SCHOOLS, LAUNDRY AND OTHER THINGS

Children being walked to school
Children being walked to school

On my early morning walk to feed my flock of chickens I passed by the school and watched as Moms and Dads walk their children to school, holding hands with children in crisp white uniforms, some arrived in taxi’s with their children, the families all waited in front  of the school until it was time for class to begin when the children went in and the parents went home, or to jobs or whatever their day involved. It appeared there was food vendors there for a last-minute breakfast or maybe to buy lunches. Families are very important here. I believe this school to be a very good one.  Not all are like that as a couple of years ago I had an opportunity to visit one of the schools that “Sailfest” has raised funds for. It was way up in the hills, one building was very substantial cinder block type building that SailFest funds had  helped to build, the other 2 shacks or sheds more fit for livestock than children.  But there were the happy faces of children learning, no crisp uniforms here, but moms were there to help with the lunch program.

Yesterday was very busy as it was laundry day.  Now at home the Senor does our laundry, and bless his heart he volunteered to keep on doing it here. Except at home Saturday is laundry day and here it is Monday probably because we packed enough clothes for a week and we arrived on a Monday. So he loaded it all into the rolling cart , rolled it through the bumpy streets of Zihuatanejo it to the “launderia” and promised faithfully to return and pick it up at 5PM. On the return trip he had to pass by the Flophouse Bar, and of course stop to visit with our neighbors who were there to hear the blues.   Laundry is a tough job, but someone has to do it.

We visited several shops for the Senor to purchase a pair of shorts and a shirt.  We have learned the fabrics they have here are much cooler, and pack easier than the jean shorts he wears at home and loose shirts are cooler than T-shirts. They also come back from the laundria ready to wear, no ironing necessary.  Also part of that is the casual attitude that we have learned to embrace here, nothing needs to be spit shinned, perfect creases that were so much a part of his uniformed life for  20 many years aren’t required here.  Life is good!

The little shops or “tiendas” that we visited don’t carry an extensive inventory and it wasn’t possible to get both shirt and shorts in one store but now both the Senor and I equipped with a full week of a Mexican wash and wear wardrobe.  beginning to feel like a local.

The Senor $ KO at Daniels
The Senor $ KO at Daniels

We dined at Daniels as the Senor was wanting steak and they have it for an excellent price.  As luck would have it they were busy but our Canadian neighbors were there and graciously let us join them. Not being meat eater I went for the “fish in broth”.  I really like trying new things and I was impressed.  In my bowl of broth, that was very tasty, there was a whole red snapper cut in two pieces. Really a great meal except for the thing I thought might be a carrot, it was a pepper, hot, not to my liking at all.  But then if you don’t try, you don’t know.

Tequila time
Tequila time

We ended the evening with a couple of shots of tequila at what I refer to as “the gathering” in front of Javiers liquor store/scooter rental and then on upstairs to call it a day.  Just another great interesting day in Zihuatanejo. Signing off KO

PS I think I’ve mastered locating pictures, it’s only taken me 2 weeks!

SUNDAYS ARE SO PLEASANT IN SUNNY ZIHUATANEJO

Flowers of Zihuatanejo
Flowers of Zihuatanejo

DSCN0209Sundays are different, quieter, fewer shops open, families go to the beach, very pleasant. It’s NFL playoffs time here, many of the bars have the games on and cater to the fans.  The Senor is at La Playa Bar his headquarters for football games. I’m not a fan, so I choose today to try out a camera given to us by a friend who was up gradeing. I walked around town photographing flowers as they grow every where.  Some are planted other just grow where they can.

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I stopped for another yummy Mango dacquiri and also tried their Cerviche, which is raw fish cured in lime juice. Both were excellant. I sat their for a long time reading my kindle eating and sipping and taking pictures. When it was time to go I discovered I hadn’t put my wallet back in my purse when I loaded it up with both cameras.  How embarresing it is when you have ate, drank and occupied space for well over an hour and can’t pay the bill.  Fortunately they speak fair english and I explained the situation, offered to leave my cameras with them until I came back with the money.  I was told “no problema” no need to leave the cameras,  it happens.  Needless to say I hurried by to the apartment which really is just around the corner, got my wallet an hurried back.  I paid the bill, left a nice tip and do recomend the nice people at the restaurant, but I still don’t know it’s name.  They are across from Fajita Queens, next to Monkee’s and I’m sure all the restaurants there are very nice, but I really appreciated these folks just plain trusting me.  Not so sure it would have happened in my home town.DSCN0210

