Midnight in the Garden of Good & Wobbly. The bar of the Matadors. A boat ride back to El CID. Lost in Mazatlán again.‏

A beautiful young woman peeks from behind her mask during Carnival celebrations in Mazatlan, Mexico. I am on three year mission to visit the three largest Carnival celebrations in the world. Last year I was in Mazatlan, this year I am in New Orleans and next I am going to blame it on Rio. Photos Jerome Shaw

Midnight in the Garden of Good & Wobbly.
 

The bar of the Matadors. A boat ride back to El CID. Lost in Mazatlán again.‏

by Jerome Shaw

Last year during Carnival I was in the midst of week long siege in Mazatlán. This year I am in New Orleans for Mardi Gras.  I am in year two of a three year binge, working my way up from the third largest Carnival celebration to the number two this year and next year I take on the granddaddy of them all. No not the Rose Bowl, Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

More on New Orleans later but right now I am in a reflective mood. I am thinking back to last year and a couple of all nighters in Mazatlán. In the intervening year the days have melted together into one elongated Carnival parade featuring a unique cast of characters, hours of walking and dozens of beers and margaritas. 

Sax Player Machado Square Carnival 

Mazatlan, Mexico.

Many late night events have no photos of them. On a couple of the nights after the officially sanctioned events end and our guides and minders leave us to our own devices to find our way back to our hotels. I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and I sent my camera equipment back to the hotel with our driver. While Mazatlán may be safe during Carnival, putting several thousand dollars of equipment in the hands of a drunk didn't seem prudent. 

So now liberated from the constraints of keeping track of cameras and phones I could get my party on. 

And that we did. Mike Fisher, a travel writer and humorist from Calgary, and Craig Zabransky, a blogger from New York and I set out to truly experience Carnival. Not sanctioned events from VIP enclaves but from the man on the street vantage of the allnight block parties and open all night bars. 

I have to say it was not a preplanned, forgone conclusion that I would forsake the safe and easy van ride back to El Cid with the tour guide Adolpho and the PR representative Ashley. It was a spur of the moment decision egged on by Mike and Craig and further fueled by a generous amount of alcohol. I have no doubt that they'd say the exact opposite. That it was all my idea and if I hadn't have been so gung-ho for the adventure of experiencing Carnival they'd never thought to do it. Such it the nature of male peer pressure. No one wants to wimp out. 

So it was after much food and wine at the wonderfully situated VIP party and having watched a grand fireworks display over the bay looking out from the Pedro Infante memorial overlook, that the three caballeros set out for ... we knew not where. 

Fireworks over Olas Altas recreating 

the naval battle with the French during 

Carnival in Mazatlan, Mexico.

I can't speak for the others but I'd already had a considerable amount of alcohol. On a normal night I'm sure I'd have been content to slip snugly into bed and slide quickly into a deep sleep. 

Tonight was not an ordinary night.

Once we made our way out of the security of the VIP party we are swept up in wave of people flowing down the street. About all I knew was we were headed back in the direction of the Shrimp Bucket where we had had dinner earlier in the evening. This much I knew but just exactly where we are or where we are going I have no idea. 

We are looking for a party but also trying not to lose each other. More alcohol seemed the first order of business. We spied a beer tent with girls clad in blue and silver spandex advertising Pacifico beer. We were stopping for beer whether we needed it or not. I tried to make small talk with the tall brunette beer goddess. I don't think she even noticed. Now beers in hand we looked for a stage to stand near. We were enthused by the vitality of the crowd. It was difficult to find a place to stand still, there were two currents of people flowing by us as we watched the band and occasionally broke into dance. Craig decided to go for more beer or the bathroom or both. Mike and I agreed to stay put until Craig returned. Mike and I shout-talked at each other above the music and everyone else’s shout-talking. I don't know why we felt so invigorated but we did. 

The currents of the crowds on Olas Altas sweep down the street  

during Carnival in Mazatlan, Mexico.

Further proof that this was not a well planned assault on Mazatlán Carnival was that none of had that much cash. I had a credit card but only few Pesos and maybe $30US. Mike not much more with Craig being the high roller of the group. So there we were partying like Rock Stars, albeit broke rock stars. 

