I'm a traveler, not as frequently as I would like , but I plan on doing more. After working full time at Mount Rainier National Park during the summer of 22 I have decided to retire completely and forever. Prior to that I was semi retired as a Wedding Officiant I officiated at about 20 weddings a season, and with my small delivery service I handled the distribution of a local high-quality Home and Garden magazine .
Prior to my "semi retirement" I was in corrections and before that I owned and operated a bail bond agency.
I now plan to travel to new places and exciting places, getting ready to do that as a solo as the Senior is no longer with me, his choice, and I am OK with that. For hobbies I'm a reader and love my kindle. And I enjoy writing.
My agenda for the day was to go to the Mercado and pick up some salt for a friend and some cheese for my neighbor, I took the long way there just for the opportunity to look around one more time. The Mercado is one of my favorite places, I never tire of seeing the beautiful arrays of fruits and vegetables, many of which I can’t even identify the trays of bakery items, piles of rice and other grains which again I can’t identify, booths with chickens complete with heads and feet and the meat market which today displayed a hogs head. These are sights that I will never see at home. Shopping at the
Beautiful fruit at the Mercado
commissary at home will be so boring compared to this.
I needed to go to the bank, but the armed guards were there filling the ATM’s and the line was growing longer by the minute. Now at home our armored truck guards do carry side arms, but they don’t post 2 guards outside with M-16 rifles. I’ll go to the bank later in the day when the line is not so long. It will give me reason to wander around again and make sure I’ve missed nothing.
We watched a couple of movies I purchased here, Philomena and Nebraska. Philomena very good, Nebraska not so. They cost 2 for 20 pesos, so I won’t be bringing them back with us, but with prices like that I’ve learned it isn’t necessary to take up suitcase space bringing a stack of dvds from home.
We are going with friends and plan to meet more friends at the Catalina’s sunset bar this evening, they have lovely music on Wednesdays, appropriate for a sunset.
Flower market
Our refrigerator is just about empty. Last night the Senor wanted fried chicken and since I don’t eat chicken, we did “take out” from 2 different places, he got his fried chicken and I got my chile relleno and we ate a last balcony meal, well we did have breakfast on the balcony this morning, but the rest of our meals will need to be eaten out. Signing off KO
The aliens have left since I deleted every program that got added on 2 27 14. I have no idea where they all came from but the appear to be gone. As soon as we get home” Larry the computer guy” gets my net book as it is still very slow.
Guitar Fest
I attended Guitar fest last night and while I found it enjoyable and interesting, but I did I leave before it was over as it was too long for me. During the first hour I sat at a restaurant next to the area and ordered dinner as all the seats inside were in the sun and I can’t sit an hour in the sun without burning. While I know a lot of people sat there for most of the evening or just generally hung around, once the sun went down I paid my money and went inside. It’s a benefit, it’s not expensive and I would have felt like a cheat if I had stayed there the whole evening.
Octopus cooking over an open fire at La Condessa
Today we went to Barre de Potosi with friends, Will and Sylvia and Charlie and Christine. Charlie and Christine picked us all up at the very early hour of 8:00, we’ve made this trip a couple of times, but always on the bus and then the pasajara. We found scenery we had never noticed before as the view from a car is much different and very enjoyable. Christine and Charles brought us to their favorite, La Condessa and we found it most
Surfs up
enjoyable. We spent the morning beach walking and watching the surfers. Our lunch was delicious, my oysters were done to perfection, the Senor’s fillet was great, but those who ordered shrimp were disappointed as they hadn’t been deveined adding a lot more work than just pealing. We topped it off with that wonderful ice cream you get from the galvanized tubs. Nothing like strawberry ice cream where you can see that it was made with real berries
.
The Senor and I walked thru the town so that I could photograph the flowers and church that we found there on our last trip when I was sans camera. It sometimes amazes me what beauty you find in these dusty little villages.
