Shacking up in Mazatlan

Josh and I are going on one week in our little apartment in Mazatlan. We found a one bedroom on top of a little restaurant across the street from the Pacifico brewing factory for about 100 USD per month. Our block also features a really awesome bakery, some small convenience stores, and a motorcycle shop run by a Mexican guy and an old guy from the states. Everyone in the neighborhood has been friendly and helpful to us.

Unfortunately, when we moved into the place we expected to be living with Luis. The first few days we were there he acted very strangely, and then one morning he was gone with none of his things but some of ours (Luckily nothing too valuable). I should mention that Luis was only 3 days sober from a pretty serious drug addiction when we met him, so it's likely that he relapsed from the pressure of being back in a big city. It's a bummer since we had so much fun together riding trains for the last couple weeks, but ultimately we've had to let go of that friendship.

On a brighter note, I've been incredibly successful hawking aluminum can flowers here, and I started making some ashtrays and hairclips, too. One woman from a gallery loved my crafts so much that she offered to buy a large amount off me to sell in their gift shop. After 3 days of cutting cans literally until my fingers bled, I had my whole month of expenses paid. Awesome!

Mazatlan is proving to be a great place to relax. The city is big enough that I never get bored, but small enough to never feel overwhelmed. It offers all of the intersting culture of Mexico with a few creature comforts (like great coffee!) to cater to the Western community here (mostly retirees). People are friendly and laid back, and I am never too far from the beach. We have paid for 2 weeks on our apartment here, and after next week we'll decide if we want to stay longer or not.