Author: zihuathyme

It didn’t take me long to settle in to a pattern of every day life here in lovely warm Zihuatanejo. I swim 3 days a week, I discovered that with all the lovely improvements at the pool they now have a daily fee of 25 pesos and a monthly pass 225 pesos.   Obviously the pass is the better deal , so for a month of swimming I pay about the equivalent of $11. At home when I swam at the Navy base it was free, but when I return home I will need to join the Y and pay $60 a month.  I walk to the pool usually about 7 ish, takes me about 20 minutes then I lap swim for 30 minutes and walk back.

Now the walk back can take a long time depending on what errands I have, the route takes me by two fabric stores and the Mercado where I can wander and find just about anything I could possibly need from clothing to vegetables to fish to tiny restaurants.  I have bought parts for my cook stove there rope for my clothesline, you name it can find it but that sometimes in the problem. Naming it! Not only do you need to know the Spanish word for it but also how to pronounce it correctly. ” Google translate” is my friend.

In the mid afternoon when it is the hottest, I either keep to my apartment or go to the beach where you most always find a breeze and read there.  My apartment is equipped with 3 ceiling fans. One in the kitchen, one in the bedroom and one in the living room.  To conserve electricity I try to only run the fan in the room I am  using and try to remember to shut them all down when I am gone. Between the fans and the fact that a breeze blows in from the bay, just a block away , in my back door and out the balcony slider I am quite comfortable and never use my air conditioner. And therefore keep my electric bill down, which all the Canadians refer to as the “hydro” bill.

Two days a week I take Spanish classes.  I am finding it challenging, but important. Usually after class, my friend Fay and I go for coffee,  trying many new and different places. I have joined a book club and frequently attend “meet and greet” affairs in the evening.

One day a week I go to the “Laundaria” and  for 45 pesos (1.45) I do a load of wash which I bring back to my apartment and hang my clothes to dry on the back porch.  They are dry in just 2-3 hours, I let the laundry do  my sheets and towels and it usually runs about about the equivalent of  $5 a week for them to wash and dry and fold. I don’t have room to hang them.

I take the little “combi”  buses just about everywhere I don’t want to walk. 10 pesos            ( $.50)  gets me any where in Zihuatanejo I want to go.  They hold ten to 15 people

comfortably but not uncommon for 20 plus folks to cram inside. Taxi’s are 35 pesos for in town, which I use only for grocery shopping on when purchasing big things like my new little desk.  I thought it might double for a sewing desk, but I do prefer my card table for sewing.

Beach days and lunches with friends, keep me busy, also I find that I am a bit of a “sun-

downer” once the sun goes down and the air becomes so soft and cool I love to walk about town.  I’ll stop and listen to the music at many of the open air bars, stop for drinks with friends or just wander around.  It’s a lovely way to spend an evening.

I have a TV, but I swear it is cursed. I can’t operate it. It is only a year old and is supposed to be a smart TV, I can only find NBC in English and I know there are many other English speaking channels, but I am remote control challenged and can’t even find Netflix.  So when I want a movies I do Netflix on my computer.  Signing off KO

I try to live as local as possible, I do shop every 2 weeks or so at the Megga Soriana grocery store which is similar, but still quite different from our supermarkets.  In between I pick up, any forgotten necessities at any of the local mom and pop “miscelleneas” for my eggs, fruits, veggies and fish I prefer the large individual stall type mercado.  A week or so ago I bought some dried hibiscus (jimica) flowers and boiled them to a concentrate to dilute and sweeten to taste and you have a delicious refreshing drink called jimica.  It very healthful like cranberry juice.

At the little Saturday market I bought fresh flower petals, the center parts have been removed, and boiled them into the concentrate.  I may have over sweetened it as the sweetener I used said 2-1 tsp which I did, good thing I like thinks sweet.