Beautiful Flower in the village Bbarre de Potosi
This evening we have a real conundrum, the Senor is dreaming of fried chicken, and I can’t eat chicken. The place he wanted to go to only has chicken and potatoes. Other places have chicken,
Simple but beautiful Church in Barre de Potosi
but not “fried”. I suggested each of us getting what we wanted take out and bringing it back to eat here, but that was vetoed and we can’t fry it ourselves as the building has run out of gas, and like before when that happened it will probably manana before we have gas. Anyway I’m sure we won’t starve and will find something. It was another wonderful day in Mexico Signing off KO
The Senor had purchased at sail fest a dinner for two with bottle wine and desert at LA Chula Vida. Of course we had never heard of the place, but soon discovered it was on Playa Blanca, which we weren’t entirely sure where it was or how we would get there. A little research paid off and we received several suggestions on how to get there. The plan was to do a bus to the airport , and if the pick up with benches showed up we would take it, if not we would take a cab. Sounded simple enough. Next we located where to catch the bus to the airport. convinced our friends Will and Sylvia we really knew what we were doing, and planned to leave about 4 as I wanted to be there for the sunset, and really didn’t know how long it would take to make all the connections. Only waited about 5 minutes for the “colectivo” to the airport.which is a van with benches along all sides and hand rails on the inside roof so an unlimited amount of people can be packed in. For 10 peso each we rode to the airport stop, not seeing a cab insight we sort of wondered … what next? There were two Mexican fellows sitting in the shade across the road so I got elected to ask them how to get to Chula Vida . I was told in 5 min a collective would come. And sure enough it did but of the “pasajara” type, a covered pick up truck with benches. So for another 10
pesos we were on our way, this ride is truly air-conditioned as we were traveling quite fast as the road was empty except for one or two cars.
Chula Vida beach bar palapa
The ride was quite comfortable until we hit the dirt road and then it was very bumpy. Along the way we saw some beautiful villas, stunning views of the ocean a restaurant or two and one condominium complex. As we arrived at our destination we were greeted by a beautiful saddled burro which we learned later was the “town mayor’s” transportation.
La Chula Vida has a tiled dining patio, both floor and roof and a beach bar palapa with table made from huge tree stumps. Our hostess Lisette welcomed us and visited with us a bit and we learned that she hails from Woodland WA which is quite near us. We sat watching the sun go
The sun setting over Playa Blanca
down, cooled by very cold drinks and a lovely breeze from the ocean. One of the most peaceful relaxing places I have ever been. We opted to eat our dinner on the patio as after dark the breeze was getting a little too cool. The Senor and I had grilled”sierra” fish which was thick and moist, our friends had grilled shrimp which they proclaimed excellent. All served with a plate of grilled vegetables and followed up with a dish of almond ice cream. The setting was beautiful, the meal excellent, the company enjoyable, just can’t ask for more than that, definitely the sweet life, Chula Vida.
Tree stump tables
We had anticipated taking a taxi back to town, but Lisette said her husband Jorge needed to drive employee’s back to Zihuatanejo and if we didn’t mind waiting until dishes were washed he would bring us all home. How is that for hospitality! Of course we accepted. I rode in the cab with Jorge who had an oldies radio station on playing “All Shook Up” and “Good Golly “Miss Molly” sung in Spanish.. What a fun evening! Signing off KO
Well not exactly aliens, but Mexican pop up advertising that won’t go away until I log off completely. So now I’m sharing the big computer with the Senor. Now the main purpose of the big computer is to watch TV which we access “Sling Media” thru our home satellite giving us the exact same programing we have at home. From the computer we use a USB cord to send it to the flat screen TV. It’s all magic to me, but it works and the Senor is blissful spending huge amount of time watching all his favorites. We will see how well this sharing works. Fortunately he sleeps later than me and goes to bed earlier.
Interesting Art/sculptur
I set out yesterday to check out the fabric store one more time as I wanted to buy that nice gauzy, no need to iron fabric that the store carry lots of shirts and pants made from. None to be found there, now it looks to me to be the most popular fabric for shorts and pants ready-made, but no fabric on bolts. This amazes me. But then many thing in Mexico amaze me, some good some puzzling. I like the fact that things are repaired and not just discarded. With in a two block radius I found 2 electrical repair shops repairing everything from washers, refrigerator s to microwaves and other small appliances, and a TV repair shop where he works on the covered side walk where it is cooler. There are a half-dozen shoe repair shops in El Centro, but at home we only have 2 shoe repair shops in the entire county and they are 20 miles apart. I do find it puzzling that I can’t find the fabric I would like and the fact there are no patterns in the fabric store. But such is Mexico.
