Zihuatanejo

Everyday Life in Zihuatanejo

Even the most ordinary days seem extraordinary to me here partially because of the weather, partially because there is always something to do if you want to, everyone is friendly and helpful, the Mexican people are warm and caring. Everyday is extraordinary in it’s own way, but not necessarily “exciting!”

There are three beaches that I frequent ,

Playa Las Gatas you take a water taxi to and I like to swim and snorkel there, Playa La Ropa, is a fifty cent bus ride away and is great for socializing, lunching, listening to music, and going in the water to bob around, but I don’t like to swim there. Too many boats pulling para-sails, jet skiers. Ixtapa Island, where one side of the island is great for just swimming and the Coral Beach side, a short hike over the hill has great snorkeling, but difficult for me to get out of the waves and surf on the Coral side. I need someone to haul me out as I don’t have good balance on sand that is shifting fast under my feet.

I love music and just about every night of the week I can find a good music to enjoy. Be it classic rock and roll, blues, balladeers, or classic Mexican music it is here. Most of it is played early in the evening around sunset or just after and most end before 10 Although the typical Mexican music scene might not begin until 10 and last until 4 or later, one club that features fantastic Mexican music caters to the gringos on Monday night and play an early set at 6-10 pm.

There is fun to be had all around in Zihuatanejo, it helps to check out the local message group, Zihuatanejo Let’s Chat to learn about activities and events and share experiences. The meet and greets on Tuesday evenings at Patty’s on La Ropa are a great opportunity to connect with folks and meet new friends. Even though I am traveling solo this season, I have no problem joining in activities or finding friends to accompany me. Life is good. Signing off KO

My New Years Eve

I had a great visit with family and friends over the Christmas Holiday, our first in getting the whole family together in about 20 years, but it is too hectic to travel at that time of year and too cold in Western Washington for me. Hopefully further reunions will be in the summer and without the need to shop for gifts for everyone.

It was great to arrive back in Zihuatanejo just in time to celebrate the New Year. I hadn’t made any New Year plans before I left and no idea what anyone else’s plans were so I decided to go bar hopping by myself at all the usual haunts. It worked out great I visited with old friends, met new friends and had a fun evening all over El Centro. Didn’t get home until 3AM, surprised myself.

The fireworks at midnight were spectacular, and unlike previous years the band that played at the Zocolo was really good. And their sound system was perfect. Too much of the time all you hear is thumping bass played at ear splitting decibels way too late in the wee hours of the morning. Not so with this band. Sound quality and levels were right on. The Zocolo was so crowded you could hardly walk through it, but everyone was happy, dancing in the streets, just a super way to kick out the old year and start a new one.

I am starting a new chapter in my life, final divorce papers were signed by the judge on December 31st and I am officially an independent woman. This isn’t where I expected to be at this time in my life, but I couldn’t be happier. My only New Year resolution is to make the most of everyday.

I spent a good portion of New Year’s Day, clearing out cupboards and closets, hung my new hand made bead and cork curtain in the doorway between the living room and bedroom. Previously there was a bamboo curtain that made noise every time you went through it, this one is quiet and recovered my couch using just a sheet. It looks better, we’ll see how well it holds up. Then had lunch with a very good friend. Tomorrow, back to swimming on a regular basis. Signing off KO

PS Have spent 2 days trying to get pictures taken on my new Iphone which has a separate email account attached to it to post to the blog. Just can’t do it yet.

It’s Beginning to Look Like a Lot Christmas

Signs of Christmas are popping up everywhere and Zihuatanejo is quite clever and artistic with how they do Christmas trees. There are a few cut evergreen tree here, but the weather isn’t conducive to them lasting until Christmas.

I have decorated, put out the nativity scene, a couple of Santa’s here and there hung the

wreath on the balcony and I was done. Took me maybe ten minutes, at home it took me two days minimum. I’m enjoying the simplicity.

El Centro Zihuatanejo shines this Christmas season like the brightest star! All through the pedestrian streets there is a canopy of sparkling lights. The Zocolo is in full dress with enormous lighted gift packages for people to stand in and have their picture taken.

It makes people happy just to walk around and admire it, take pictures, visit with friends, simple enjoy the splendor. It’s so beautiful it almost makes me sad to leave this beauty to go home for a week at Christmas, but then I am anxious to have all 4 of my children together for the first Christmas in probably 20 years, and to have most of the grand-kids there also.

Yesterday our street decorated their shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of this state and then carried her through the streets of town to the local church. They were trying to attach lights with bobby pins when I donated a spool of wire to the cause.

Signing off KO

The Parthenon, a Crocodile, and Wine Tasting, What a Day!