I can't recall if the music ended or changed at the stage we were near but we moved on down Olas Altas beach again in the direction of The Shrimp Bucket, my Northstar for the night. 

Much of the reason for the decisions that were made this night remain a mystery to me and most probably they were a mystery to me that night as well. 

The burning of bad humor in front of the 

Shrimp Bucket on Olas Altas. Carnival  

Mazatlan, Mexico.

I remember we listened to a lot of music - stopped by many bars - sat on two or three patios - drank more beer.

At some point we decided to seek the refuge of another of our home bases Pedro Y Lola’s in Machado Square. It was not a direct beeline we made for Pedro Y Lola’s but ambling wander. We were dead reckoning our way to Machado Plaza with Mike, Craig and I all providing varying coordinates for the trip. We were furthered hindered in our journey by encountering more block parties, more beer and more dancing. I might be exaggerating about the dancing, I can't remember but there was most definitely more beer.  Mike and my debt to Craig was increasing block party by block party.

Eventually we staggered into Machado Square at the far end from Pedro Y Lola. We made our way through the people-filled plaza and onto the patio of Pedro Y Lola. We were definitely hoping we see El Flaco AKA Alfredo, the owner of Pedro Y Lola.  We were not disappointed Alfredo greeted us as long lost friends.  He was right about the lost part.  

The hour was getting late and it is safe to say we were all beginning to think about how we were going to navigate the nearly 5 miles from Historico Centro Mazatlán to our hotel in Zona Dorada. We asked El Flaco hoping he had a secret stash of taxis at the back of Pedro y Lola but no such luck.  He did recommend that we walk away from the Machado Square and towards the Malecon. He assured us we'd have a better chance of finding a taxi if we got 8-10 blocks from the Machado Square.  

He wasn't exactly right.

The soft shadows of the palm fronds on

the balcony above Pedro y Lola in 

Machado Square. Carnival Mazatlan, 

Mexico.

Again we were dead reckoning. In retrospect perhaps it was a mistake to abandon my phone but finding a cell signal or wifi would have probably been just as unlikely as finding a taxi. Appropriately we wandered down Avenida Carnaval in what to my way of thinking was toward the Malecon and Avenida del Mar. Mike and Craig were not nearly as certain. Unfortunately we were wandering and taxi hunting with a few dozen other tired Carnival revelers.

To the astonishment of Craig and Mike I led us to the Malecon.  I have to admit I was slightly surprised myself. No empty taxis insight. Things were looking desperate. And, as we all know desperation breeds creativity. It was now only an hour or less in front of sunrise. We had joined the water near the Monumento al Pescador.  The translation, for gringo's like me, is Fishermen's Monument. Fishing boats are scattered along the beach. Mike or Craig - I am not sure which decided our best plan of attack at this point was to wait for sunrise and see if we could hire a fishing boat to take us to El Cid Marina Hotel, which for Mike and I was home. Craig was staying even further north but at least he’d be closer to home at El Cid. While Mike and Craig scoured the shore for fisherman and a boat to hire I sat down to rest and took off my shoes to soothe my aching feet under a fiberglass statue of Marilyn Monroe. I wasn't very confident in the fishing boat plan but didn’t have a better idea myself. Then suddenly I saw a pulmonia and there was no one in it. It was going the wrong direction but even so I shrieked at the driver and started running barefoot, shoes in hand, waving and flailing at the now stopped and startled driver. Mike and Craig must have heard my shouts and abandoned their fishing boat search. Craig, with his superior Spanish took over negotiations and we soon piled in and were feeling the fresh air of a open ride back to Zona Dorada. It seemed to take a long, long time to reach El Cid but about all I could think was how glad I was that I wasn't walking. Mike and I swapped stories on the ride back while Craig upfront chatted with driver. There were we heading home from a long night of partying as the colors of sunrise seeped into the sky, relieved to live to party another day.

We took a couple of days of the all night party scene but the aching feet and memories of too much alcohol faded and there we were again stepping off the PR bandwagon and searching for a taste of the real Carnival again.

My last night of Carnival at  Pedro y Lola in Machado Square. 

