Blog

Travel Tips

My family and I have traveled a great deal over the past few years and have learned many tips when travelling such as, if travelling to an

All Inclusive Resort:

take a large plastic drinking cup: the line ups at the bars can be long and the cups they give you are small plastic kinds

Do Not Forge to bring:

Cushion/Pillow/Bubble packaging: if you are bringing back liquids that you have purchased at the resort, you will have to pack in your suitcase (eg, pure vanilla is expensive in Canada but inexpensive in Mexico)
Large Beach Bag: when heading to the beach, I usually have sunscreen, book, beach cushion, or towels. When our children were younger, I also brought beach toys, kleenex and other items for them.
Large re usable plastic bag: The first time I bought a beautiful wind chime made out of shells that I purchased on the beach and thought I packed it well in my suitcase, was a learning lesson for me. Now, I bring a bag for the breakable items that I may purchase
Sunburn Lotion: In case you do burn, which is sold, but is quite expensive. The sun in the tropics is more intense than Canada.

For The Flight:

Snacks: food can be purchased on the flight, but is usually expensive. As long as it is food and not liquids, it can be brought onto the airplane.
Duty Free: can be purchased on the flight, although they are limited, they accept both credit cards and cash.
Headset: for the movie on the flights. If you forget to bring yours, they do have on the flight, but must be purchased.
Pen: When travelling internationally (The Caribbean) forms will be distributed on the flight for you to complete.

Mazatlan

Safety

I've heard many horror stories about personal safety issues in Mexico but Mazatlan especially. I have heard of police and military personnel harassing and arresting tourists and exploiting them for exorbitant amount of money. The Government of Canada travel Advisory websites recommend that you exercise a high degree of precaution when travelling to Mexico. They also recommend that travel into Mexico by air as opposed to driving. Another recommendation is to register on line with their website prior to going to Mexico. As far as safety, I have always felt safe and have never had an issue to which I felt my safety was compromised.

I have traveled many times to Mazatlan, in fact it was our first winter trip in which I traveled with just myself and some of my children. This year, we traveled to Mazatlan in October and then in December 2015 over the holidays. I noticed both times there was a great police presence throughout the city. December 2015 we chose to drive to Mexico with our children to spend the holidays in our home in Mazatlan. The drive through Mexico was beautiful as we drove through the mountains.

The Baluarte Bicentennial Bridge which is located along the Durango Mazatlan highway and has a length of 1,124 meters long. It is the world's highest cable-stayed bridge. This bridge is a 4 lane highway and has reduced travel time between Durango and Mazatlan from 6 to 2.5 hours. I have found the local people to be friendly and helpful. I found the highways in Mexico to better than our Trans Canada Highways. There are emergency phones throughout the highways at each mile intervals, with 24 hour service.

Expats

There is a great presence of retired and semi retired Canadians and Americans in Mazatlan. Many of these people spend 2 to 6 months here during the coldest months. As I am adding this it is -38 with the wind chill. There are also a number of places you can find a hangout for expats, such as the Looney Bean Coffee Shop or Henry's Restaurant. I met many expats and everyone is happy and in vacation mode. My hope is to one day join them for several months during our coldest times in Winnipeg. It really is like a small community where everyone knows everyone. I also met many Canadians who have relocated and now live and work in Mazatlan.

Shopping

There are many places to shop, the locals and expats know the best places with the best deals. Centro Historica which means historic downtown. There you will find a large in door market that sells everything you can think of. They have the best price for fruit, vegetables, meats, seafood and souvenirs. Looking for something more familiar? There are now 2 Walmart's in Mazatlan and are set up in a similar fashion to Walmart at home, although alcohol can be purchased there, you cannot purchase alcohol prior to 9 am. There are many people who walk up and down the beaches selling things such as hats, jewelry, clothing or other items that appeals to tourists. The area where our house is located, there are not many vendors there, I have purchased items there including fresh jumbo shrimp. I especially love negotiating with the vendors. Throughout the city there are many stores with vendors trying to encourage you to come in and see their items. Something I bring back most of the times when I have traveled to Mexico is pure vanilla, which is expensive in Canada.

Restaurants

On our last trip to Mazatlan (October 2016), we discovered an other gem. Panchos ,was recommended by a friend who frequents Mazatlan every winter and this is one he frequents quite often while there on vacation. There are two locations. We chose the one in the Golden Zone, close to and across the street from Pueblo Bonita.

Sea Turtles

Sea turtles are an endangered species by natural predators and human poachers who slaughtered for their eggs, meat, skin and shells. Mazatlan as well as other destinations have programs in which they protect these turtles. The females return to the same spot where they were born each year. They lay their eggs there, approximately 200 and then leave back to the ocean. These eggs are removed by conservation personnel and are cared for until they are hatched. Once hatched they are brought to one of the larger resorts. The sea turtles arrive approximately at the beginning of July to lay their eggs. The conservation team as well as security watch for the females. Once the eggs are laid, the conservation team removes and cares for the eggs until they hatch.Guests are asked to assist in releasing these baby turtles into the ocean. We were fortunate to be at a resort and volunteered to participate in aiding and releasing these babies to the ocean. The first picture is is of Darrin holding his turtle, that he would release into the water. The second picture is the baby turtles that are an hour old, brought to the beach by the conservation team. The final picture is all the people from the resort waiting for their turtle to help guide into the water.