I knew Morgan would find the Parthenon interesting. She had been anxious to see it since she first spied it from the water taxi. When I last was there you could only get in on a Saturday, not knowing if things had changed I decided we would go on a Saturday and check it out. I had been warned that the Government had now taken possession of it and would be restoring it and you couldn’t get in any more. I don’t like being told no, so we went any way after a quick stop at the Saturday Morning Market we walked down Calle Adelita, up what I call Mount Irma, past the Hotel Irma to the road to La Ropa and

further down the road you come to the Military Barracks where there is a side road that clearly says cars are not allowed to go up it. I think at this point Morgan doubted my ability to read Spanish as it made her a little nervous not following rules by a Military installation. But then she grew up a Navy Brat so I forgave her her reluctance and we began the very steep, rocky climb up this road. Neither of us had had the sense to wear tennis shoes and we tackled this climb in our sandals. Once at the top we meet a nice young soldier with the very scary looking gun and I asked if we could go in. In very rapid Spanish he replied something and pulled out his phone, and finally said to us something but I recognized that we would be called and he pointed to the gate. A man soon opened the gate and at first said no, it would require a permit from the Government in Acapulco but after a bit of finagling he changed his mind and we went in.

This was once the party place for an extremely crooked cop from Mexico City. It is in very dilapidated condition, but you can still visualize and feel the elegance that once was there. Because everything from how the land was acquired to the cost of the elegance of the construction of the building and of the parties given there you have to reflect on how many little people were stepped on for him to acquire such wealth. Because of that there is a faction that would like it torn down. I would like to see it preserved, not necessarily restored as it is beautiful, even in ruins. Morgan stated she would have liked to have had 6 changes of clothes and pretended to be on a fashion shoot.

From there we walked further down La Ropa Rd and headed to the beach at our first opportunity and walked down to El Manglar to have lunch with the crocodiles. We were ready for cool drinks and a good lunch as we had logged in 3 miles at this point. We had a great lunch with a crocodile lazing about 8 feet away from us. and yes there was a 3 foot high fence between us.

I finish off the day at the wine tasting at the Beach at Sotovento. Interesting, but far to hot at the beach and nowhere was there shade. Signing off KO

The DIY Project from Hell

I’ve always been a “do it your self person”, partly out of necessity and partly for self satisfaction. I’ve been sewing clothing since I was 12 a skill that served me well since I had 4 children to dress for school. I sewed the boys t-shirts, the girls dresses and party dresses, one wedding gown and one sport coat. I don’t say this to brag just to demonstrated I really do have some skill. So you would think making curtains for this apartments three windows in the living room area would be a fairly simple task. Well it wasn’t.

It may have been partly the very light weight sheer fabric I chose, or the inexpensive singer sewing machine I picked up here, or may be it wasn’t the best thread for the fabric and it may have been just me! Anyway to make a long story short I was just making panels that were 60 inches wide with a heading at the top and a hem at the bottom and there were to be 4 panels in each of the curtains for the 2 short windows and 8 panels for the slider door as the fabric was shear I wanted volume so you couldn’t see right through from the outside, but wouldn’t feel closed in inside.

Well the seams puckered and as the fabric frayed it had to be double seamed which seemed to make it worse and the full length of the slider made it difficult to manage sewing on that much slippery fabric and as I kept adding panels, even though the fabric itself was lightweight, the bulk of it became heavy and pulled as I sewed. But I finally got the curtains constructed and it was time to hang them.

I had bought new curtain rods and needed to take down the old ones which had probable been used over the last century and the walls have had many coats of paint which made it difficult to get them down. I finally had to get help from my upstairs neighbor to get the screw out on the two small windows. Then I was able to put up the new ones. When it got time to do the slider door, thankfully I had a friend who was willing come over and remove the old rod and hang the new rod since it was going in a slightly different place. So the rod is up, curtains are all done except for sewing the rings on that I had brought from home. What a mistake that was, first of all my math skills are legendary and I was short 15 rings. Then I had planned to sew them on with the sewing machine. Well I couldn’t do it with this machine, mine at home would have, but not this one so it was all done by hand. Then as I couldn’t match the missing rings I ended up using plastic electric tie loops for the missing rings and the damn things are hung. But I like them, they do exactly what I wanted, the side short ones give just enough privacy with out blocking light the slider door ones pull clear off the door for the day time, and a quick pull at night and they give just enough privacy at night that we are not visible from the street. I happy, the project is done, I will never, ever, ever make curtains again and probably only use this machine for mending,

I only have one more DYI project and that is recovering the couch. I’ll let you know how that goes. Signing off KO

Social Life in Mexico

With the weather here being lovely and warm, actually it is quite unseasonably hot this year many days in the 90’s, you get your business and shopping done in the early morning, then beach or siesta during the hottest part of the day. I’ve almost become a commuter to La Ropa beach where I have never spent much time in previous years. It’s a 10 peso bus ride about 50 cents, takes less than 20 minutes and almost unending choice of restaurants and lounge chairs. It’s not my favorite place to swim or play in the water, but it’s great for relaxing with a cooling breeze, lunching or dinning or socializing or watching the sunset.