Small statue of El Pecador. If I were wealthy it would be mine.
Coming back from the fabric store I stopped to buy 2 DVD’s that I’ve been wanting to see, Philomena and Nebraska. We’ve had poor luck seeing the movies at the theatre we wanted to see here. One turned out to be in Spanish even though it was listed as in English and last night we opted to see the late showing of American Hustle when we arrived at 9 we were told it was only at 6:30, even though the sign says it’s also at 9. From now on we will be asking the nice young man at the box office way ahead of time and not believe everything we read. Before leaving for the movie we were treated to a man playing keyboard and singing opera below our balcony.
Opera singer below our balcony
The man has a fantastic voice that filled the whole street with beautiful music. We laughed that he was the warm up performer for young band that plays under the balcony every Thursday and Saturday. It’s not that we don’t enjoy the band, but they have been serenading us twice weekly for almost 2 months now and we opted to go to the movie instead. Since we didn’t get to see the movie, we then opted for ice cream up on the street by the basketball court. I love Mexican ice cream, at home I would never order plain old bland vanilla, but here the vanilla has such a rich flavor and a beautiful color and is so good. On our way back we noticed the Baracruda had a sign out advertising the Steve Allen Show , and since they are favorites of ours we went in as did many others all waiting in anticipation. Don’t know what the issue was but an hour later when there was only recorded CCR music we left, as did everyone else in the place. The stage was still set with the salsa band’s equipment, we questioned it was a case of false advertising, but we don’t know the whole story yet.
Friday morning we went out for breakfast at the Pancake House. The Senor and I frequently order one meal and an extra plate and s
Half order of hotcakes
hare. This morning we ordered 3 hotcakes, juice and coffee and an extra plate so we could share. This was the first time we had every had our shared meal served quite this way, not that it’s a problem, just Mexico. On to the Commercial for probably our last shopping trip and back for siesta before going out to dinner tonight. Our days are so busy, but a slow relaxing busy. Signing off KO
I had the most wonderful birthday, the best birthday since my 50th birthday when I first met the Senor. It was a beautiful sunny Zihuatanejo day, there was not a single thing I had to do, just the things I wanted to do. I was very happy to donate some items to the garage sale held in the artist plaza. It was a benefit for 2
Garage sale at artist plaza
law school students. We have been storing some items in a large suitcase here each year and we decided to replace it with a couple of storage boxes as they wouldn’t be so heavy for Javier to lift onto a shelf that he has to climb a ladder to reach. So 45 minutes ahead of the start time I took the suitcase with a few odd items of clothing that we have found we have no use for and a couple of odds and end to the plaza to donate and found a half dozen tables set up and a good crowd already bargaining.
Kids in cute uniforms during a busy garage sale
There was also a class kindergarten or first grade children at he plaza to look at the paintings as the teacher discussed colors with them. I’m sure the garage sale came as a surprise to them, they were so cute in there school uniforms and were fascinated by all that was going on and all the people. I understand the sale was quite successful.
I had been eyeing a pretty yellow shirt that I could see thru the shop window. I had never been in the shop as it’s air-conditioned and I assumed things would be expensive. But surprisingly enough they were not so I bought myself a birthday present, it is something I will wear at home rather than hear as it has long sleeves. Now I don’t mean to say that the Senor does not buy me gifts as he
Birthday present to self
certainly does, but he will buy something a week or two ahead of my birthday and then can’t wait until my birthday to give it to me. So this year a couple of weeks ago he gave me a cute pair of silver frog earrings for my birthday, plus he takes me out to dinner often here in Zihuatanejo and is really quite generous if not romantic.
