Mexico Frame of Mind..and El Fuerte

Don't call the Federales, I escaped!!! Where the heck have you been some of you might be wondering? Maybe one or two of you are wondering? OK my mom is wondering!
Well, the lame truth of the matter is that I've fallen victim to the  malaise that is a gringo scourge for many of us who reside in Mexico........ Mexican Time!! Many people think that the word manana is Spanish for tomorrow......maybe so but to alot of us who reside in this paradise it means not today......manana time is a procrastinators ally. Why do today what you can do tomorrow or the next day or the day after that?  Hereto lies the reason for no ZOSHAS WAKE blog updates for six or seven weeks...... I really wanted to get back to you guys sooner but the manana bug bit me good....!! I'm fighting it off as I sit here writing this ! Outside its California Chamber of Commerce Weather ........ Happy hour at one of my favorite gin joints on the beach just started and a few of my pals are there as usual probably thinking that I'm sick ! .....but I've got a responsibility to you all and must carry on. 
Semper Fidelis to the throngs that read this blog......that's my new mantra!!
After the storms that I talked about in my last ZW, it took a few weeks for everything to return to normal. Everything here is good as new or better. The beaches are back to pristine....the rubble hauled away....the damage repaired......everyone is happy again! The snowbird season is upon us and alot of winter Mexicans  from the cold climes of the US and Canada are descending upon us ruining our solitude....the local bars, merchants, and restaurants have jacked their prices accordingly to accommodate this new influx of revenue sources......these guys will be here until around March... then they leave en masse and head back north to wherever they come from and we get our paradise back. Its an annual migration just like the Wildebeests in the Serengeti! The Circle of Life as they say........!

We've just been hanging out. Taking in the sights and sounds. Last month we rented a car,....... before I go further, allow me to elaborate a bit, the rental people called it a car...the new KIA Speck....

.........the wheels were just a little bit bigger than those on a kids wagon. To me it was a beer can with wheels. I could have put two of them in the bed of my F 150....well we crawled into this minuscule piece of Korean engineering and drove south for about 350 miles into Sinaloa State to the cities of Los Mochis and El Fuerte . 

Beautiful mountains in  Sinaloa State, Mexico

 El Fuerte which was constructed by Spanish Conquistadors in the 1500's and is the reputed birthplace of the Mexican Robin Hood...ZORRO. 

A BEAUTIFUL Mexico colonial town.....the Mexican government has deemed El Fuerte to be a Puebla Magico  ....magical town!!

El Fuerte Town Plaza

Beautiful tree lined El Fuerte street......

Old, Old buildings....still being used by El Fuerte residents.....

The cab stand around the corner from our hotel....

Steeple of the old fuerte (fort)...thus El Fuerte...name of the town..

We spent the night at a fantastic hotel that was a converted hacienda from the old days. ......

The Posada Del Hidalgo

Somewhat of a so-so, plain Jane entrance wouldn't you say??

..............................

....Allow me to show you around what is inside that plain ole' door:

The left door is our room #7.........

SWEEEEEEET!!!!!!

The next morning we were up kinda early but not too much so and caught the Mexican train El Chepe to our next destination ....the 

Barranca sel Cobre........

gotta go my pals down at the cervazeria on the beach are calling me...........until next time.....la paz to you all....

OH! one last thing....I don't know why the date stamp thing in my camera is stamping some of the pics with 2010???? I need a new camera anyways......seeya