I am taking Spanish classes again, this is a real luxury for me on my new budget but I enjoy the classes and our new teacher this year keeps class moving and fun.  I can read and understand much more than I can verbalize, and mentally composing then speaking is very difficult for me.  But I have no fear of going anywhere, I can read all the signage, menus, cooking directions on food products or ingredients. This class they say is the hardest we are learning the

past tense of verbs, everything gets easier after this, supposedly.

I let my landlord know the hot water side of my shower was dripping and he said manana his friend would be by to fix, manana came 4 days later and the plummer spent hours working on it, lots of banging and clanging leaving bring more tools back.  Well the

end result was the back wall of the shower will need to be removed to get to the piping and fix the issue.  It was going to be two to three days work and my land lord wanted to move me to the hotel across the street while the work was being done.  My first thought was wait till I leave in the Spring.  I have just gotten all cozy and really comfortable I don’t want to leave.  Then I remembered I am going home for 10 days over Christmas and I told him he can have the work done then.  This made us both very happy, especially as I know 3-4 days can easily stretch into a week.  The only issue is I will have no hot water in my shower until it is fixed.  In this warm weather it isn’t really a problem, just a minor inconvenience.  Signing off KO

I’ve been not at my best the last few days as I have been hit with with one of Mexico’s famous intestinal disturbances.  Actually ill one day with chills and probably a fever all symptoms point to it being viral and not food borne. Slept for 24 hours, feel fine now but still have a intestinal issue.  This should have posted a couple of days ago.

Last Wednesday Morgan and I visited La Chole the small Mexican village where an ancient Aztec civilization once flourished.  I have been their several times but this was a big thrill for Morgan.  By asking friends we were able to secure a taxi driver who spoke good English and was able to share lots of local information with us  I highly recommend Guillermo Otero.  He has a nice large air conditioned taxi and was very personable and informative. Originally there was to be 4 of us, but early the morning of  the tour Guillermo call me to let me know his friend from the village had called him to say it was not safe to come that day as their had been trouble on the road near by with a bus and  a garbage truck having been set on fire.  Of course we canceled and were thankful we had a  guide with good contacts.  These things don’t happen often but it’s wise to avoid trouble when you can.  By the time we rescheduled we were down to just 2 of us as Morgan’s co worker had to work the rescheduled trip day and my friend opted not to go.

As we set out 9ish that morning, our guide asked if we minded making a quick stop in a village called Coyacocoyul which I’m sure isn’t spelled correctly, to make a stop for some special cookies.  His wife is from this village and her very large family still lives there occupying many of the homes on one street.  He picked up his package of warm home made cookies and shared them with us and we were off to LaChole.

First stop was the museum, where our guide had arranged for Jose to meet us and conduct the tour.  Jose was born and raised in the village and his family discovered many of the artifacts that are housed in the museum.  His heart and soul are in this project, he is very proud of his knowledge and loves to share it with you and answer all your question and his English is OK, because all the signage is in Spanish even though our taxi guide told us that it is primarily Canadian and American tourists  visiting the museum.  He said Mexicans visiting Zihuatanejo don’t go out there, all they want is the beach, beer and the bars. It would be a create project for someone to produce at least a printed guide book explaining the different exhibits.  With out a guide you would not understand the significance of what you are viewing.

After the museum, we move on to the ball court and then the pyramid.  I had been out in this area 15 years ago before these ruins were unearthed, the fellow told us then that there was a pyramid and they were working to uncover it I really wasn’t sure if he knew what he was talking about, but the locals have known forever.  There area few, very few archaeologist still working out there as there is still much to discover, but progress is slow, money is tight and some of it is on private farm land and can’t be touched.

Our guide Jose next took us into his village and to his home where he showed us his private collection of artifacts.  Morgan was in 7th heaven getting to hold these ancient relics in her hands.

Jose’s family farms the land there and among other things they grow tobacco and Jose rolled a couple of cigars for Morgan to bring back to friends

It was a great day and a trip I highly recommend taking the time to visit this interesting bit of history. You can hire a taxi or take the bus to Las Achotes and then wait for the passaherra to take you to the site.

