Uncategorized – Page 24

WE’RE BACK AND NOW ON LINE

We arrived Monday evening to sunny skies and 87 degree weather. So happy to be out of the rain. Breezed through customs, caught a cab and we were back at our home away from home. Got settled in, unpacked then out to dinner on the Malecon and night caps at our favorite watering hole, the Flophouse Bar.

Tuesday morning I set about getting the computers up and running, and started my blog, but no luck, it would not save and then cut me off Completly, could not stay on line for more than a minute or two before it went away. Very frustrating since the Senor relies on one of the computers for his TV habit being streamed from home.

We did discover that our TV now gets 3 of the Seattle stations and Fox news. That saved a lot of frustration for him, but he still couldn’t get some stations he wanted. Brought the subject up to Arturo the building owner, he checked out the internet connections and found all was well. He then called a “techie” friend who came over and fixed both computers for 200 pesos about 25 bucks.

I did a quick run to the Comercial (Mexico’s version of a super market) yesterday to get a few basics provisions to last a day or two and then this morning after my morning swim at the community pool I did the frut and veggie run to the “mercado”. I love shopping the Mercado, it is just such a sensory over load. Busy, noisy people, bright colorfull fruits and veggies and spices and cheese and yellow chickens and loud Mexican music.

Colorfull flags

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Christmas is starting to be seen around town, you could get a green, and surpriseingly fresh tree at the comercial today, the pointsetia and pinata markes are in full swing at the Kyoto Circle.Hopefully I’ll get there tomorrow. Our street is colorful with lights and bright flags. We strung solar lights along our balcony so we too look festive. Signing off KO

PS Please forgive any typo’s or misspellings as I can’t find the spell check on

DIFFERENCES

Even after 3 months here, I’m still amazed and marvel at the wonderful differences I see and try never to judge. Here a man gets on the bus with a very large machete knife, I think nothing of it as he is probably returning home from work.The same situation at home would have me jumping off the bus at the next stop. Small children playing outside until 11, I would be questioning what kind of parents they have. Or a 5-year-old boy proudly sipping a soda beside his papa enjoying acervesa at the bar. 10-year-old boys bagging your groceries for tips or carrying them to the taxi. Peoplehere still carry the items they sell on their head, and go through town calling out what they sell. Here you can put a table on a

side-walk and sell food or beverages you made at home, or hand crafts you made last night. Here I feed street dogs and cats at home the Humane Society would be called. Dogs accompany their masters into restaurants.

I never tire of seeing a mama or papa holding their child’s hand while walking them to school each day. Or mama’s who carry or wear their infants instead of plopping them into a stroller, and parents who take their children to work with them on a daily basis. Here they fix things instead discarding. Our neighbors had a suitcase zipper repaired, my swim fin bag was repaired and one of the Senor’s flip-flops, and for very few pesos.

Somethings I find difficult, like learning Spanish even though I’ve just completed 2 terms of Spanish prior to coming here. Sidewalks with odd pieces of iron sticking up out of them, or chunks of side-walk missing, with my propensity for tripping I have had to be very careful. ATM machines that deliver your money all in 500 peso notes, as most shops have little to no change. Learning the currency has been a challenge, but now I can use exact change for my

Mercado purchases.

On being a snowbird vs a

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.

CARLOS OUR FAVORITE BARKEEP AT OUR FAVORITE BAR THE FLOP HOUSE

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.

Young boy selling the shells he had been diving for

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

MI CUMPLEANOS FEBRUARY 26 and GROWING OLDER

Thursday was my birthday, I woke to sunny skies, went for my morning swim, breakfasted on my balcony. I just can’t think of a better way to start any day. I want to thank my many face book friends for their birthday greetings, it’s so nice to be remembered with kind thoughts. While I miss my family and friends at home we have made many friends here and it was nice to share a meal and an evening with them. We had dinner at Agave, a favorite with a good menu and

good food. Highlights of the evening were being sung Happy Birthday to by Jimmi Mamou. I’ve never been serenaded before, sure makes you feel special, I never expected gifts but from Judy and Jimmi a cleaver fan that transforms into a hat. And from Joanne and Will some of the most beautiful earnings and a very cleaver convertible necklace. She makes these unique hand crafted pieces, simply amazing. The only problem with a group that large is that it is hard to visit with every one at the table. But thank you to my friends who have made my day so special with your friendship.

