• 26Feb

  It’s a puzzle to me…

  maz odds + ends 6 Comments

  

  We live a few blocks from the main Cathedral here in Mazatlán, and we sleep with a window open.  I love the sound of the bells and I’ve gotten so I rely on them to tell me the time since I no longer wear a watch! 
  

  Here’s what I hear pretty much every day (and night):

  2 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then two gongs

  3 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then three gongs

  4 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then four gongs

  5 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then five gongs

  6 AM: A light wind-chime sound and then nine gongs

  6:15 AM:  Random number of gongs

  6:30 AM:  Random number of gongs

  7:00 AM:  A light wind-chime sound and then ten gongs; then a song (we call it Red River Valley)

  9:00 AM: A light wind-chime sound and then some gongs, not always nine; then a song

  12:00 Noon:  A light wind-chime sound and then twelve gongs; then the song Avé Maria

  3 pm:  A song

  6 pm:  A song

  I have tried to figure out the rhyme or reason of some of the random bell ringing and have been unsuccessful.  From Wiki Answers I found some information helpful – here’s a snippet:

  regarding bell ringing in Catholic Churches:

  The bells are rung (i) to summons parishioners to Mass (ii) to announce the Angelus at noon and at 6pm (iii) as part of a Funeral service (iv) to celebrate the church’s Patron Saint…. and at Weddings.

  To summons parishioners to Mass, the bell is normally rung 15 minutes prior to the time of the Mass. The amount of times the bell is sounded is of personal choice of the bell ringer or with the advice of the parish priest. Normally around 15 times. However, a lot depends on the location of any neighbors. Not everybody likes the ringing of church bells at 7 am on a Sunday morning!

  The Angelus bell is rung at 12 midday and at 6pm. It has 18 rings> one two three:- short pause;- one two three;- short pause;- one two three:- short pause and then nine times.

  The bell at a funeral is again as normal for summonsing the faithful : and also at the end of the funeral mass, as the coffin is carried down the church : and it is customary for the bell maintain ringing until the hearse has departed from the church (or if the cemetary is alongside the church – until the pall bearers reach the grave. This bell is rung slowly, not at the pace of a ‘’summonsing to church bell”. So, when at the end of the funeral mass, the pall bearers lift the coffin onto their shoulders ( or the coffin is wheeled down the aisle) the bell should be rung slowly : ring count to 15 ring and so on…….

  That explained why sometimes the church bells bang on and on for minutes on end – that a funeral was departing from the church.

  I enjoy listening to the bells throughout the day, and even in the middle of the night I like to hear that gentle  – gong – gong – and know that I have lots of sleeping time left.
  

  
  

  
• 22Feb

  Peace, please.

  worries 18 Comments

  

  Ever since the panic at the Tuesday Carnaval parade I have been thinking about the illegal drug business and how I feel about my personal security and our home in Mazatlán.

  Those of you that keep up on the Mazatlán news will know that there has been a very real change around here recently.  A person was shot at point blank in broad daylight a few weeks ago.  Not way off in a remote colonia, either.  It was on Rafael Buelna just East of Valentino’s.  The Mega supermarket is a block away.  Paul and I were at the intersection and saw the police scream by – and of course the thing that we thought about was “what if our errands had us turning right on Buelna instead of continuing straight?”  This was a targeted hit and no bystanders were injured.  The sicarios responsible were not apprehended.
  

  A couple of weeks ago was the biggie.  Sicarios brought a handcuffed informant to a local nightclub, as he had said he could identify someone they wanted.  They entered, shot the people they’d been looking for, the informant, and a waiter, taxi driver, and a security guard.  All in all, six people were killed.  The sicarios responsible were not apprehended.

  
  

  Other things happen here and there around town.  Six months or so ago sicarios broke into the Chevy dealership and stole a bunch of new cars.  They brought gasoline and drivers.  The cars have shown up here and there, left behind after criminal activity.  Cars get hijacked on the highways occasionally, especially new model SUV’s.  Of course, the people responsible are not apprehended.