 

 

I then walked to the Zocolo, which was just about empty a 2 in the afternoon, quite a contrast to the crowd it will draw for the Sunday evening festivities when it will be standing room only.  I bought an ice cream form the venor with the galvinized tub, not sure exactly why but I prefer to deal with the the galvanized tub vendors. please don’t burst my bubble, but I think their Ice cream is home made rather than comercially produced. The tub is divided into 3 sections, I could have had coconut, vanilla or strawberry (fresa).  I chose fresa, but next time it will be vanilla.  The vanilla looked so rich, it was almost orange in color.

galvanized  tub ice cream vendor
galvanized tub ice cream vendor

I sat on a bench enjoying my ice cream along the malecon watching the boats and swimmers when Des, a friend from previous visits came walking by, he took time out from his walk to stop and visit with me.  Always nice to visit with old friends. Des is quite remarkable as he likes to walk 4 km a day and considering he walks bent over and using a walker I find him not only very interesting but quite inspiring.

I return to the apartment and my kindle tells me it needs charging, so I opt to watch a DVD on the computer while the kindle is fed electricity. I watch Larry Crowne with Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts, entertaining, but not either one of their best work.

Sitting on my balcony tonight the music (not noise) drifts up from the evening vestivities at the zocolo and as it comes to a close I can hear the music from the Baracruda Bar, but it is also music not noise. The air is soft and warm, life is good

A QUIET DAY

My flock of chickens

 

Started the day with a trip to feed “my flock” of chickens our kitchen scraps which now include our neighbors scraps for which the chickens are most grateful.  I stopped in to tell one of my favorite painters “Mayren” who I probably don’t have her name spelled correctly that she is a one of my face book friends.  Her shop is next to Fruity Keiko” and I think she does fantastic paintings.  Unfortunately I learned long ago here in Zihuatanejo I really can’t afford art.  (The sad story is on one of my very early blogs) but I like her work and recommend folks to stop by and see her and her paintings. She very friendly and pleasant. I then decided since there were no tables available for a cold coffee drink I would go on to ice cream.  Well our favorite shop near the church no longer exists and so I went back to  the main drag along the waterfront only to find one had none of my particular flavors and the other had no employee to dish it up.  After a 10 minute wait I gave up and went back to the apartment most disappointed. But i discoved a checker game in progress. Not your ordinary checkers, but very cleaver.Checker game

So much later in the day when we went to Ixtapa to see a movie and we found a gelato ice cream place with very good selection and really yummy stuff. IMG_5174There i saw the ugliest pair of pants, not my style though.

We went a little early as there is a store there that carries a lot of wide legged pant styles.  As I had knee replacement surgery in October and still have some residual swelling on that knee plus the few extra pounds I put on during 2 months of very limited activity I needed some pants with extra room and found them there. Then on to Ice Cream store for dinner, followed by a long walk up and down hotel row waiting for the theatre to open for our showing of “The Life of Pi” enjoyed with a bag of popcorn and a cab ride back to the apartment where I now sit consuming several glasses of wine hoping I can anethasize(no mastter how I try to spell it spell check can’t fix it) myself enough to sleep through the horrid loud music that comes from one bar that dosen’t seem to get started until about 10 or 11 and still is going at 6  am. after much consideration there now seems to be about 4-6 bars that are in competition for noisyest. It’s after 1:am I’m headed to bed. Turned the air conditioner on to help drowned out the noise, and put earplugs in. Saturday night bar noise is the only thing I dislike about Zihuatanejo

Sunday Am, once I got to sleep I slept ok, but the bars were still going strong at 5:30 AM  Still have trouble with pics, Signing off KO

EARLY MONING THOUGHTS

Being an early morning riser, before dawn, give me time for personal contemplation, sorting of pictures, and making new plans.

Yesterday as we went to the Comercial Mexican, the local super market, we stoped by the bus station to plan our side trip to Acapulco.  We want to see the cliff divers.  While my Spanish is quite limited I’m not so intimidated attempting to use it as I used to be.  Our clerk spoke about as much English as I speak Spanish and when spoken words failed, the pen was sucessful.  We sucessfully booked a round trip on a first class bus to Acapulco on the 28th of January, we will stay 2 nights.  So this morning the task was to book our hotel.  As we had been there once before we knew we wanted to stay at Hotel Los Flamingos.  It’s the hotel that John Wayne, Johnny Weismuller and other Hollywood types used as their private club in their heyday.  It isn’t fancy, but has lovely gardens, a great restaurant and you are right on the cliff overlooking the bay and speaks of old Hollywood elegance.  I don’t know how else to describe it. Of course the website is in Spanish but I managed to make our reservation, with the help of my “dictionario.”  For 2 nights it is $140 American which I thought was quite reasonable.IMG_5157

ot everyone books a hotel
ot everyone books a hotel

One early morning while walking to the Zocolo, I discovered that not every one books a hotel room as these travelers had set up camp right in the zocolo.

