There are several different categories of folks here in Zihuatanejo, the locals, the gringo year round residents, tourists and vacationers, and snowbirds.We used to vacation in Zihuatanejo Mexico , now we have officially become snowbirds.The the difference between snowbirding and vacationing is a bit subtle, but mostly length of stay time and also a change in attitude.. Snowbirders embrace the Mexican culture and adapt to it with little complaint.
The main difference between a snowbird and vacationers that vacationers work hard at being sure he is having a good time every minute of the day. Snowbirds just live here. . Vacationers are so busy filling an agenda even if that agenda is only to lay on the beach and read every day, or fill a shopping basket with souvenirs to bring home to friends and family, or see all the cool sites and eat in all the popular restaurants. Snowbirding is way more relaxed.
You do the same things you would do at home but with the additional perks of the area and climate. Much of our time here is spent in the daily tasks of living, cooking,eating, cleaning, dish washing with out the luxury of but the floor still needs to swept during the week, the bed need to be made and the dishes washed.. We have laundry to do, we some times take it out, but the Senor has always assumed the job of laundess? so he either takes and delivers it to La Laundaria, or uses the washers upstairs, hangs out things on the line às they dry in 2 hours . All this done during TV commercials. Grocery shopping needs to be done as we certainly can’t eat out ever meal as vacationers tend to do. We do eat out more as the evenings are so wonderful they draw you right outside.
We do go to the local drinking holes more often than at home, and listen to the many musicians more often, and dance more often than at home, but not as often as when we were vacationers. We truly have the luxury of time and have adopted the manana attitude. My favorite phrase is “manana does not necessarily mean tomorrow, it just means not today.”
Food is so fresh here, and I shop daily for fruits and vegies daily here ,getting just what we need for a day or two. I have my little rolling bag I pull behind me, I have my egg man, my cheese man, 2-3 favorite veggie/fruiterias. I buy fish that had been swimming just hours before I purchased it. Here shopping is fun, at home a chore. We snowbirds walk or take buses and only the occasional taxi. Snowbirds take pride in supporting the little mom and pop businesses.
We have our favorite kids we buy Chicklets or other trinkets from, and periodically pay then not to sell to us. We support local causes and volunteer to help as we have the luxury of time, but we stay out of politics.
signing off KO
Zihuathyme 