Thanks to so many of you who chipped in to help support these teenagers to reach their dreams! National champions, Mazatlán’s own Muralla Pony League (Colt) team travelled 55 hours—yes, FIFTY-FIVE HOURS! The Vietnamese team in this tournament only traveled 36!—to reach the World Series in Lafayette, Indiana. Teams that earned the right to play include Vietnam, Czech Republic, Mexico and the USA.
Greg and I are very excited to be with our local Mazatleco boys and their families, cheering them on. Click on any photo to see it larger or view a slideshow.
The team arrived one day later than planned, so didn’t have much time to get unkinked or settled in before the tournament. They arrived at the ballpark excited and raring to go! César Aguilar was the starting pitcher, and pitched a terrific six innings of the seven inning game, leading 3-2 over Lafayette’s All Stars. The seventh inning saw us go through two pitchers in the quest to find a closer, and led to a most discouraging 9-3 loss at midnight last night.
Mexico played their first game last night under the lights, which of course kids in Mazatlán are not accustomed to doing. The Mexican team had by far the loudest of any cheering section, complete with tricolor shirts, hats, face paint and flag.
We still have the opportunity to win the Series, though we have to win all the remaining games. While we played the last game last night, we play the first game today—not exactly thought-through scheduling, to my way of thinking.
A really cool thing yesterday was that all the players from all the teams in the Series went out onto the field, surrounding the in-field. Two teams of physically challenged kids played two innings of baseball, with help from the boys in the tournament. Talk about a tear jerker! The parents in the stand of these kids were bursting with pride and joy, watching their kids hit the ball and run the bases. A wonderful event to behold!
Long-time Mazatlán snowbird Valerie Bird’s niece and family live in Indiana, and drove two hours to join our cheering section last night. Mazatlán was well represented by the families that travelled north, and also by several dozen local Mexican-American families who showed national pride to turn out and cheer us on. Many thanks to them! Many of those families are also hosting our boys, so they don’t have to pay hotel.
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!
This morning Real del Valle was filled with warriors—of the obstacle course variety. LeTour Fitness held its annual “Warrior Race,” which was a 4k race that included a run up a hill and obstacles such as jumping over rolled bales of hay, scaling walls and fences, doing burpees, running obstacles, and crawling under barbed wire. It was my pleasure to watch Greg and Danny compete in the race. And, honestly, Mom enjoyed the eye candy, too. Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slideshow.
😉
Greg scaling one of the inflatables
Danny seeming to just walk up the inflatable. Youth!
Slippin’ and slidin’
Crawling through the water looked pretty pleasant
Through the canal
Up the climbing wall
Up the climbing wall
He says he got that 6-pack from yoga…
Eye candy for Mom
There were at least three athletic events in Mazatlán this morning, including the CicloRun up the lighthouse/faro. This Warrior Race was fun because people dressed up and everybody had SUCH a good time: families—parents, kids, siblings, uncles and aunts—groups of friends and work colleagues—including a large group from UAS, and there were quite a few senior citizens. Two of my favorites included a pony-tailed woman who came in about 3rd or 4th place among the women, and a 68 year old lady who completed the race, but had a hard time with the final climb. The cool thing was that, in this race, people helped each other out, as you can see in the photos below, where people are actually pulling and pushing each other over an inflatable. Everybody finished the race muddy, wet, sweaty and happy.
The devil ran, too.
Warriors visiting OXXO after the race
My 68 year old friend
My 68 year old friend
The CosPlay crew
Danny sliding on through…
Greg enjoying a bit of a break…
Two of these kids had GoPros. I wanna be them!
The US group
Go!
This woman rocked it!
Friends helping friends, and strangers helping strangers
Friends helping friends, and strangers helping strangers
A bit wet…
Muddy, wet, sweaty and happy
Air borne!
As usual with events like this, there were at least three emergency calls that I witnessed—heat stroke, despite the fortunately overcast morning. Below are photos of who I believe to be the male and female winners; at least they came through in first place by a safe margin at the point in the race I was located.
Panoramic photo of the first estuary, right by the new bridge in Delfin
On Mothers’ Day Greg and I took a photo safari up north of Delfín, to where Greg has been riding his bike the past few weekends. We took a cooler filled with drinks and lunch, so we could have a picnic. It was a truly gorgeous place to visit. I imagine those who live in Delfín hike this area often. But for me, it was my first time going up quite this far, and I highly recommend it. It made for a most wonderful Mothers’ Day!
The area where we went parallels the railroad tracks, and is full of estuaries. It is secluded enough that it lends itself well to really enjoyable hiking. I loved how we could hear the surf so loudly, but the second we got back in, even just a little bit, we couldn’t hear the surf anymore.