We have a shopping bag on wheels and have learned to shop more frequently so that everything we buy will fit in the one bag.  As our apartment is on a pedestrian street and the taxi can only get us to a point a block away  it’s a long haul with a dozen bags and then 2 flights of stairs.  We have learned to buy all our fruit and veggies at the Mercado, it’s much fresher. I also like to buy my cheese and eggs there.  Here again the rolling cart is a god send, especially if you buy a watermelon as the Mercado is about 4-6 blocks from us, to short a trip for a taxi.

We usually eat breakfast and lunch in our apartment, well breakfast is always on the balcony and luch is usually inside as sit is quite warm by then.  Our little kitchen is quite adequate for the cooking we do and I do have a crock pot for cooking an evening meal.  One oddity of our kitchen is the ceiling fan does so good a job that you have to turn it off while using the stove or it blows the flame out. Does make for a warm kitchen. IMG_5159

 

We have been eating dinner out more this year and try to go to a variety of restaurants.  We did choose Galeana’s again as we wanted to see Jimmi Mamou again and the 2 of us soon became 6 as friends arrived and then it was 8 as Lori and Rick stopped by.  Staff is always willing to move another table around to accommodate.  Nothing like a great fish dinner, sitting at tables on the sand, hearing the waves lap at the beach and enjoying some great music with friends new and old.

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Our next stop after ambling through town was  at an odd little bar Pura Vida where Scotty and the harmonica man were playing the Blues.  We listened to their last set had a night cap with Lori and Rick and called it a night. Signing off KO

A VERY MUSICAL EVENING

Crocodillo WestlersIMG_5129IMG_5126

Most of our days here are filled with every day happenings, a little shopping, walking around surveying the local color, going to the beach, visiting with friends, reading  watching the news, just every day stuff. The evenings are delightful, the air is warm and just beckons you outside. The shops stay open until 8ish, people begin to congregate in the bars and restaurants as they are all open air, sidewalk type establishments.  In the late afternoon I stopped in at restaurant just down the alley from Coconuts to take advantage of their advertised $25 peso mango daiquiri, that’s about 2 bucks American.  Not only was it beautiful but very tasty, thick with mangoes, sweet, but I like it sweet and one hell of a bargain. 

 

By 5PM we were at our favorite seats at the Flop House to listen to Allen Alto and soon joined by friends and a large crowd to listen to one of the best guitarist play and sing just about anything and everything. A couple of hours later when his show ended we headed down to the beach to Galeana’s for a bite to eat and to listen to Jimmi Mamou another of our favorite musicians.  While we were waiting for our friends to join us I could see some activity down the beach where the canal empties into the bay, so I sent the Senor with the camera and sure enough they had captured a “crocodillo” that had chosen to go for an evening swim in the ocean.

These are just local folks, not professional alligator wrestlers, but they seem to know what to do.  I really don’t know what they do with him after they captured him, did he become a pair of boots and a yummy dinner for his captors or was he released in a more appropriate location. 

 

Soon Jimmi’s  audience included Allen Alto, Machete Eddie where all took a turn at the mike. Just another marvelous day and night in paradise 

 

 

COFFEE WITH THE FISHERMEN AND MISC THOUGHTS

This morning rather than have my morning coffee on the balcony I decided to have it with the fishermen. While sipping coffee on the malecon I watch the heart of Zihuatanejo  at work.  Just like it has been doing since Zihuatanejo was just a series of huts.  I couldn’t help but notice the different hats the fishermen wear.  Ball caps are definitely the favorite. But even beanies and just ugly hats are seen.  Some wear old style peasant hats and some cowboy style. Fish are weighed, purchases are made and people go home happy with the days catch.  This scene is repeated 6 days a week and I never tire of watching it.

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There are no shortage of things that fascinate me. Some of the doors here are beautiful works of art. This metal door is new and gorgeous, others are wood with great style and others are just practical iron gates.