Hard to get a group picture with 13 people

Dwight with Jimmi’s silver plated guitar

On growing older.
I rarely ever feel old. Sometimes I’m shocked when I look at the mirror and wonder when that person looking back at me arrived. I’m happy to be a senior citizen, with the SS deposit in my bank each month and getting my senior discounts. I like being retired, we’ll semi retired and not be a 9-5 person anymore. (Well in my case it was 6-2.) We have reduced our business to part-time with just enough work to keep me out and about in the community. At my age I’ve lost all vanity and I will wear sleeveless t-shirts and I will appear on a public beach in a swim suit all white and flabby. But I do take pride that I can swim circles around most of the super tan bikini wearers. I still consider myself a “work in progress” and I want to learn, explore, and to grow (except in girth), make new friends while never forgetting the old. Thank you to all my friends here and friends at home and all my children for making my birthday special. Signing off KO

SOFT MORNINGS AND BALCONY BREAKFASTS

I enjoy my early morning walk to the pool, it not quite daylight when I leave our casa, very few folks are out and about, traffic is at a minimum until I get to the main drag about 3 -4 blocks away and there it is hustling with buses getting folks to work and children to school. I never tire of seeing momas and papas holding the hand of their young child as they walk them to school daily, or teenage school girls in cute uniforms, and the boys in slacks and shirts chatting in groups as they hop off the bus. Along this main drag portable restaurants get set up each morning by putting out a white plastic tables with an oil cloth table cloth and loading them up with what I am sure are home made foods. No food inspectors to worry about, probably no business licenses to obtain, just find a spot and your in business. After the morning rush these tiny enterprises disappear only to reappear the next day. This morning a man was harvesting coconuts from a tree in the ball field. I stopped to watch him and he seemed quite pleased that I was

interested. Unfortunately there was a wire fence and some distance from where I was to his tree but he showed me his rope that was looped up and over the tree so that he was holding both ends with one end having a loop at one end. Also disappointing was the fact that his wheelbarrow was full and he was done harvesting. He proudly pointed to his wheel barrow. And we both waved as I went on to the pool. Sometimes when I take pictures of people doing what I find interesting things I’m concerned that I may offend them, considering them like monkeys in a zoo, there for our entertainment, or looking down on them for their primitive ways. But the truth is I’m fascinated by everything that is different for no other reason than it is different.

I marvel at how hard they work, how ingenious they are at using, reusing and making do with what is available. No one bulldozes down a building to make a new one. They repair and remodel and use what is already there. Probably the only things that bothers me are the way garbage is dumped on street corner each night for the garbage trucks to pick up the next day. Many times by morning the street dogs have spread it around and it doesn’t all get collected. Recycling is coming about as I do see cardboard bundled

flat of 15 eggs and other fruit from the Mercado

together, but I would like to see plastic bags disappear from the planet. I now buy my eggs in a half flat tied up with string 15 at a time for about 30 pesos. Plastic bags get blown everywhere, and when they end up in the ocean can be mistaken by some fish as jelly fish. I would like to see Mexico and all countries return to bring your own shopping bag for your purchases. Some communities in our area have gone to no plastic and charging 5 cents for paper bags.

On my way back from the pool, the sky is blue, the air is soft and comfortably warm, more people are out but it still isn’t even close to hot. I stop by the mercado looking for celery. The only nice celery I see is at the stall with the grouchy, or at least unsmiling lady. But I also notice nice looking mangoes, so grouch or not she get my 30 pesos this morning.

Back at la casa the Senor is just getting up, and since he is the breakfast cook I’m treated to marvelous breakfast of fresh fruit on our sunny pleasantly

warm balcony. I’m not sure life gets any better. One of the many acquaintances we met while traveling on the bus told us, he’s american from LA, now living not too far from Zihuatanejo has married locally and has no intentions of returning to the states he says why should I, here everyone in happy, no one rushes, no hurry, everyone is relaxed, no road rage. 02 25 15 Signing off KO

HELADO AND OTHER STUFF

HELADO AND OTHER STUFF.

