Mini Trip Report - Mazatlan Dos

Spent the day today at Playa Camaron, the main tourist beach in the Zona Dorada, hanging around the pool at the Costa de Oro hotel.
Interesting to compare Mazatlan and the Zihua area, since they are so dissimilar.
The air is different here than Zihua - the sunshine brighter and harsher. The evenings, (at least at this time of year), are cooler, but the humidity is quite high.
Mazatlan has suffered a huge reduction in Canadian and US tourists over the past half dozen years, for all the usual reasons. However, things are, they say, starting to improve, with many of the cruise ship lines planning on resuming their Mazatlan schedules. That said, several beachfront hotels have shut down, their multi-story concrete shells a visual blight. The Caravelle is shut and abandoned, as is the 15 story Balboa Towers, which old Mazatlan hands will recognize as the home of a wonderful restaurant/bar once called The Shipwreck, lately Mauricios.
Took a long walk down the beach, from El Cid south to the Playa Mazatlan hotel. There was a large gathering of politicians, etc, at a huge tent set-up on the beach, for the inauguration of "Operativo Nacional Playa en Regla" whatever that involves. The usual interminable speeches, yada yada.
The beach itself is not as pleasant to walk as La Ropa: lots of pebbles, small rocks and broken shells, whereas La Ropa is virtually pristine. The water was as warm as Zihua Bay, and the gradual slope means the waves break fairly far out, and roll-in quite a distance.
Even though Mazatlan is "tropical", (it's about 30 km or so just inside the tropics), the vegetation seems less tropical and lush than Zihua. Different palm trees, not as much bougainvillea, etc.
Those who sometimes get a little impatient with the beach vendors at La Ropa should thank their lucky stars they aren't in Mazatlan, where there are dozens....and dozens....and dozens.... of vendors selling you-name-it. And the timeshare folks here are quite aggressive and very hungry.
There were about 20 horses for rent on the beach today, but I didn't spot one horse poop. Not one. This beach is horse-poop free. I guess you could say they are "horse-trained".....(unlike, for example, Playa Troncones, which, in my opinion - and Will'll accuse me of bad-mouthing Troncones again - has a horse poop problem.)
Prices seem to be up quite a bit here. For years, Mazatlan used to distribute coupon books, (10 or 20% off meals, free drinks, etc.), to all the hotels and restaurants, a welcome perk for cheap bas..rds like me. But no more.
Rumour has it that the Sinaloa government is allocating big bucks to rejuvenate the Zona Dorada. Hopefully that won't result in the return of those bloody awful jewellery shops that flourished when the cruise ships used to dock here three at a time.