Old Friends and Old Town

My old and best friend Tom Beneventi and his wife Angelita arrived in Mazatlan Sunday. Tom is the best person I've ever known, he's caring, thoughtful, interesting and I can't spend enough time with him. We've been friends sense the 10th grade and I'll bet all of you have somebody like him in your life that even though you might go years without seeing each other when you do the years seem like days. Tom's in my corner and I'm in his.So we've been fishing. And fishing. And fishing. So today we decided to road trip into Old Town for lunch and a massage. I played music last night at Arre Lu Lu until the wee hours...10:30 , so we didn't get started until late morning. The first pic is of me and Tom standing in Revolution Square where we found a poster display of Mexican heros. Its Carnaval time and the city is full of neat displays of patriotism and Pacifico Beer, which Mazatlan runs on. Of course Pacifico is brewed here in Mazatlan but it never stops amazing me that its everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Whats the chances of finding a Pacifico beer truck next to cases of Pacifico emptys in front of the Pacifico Grand Stand?

This pic was taken in front of our favorite restraunt in Olas Altas, Puerto Viejo where we had lunch....and of course a few Pacifico's. The special of the day was chicken enchiladas or fish. 3 of us had enchiladas and and Angel had fish, it all came with alphabet soup which seems to be thier standard just like the 'lemon chicken rice' at Frosos restraunt back home. The Special was 48 pesos, about 4 bucks and man was it gooooood. All the time we were eating a bird was nest building right above us and Angel seemed to attrack the falling construction pieces. Just part of the deal, if you can't handle a little bird feather falling on you while you eat , maybe you're not right for this deal. Right Ang?

So now its time to hit the spa and relieve the stress I'm feeling from having played music in front of all Arre Lu Lu's customers, 20 or so who are all now my good friends. In fact a met a guy named Hoppy who fishes with one of our friends on the Kenai...Its a small world, but don't try to paint it is what my friend Curt Synness says.

Our spa is the Aroma spa. What they may lack lack in organization they make up with in quirkyness. This place is out of control. The lobby (which is being generous) is full of folk art. Puffer fish and whale bones, glass fish and fake birds, pieces of wood that look like people and just about anything you can imagine. Valentines day seems to be an especialey big deal here and the spa was certainly decorated for that. These 2 pics are the outside and then the room where MP and I had the 'couples massage'. As I routinely say here, " I left with a feeling of well being and contentment".

Tom and Angel want lobster for supper so we go to the central mercado but its way to late in the day for langosta. They settle for the nicest head on under 16 shrimp for 100 pesos a kilo. Beautiful.

Now the last part of this was crazy. I wish I'd taken a pic but I was so inthralled with this guy that I just forgot....We usually get the bus but its close to cocktail hour and its been a long day and ....we were up a little late....so I hail down the first cab I see. The guys says "how much will you pay?" I say, mmmmm (usually I start the negotiation) "hows about 100 pesos to the Vidafel" he says "NO"....I start to walk away and he says "OK". His name is Jorge Orozco, my new friend and he worked at Kenai Packers in the 70's when I fished from there with Woody and Phil SeaBurg on th Comanche. He spent several years at Cannery work and even won the beard contest at Fur Rondevous one year. We knew many of the same people and to hear Jorge speak so fondly of Alaska and the Kenai mad me realize that I'm not only doing something right but I'm also a lucky guy. Lucky. Lucky.