  I don’t want to go into too much detail about these crimes, and I didn’t even take the time to look up the actual dates that they occurred.  But there is no way that you can live here in the city and not be aware that there is criminal activity here.

  
  

  I still believe that if you don’t hang out with people involved in the drug trade, visit night clubs, or walk or drive in unfamiliar places late at night that you are just as safe as you always have been.  The panic at the parade, though, illustrates just how jumpy people are, and how quick they are to assume that the worst might come their way.

  Last Friday there was a peace march to unite people after the panic at the parade, and to send a message that Mazatlecos love their city and abhor violence.  I wish I could have marched with them, but the pictures included with this post tell the story.

  I love my home here.  I love the city and the people.  I am not afraid.  So now you know.

  By the way, the paper said there is a proposal to run the parade again during Semana Santa.  I think that’s a great idea.

  
  

  
  

  
• 17Feb

  Carnaval ends with a sigh.

  Carnaval, worries 7 Comments

  Carnaval finished this year with a whimper or a sigh.  I’ll tell more at the end of this post.  But here are a few pictures that I thought you’d like to see… and I also want to encourage you to go to Mexico at Last and read this post about last Saturday night.  Paul and I shared the evening with them and I love the pictures they took of the crowds we encountered on our way home from the fireworks party!  Amazing.

  I love the picture below of the stage with a group playing.  Below you’ll see that there is a beer stand!  Way to multi-task, I should say!  This is one of 8 or 9 stages, and they all are playing full blast.  See the huge speakers?

  
  

  Last night was a gorgeous night.  Below is a picture of one of the most lovely sunsets we’ve seen in a while.  We were chatting with friends a few minutes after the sun went down and it turned out he had seen the green flash tonight!  I keep waiting, but I haven’t seen one yet.

  
  

  We waited with a subdued crowd for the parade to reach Centro.  There are two parades each year – one on Sunday that goes from the Fisherman’s Monument North to Valentino’s, and the Tuesday one that goes from the Aquarium, South to Olas Altas.  They have the same floats and people.  The one on Tuesday is usually a bit lower energy as everyone has partied all week, but there is usually a big jolt of enthusiasm as they enter Olas Altas.  The picture below shows the scene last night.

  
  

  The first part of the parade is the sponsor (Pacifico) and commercial vendors.  Sabritas, Señor Frogs, Ford, some radio stations, Coca Cola, Bimbo, and others bring their floats through and pretty girls toss goodies to the crowd. I can’t remember how many of the regular floats came through before there was a flood of people running our way.  It was most surely a panic situation – we asked someone what happened and they said that shots had been fired.

  I’ve never witnessed a panic like that – people running, some acting quite distraught.  We stayed and watched, ready to leave but reluctant to join those leaving without having some real information.  After a few minutes the parade started up again, but I noticed how sparsely the floats were populated.  Usually they are full of handsome young people waving to the crowd.

  The floats that came by were all but deserted.

  
  

  It felt sad.  We’d read in the paper just that morning that Carnaval had brought in 50% of the expected revenue for all the vendors.

  
  

  We left and went to eat dinner in the Plazuela Machado since they complained about sales being down, also.  When we got home we checked the news and found out that quite a ways North of where we were – somewhere around Hotel Aquamarina – rocks had hit a metal door or someone shot off some fireworks.  Someone said that it was gunfire and panic ensued.  People ran and hid.  People jumped off the floats and some tractor drivers left, too.

  
  

  It took a few minutes for everyone to discover there were no shots and reassemble the parade and get going again.  But the domino effect kept up and the panic carried itself all the way to Olas Altas.  The Carnaval participant below has become separated from the rest of his tribe…
  

  
  

  We’ve had several serious incidents in the last few months here that involve the drug cartels, and people are jumpy.  It is believed that this has kept a lot of people away from Carnaval this year, and it is really too bad.  This was a case of someone sounding an alarm that basically ruined the last Carnaval parade and gave a very sad note to the end of the celebration. 
  

  But I can’t end on that note.  I love the boy on the horse below, don’t you?

  

  Sorry about the last few pictures having spots on them, I think the dial on my camera got moved by accident.
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  

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