We had decided to have my birthday dinner at El Agave, we had eaten there last year with a group and all thought it quite good. There turned out to be 14 of us and everyone seemed to enjoy the dinner and the company. Along with best wishes and cards I received a wonderful bottle of wine, a cute coin purse and key chain, and a lovely shell pendant necklace that Charlie made. Thank you to everyone for making me feel quite special The senor had purchased a couple of cakes and after our crowd
My birthday dinner
had all had a piece I gave a piece of cake to all the other diners leaving part of one cake for the house and brought back part of the other one for Javier our apartment manager. Since birthdays are such fun, I think I will keep on having them. Signing off KO
The message was posted on Rob’s message board there would be a gathering of folks who participate or read the board at Otilla’s on
Interesting beach sculpture, artist unknown
Tuesday the 25th. I’ve never been able to make any of these before, I’m only an occasion poster, mostly when I’m asking for information. I’ve learned not to post my personal opinion, I’m always uncomfortable with the flack you get back. I’m too thin-skinned to ever get into the many discussions on the board, but do read them with interest. Since this was a “party” it sounded like fun. And it was! And all agreed that the Rob’s message board is a great service to the community here. Though not a huge crowd, but at least 20 folks attended giving everyone a chance to meet and put faces to board posting names. It’s always interesting to meet new people learn about there travels, their favorite places and share stories and experiences. The senor did not attend but finished up cooking duties as we always do a crock pot dinner on
More boarders
beach days as the beach seems to wear one out. We had chicken, carrots 2 kinds of squash, a fennel bulb, garlic onions and celery and seasoning from a package of “fido” soup. It’s always nice to come home from a day at the beach to smell you dinner cooking.
We got some sad new yesterday our friend Jack Mills died. He and Barb had been in
Barb and Jack mills
Zihuatanejo in January but Jack became ill and returned to the states for treatment, and Barb followed a day or two later when it was decided he wouldn’t be returning. Jack was an unforgettable character and will be missed by his many friends in Zihuatanejo. His passing came much sooner than expected. Our thoughts and prayers are with Barb and their families.
Today is my birthday, the beginning of my 7th decade. Life has treated me well, It is also the anniversary of the day I first met the Senor, 20 years ago. Shortly after midnight as we both woke up to roll over and get more comfortable he wished me a happy birthday, I thought it quite sweet. I will pass this day in beautiful sunshine which has always been a rarity on my birthday. And tonight we will have a celebration dinner at El Agave with friends. The only thing nicer would be if my family were able to be here also. Signing off KO
Woke up a little later than usual this morning as we had dined in on salmon cakes that I made and went to the 9pm showing of Vince Vaughn in the Delivery Man, very sweet, very funny we enjoyed it. It’s unusual for us to go to the movies that late but when you don’t have dinner until 7 or later it makes sense. At home we do a 4pm matinee. We had no agenda for today, but while breakfasting on the balcony I noticed a cruise ship was in. I always like to go down to the malecon, sit in a restaurant and have a drink and feel quite smug that I am here for a long period of time and watch them race around trying to shop and take in all the local color in a few hours, But actually this boat stayed longer than most, we hear it won’t leave until 10PM.
Cruise ship from our balcony
My plan was to go photo the ship, but the Senor suggested that we go to the pharmacy and see if he can get one of his prescriptions refilled here. And then go to the bank, then see about getting his watch fixed. Knowing the boat would be there later it sounded like a good plan. The prescription could only be refilled if we went to our Mexican doctor and get a new prescription from him first. As this is only sleeping medicine he decided to try a natural type instead and see if it would work before going to the Doctor. I keep telling him wine works great for me, I have no trouble sleeping and it’s a natural product. But he never listens to me. So on to the bank and then to the watch repair shop where they reassemble his watch that got dropped on our tile floor and disintegrated into many pieces, 20 pesos later it was reassembled and we were on our way. We took a different side street on the way back where we found gifts for our neighbor girls, the peanut brittle candy the Senor so loves, and my mango light drink that I have become addicted to and an old lady and her grandson selling strawberries and plums among other things So for 30 pesos we had fruit for a day or two. Back to the apartment for lunch and siesta.
My lunch of left over fish did not agree with me due to my ongoing digestive problem and I have decided any left overs from dinners we will bring back and feed to the roof cats who have come to our balcony nightly to enjoy the fine dinning. It seems like everyone here feeds someone, some
Jaavier’s pet pigeon
feed the street dogs, Javier our apartment manager and owner of the Liquor Store and Scooter rental business feeds the pigeons. There is a pair who spend their days sitting on the side walk in front to of his store, I tell him they are his pets. I’ve taken to feeding the roof cats this year. The only problem I have is getting very little feed back from them, they come in the night and I never see them on the balcony, but still I know they appreciate. Otherwise the street dogs and cats are left to rip apart the garbage bags that are put out on the streets each night for the garbage pick up in the morning. I have a fondness for cats and feel a little guilty for leaving ours for so long, even though I know our granddaughter does her best to take care of all his demands. In addition I feed our scraps of produce to the chickens who have come to know me and expect tasty treats.