Morgan is having cigars rolled for her and is touching ancient artifacts, oh happy day! Signing off KO

Monday was our first beach day, we opted for Playa las Gattas. Rode the water taxi over with my favorite waiter of many years, Jose. He always takes good care of us. Did a little snorkeling, a little swimming and a tad too much sun.  Both Morgan and I are a bit pink in places where the sunscreen missed

As Morgan is volunteering with the Ayotlcalli Turtle Sanctuary she was to meet up with the other volunteers in Ixtapa for a children’s program sponsored by the local department of Ecology.

I went with her as she had never been to Ixtapa where it was being held. So now she is well indoctrinated on how to get around by bus.  The turtle Sanctuary did a puppet show on the life cycle of a turtle including all the hazards they meet in the ocean, many man made. Next the kids went from station to station to learn different aspects of how to protect the turtles.  Nice little program and lots of cute, bright interested kids.

We finished up the day with a “Meet and Greet” at Paty’s on La Ropa busy, but fun day even with the humidity being almost too high to enjoy the weather.  Signing off KO

What a night, beautiful, colorful and crowded, fiesta done full up! The food vendors were set up so Morgan finally got the churros she has been dreaming of.  We I visited all the alters and luckily was at the right place at the right time as two separate catrinia parades entered the Zocolo.

The alters were lit mostly by candle light but some had gotten quite creative with colored lighting. Some were very simple others quite elaborate.  Foods and drink and pictures were on display.  El centro Zihuatanejo was far more colorful than I have ever seen it.  More like our Christmas displays at home.

I would have to say their were hundreds of catrinias, some absolutely gorgeous, some funny and a couple a bit scary.  Parades started at several points in town and all converged at the Zocolo eventually. Their was judging of the alters and the catrinias and

I understand several thousand pesos were to be awarded.  Then to top the night off there was to be a rock concert.  My apartment is just far enough away from the Zocolo that they can party all night and not disturb me. Having a bit of trouble managing photos.  Put together a whole album but can’t get it to load.  But the above pictures are my favorites. Signing off KO

My first Mexican Halloween, I had no idea what to expect.  One thing happened that no one expected was RAIN! and bucket loads of it.  Since Steve and Brian were playing at Cate’s Legends Bar we thought we would go there and listen to the music and see what was going on.  Soon crowds of kids, most with parents following, began arriving with small bags and plastic pumpkins, some just had a bowl.  Some shouted Halloween, Halloween, some just smiled but not  one trick or treat was uttered. The bar and patrons  handed out candy until it was all gone.  When I went home a little before 10 some  kids were still splashing through the streets looking for anyone who had candy left.  The kids were in costumes, most home made and clever, some with purchased masks, most had their face painted or decorated including parents.  Frequently the parents were in some sort of costume or at least face paint. I think this will be the Halloween the kids talk about for years, running ankle deep in water from place to place to get their treats.  An interesting evening , next year I will be prepared with a bag of candy for treats.

Halloween is fun time for kids and parents, where Dia del Muerto is more celebratory and I would have thought more somber.  But here in Zihuatanejo it was also a fiesta.

Morgan and I went to watch the parade of catrinas on Calle Adelita last night and viewed many of the lovely alters that had been set up along the way and at the small cemetery. Quite artistic, thoughtful, some included pictures of past family members, foods or drinks they enjoyed.  A truly lovely sentiment and you know as they construct these alters their thoughts are about those whom they are remembering. their lives together.

The parade of the catrinas was a disappointment. I had expected beautifully painted faces, lovely costuming and what happened was a two minute passing of a group of 20 or so tightly packed together so you really couldn’t see individuals and most seemed to be in black robes white faces and then they were gone. But that is what happens when you have too high of expectations, best to keep ones mind more open

The fiesta part, was as expected, very loud music, some sort of a play was being conducted on a stage, table after table of food for sale, elbow to elbow folks visiting, laughing and enjoying themselves. Very Mexican.  Still more Dia del Muerto come today. Signing off KO