For seafarers like us, there are quite a few ways to relieve both boredom and homesickness. Of course, if we were to have our way, we’d like to spend every moment glued on Facetime or Skype, video chatting with our relatives. Now, that’s not possible so we just try to find ways that would make us feel like we’re just back home. When ashore, that would mean chilling out beer in hand, exchanging stories. Or, we could go hunting for some really good food that reminds us of delectable home-cooked meals.
No matter where we are in the world, we are always on the lookout for good restos. Of course, Filipino food is worth its weight in gold. If it’s not available, we could settle for Chinese food. Many of us have even mapped out the best eats in each of the ports we’ve visited, so we know which ones to go back to later on! That was on my mind as I set foot in Mazatlan, Mexico, after sailing for about 1,000 nautical miles from the port of San Francisco. Yup, when it was time to go ashore, I immediately looked for a good resto.
That Mazatlan Sun
The first thing I noticed was that Mazatlan looked like a perpetual vacation spot. Well, in a sense, it was. The beach-dominated locale has a strong undercurrent of art and development as if it was actively telling its visitors that it had just as much interesting culture as much as it has shining sands.
The sun shone on all it has to offer during our visit, but even more vibrant than the golden rays was the way we were welcomed by the locals. They were really nice people, and they were more than happy to help us make the most of our short visit! They wanted us to enjoy Mazatlan, with the smiles on our faces the only repayment they were asking for. This reminded me very much of the trademark Filipino hospitality. Maybe this is why even Mexican celebrities (think Thalia/Marimar) fall in love with the Philippines, and vice versa. We share pretty much the same traits.
We approached different people, from the security personnel at the cruise terminal to the souvenir shop vendors for recommendations on where to eat. Everyone had their own preferences. After some time we already had a list of “targets”. We’d have gone to all of them, too, if we had the time! Given the constraint, we opted to go to the nearest one — a place called La Puntilla Restaurant de Mariscos. It’s a seafront resto that happened to be just a 5-minute drive from our cruise terminal.
We took a taxi which cost us just USD 2 each, which is cheap considering he allowed all 5 of us to ride and not just 4. Like back home, the taxi drivers here are open to negotiations! They’re friendly, too — look at this pic where mamang drayber is smiling beside me. I noticed a unique thing here, too — the taxis seem to be open-air cars that were just modified to have roofs! Sporty and cool, at the same time.
Finally, we arrived at La Puntilla, and we were excited to taste some authentic Mexican food. We asked for the menu, and they had a myriad of choices. They had everything from appetizers to cocktails, from seafood, to meat, to vegetables. The drinks were especially famous with its visitors, both for their uniqueness and their flavor.
The simple alfresco ambiance called to mind a cross between our own carinderia and a resort resto. The open sides and tall ceiling promoted good ventilation and a lot of natural light (especially that it’s a seaside property). There’s nothing fancy with how the monoblock chairs and tables were set up, nor with how the food was served in wicker baskets and white plates. Nothing fancy at all — until you taste the food, which suddenly makes it clear why a lot of people love it here! Even the service was great, with waiters friendly and all smiles.
Overall, I think we made the right decision to drop by La Puntilla. The price was just perfect, and the whole place had this laidback vibe, the type that promotes exchanging more stories and more than a few laughs. Just like back home, and that’s just what we need!