Zihuatanejo from the roof just before sunrise
Tonight the Senor wanted to go to Banditos for dinner , but we opted instead to go to Porto Ill Mare as they have great soup and I wasn’t wanting a big dinner. Tonight I had Gazpacho, a cold tomato soup I learned to love on my visit to Spain many years ago, the Senor with a bigger appetite selected the Spaghetti Bolognese, great service good food it really hit the spot. Signing off KO
The siesta is one of the great aspects of Mexican life which we have adapted to quiet well. We usually retreat to our room in the later part of the afternoon for TV
Kite over the Monarca Hotel
watching or reading and frequently one or both of us eventually nap. Yesterday as I awoke from my siesta a kite flying across the lane caught my eye. A Dad was helping his young son fly a kite off the roof of the hotel across from us. At first all I saw was the dad and the kite, but then the kite got caught and dad lifted the young boy up to retrieve it. There was almost no wind so the kite wasn’t flying to high, but no matter father and son were enjoying themselves together. I watched until the sun began to set and turned the sky gorgeous colors. Then it was time
Dad boosts his son onto roof to rescue kite
to get ready for dinner as we had decided to return to Don Memo’s for dinner.
In my opinion he serves the absolute best fish in Zihuatanejo. I’ve had the fish in wine sauce before at Don Memo’s and ordered it again last night and wasn’t disappointed. It is the most moist flavorful fish I’ve ever had, and being a ” fishetarian” I’ve tasted a lot of fish. On this visit we sat at a table looking out towards the alley and Coconuts restaurant, it gives you a great view and a cacophony of sounds. We could hear the Mexican music video being played in Don Memos of a beautiful out-door concert with a huge orchestra and many singers singing more
At Don Memo’s
classical music, we would occasionally hear someone in Coconuts singing and then the lilting tunes of the flute and guitar player that plays in front of Monkey House came drifting in. All very pleasant. And Don Memo’s has the best price for wine I’ve seen in Zihuatanejo, 40 pesos. Following dinner we walked to the zocolo where we discovered a visiting Volkswagen car club. I’m a VW fan, having owned several of them from bugs to square backs to our 72 bus we camped in for many years, so I took pictures of all of them, but didn’t set the flash so most
Beautiful blue VW bug with a sound system to die for
pictures weren’t very good.
Visiting VW car club
We returned home to listen to the last half hour off our young street band that performs every Thursday and Saturday night under our balcony. They draw a big and enthusiastic crowd, including an occasional street dog or two.
Another Saturday night with no loud music from the “tranny” bar around the corner, the decibel police have done a good job this year. I know they stay open past the legal closing time as we hear people wandering down the street about 4:30 with alcohol loud voices. But that is so much better than years previous where we had to sleep with ear plugs and the music still kept us awake.
Sunday morning brought an unusual mix of sounds around 7AM, church bells from the church around the corner, followed by a large crowd of people cheering and shouting. Then I remembered Zorro’s Bar was to open for the Canadian Hockey game at 6:00 am. From the sounds of the crowd I think Canada is doing well. Actually Canada won the gold. Signing off KO
Yesterday the cleaning lady was due so we went out for breakfast, while I ordered breakfast, in Spanish I might add, the Senor did his task of running the laundry to the laundaria. At home he does the laundry and has continued doing so here. But here all he has to do is deliver it in the morning and pick it up in the evening. Everything is simpler here. After breakfast we decided to check out a hotel near the “hole in the wall” bus station . Brand new hotel offering $250 (mexican pesos) a night rooms if you stayed 2 weeks or more. This was a hell of a good deal so we decided we had best check it out. The desk clerk spoke no English, but my 2 or three words got the message across and she showed us a room. Nice room with great bath and a balcony, but small and no micro or refrigerator. I asked her if they had any rooms with cooking and she said no. So we thanked her, briefly considered if the lesser cost would make up for eating out every night as it did have a pool and wifi and cable. We decided no, it just wasn’t for us, but very nice for someone who just needs a room. Then on to the archeological museum at the end of the malecon where both the history of the area is displayed but also lots of art work for sale.
