I am enjoying the smaller crowds and folks being spaced apart at the beaches and restaurants. But my heart goes out to those who have lost their jobs or have had their wages reduced as a result. Right now Zihuatanejo has moved back to “red” until the numbers drop. Every bar is closed up tight, eliminating more jobs, beaches are closed at night. They say masks are mandatory but while most folks wear them, some don’t, and I don’t see any signs of enforcement.
Sailfest made a valiant effort to spread some fun and raise money, but it was a very scaled down version of all the usual fun activities. The organizers did find clever ways to do it both virtually and visibly. Kudos to them.
Masks are an entire subject of theirs own. I wear a mask faithfully, I believe in the protection they provide. But wearing a mask when walking or hiking of any distance, I find miserable. I have a bit of trouble breathing and find my self gasping for air like a fish out of water. My mask becomes drippy wet from perspiration, clammy and uncomfortable. But still I wear it and carry a spare. The down side of wearing the mask is I don’t drink as much water as I should as I’m no longer carrying a water bottle to sip along the way. And I sure miss strolling through the streets of Zihuatanejo with an ice cream cone, I really miss that.
What I don’t miss at all are the sidewalks being tented over to form a stuffy, crowded temporary bazaars to sell tacky stuff around 3 Kings and Valentines Days.
What I miss most is friends that didn’t feel comfortable traveling this year and Canadian friends that are leaving much earlier than planned to avoid the possibilities of the high cost of government fines or enforced quarantines.
Signing off KO
Zihuathyme 