Just go for it. You will be fine. It is amazing how tolerate the people are of "us stupid tourists." Getting out there and making the effort is the catalyst for learning and will be some of your fondest memories in years to come as you pick up more and more conversational skills.

You don't say when you are visiting, but in January to March you can certainly get out and join the hordes of "stupid tourists"!

You will find that everyone is so friendly, there is absolutely no problem blundering around having fun, with lots of sign language.

Use the buses. If they take you to some place you weren't expecting to go, enjoy it, get off, and catch the next bus back to where you started! Well, certainly in daytime......Sabalo Centro is a good safe route to take.

You can get shrimp in the market. Better to head six blocks north from the east side of the market (where the buses arrive) and visit the shrimp ladies. Even without the language, "negotiating" seems to happen quite painlessly.

And if you want to start speaking the language, si and no are obvious, and liberal use of por favor and gracias, with a smile, will help, as in any civilized society. You will be surprised how quickly you pick up more useful stuff.

Senor is good to know, but I'm not going to start into senorita or senora, because some experts get a little twisted about how and when to use them without giving offence....(grin)

And run out a grab a Spanish language CD set, you can get pretty cheap ones, I paid $20 for one of mine. They are fun to practice with, just a few extra phrases makes you feel better. And the locals are so helpful, they love to teach you. They seem to get a kick out of the "stupid tourist" as long as the tourist is trying, and having fun. Its the snotty ones that expect everyone to speak English that are insulting.

You are going to have such a good time this trip, getting out there is the best part of Mazatlan! I am really looking forward to your trip report!

Thank you all so much for putting my mind at ease. I can't wait to get out and about and see the town. I've read about the bus lines being easy, it sounds like a convenient and cheap way to get around...more $$$ to spend on those shrimp I'll be tracking down! I can't wait, 86 more days to go.

I will predict that the probability of you successfully completing a purchase at the mercado is 100%. As I recall the produce stalls have prices marked. Just point at what you want and tell them how many you want. In the dry goods section the people manning the stalls all speak English and are not at all shy about asking for your attention. The produce vendors as a rule don't speak English, but everyone is used to dealing with gringos. The worst that can happen is you will end up buying a pig's head or some chicken feet.

Hey, don't knock those pig's heads!!! If nothing else, they look cute.

I am bi-lingual and speak fluent Spanish but many times I will just speak English and have found that many people in the service industry have atleast a rudamentary grasp of the English language. I don't think you'll have much of a problem although learning some basic phrases in Spanish is helpful.

GetOutAndLive,

I have traveled to Mazatlan for the past three years and will be returning the second week in December. I "try" to speak Spanish and have found everyone to be most helpful with directions, purchases, reservations and anything I have needed. Each time I return I feel like I have been adopted a little bit more into that fantastic town.

The people in Mazatlan, merchants, hotel folks, service people and the like are extremely tolerant and very cordial and understanding to us tourists. Don't be afraid of the "stupid tourist" thing because most of the people will treat you like you would like to be treated no matter what mistake you make.

I hope you can enjoy your trip as much as I plan to enjoy mine.