A 1936 movie projector in the museum
We then went for a stroll on the malecon and ran into a couple I had met on the boat parade. I introduced them to the Senor , we visited briefly as they were just finishing their lunch and we took over their table when they left. Our waiter brought out a white board sandwich board which showed the selections offered that day. Cheese quesadilla for me and a BLT for the Senor. He was very happy to find a real sandwich. We people watched, watched the fishermen and enjoyed a very leisurely lunch. Soon a friend we had made through other friends stopped by and we visited with her for a while remarking we hardly go anywhere any more where we don’t run into someone we know. A very pleasant feeling.
New vendor came by the flop house, cakes by the slice
We opted to go to the Flophouse for drinks, and get dinner at the restaurant next door. Not my favorite place to eat, but we always have a good time at the and meet friends and enjoyed, Allan on the guitar, Nelson on the sax and a couple of singers joined in. As we expected several of our friends showed up so it was a pleasant evening.
Morning has us filling out our shopping list and heading to the Commercial, we are on our downhill side of our vacation so we are trying to buy only what we absolutely need, purchasing in small sizes. On the way we discovered a new type of Mexican Roof dog.
Different type of “roof” dog
He really startled us as we walked by. We tried to shop carefully, but still came back with more than our rolling bag holds, but sure love that bag, it makes getting the groceries the block to our apartment from the taxi stop a breeze.
We have set our dates for next year, December 15 to March 15, we’ve never been here during the holiday season nor have we ever been away from home for Christmas. It will be a new experience for us. Now my job is to try to negotiate a better rate at our apartment as we are staying longer. My Spanish dictionary isn’t any help with phrases, we will see how we do. Signing off KO
Yesterday with friends Will and Sylvia we headed to catch the Pentalon bus to Los Achotes where we will get off and take the” pasajara”, which is a lovely word for an old pickup truck with benches in the bed and covered with a tarp for shade, to Barre de Potosi. We have been there before, but were particularly interested in going this year as we had heard about how the hurricane had greatly changed the landscape. Well Mother Nature may have made changes, but to us they were hardly noticeable as the water has begun to recede and there maybe less beach but to us not very noticeable. The beach is lovely and stretches as far as the eye can see. We had a nice
Sylvia, Will and the Senor
lunch of fish, mine was fish stew. While it is very tasty, I have to get the head and tail out of my bowl before I can start eating it There was a very sweet and very pregnant beach dog who thoroughly enjoyed what I couldn’t eat as I always get served more than I can eat.
Fish stew, tastes better than it looks
could be used for weaving or a variety of other crafts as they are quite uniform in size an seemed strong yet flexible. Later the Senor and I walked into the town, well not exactly a town, a dusty road with a variety of building houses everything from homes to hotels and tiny eating places. There is a beautiful, yet very simple church complete with bell. Of course my camera was back at the enmarada with Will and Sylvia. After having taken a couple of walks it was time for desert, Sylvia and I went for neapolitan , the senor ordered a banana split and Will stuck with cervesa. The senor’s banana split was a sliced banana with the 3 scoops of neopolitan ice cream with chocolate sprinkles on top and four wafer cookies on the side, he pronounced it delicious, but could have done with out the sprinkles.
Sylvia trying to decide what cleaver things could be done with the roots
No sooner did our ice cream arrive, that the ice cream man came by. This is the ice cream that comes out of the galvanized tub. Now this is what I call real ice cream, I’m sure it is home-made, not commercially made. He will have 2 or 3 flavors usually there will be coconut and vanilla, but I have also had lime or chocolate. Today he had vanilla and coconut, so after polishing off our neopolitian Sylvia and I each got a different flavor and shared 1/2 with each other. We both think the vanilla is the best, it isn’t white, but more off a lite creamy beige. I truly believe the very best ice cream comes from the ice cream men with the galvanized tubs on
This what “real” vanilla ice cream looks like
wheels. We always enjoy a day trip to Barre de Potosi, but it is way to quiet and remote for us for any longer than a day.
Zihuatanejo 