HELADO AND OTHER STUFF

I’m sure we have tried every ice cream place in El Centro, ice cream being one of my favorite foods. I used to be anal about only eating sugar free ice cream, not anymore life is too short to be too limiting. One of my pet peeves is that many of the ice cream stores don’t have seating. The senor won’t walk around while eating, even with ice cream he wants a place to sit, and of course not in the sun. At best the ice cream stores have only one or two tables and if they are taken you have to stand around, and some have none. The one that has the best seating only sells ice cream on a stick, and that’s one of my pet peeves. I don’t like the taste of wood with my ice cream. There are many ice cream vendors on 3 wheel bicycles. You know they are around by the sound of honking clown horn, but to get super yummy home made type ice cream you have to find the vendor with the galvanized tubs. Which is getting harder and harder to find unless you go out to Barre de Potsi.

We find we can get good ice cream at the movie theater across the street from us, the snack bar is open during the day when no movies are playing but in limited variety. For variety I like the one on the main drag by the plaza and basketball court that has some of the most unusual flavors I have ever heard of. They are more that willing to give you tastes of them too. I’ve tried several and so far I’ve liked them

all. Some of them seem really strange to be ice cream flavors, like cheese. While cheese ranks right up at the top of my favorite foods, cheese ice cream, I’m not so sure.

We used one of our raffle certificates from Sailfest to go out to dinner at La Puerta del Sol, a lovely spot high over La Ropa with what once would have been a fantastic view of the bay before the large building was built in front of it. It still has a nice peekaboo view of the sunset and a nice view of the lights of town. We had a very good meal mine of course being fish, but we sure enjoyed watching the couple next to us having there ceasar salad made right at their table. We wished we come later as Patricia Carrion was just starting her set as we were having desert. We have seen her before and really enjoy her style.

Last night we went to the movie in Ixtapa. The Senor prefers that theater to the one right across the street from us as it is modern. Me I have no problem with the quirky ancient theater across from us, but I liked it better when we first started going there as you could order chips and guacamole and watch while they made the guacamole fresh. Much better than popcorn, but unfortunately they no longer do it. We saw Birdman as there has been so much hype about it. Probably too sophisticated for our tastes, we didn’t care for it. 2 22 15

IXTAPA ISLAND OR IS IT ISLA GRANDE

We hear it both ways, we see signs for both and do not know which is correct, or the source of the two names. But like the rose no matter what you call it, it is a wonderful way to spend a day. We headed out with 8 in our group to Paradiso Escondido as the proprietor Juan has become a friend of ours . He arranged for our transportation to the pier making it a much quicker trip than the bus we usually take. A boat ride later and a short walk down the sandy beach and we are ensconced under the palapa protection of the noonday sun . We all stake out our territory be it a lounge or table chair and prepare to do nothing more than read or converse and eat and drink.

The beach is so relaxing it is so easy to do nothing. The Senor who is normally so out going that he makes friends standing in a ticket line, has been a bit of a recluse this trip, holed up in our room for days at a time watching TV. So it was good to see him out interacting with friends and making new ones. He spent half the day sitting at the next table making friends with folks from California.

It appears that I am the only swimmer in the group and impressed everyone when I swam out and around an anchored sail boat, I should have saved that swim for when the luxury yacht that laid anchor late in the afternoon and possibly made friends with them. But by that time I’d had a couple of margaritas and knew better. Dwight, Faye and I did go snorkeling on the back side where the colorful fish are. It is always a thrill to swim right

through a school of colorful fish, and if you bring cracker or tortilla crumbs they will eat out of your hand and swim all over you. The silver salesman had a good day, we all bought silver. I bought a ring as I leave all my gold rings at home when in Mexico. The shell man not so lucky , no one bought. Some young gals found some turtles

Juan was kind enough to return us to land in his own boat and requested we all wear life jackets something that never happens on the pangas. His concern for our safety was appreciated. He beached the boat making it easier for our group to exit the boat. Some of us prefer wading a bit in the surf to being hauled out of the boat to a pier that is 3 feet higher than the boat by a skinny young man who weighs less than half of us and is only going to get a few pesos if he is successful. That is always a scary situation, especially for folks with short legs and joints that no longer cooperate.