The beaches felt so private to a “city girl” who lives on the malecón. A man lives up next to the tracks (see his home below), and there are lean-tos that I suppose were built by the railroad workers to shelter them from the sun during construction or repair of the tracks. The grass up this way is really cool. It grows so thick, and the wind whips it all one way or the other. You could tell the area floods during high seas, as there was sand and beach debris everywhere. I was especially fascinated with the railroad trestle. I grew up next to one in Wisconsin, and the reflection of this one in the water was quite captivating. About five minutes after we crossed the trestle the second time, sure enough, a train came by. I was quite happy we were, by then, getting out our picnic! Click on any photo to enlarge it, or view a slideshow.
View of the mountains over an estuary
One of the lean-tos beside the RR bridge
Erosion on the beach
Sea grass
View of the mountains over an estuary
Gorgeous estuary and ocean views
The house I mentioned beside the tracks
The train trestle reflects nicely in the water
The three islands and El Riu
Estuary view
View of the mountains over an estuary
Estuary view
We saw loads of gorgeous flora and fauna—birds, reptiles, insects, mammals, trees, flowers, plants and cactus. We found quite a few different bones and skeletons along the way as well. It was a bit too overcast for my taste and for great photos, but, on the other hand, it made for comfortable hiking. I will most definitely hike up this way many more times.
Heron
Ibis
Skeleton of what?
Cactus flowers
Cactus flowers
Gorgeous bark
More gorgeous bark
Closeup of the bark
Twisted branches and vines
Ibis
A nest
So so many birds, of every sort!
So so many birds, of every sort!
So so many birds, of every sort!
So so many birds, of every sort!
So many birds, of every sort
An iguana crossing the road
To get to Delfín, just drive north on Camarón Sábalo to the road to Pueblo Bonito Emerald Bay. Turn left and go past PBEB, and just keep driving. Eventually the unpaved, very rustic road will fork. The right-hand fork takes you through a ranch and out to the highway. The left-hand fork is the one we took. We planned to park at the estuary by the train trestle, and hike north from there. However, we ended up spending quite a bit of time at the first estuary right by the new bridge, as it was filled with every kind of waterfowl you can imagine—herons, storks, ibis, pelicans, spoonbills… We also spent a significant amount of time at the second estuary—just walking around and enjoying ourselves. So, in the end, we didn’t end up hiking north of there along the dirt road, as had been our original plan. I guess we’ll just have to go again!
Please, share with me one of your favorite hiking spots!
Carpa Olivera Pool, Mazatlán, México • May 1, 2015
The renovation to Mazatlán’s historic Carpa Olivera—the ocean-fed public swimming pool in Olas Altas—positions the destination among a very elite group of cities worldwide with scenic ocean-fed swimming pools. Most such pools are steeped in history, as is ours, built in 1914 by Chilean chef Antonio Olivera, but most of them are NOT free of charge and open to the public, as ours is.
The Bondi Baths in Australia, for example, have been around for over 100 years. Costing $6.50/person or $18/family to enter, Bondi hosts swim clubs, oceanside yoga, a gym and restaurant. Its facilities are also a gorgeous location for weddings and events. From where I sit, Bondi looks better than Carpa Olivera. But, Australia is quite a ways away!
Bondi Beach, Australia
Ocean water pools are quite popular down under. In addition to the Bondi Baths, Sydney has quite a few ocean water swimming pools, and Balmain harbor is home to Australia’s oldest tidal-fed swimming pool, the Dawn Fraser Baths, built in the 1880s. Dawn Fraser offers a snack shop and hot showers. I’m confident Carpa Olivera’s showers won’t have hot water. But, then, we don’t really need it, either—especially not in the summer.
Dawn Fraser Baths, Australia
It’s said that New South Wales has over 100 ocean-fed pools. A humpback whale was even found dead in one of the pools in Sydney; see the video below. Outside of Australia, however, ocean water pools are few and far between. That’s what makes Carpa Olivera so unique—a touristic feature we should tout loudly! The Carpa Olivera restoration, in my opinion, puts Mazatlán ahead of leading tourist destinations such as San Francisco—where I’ve long wondered why someone doesn’t restore the historic Sutro baths, and Honolulu—where the Waikiki Natatorium remains a ruin. Especially a shame, since the natatorium was built as a war memorial in 1927! Click on a photo below to enlarge it or view a slideshow.
Sutro Bath ruins, San Francisco
Waikiki Natatorium
England has a long tradition of sea-fed swimming pools; my guess is they probably gave the idea to the Aussies who then ran, er, swam with it. The community-supported Shoalstone Pool near Devon, England, built in 1896, remains a gorgeous place—and entry is free! Just like Carpa Olivera, its water is refreshed every time there’s a high tide. There’s also the Sea Pool at Bude, built under the cliffs on the north Cornwall coast in the 1930s.
Shoalstone, England
Kistilano Pool, Vancouver
Sea Pool at Bude
The tidal pool outside the fortress city of Saint-Malo, France, is home to the largest tides in Europe—26 feet between high and low tides! At high tide, only the dive platform of the pool is visible, but at low tide, the entire swimming pool emerges. It was built in 1937, and is covered with algae much like Carpa Olivera was before the new remodel.
