After almost a week in and around the Copper Canyon it has been a big change to get down to sea level again on the Pacific coast. We've spent three hot sunny days in Mazatlan doing little but walking around and taking in the sights. Yesterday we walked up to the worlds second highest lighthouse (the tallest is in Gibraltar) to get a 360 degree view of the area. On the walk we were accosted by a number of locusts, butterflies and even a scorpion. Seeing the scorpion was great as Sara picked up the pace considerably in fear of seeing another one. Once at the top we collapsed in a heap and finished the last of our water, before Sara broke the toilet much to the chagrin of the lighthouse keeper.
The Pacific coast at Mazatlan
Mazatlan cathedral
Mazatlan's lighthouse - operating since 1879
The view from the lighthouse
This afternoon we catch a bus to Guadalajara - once we get there we will see if we want to stay or move on again straight away. We're trying to get to a place called Patzcuaro in time for the Day of the Dead celebrations on November 1 & 2, but we may end up in Morelia instead. Within a week we should be in Mexico City.
SECURITY
The bus station here in Mazatlan doesn't have quite the rigorous security procedures as other bus stations we've been through. In Chihuahua we were made to walk through a metal detector with our backpacks on. I told the security guard that of course we will set the thing off but he was quite insistent that we both take all our stuff through. We both set the machine off but he waved up on anyways. The 50 other passengers we picked up along the way were not subjected to the same inspection standards since we picked them up in transit.