Morgan wanted to eat at El Manglar where the crocodiles swim in the estuary right beside your table. We chose to have dinner there and had a great dinner, but too dark to see any crocs. The waiter promised her if she would come back for lunch he would call them for her.

I’ve been attending several of the” meet and greets” at Paty’s with the cool breeze that blows in through her upstairs pavilion. It is marvelous in the late afternoon. It is also a great opportunity to meet many of the folks who enjoy Zihuatanejo. I frequently find I’m the only American in the group as the large portion of the seasonal population is Canadians. It’s OK we all play well together and enjoy the exquisite sunsets there.

Friday and Saturday nights Steve and friends play great rock and roll music at Rossy’s on La Ropa catering to a crowd that is primarily gray but can still dance like junior high. They play from 5-7 allowing folks to be back home before it’s too dark or go on to other places for dinner. I can still catch a combi back and not have to pay the higher taxi fee but at that time of night it is full of folks returning from work and you may be ridding with 20 or more folks on a 15 passenger combi. Such is Mexico.

Spent a lovely afternoon at El Pirita listening to Solo Tres, who sing the most beautiful Mexican music, one of those special groups where the blend of their voices is pure magic.

Several of the bars in El Centro, the downtown part of Zihuatanejo where I live, have live music on various nights. Jimmi Mamou is a long time favorite in Zihuatanejo, 10 years ago he was invited to play at Guitar Fest and he never left. Folks are friendly and will invite me to join them and some times I img_2220-1 invite myself which I did one night only to discover the lady was from my home town, Port Orchard. I don’t know who was more surprised, she or me. Life here is warm, friendly and casual.. Can’t ask for more than that. Signing off KO

Woke Up Feeling Great

I woke up this morning feeling great, it’s the first time in 2-3 weeks I can honestly say that. I have had a cough and a bowel disturbance for the past few weeks, but I didn’t consider myself sick. I feel so good today I now realize, I was sick. Guess I was in denial. I think it’s the first time I’ve been sick in 10 years or so. Glad it’s over, time to get on with life and do a little catch up here.

About a week ago I went on a nature hike guided by Elizabeth Brady, a local gal with an abundance of knowledge of the local natural plant life. We walked through an area that was completely wild, meaning nothing there had been planted it was all natural plant life. I learned about toxic plants, for one the “chile gato” plant that has a quite attractive flower and a small fuzzy tail that is some what a cross between a cat’s tail and the marsh plant referred to as “cat tails”. I’m glad I’m aware it’s toxic as other wise I would be drawn to it to either pick or touch. There were many lovely

blooms and interesting trees. One the fruit grows on the trunk of the tree rather than the branches and another was a parasitic tree, but it also can live independently of its host.

One plant produces a fruit that can be used to launder your clothes with. Saw a couple of beautiful spider webs complete with occupants and caught a glimpse of a small herd of cattle who are lucky enough to reside there. img_2146-1 All in all it was an interesting morning. Signing off KO

Settling in to Every Day Life

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

Dia de la Revolucion Parade

Mexico’s Revolution Day (Dia de la Revolucion) is a national public holiday that celebrates a 10-year revolution that began in 1910 to end the struggle against dictator José de la Cruz Porfirio Diaz Mori. It is on the third Monday in November, near the official day of November 20. In Zihuatanejo it is celebrated with a huge parade with most of the schools participating. It was a perfect day for the parade, Zihuatanejo gave her brightest blue skies for the event, temps in the low to mid 80’s. The parade route goes down my street, so we watched the parade with our morning coffee from the balcony.

The parade was scheduled to start at 9. Nothing starts on time in Mexico but at 8:40 the parade was coming down my street. Never heard of anything ever happening early than the announced time, usually an hour late, but the parade was here and we watched all 4 hours of kids dressed up as revolutionary characters in traditional dress, drum and bugle groups, dancers in beautiful costumes. Teen age students building human pyramids, others somersaulting through hoops of fire. Like everything in Mexico, it was loud, colorful, beautiful and very interesting.

76762488_1464356883740719_836531390127276032_n

76683397_1413176342183602_3960748239698788352_n

76246697_1015612015457453_3313235899252211712_n

After a morning of no internet, signing off KO

Living Local

Items I purchased at the Zihuatanejo’s Publico Mercado

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

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: