Mazatlan Day 5

Mazatlan Day 5

Today we decided to venture off of our resort and tour the REAL Mexico.  We wanted the girls to see that it is not all resorts, sun, and great sand.  We wanted them to see the reality of the extreme poverty surrounding Mazatlan.

We loaded up in buses and when to the pickup place at a Tequila factory.  Onilikan was brought to Mazatlan by a Canadian couple with a dream, they started in Vernon BC!.  The still was importated from Germany and it is the only one of its kind.  They have put mangos to a new use, as mango agave - 'tequila' - although due to copyright laws they can't call it tequila unless it is made in Tequila.

Next we loaded up and headed to the town of Malpica, a very small town with narrow cobblestone roads, brightly colored homes (which we learnt represent the family name, and that is how you find the family).  Our first stop was at a home bakery...and by home bakery they really mean it!  You walk into a very small room just big enough for an old worn couch, and small TV with rabbit ears, and a wood double seat chair.  The smell of fresh bread and cinnamon takes over all of your scences.  The three children sit knitting things to be sold on the beaches.  Behind a make shift wall there is two beds that the family of six sleep in.  You walk through this room into the bakery, where the huge concrete oven takes up the majority of the area, muffin tins and cookie sheets lean up to cool against walls, and fresh hot sweet breads cool on racks.  The bread, buns and cinnamon loafs are amazing!

Next we head out and across the streets to Hernados tile factory, colorful concrete tiles line the racks.  We gather around as he shows how they are made.  Paint is dripped and sprayed on the steel press.  Next while liquid concrete is poured ver the paint to fill the mold.  Taeya was selected to create the design.  Then powdered concrete is sprinkled over the design, then Ted and another Man pulled down on the large iron rod (that you see beside Taeya in the photo) to press the tile with 20 thousand tons of pressure.  The tile must then dry for 17 hours before being dipped in a bath of water that is a dirty collection of percipitation ;-)   Because we could not bring home Taeya's actual tile we bought the closes one to it that was already dried.

We toured around the town, peeked in windows of small unfinished homes being lived in.  Plants being grown in old coffee tins, children peeking through bars, fences made of sticks, roosters cruising around in search of loose grains and dogs at ever street corner.  The towns people were very friendly thanking us for coming to their small town.

We loaded up and headed to Concordia, where their industry is furniture.  Beautiful hand carved rocking chairs, couches, tables and chairs.  The town of Concordia itself is full of street vendors, family parks, ice cream vendors, and a beautiful chapel.  

Next stop Copala!  We headed up thru winding roads up through the mango, banana, and guava groves, thru plush jungles to downtown Copala.  When we arrived in Copala I was truly in aww!  A beautiful quiet little town set in the foothills of the Sierra.  The cobblestone roads barely wide enough for one vehicle to fit down as the town uses donkeys for transportation.  The main artisan in the village is a mask company.  The church of San Jose is so beautiful set on the city side at the end of the road of the town.  The floor has a sink hole in the middle from the compacting graves burried below the brick floor of the church.

Next we went to Daniels restaurant which is famous for its banana coconut cream pie (with good reason)!  The restaurant is built on the hill side looking over the vast mountain jungle below.  Below the restaurant is the entrance to the old mine - Copala's main industry.  The stairs are steep and narrow, the ceiling low, I got halfway before claustrophobia got the best of me and I had to turn back.  Paige got to ride one of the village boys donkey.

On our return from Copala to the Resort the army presence was freakishly obvious, and eye opener for all of us in the way people live here.  Returning to our resort we had just enough time for a quick lay down, before headed for dinner and the Las Vegas show.

MALPICA

CONCORDIA

COPALA

I LOVE THIS PHOTO!!