It was a wonderful day with great friends and the Senor and I returned to our casa to the smell of chicken cooking in our crock pot. A quick shower to remove the accumulated salt and sand. Then dinner and a movie from our pre-recorded movie library courtesy of our daughter April and her cleaver husband, who see to it that we are well stocked with entertainment. An absolutely perfect Zihua day. 2 20 15

signing off KO

VALENTINES DAY A VERY BIG DEAL

A few days before Valentines Day little temporary shops spring up everywhere selling items for this day of romance.There are heart shaped baloons, stuffed animals of all shapes and sizes, beautifully gift wrapped boxes,lovely flowers and floral displays designed to help you impress your amour. Red, pink and white balloons decorate many of the restaurants as a reminder to make reservations. Being as it was a Saturday it was bigger than usual.

I had lunch plans with a friend and we managed to get the last table in the restaurant, somehow it had escaped us that it was this day of importance. Following our lunch and since I was in the neighborhood I was to stop and make dinner reservations at La Gula. Obviously the Senor is no “romantico” as I was the one making the reservations and we had a certificate for $250 pesos off on our meal there courtesy of a Sailfest raffle. Being as it was a special day they were doing a special 4 course dinner with choice of entree. I warned him in advance what it was but he still said yes make the reservations but I knew this wasn’t going to please him. The Senor is more of a meat and potatoes guy, considering 22 years in the navy, he is more comfortable in a ships galley than fine dinning. So I knew there would be an issue.

He likes me to do the ordering as I can do that much in Spanish. My mistake was I thought we were going to have a choice of soup or salad, and a choice of chicken or fish, but no it was explained that we get both soup and salad. The senor says “Tell them no soup, it’s too much food, just the salad. I explain to him he’s paying for it, he is going to get it, and he doesn’t have to eat it. Our dinner was excellent, but he commented he would rather have a bigger salad and no soup.

No visit to Calle Adelita is complete with out a visit to the Cereus tree which only blooms at night. One night we actually watched as they began to pop open. It reallywas a good evening followed off with nite caps at the Flophouse Bar.

BACK HOME IN ZIHUATANEJO

It was a good trip toPatzcuaro, but we know we have only scratched the surface of this beautiful town and we will go again. We loved the little 5 table restaurant that was across theGertrudisBocanegra Square from our hotel. We had great interesting breakfasts, and a wonderful trout dinner there. We found both food and hotels to be very budget friendly. I really got to use my limited spanish, sometimes successfully, sometime not so. I became quite good a reading signs, directions, menus and such.

loosely translate the dogs are not of the street but of the people

But this sign was our favorite and I was able to tell the lady so. We had already noticed the street dogs in Patzcuaro didn’t seem” happy”, certainly not friendly, and very wary, quite unlike the street dogs we see in Zihuatanejo. I never saw anyone feed one or offer any kindness. And there is a large number of them.

I loved traveling in the upper deck of the bus, the front window seat is amazing although the fact that double yellow lines on the highway appear to be just a warning or a suggestion that this might not

be the best place to pass because our buss passed anywhere anytime he wanted to and oncoming traffic could just move over what I would normally call the fog line onto the shoulder. I don’t know how many times we were 3 abreast on a 2 lane road. As you board you are handed a “survival pack” your choice of water or bottled fruit drinks, an “empanada” sandwich and earphones for the video console that is directly in front of you that plays music, games or movies of many types. Of course they are all in Spanish. The seats are roomy, they lean back, it’s far more comfortable than the airlines.

the countryside was lovely everything from agricultural crops to avocado orchards to long needled pine trees reminiscent of the California mountains pines. We drove past this prison, I’ve seen a documentary on it and it wasn’t pretty,ours compared to this are resorts. I’m always impressed with how the Mexicans will make do and use what is available. But after driving through 3 other toll plazza that were manned by regular staff was was this on manned by a group of young people behaving rudely and collecting money.

I guess this road work crew ran out of orange cones. I do so enjoy mexico, everyday is an adventure. 2 14 15 Signing off KO

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