Spruce Sands

This cottage is situated on a third of an acre and has many trees giving guests the privacy and seclusion for a quiet, peaceful time at the cottage. Next to our cottage is an empty lot. Our closest neighbors cottage is approximately 75 feet away. Therefore, allowing guests to not worry about being too loud or noises from the neighbors. This was our first year renting this cottage and it was quite successful. It was rented the entire summer and have some rentals for next year. We have used this one our self for the past 5 years. This was a different summer for us not using it. Reading through the reviews and speaking with our guest who rented it, it is a beautiful cottage and everyone loved and appreciated the screened in gazebo the most. Throughout the summer I replaced each of the curtains, it took some time as I made them myself and I am a perfectionist, so it took some time. I also completed my first denim and flannel quilt for one of the bedrooms. Throughout this winter, I will be adding more custom items to this cottage such as more quilts, an attic window quilt which will be smaller in size as the large quilts, and will be a wall hanging. We will be some renovations, such as tearing down and replacing the current deck. The roof on both the cottage and gazebo will be replaced as well.

Most of the items I make are on sale on this website. The prices vary based on size, fabric and complexity of design.

Beach

The beach, which is a 4 minute walk from the cottage and is a sandy beach, with close access to public bathrooms. There is a convenient store located across from the beach. The store has a grocery store, DVD rentals, ice cream and a restaurant. They also have a bakery that has many delicious treats that we have enjoyed too many times to count. Spruce Sands trailer park is also next to the store. Throughout the summer there are many activities that go on such as Halloween in the summer. Kids can dress up and go door to door for treats. There is a large Chinese action with a wide variety of items to be won. There is a large bulletin board close to the store which allow guests to see what activities are coming up, garage sales and other notices. Spruce Sands Trailer Park www.sprucesands.ca is a family operated campground for the past 50 years.

Arnes Farmers Market

Flea Market has several booths, the following is just a few:

Fresh Vegetables
Homemade Jams, Jellies, Honey
Fresh Baked Breads and other baked items
Antiques
Jewellery
Used Books
Homemade Quilts
Plants
Wood Carvings
Handmade Pottery
New Brand Name Household Items at Dollar Store Prices
Petting Zoo

http://fmam.ca/arnes-farmers-market

This market opens from May to October. It has a wide variety of items, which sometimes changes from week to week, making it interesting. There are also items from many different parts of the world.

The Flea Market is located on Highway 222 just before Spruce Sands. When my family went to the cottage, we went there every Saturday morning. My children brought their allowances as there are many items that they can afford. It is worth checking out as there may items that are priced well.

There are also many many yard/garage sales every weekend.

Customized Sewing

Sewing became crucial to me when I found myself in a huge financial crisis and could not afford proper office attire for my place of employment. I had basic sewing skills from high school. In those days, one simple outfit would take an entire weekend from start to finish. These days, I could complete the same outfit in a few hours.

My initial repurposed denim item was beach blanket, that I made as I spent time at the beach with my children. I chose denim because the sand does not easily attach to this type of fabric. I sewed a pocket on the underside of the blanket with Velcro at the top to put my wallet and keys. It was safely hidden. That was 30 years ago. The blanket is still in use and has many years left. It is used by renters in our house in Mexico.

My next item was an oversize denim beach bag. Going to the beach with children, I had towels, sunscreen, toys, books and many, many more items. I chose to make it as I could not find one that was large enough with many pockets and made of durable material that would last. When my daughter became a teenager, she "borrowed" it. Ten years later, she still has it and uses it every time she goes to the beach, pool, library, grocery store etc. Eventually, I made another one for myself. We travel every January with all of our children to beach destination and I always have my beach bag with me.

As our lives are quite busy, while on vacation I spend most of my day sitting on a lounge chair, with a Chardonnay in one hand and a good book in the other hand. The chairs needed something to make it more comfortable. As, lazing around, drinking and enjoying the peacefulness wasn't comfy enough! Hence, the creation of a cushion. I made the cushion to match my bag. The cushion serves two purposes. One, for the comfort of sun tanning while reading a book. Secondly, I usually bring back pure vanilla when returning home, the cushion provides great protection in my suitcase as I cannot bring liquids on the flight home.

A few years ago, I chose to update my skills by taking a few quilt classes. My denim products now reflect many intricate and interesting patterns. Every item is unique and a work of art. I take great pride when I am sewing. I love to experiment with new designs, fabrics as well as creating other essential items such as wallets, make up bags, etc.

Every item I make is customized by:

Color

Pattern

Size

Memory Quilts

As a foster parent, I feel honoured and blessed to have raised as many children (over 20) and be able to have given them the gift of travelling. Most of our adult children continue to travel as much as they can. While I am grateful, I also feel a sense of sadness for the children's birth parents, as they unable for many reasons to raise their children. I began making photo albums as presents for their parents. As my sewing has become more proficient in quilting, I began to make memory quilts as gifts as well. My first memory quilt was of course the two things most important to me which are family and travelling.

A memory quilt is a unique, customized, personalized and sentimental gift that can be handed down over the generations. These beautiful quilts are made with high quality and durable fabrics, batting and threads. These are keepsakes made to last and can be machine washed and dried.However, they do not need to be washed often. The photos are printed on printable fabric and is durable to last a long time. The quilt is custom to each person; color, pattern, number of photos, size, words, dates etc. I have found that this may be overwhelming with so many choices, therefore I am quite hands on when need be. Every item I sew is a work of art for me as well as the person I am making it for, consequently I take great pride in all that I make.

A bereavement quilt can include both photos and can be made from recycled pieces of clothing that have memories for loved ones who have passed away. It is a way of preserving and feeling close to that person.

Another keepsake quilt would make a captivating graduation gift.With pictures throughout school years and a positive quote for success in the future. It makes a great gift for special occasions.