 

I can’t believe that there is any unemployment here as everything is very labor intensive. It takes 3 people to buy a piece of fabric from, one to measure and cut, one to write up the sale and a 3rd to cashier. At most bars and restaurants the wait staff may move the money from you to the cash register and back, but they don’t operate the register or make the change. the cashier does and frequently the cashier is the owner. It drives the Senor nuts, as he continually thinks he is an efficiency expert, but I remind him it is Mexico. In El Centro people push trash cans on wheels sweeping leaves and trash away, we watch as a cobble stone street is dug up by pick ax, the old stones are stacked and I’m sure they will be wheelbarrow ed some where.  No front loader comes in and scoops them all up.

Last evening we had dinner a Murmello’s, sitting outside and enjoying the beautiful street scene.

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Then on to the “bank in the box”, it took years to wean the Senor off travelers checks, but it’s a good thing as I hear travelers checks are difficult to get cashed. Then on to the Flop House for more of the blues and were joined by our friends Will and Sylvia.  Before the evening was over Alan Alto, another great musician from our local area that plays here in Z arrived.  Happy to know he is in town .  We will be back at the Flop House tonight to listen to Al.  Signing off KO

 

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IT’S BEAUTIFUL HERE EVERY WHERE YOU LOOK

WC

Spent some time just walking around town today. They have finished paving Calle Adelita, what a difference from last year when you couldn’t walk with out tripping over the construction project.  Stopped to feed my flock of chickens our kitchen scraps.  I guess once a chicken farmer always a chicken farmer. Stopped along the Malecon for iced coffee and to watch the fisherman sell their catch.  I never get tired of this scene, watching the haggling, the weighing, and happy customers carrying their fish home some in plastic bags, others in buckets, others load them on 3 wheel bicycle carts.

Street vendors, are really mobile stores and just about anything you might want or need will be bicycled around town on these carts or on a push cart.  There is the distinctive whistle of the knife sharpener as he pushes his wheel through town, the clown horn sound of the ice cream vendors, my favorite ice ream vendors have their product in a large galvanized tub vs the square box cooler. Other vendors call out their product by name and there is always a coconut vendor who will whack open the coconut with a machete, some of the best freshest fruit will come to you.

The Senor buying bananas
The Senor buying bananas

Last night we finally got to see the M-Dock band.  They come here from Missouri to do a couple of benefit concerts for Sail Fest which supports education for the poorest of the poor children here.  It’s always been too crowded at Pacalo’s to get a seat and it would be standing room only clear into the street.  This year they played at El Pueblito’s, a lovely large outdoor restaurant, really a court yard  with a very high palapa roof.  There were 8 of us in our party so we went early to make sure we got a decent seat.  The food was great, the drinks were good and the band was fantastic. And the place was packed, I’m sure the temperature rose at least 10 degrees by the time the band started just because of the number of folks there.  But the nice thing was you weren’t crowed against each other. The band played everything from the Beetles to Neil Diamond to the Stones.   By the end of the evening everyone was dancing.  The Senor and I opted to walk back to our apartment as it is only about 6-8 blocks.  the streets were quiet, but not empty another beautiful evening.  Signing off  KO

SUPER BUSY DAY IN ZIHUATANEJO

ImageYesterday was just a very busy day, after the usual breakfasting and news watching the Senor and I sorted or laundry, I did up a couple of hand wash items and we put the rest of the laundry in a rolling suitcase and headed off to the “laundaria” where for about $6 they do a weeks worth of laundry for us.  All we have to do is remember to go pick it up at the end of the day.  After dropping it off we head out to get pedicures, $12 each. Next we visit Imagethe telephone store and for about $60 we are now the proud owners of 2 phones, each with 100 pesos loaded on them.  I still have no idea how long we can talk on 100 pesos, but now we have means of communicating with each other as aren’t always together. Each year when we return we will reload the phone with more pesos, but will need new numbers  Then back to apartment for lunch and siesta and then it’s time to pick up our laundry so to conserve our energy on this busy day we get the laundry, stop to have dinner, then on to the “Flop House” bar to listen to some great blues with guitar and harmonica while still dragging the laundry behind us. As usual we met new friends and were joined by some of our old friends.

We finally get back to our apartment, still dragging our laundry, put it away and and call it a wonderful, fantastic, but busy day.  Signing off KO  

PS I’m getting closer on these pictures, but still can’t get them quite where I want them

LAZY SUNDAYS IN ZIHUATANEJO

IMG_5017 IMG_5020 IMG_5024 IMG_5018Sundays are quieter here, many shops and businesses close, more families on the beach, restaurants are full.  Come evening and the Zocolo Zihuatanejo’s Square or plaza is rimmed with food vendors, not like we would see at a local fair or event.  No trailers with windows, at best a folding table for food vendors, others may just spread a blanket on the ground to set up shop. At best to describe the Zocolo it is a basketball court, set down 4-5 steps on all sides arena style, and backs up to the beach,  On the front and sides of this court is a large plaza complete with a gazebos, some trees and a few benches. Fronting the plaza is one of the main streets of town, but narrow so there is only one lane of traffic.  On each end are the beach front restaurants The zocolo is always busy, the social point of town but is special on Sunday night as this is the only night the vendors come out.  They have all kinds of different foods that I really don’t know about.  There is corn on the cob, slathered with mayo and then hot sauce dribbled over it

Lots of foods cooked in banana leaves, several with pick and choose ingredients, fried bananas, ice cream push carts, large variety of iced drinks dispensed from 3-4 gallon glass jugs in flavors I’ve never heard of. And people, people everywhere, young, old and in between. Groups of teenagers out checking out the social scene. Sort of like “cruzin” with out the cars. Old women gossip, babies and children wheedle parents into buying them cheap carnival toys.This happens every Sunday year round.

Most of my Sunday I spend quietly reading at “TaTa’s”, a beach front restaurant enjoying my mango margarita while the Senior is off watching the playoffs. On my way to the beach I stop to feed a flock of chickens our table scraps. The coconut man just across the bridge to La Madera has taught be how to call chickens in Spanish, they don’t respond to chick, chick chick like ours at home do. To call them you say ado, ado, ado real fast. I’ll have to give our chickens at home a spanish lesson.

Monday I have big plans, the senior and i are going for pedicures and I am going to purchase cell phones for our use here. I like to be out and about much more than the Senior does so it will help keep us in touch, make it possible to change plans, let each other know if something is happening. Signing off KO

SUNRISE, SUNSET, JUST TWO OF MY FAVORITE TIMES IN ZIHUATANEJO

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I’ve always been a morning person, an early riser at home that is when I’m my most productive, here it’s kind of the opposite. The sunrise here is so beautiful I find it a contemplative and reflective time of the day.  Instead of getting up and getting going, i take by kindle, my computer, my coffee and my morning drink of grapefruit juiced laced with the necessary medicines adjourn to my balcony and watch “a baby day be born”.  That’s a line from an old Melanie song that comes to mind.  Today it Sunday and since the church is just a block away in addition to all the usual morning sounds I’m treated to church bells calling the faithful, and it’s always a packed house with standing room only, hymns being sung.  As usual we will have breakfast on the balcony as the weather is perfect in the morning.

Yesterday was the playoff games and the Senior always goes to the bar La Playa to watch the game where he runs into old friends from previous years games and meets new ones.  He looks forward to this each year.  I take this time to do some poking around in the shops, especially the ones he has little interest in.  Just one of the many differences between us, the Senior thinks you go to a shop to buy something you need.  I think you go to a shop to see what they have, whats beautiful, whats interesting, whats ridiculous.  I sort of look at them all like I would an art gallery, I’m there mostly to admire.  I seldom know what I want until I see it.

I take time for an iced coffee drink on the malecon and watch the continual parade of Mexican life pass by, I read my kindle, I’m now on the 3rd book of The Hunger Games.  Then I move on down the beach as the sun is setting to watch the day come to a close, but Saturday  night is just beginning to rev up.  In the Zocolo, think town square, where there is a basketball court set in arena style I pause to watch a basket ball game.  Tonight it’s girls, probably high school age playing and then I move on down to the very end of the beach restaurants to a new restaurant I believe is called Galeana’s where Jimmi Mamou is again playing. This is one of those restaurants with a palm roof and the tables on the sand. I have a great, really great tortilla soup and of course a margarita, catch his first set and head back to our apartment. As the Senior has not yet returned I go meet up with him and his new amigos at La Playa have a couple of drinks and we call it a night.

There are so many ethings that I love about Mexico, but many things I do not under stand and one is the numerous “street dogs”.  Thease dogs have no home, no owners and are usually very sweet tempered, not a danger to people. Some are teritorial towards other dogs, but a fight is extremly unusual.  But they are just left to fend for themselves. I find it sad to see them “dining” on our garbage, but then I learn that there are whole familes, people with children who live in the garbage dumps here picking thru the garbage to make their shelters, cloth and feed their children. I can only imagine such poverty.  Signing off KO PS still trying to get the photos in the right place