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<\/a><\/p>\nDale and I had wanted to climb El Faro (the lighthouse) since we first heard about it. She did it with a group of friends recently and was keen to show me how to get there. We waited this long to make sure we were in decent enough shape as it’s quite a hike up, never mind actually walking to the start of the trek and then back again. I’ve been walking the beach daily for weeks and have start running again, just two or three kilometres three times a week. So that in combination with how well I did hiking in Utah, I knew the Faro wasn’t going to be that much of a challenge.<\/p>\n
I met Dale on the beach at 8:00 this morning and we walked to the beach panga. I only paid one way since I had errands to run downtown that would bring me closer to the village panga for the trip home.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Goat Island and the Lighthouse.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Doesn’t the lighthouse look imposing?<\/p><\/div>\n
From the Maz side, it was a pretty quick walk by the docks to get to the start of the lighthouse trail. The streets were very busy and there weren’t really any sidewalks, so we had to watch where we were going. I found the start of the bus route that terminates in the Golden Zone.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Ah, this is where the Titanik boat I saw the other week docks. What a name for a boat!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Restaurant atop Paseo del Centenario. You’d work up quite an appetite climbing those steps!<\/p><\/div>\n
The lighthouse trail starts of gently with an ascent along a rutty path. It then becomes challenging when you reach the first of the 339 steps. This is the only way to get to the Faro, on foot. It’s an incredible amount of work to get there if the point isn’t to get exercise. On the way down, we passed painters going up and they looked in pain, one carrying a huge bucket of paint, another the ladder, another the miscellaneous equipment!<\/p>\n
<\/a>Access to the Faro. Don’t let the entrance fool you, pedestrians only!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The path gets rough very fast.<\/p><\/div>\n
I was in fine shape for the climb, but stairs are worse than slopes and my knee was not happy, creaking and shifting and swelling the more I progressed. I made sure to only step up with the left knee.<\/p>\n
We paused periodically to take in the amazing view and take pictures, so we got to the top in about 20 minutes. There, you can compare your time to statistics to see if you are an elite, expert, sportive, excursionist, or recreational user of the trail. Even if we had done it without pauses, I’m pretty sure we could not have done better than the excursionist rating (11 to 20 mins)! The elites are the ones who run the trail.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Starting to climb, but still fairly level with the higher parts of Maz.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Dale thinks this is a sewage plant, but I’m not sure as it’s attached to the university.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Looking out to Isla.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Goat Island.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Funny cactus.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>View of the docks.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Starting the stairs.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Goat Island again, starting to look tiny!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>This one shows how much manoeuvring the cruise ships have to do to enter the port of Maz.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>150 steps done!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Lots more steps to go…<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Lots of garbage cans along the way. I liked the Comic font. \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>We made it!<\/p><\/div>\n
The view from the top of the world’s tallest natural lighthouse was amazing! I could see all of Maz and beyond laid out below me. It was a fantastic way to really get a lay of the land. Dale and I couldn’t stop pointing out landmarks, from the hotels on Isla to the cathedral to the resorts in the Golden Zone. She was amused that the first thing I spotted was the Pacifico Brewery. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
<\/a>Looks like the Isla police station!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Stats about the climb and a way to evaluate your fitness level.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>I was there!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Really, I was there! \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Goat Island looked so insignificant from up there!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>All of Maz laid out below us.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The cathedral is right smack in the centre of this one.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>You can really see the Pacific Brewery in this one; just look in the upper third right in the middle.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Looking towards the Golden Zone.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Modern electrical lighthouse with Fresnel lenses.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Some people use these shortcuts that requiring clambering. Looked like fun, but I wasn’t dressed for that.<\/p><\/div>\n
We eventually headed down and walked to Paseo del Centenario, which took us to Olas Altas, because Dale had finally found the Looney Bean coffee house and wanted to show it to me since I’m almost out of coffee. I can now say I’ve walked just about the entire Malec\u00f3n!<\/p>\n
<\/a>First time I’ve seen anyone lock up a bike, much less of the motor variety, here.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Heading towards Olas Altas.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>I love sidewalks in Mexico. Notice the pole right in the middle of it?<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Looking back at the lighthouse.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Clean bathrooms for 5 pesos.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Castle on a hill.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Can you imagine having a front door and garage right onto a busy road with blind curves?!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Crashing waves.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>I liked the look of this building.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Sweet viewing platform.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>More waves.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Gorgeous tile work.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Gorgeous brickwork.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Their address plaque says ‘No number.’<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Icebox Hill.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>That is a PERSON floating in the water. He was very much alive and did not appear to be in distress, just happily bobbing along in the water. HUH?!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The first bronze statue on this end of the Malec\u00f3n.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Official start of the Malec\u00f3n at this end.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>I’ve now seen and photographed all the statues along the Malec\u00f3n.<\/p><\/div>\n
When we got to the Looney Bean, much forehead smacking occurred. I’ve been by it dozens of time, but when it’s been closed! You can’t see the sign unless you are on the Malec\u00f3n.<\/p>\n