Capetown, South Africa, also has an ocean water pool with a killer view, though the water is pumped in rather than tidal fed. It’s called Sea Point Swimming Pool., and they bill it as “the most breathtaking public swimming pool in the world.” I beg to differ, as I much prefer Mazatlán’s Carpa Olivera view and more natural, rustic nature.
Seapoint Pool, Capetown
Seapoint Pool, Capetown
My favorite seawater pool is perhaps the Blue Lagoon in Reykjavík, with its thermal waters and killer views. It is, however, more of a spa than a swimming pool, and costs minimum 35 Euros to get in. Of course, you can pay extra to get a massage, facial, sauna, etc.
Blue Lagoon in Iceland
Blue Lagoon
Blue Lagoon
Copenhagen has the Kastrup Sea Bath, which looks more like diving boards and interesting architecture in the ocean, rather than a swimming pool.
Kastrup Pool, Copenhagen
Canada has a couple of ocean water swimming pools, including Kitsilano Pool in Vancouver and another in New Brunswick’s Fundy National Park. Both are filled with ocean water, but rather than being fed naturally by the tide, the water is pumped in.
Kistilano Pool, Vancouver
Pool in Fundy Park, New Brunswick
Coral Gables, Florida has the very cool public pool, the Venetian, built in a coral rock quarry. It’s been around since 1923, but it is filled from an aquifer rather than from the ocean.
Venetian Pool in Coral Gables
Have you visited a cool ocean-fed pool? Share with us your favorite!
How did I end up researching ocean-fed pools this May Day? Well, back in December we told you about several exciting, high-profile development plans for Mazatlán. We’ve recently heard from several sources that the renovation of the historic (built in 1916) balneario/ocean water swimming pool in Olas Altas—called Carpa Olivera—is scheduled to open in May. That is in plenty of time for the summer enjoyment of local and national tourist families! Ahead of schedule, really. Could it be true?
Having photographed Carpa Olivera just four short months ago when it was completely torn apart (see photos below), and knowing how many projects in town are so often chronically behind schedule and over budget (are we EVER going to see a new shark tank?), I wondered whether such good news could really be factual. The construction is hidden behind large tarps/lonas, and we don’t often walk along that portion of the malecón, so we didn’t know.
Photo from December 2014
Photo from December 2014
Today after we hiked the lighthouse we decided to check out progress, and the workers kindly gave us a tour. Progress is incredible! And, I’m very pleased to report that reality closely parallels, for a change, architectural renderings!
The view from the top level over the pool and out to the bay is incredible. That top terrace is lined with benches, so it’s sure to become a popular resting spot for families enjoying the views from our oceanside promenade. A second level down towards the ocean includes another large terrace and a snack shop, while the ocean level houses the bathrooms, water fountains for playing, the water slide, and the pools. The wood on the walkways and ramp as pictured in the renderings appears to have been changed to decorative/3-dimensional concrete, which seems much smarter to me.
Today, workers were chipping away at hardened concrete to give walkways traction/make them less slippery, as well as to give them more visual appeal. The ramps make the pool area completely wheelchair accessible, though of course if I were physically challenged I wouldn’t want to get into the pool itself. It’ll be nice for accompanying one’s family and friends, however. The cool-looking spiral water slide is in place, as it has been for some time. It is still missing the fountain that goes on top.
With the high waves coming in this morning, the pool looked very exciting, indeed! It has been refaced, so is much cleaner and more appealing than it used to be. The ocean splashes most of the lower level terrace at high tide or in rough waters, so bathers will still need to be attentive. But, that’s part of the attraction of an ocean-fed public pool! Click on any photo to enlarge it or view a slide show.
Bathrooms are fully plumbed, tiled, and nearly ready to go. The modern, molded concrete sinks are in place; toilets and faucets have yet to be installed. One worry: there is only one toilet stall and one shower nozzle in each of the bathrooms, men’s and women’s—woefully inadequate for the amount of use the place will surely get.
Bathroom interior
Molded concrete sink in the bathroom
Snack bar on the second level
View from top terrace down to the second level ramp
The walls that are finished have a much lighter rock face than in the architectural drawings (see the photo above of the snack bar). I don’t like it nearly as much. The walls along the ramp and terraces have not been finished, so it wasn’t clear to us if they will have a darker/richer rock facing of the type we’ve been expecting; we sure hope so, as it would add so much visual appeal to the facility. My guess is the facing will be identical to what’s already been installed.
Note the fountains and rock facing on the walls
Unfinished walls on the terrace
Improvements like the new and improved Carpa Olivera make me proud of our city and the current administration. The renovations are coming in on time and on budget, as far as I know. We asked the workers if entrance to the pools would be free or if there would be a fee, but they didn’t know the answer, and I have yet to ask someone who’d know. Whether there’s a fee, or whether it’s free, Carpa Olivera puts Mazatlán front and center as home to one of the world’s most scenic and exciting ocean-fed swimming pools!
¡VidaMaz! 