Carnival Mazatlan, Mexico.

I remember far less about our last night during Carnival except that it also lead to Pedro y Lola, included even more participation from El Flaco and featured a mariachi band and a electrical jolt machine (read more about that in Mike's article "Life is a Carnaval in Mazatlan - Pushing the limits with food, drink and fun" in WestJet’s UP Magazine.) 

At some point during the night the three musketeers found our way to the bar of the Matadors, where we met one of the forcados, from the bullfight we had attended earlier in the day. You'll have to rely on Wikipedia for an explanation of what forcados do but suffice to say these guys are absolutely crazy. All that stuck with me from this alcohol addled conversation with the diminutive madman was that the bull ears, that had been shorn off and given to him by the matador (for being such a courageous and helpful forcado) were in back of the bar immersed in salt. That image remains with me to this day as one of those non-digital images forever impressed upon the capture device in my brain. I can't seem to find the delete button for that image.

Things went even hazier from there.  I do recall we eventually wound at El Flaco’s home a few blocks from Pedro y Lola. There we learned a lot of history about old Mazatlán and Alfredo’s family and of course we had a few more beers and drinks. 

Somewhere about that time my memory shut off completely and I was lost in Mazatlán again and hoping to locate a fishing boat to take me home.

~~~

My trip to Mazatlán was sponsored in part by GoMazatlanNow.com and VisitMexico.com

Fireworks over Mazatlan, Mexico during the Carnival Celebrations

Fireworks over Mazatlán Mexico recreate a 19th century naval battle with the French.

Fireworks over Mazatlan, Mexico during the Carnival Celebrations

by Jerome Shaw

Carnival in Mazatlán is host to many exciting events. One if the most spectacular and visually inspiring is the firework display over the Bay of Olas Altas recreating a famous naval battle with the French Navy by the citizens of Mazatlán in defense of their city.

The best vantage for the fireworks display is from Olas Altas Beach or along Paseo Vista Hermosa on the headlands of Cerro de la Neveria, You can also watch from the Balcones de Loma Linda along Paseo Clausen. The display is an impressively long and impassioned battle with volleys originating both from shore and from a floating barge in the bay impersonating the French Battleship. The re-creation of the harbor’s successful defense against French invasion by Mexican forces come to life as pyrotechnic sounds simulate cannon fire exchanged over sea and land during the battle between the people of Mazatlán and the French man-of-war, “Le Cordeliere.

You definitely sense what the battle must have seemed like to the people of Mazatlán as they watched the defense of heir city. The French were intent on taking control of Mazatlán but the mostly Spanish citizenry were more insistent that they remain under their own control. A battle was waged over several days with the outmanned but determined Mazatlánotecs coming out on top.

This photo was taken from the Pedro Infante memorial monument & shows the firework over Olas Altas Beach.

~~~

My trip to Mazatlán was sponsored in part by GoMazatlanNow.com and VisitMexico.com

This images is copyrighted and may not be used, reposted, or reproduced without direct written permission. Please feel free to share the image on Pinterest and Facebook.

Jerome is the founder and editor of Travel Boldly. Jerome's first trip outside the USA was to Mazatlán and Puerto Vallarta for a photo assignment for Frontier Airlines 30 years ago.  You can find him on Twitter and Google+

Pedro y Lola on Machado Plaza Mazatlan Mexico

Alfredo (left) the owner of Pedro y Lola joins us for drinks after dinner and we are serenaded by passing musicians on Plaza Machado.  An outside table at Pedro y Lola is a ring side seat for people watching and the Carnival circus on the plaza.

Pedro y Lola Restaurant on Machado Plaza Mazatlan, Mexico

Pedro y Lola quickly became our base of operations in Mazatlan.  We stopped here our first night in Mazatlan for dessert and drinks. We were hooked.  The flan was good and margaritas were better. We certainly could have done without dessert but the opportunity to grab an outside table at one of the best people watching patios on Plazuela Machado was too good to pass up.

 Lunch at Pedro y Lola's  Mazatlan. 
Grilled Arranchera / skirt steak with Charro beans. 

I don't think more than one day passed during my week in Mazatlan where I did not set foot in Pedro y Lola.  Machado Plaza and Pedro y Lola became our haunt.  We came here after the formal Carnival festivities died down. We came here late at night. We stopped for a beer in the afternoon after a food tasting event with the Carnival Princesses. We ate lunch here our second day and dinner at Pedro y Lola on our last night in town.  I tried the house special "Pedro y Lola Shrimp" prepared with fresh orange and Cointreau. It was superb and a memorable shrimp dish in a week filled with shrimp dishes. Pedro y Lola was our home away from home in Mazatlan. For lunch I had the Grilled Arranchera / skirt steak with Charro beans but the highlight of lunch was the tortilla soup.

Alfredo, the owner of Pedro y Lola, became our friend and protector.  When we couldn't locate a cab because of the throngs of people in the Historico Centro we consulted El Flaco, as Alfredo was affectionately known. He told us if we walked to the Malecon we could catch a pulmonías (open air taxi) there with far less competition. He also taught us a thing or two about how to party in Mazatlan during Carnival. 

His family has lived in "Old Mazatlan" for several generations.  While the Historico Centro district has always been the lively heart of Mazatlan it has seen some tough times too.  At one point central Mazatlan lost favor with tourists as the new beach resorts sprang up further north and provided safe new restaurants and night life. 

Pedro y Lola is one of Mazatlan's most
popular places to eat, drink and watch
people as they stroll Machado Plaza

Alfredo's family never gave up on old Mazatlan and kept there family home, real estate holdings and business there even though his father was offered land north of Mazatlan that eventually became the new, rich resorts of Zona Dorada.  Now, Alfredo is being rewarded for his faith in historic center of the city as the pendulum swings back and Plaza Machado and Historico Centro become the hip place to be in Mazatlan all over again.

Pedro y Lola is named after legendary ranchero singers Pedro Infante and Lola Beltran. The restaurant is housed in the beautifully restored 19th-century Juárez building that has long served as the social center of Mazatlan. The building was home to the first projected motion pictures near the turn of the century. 

You feel the history of Mazatlan as you walk the streets near Machado Plaza in what is the only coastal colonial city in Mexico.  It was probably in the Juárez building that the news was first whispered that the legendary singer, Angela Peralta, was coming to this music-loving city to perform.  But the woman known as the "Mexican Nightingale" would never sing in Mazatlan.  She and Yellow Fever arrived on the same ship and she died before ever giving a performance in Mazatlan.

Pedro y Lola's colorful patio before the
rush.  Get here early for the best spots.

The historic restaurant/bar sits on the corner of the Constitucion and Carnaval Avenue  The interior of the restaurant is relatively small and decorated with local artwork. Even when it is not Carnival, weekends are filled with live music and performances on the square. On weekends (and during Carnival) the street that runs in front of Pedro y Lola is closed, the tables move out to the street, the patio expands and Pedro y Lola becomes part of Plazuela Machado. 

Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or Facebook 

copyright Jerome Shaw 2013 / www.jeromeshaw.com

My travels to Mazatlan were sponsored by Mexico Tourism, GoMazatlan and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

“Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson - Machedo Plaza Balcony - Mazatlan

The shadows from the palm trees in Machado Plaza sway on the textured wall of the balcony above
Pedro y Lola Restaurant during the reverie of Carnival in Mazatlan, Mexico.

 “Sharpness is a bourgeois concept.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

This is one of the first photos that caught my eye when I looked through my photos after a trip to Mazatlan, Mexico for Carnival earlier this year.  I liked the tonality of the image and the composition.
I felt it conveyed a sense of what the Machedo Plaza looked and felt like during my time there.

The photo was shot hand-held at night. It is not tack sharp but in this case I felt the slight softness created by the "too-long-for hand-held" exposure time helped create a desirable quality in the photo.  It added to a painterly quality that the shadows of the moving palm trees created as I observed the scene.

I have always liked the Cartier-Bresson quote "Sharpness is bourgeois concept" and it certainly jumped into my head as I prepared this photo for publication.

Now don't get me wrong, I like a razor sharp image as much as the next guy.  I spent the better part of my career as a commercial photographer creating images full of detail and sharpness with perfectly smooth surfaces.  Yet, there has always been a part of me that loved to drag the shutter, capture movement in my subjects, blur the sharpness and create impressions rather than present precise detail.  I like to violate the sanctity of the smooth, shiny, reflective surfaces of perfectly printed photographs. When I print this photo it calls out for a textured surface to enhance the textures of the wall and the shadows.

“It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera, they are made with the eye, heart & head.” – Henri Cartier-Bresson

A photo like this one is more about projecting the impression of the event than it is about documenting the experience.  I find that often, a small area of the overall scene often does a better job of expressing the feeling of being there than an over-reaching photo of the entirety of the scene.  A small detail of the overall setting can stand in stead for the whole scene and give the viewer keener sense of what being there was like.

“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.” – Peter Adams

Do you feel that only photos that are tack sharp are worthy of publication?  Do you have images, though they are less than perfectly sharp, convey the feeling you intended to express?  Do you agree with Cartier-Bresson's sharpness quote? What about Cartier-Bresson's quote about how photos are made?  Please share your thoughts below in the comments, I'd like to know what you think?

Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or Facebook 

copyright Jerome Shaw 2013 / www.jeromeshaw.com

My travels to Mazatlan were sponsored by Mexico Tourism, GoMazatlan and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Mary Poppins does Carnival. Mazatlan, Mexico

"Mary Poppins surfs on a sea of chimney sweeps, Carnival Mazatlan"

"I''ll never be able to look at Mary Poppins in the same way" whispered my travel companion Mike Fisher, a travel writer and humorist from Calgary, Canada.

I had to agree. Something about the sea of chimney sweeps that buoyed Mary down the street had a less than wholesome vibe about it.  While our Ms. Poppins was properly and demurely clad, the smile on her face and look in her eyes belied her innocent attire. She was ready to get her party on in Mazatlan.

Carnival in Mazatlan is like that.  There is wholesomeness about this Carnival party that is not found in some of the other great pre-lenten festivals in New Orleans and Rio de Janeiro.  The pervading feeling in Mazatlan is that things may get a little wild but ultimately they'll be OK. Yet, there is also a something very provocative and thrilling about the miles long parade that runs next to the Malecon that parallels the gentle curve of Bahia de Puerto Viejo. There is palpable energy that radiates from the throngs of party goers that stagger bar to bar & stage to stage to dance all night to a potpourri of music in the Olas Altas beach area.  Even when you are swept up in a wave of people moving towards the Plazza Machado in Historico Centro district of old Mazatlan you feel like you are just partying with 300 or 400 thousand of your best friends.

This post is the first in a series of photos and stories about Mazatlan and Carnival.  I hope you come back to read more about this wonderful colonial coastal city on Mexico's Pacific Ocean.  Please share your Mazatlan experiences with me in the comments.

Follow me on Twitter at @JeromeShaw or on Facebook  and Google+

copyright Jerome Shaw 2013 / www.jeromeshaw.com

My travels to Mazatlan were sponsored by Mexico Tourism, GoMazatlan and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide

Travel is the healthiest addiction.

"Travel is the healthiest addiction" Travel Boldly / TravelBoldly.com - photo Jerome Shaw

"Travel is the healthiest addiction"

I saw this quote on line earlier today and didn't like the imagery associated with the examples I found so I decided to make my own travel poster to share on social media sites.  I decided to publish it here on Travel Boldly first. Please feel free to share it on Pinterest or other social media outlets.

Details: I made this photo in front of the El Cid Castilla Hotel with the Liquid Image EGO 1080HD camera during my trip to Mazatlan, Mexico for Carnival earlier this year.  Mazatlan does have some amazing sunsets.

The EGO is very compact and also waterproof.  It shoots 720 and 1080HD video and has both single shot and continuous still photograph modes.  I'll be doing a full review of the EGO later this year.  It was a great camera to have on hand for using during Carnival.

Contact me at @JeromeShaw  or Facebook 

copyright Jerome Shaw 2013 / www.jeromeshaw.com

My travels to Mazatlan were sponsored by Mexico Tourism, GoMazatlan and Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide