta delivery

The paint didn’t dry on the poles for the volleyball net yesterday, so we’ll go back this week and attach the volleyball net for the kids. The really GOOD news is that Danny’s local Scout Group 4 has agreed to adopt the orphanage — to go out there regularly and help out. Next time they’ll go will be in a couple of weeks, when the bulldozer will come again to finish up the final dirt pile and to do some more smoothing. Below are some “after” photos, showing how clean (and flat!) the playground area is after the work day.

The thirteen-foot wall is now visible
Mounds of dirt have been smoothed down
Clean play area
Clean gardens and paths
Reassembled and cleaned play area

We are incredibly grateful to the 26 people who showed up yesterday. Bless you all!

Group Photo

The group shot at the end of the day. Tired but happy!

We are also eternally grateful to have been blessed with our son, Danny. He has given us 17 years of pure joy and unbelievable love. Congratulations, soon-to-be Eagle Scout. Thank you for striving to be the best you can be, and to make our community a more humane place in which to live. We love you.

I am planning to put together a video of yesterday’s project, and will share that with you all as soon as it’s ready. That will most certainly not be today!

UPDATE 13 June: Here’s the Indiana Jones spoof I made from some of today’s video footage: