Zihuatanejo

We are down to our last week to enjoy Zihuatanejo. I know for many that is the entire vacation  time they have. It was that way for us once, but now that we are retired we find no need to have winter in our lives and choose to spend that season in the warmth, sunshine and friendliness of Zihuatanejo. Staying as long as we do also means that we have accumulated much “stuff” that make  our apartment homelike. Storage has always an issue, but our current apartment manager has been accommodating and  has stored our 5 crates in his store-room.

But this year is different as we are changing apartments and renting it full-time.  In

December when we made our arrangements with the new apartment our idea had been to start our rent in March and slowly move our stuff over and get the new items we would need and be all set up for our return in November. But the land lord had  already had a commitment for March and April, so that didn’t work. Now the issue of storage really became a problem until our good friend and upstairs neighbor said she could store our boxes until our return. So problem solved, there is exactly enough space to store our now 6 storage boxes.

Our job this last week to pack so none are too heavy and nothing breaks and make sure we are in sync with the young man who will do the lifting and trotting them down 3 flights of stairs and then up one flight of stairs and stowing them on an over head shelf.

We have been 10 years in this one spot and really loved central location. We won’t miss the music and noise from the all night bars that spew drunks onto the streets at 5:30 AM. We won’t miss the clanging of metal weights from the gym across the street, especially now that they have expanded to their roof top which is eye level with our balcony.  We won’t miss the announcer from the Zocolo always calling for “aplauso, aplauso” after every performer and the high-pitched voice of the kids clown. The noise from the Zocolo funnels right down our street, at times its pleasant other times just annoying and I spend a great deal of evening time on the balcony.

We will miss the friendly neighbors in our building. We’ll miss  watching the humming birds flit between the two feeders that are on each side of our pedestrian street, watching them balance at the very tippy top of a palm frond ‘ll miss seeing baby doves nested in the coconut palms. We already miss the view of the bay we had before the row of palm trees were planted down the middle of the street and grew so tall to just about block the entire bay view. We will miss the frequent evening gatherings downstairs at Javiers when a couple of guitars come out.

There are lots to miss but much to look forward to. Our new apartment has a great kitchen area, a separate large bedroom, only one flight of stairs and a nice balcony. It is situated so that the breeze from the bay blows through the apartment keeping it quite cool and comfortable.  We are still just a block and

1/2 off the bay and a block and a half from our old apartment.  And most importantly we can choose to furnish and decorate it as we please. Life will be good! Signing off KO

Mexico is loud, vibrant and colorful! From the candy carts to the food that is served, from the flowers and trees to the colorful dress there is color everywhere.

There is music everywhere, soft guitar music played by the many s

trolling musicians. The loud, ruckus music(?) blaring from some of the all night bars and some  quality old rock and roll and blues played by both gringo and mexican. And then of course there is a fellow who strolls around with his very poor quality amplified speaker mounted on a tall tripod and sings to the music from it.  It’s awful.

Zihuatanejo has many beautiful bronze statues placed around the El Centro area, but this is not one of them.  I

don’t know what it is suposed to represent, but it looks to me like two space aliens, I keep expecing some one to paint some slitty eyes on them.  And more over  they were constructed where a very funcional bus stop used to be.

Walking around town there are murals, flowers and beautiful trees full of little berries. No matter where you look there is color.

There is now color on the tomato farm! Our planter box tomato farm which we started from seeds early December is now providing us with lovely ripe red tomatoes. Signing off KO

I’m fortunate that my birthday falls in February so that I get to celebrate my birthday

with our many friends here is Zihuatanejo. We opted to go again to Sr. Pintos again for the celebration as it is not only a beautifully decorated place with with a running waterfall and a mayan pyramid.  The large are in the back lends itself to a large group rather well. There were 20 some in our group and still plenty of room for regular diners both up front and in the back area

with out any crowding. The menu is interesting and with lots of different choices, the Senior had some very meaty ribs and  I had blackened catfish. The lighting is soft, so soft it’s difficult to read the menu with out additional light, ( cell phone flashlights sure come in handy)

Stefania the lovely daughter of the owners, has the voice of an angel. She  sang not only Happy Birthday, but sang When Irish Eyes are Smiling and several more popular tunes.  Quite the treat!

The cake was the luscious Tres Leches from the “Pink” bakery on Vicente Guerrero, the most moist cake ever created. Thank you to all my friends for making my birthday special. Signing off KO

 

Last minute plans last Friday had us heading out to Ixtapa Island or as it is also called Isla Grande. Our friends were getting a ride to the beach at Playa Linda and then the boat from Paraiso Escondio was to pick them up as a mobility issue makes the water taxi an impossibility.  We were to take the bus and then the water taxi and meet them at Paraiso Escondio.  The water was really choppy, the most I had ever seen it and boarding the water taxi was not easy, but since you are stepping down into the boat and with a couple of strong young men to help it’s do able. But getting  off  on the other side  is a whole different thing, you have to step up on the side of the boat, then step up again to the pier steps while the boat is rocking back and forth and up and down. The young men are there to pull you up, but they have no understanding that my knees don’t work quite like normal and for a minute I thought about just bailing out and swimming for the beach. I did manage to get on the pier but was quite sure I was going to fall backwards for a minute. I’ll be interested in what my knee doctor has to say about what more I can do to improve  the range of motion in this  second artificial knee or am I just stuck like this

Has a lovely day, sun in the sky, feet in the sand, drink in the hand good food, good company to visit with and a warm ocean to swim in.  It just doesn’t get much better than that.

The way back was much easier as we rode back to Playa Linda with our friends in the restaurant’s boat, which pulls right up on the sand making it easy to hop in and same thing on the other side just swing your legs over the side and wade on in.

We always like t visit the crocodrillo sanctuary  that also includes many birds, turtles and iguanas. Signing off KO

 

 

I had almost forgot about all the little things you see by walking around /zihuatanejo.  Due to my recent knee replacement my doctor said get plenty of rest, no cooking no cleaning, and no walking. So except for the cooking and cleaning I’ve pretty much obeyed doctors orders, But it is now 3 months since the replacement and I should be healed and I am walking again. I walked back from the swimming pool the other day and then walked from el Centro all the way down calle Adelita and once again I am amazed at all the little things you take time to notice when you are walking.  How much you miss if you always take the bus or taxi.

The Senor has difficulties walking these days, between sciatica and neuropathy in one foot he just can’t walk much without needing to stop and rest. So that makes me a solo walker, but that’s OK I can choose my own path and pace and marvel at some of Mexico’s little treasures. On calle Adelita I discovered this beautiful stone wall, the simplicity of it is amazing. It is basically a tall cage about 8 ft or so and about 8-10 feet wide and about a foot deep. It is made of a metal framework in about 1-2 foot squares backed by sturdy woven wire. The inside of this cage is filled with loose stones. No mortar necessary. But it makes a beautiful, and extremely strong and durable wall. 

 

 

 

 

Just before the bridge to the La Madera side there is this young boy, 10 ish helping his mother at their gift and coconut stand. What caught my eye is this young man is swinging a machete to cut the coconuts while his mother set their wares out on the table. Now I know that it is not that uncommon here, but at home 10 year olds have mothers hovering over them when they use sharp scissors.

 

 

 

 

 

You see hammock every where, on balconies, back rooms of shops, babies are rocked in them so moms can work. Even little kittens have hammocks to relax in.  If I ever have another kitten I will make sure it has a hammock. Signing off KO

The Senor likes to fish and he isn’t particular about what kind of fish, he just likes to fish. Fortunately at home we live on a small lake which our community stocks with trout each spring. That keeps him quite happy for a good part of the summer, and we are close to good crabbing areas which he also enjoys.  This is good for me to as I am basically a “fishatarian”, I don’t eat meat. So this is a win win proposition for both of us.

In Zihuatanejo where the fish is so plentiful, I’m  in hog heaven, but is a little costly to go fishing here. But a couple of days ago he found a fishing partner and the plan was to “go for a boat ride” that way if they get skunked their is no disappointment. Well that’s the idea anyway. While Paul and the Senor were fishing Faye and I were going to shop in Ixtapa. The first stop was the Ixtapa Marina for breakfast. This is our second breakfast at  Fishers and we knew exactly what we were going for, this lovely breakfast cocktail called a Pepillin and this fantastic emanada dish of eggs, poblano peppers, cheese all done up in this wonderful sauce. Of course this is complete with a view of millionaires yachts docked at the marina. Lovely way to start the day. We did our shopped at several stores, but the Mic-Mac shop was the favorite we we both found more things we wanted than we had money.

Before we were done with breakfast a call came on my cell phone that the boat ride had turned into a fishing trip after all.

The Senor had landed a rather large Dorado. It ended up the only fish of the trip but the had a great day on the water and I have a freezer full of dorado. Several years prior the Senior had caught a sail fish, and now his dorado,  and what is this word, marlin I keep hearing now.   Signing off KO

 

 

 

 

Sailfest is a fun week of activities that are planned for the purpose of raising money to benefit the poorest children in Zihuatanejo. But we the visitors to Zihuatanejo benefit greatly while supporting this worthy cause by having a “hell of a good time”. I busied my self with a few shifts of selling t-shirts, raffle tickets and event tickets and sailboat cruises and adventures.

Sailfest begins with a welcome dance that was so hugely attended it filled two waterfront restaurants, while folks danced in the sand to Expressions Inmune, a wonderful local Mexican band that has been supporting Sailfest for several years playing good old rock n roll. While the crowd is primarily grey, this was not a sedated group listening politely to the music. No it was more like  a bunch of grey haired teenagers dancing and bopping  to the music they have loved for so long.

Tuesday night brought us the M-Dock concert, another band who has been coming to Zihuatanejo to promote Sailfest since its inception. Their warm up band was another local Mexican band that was most excellent and got everybody warmed up dancing, and M-Dock kept the dance floor full the whole night. There were plenty of drinks and food available, a good time was had by all, except maybe me as I had severely pulled a leg muscle and was hobbling around on a cane. No dancing for me this year.

Wednesday is a crowd favorite with the chili cook off and silent auction where the food was hot and the bidding hotter. I did manage to score a few dinner certificates . So now the Senor will now have to take me out to eat.

Thursday is rally round the rock, a sailboat race out of the bay and around the rock and return.  I have yet not seen or participated in this event. But I think I want to participate in it next year.

Friday was the Gala Dinner at El Mediterraneo, a lovely restaurant the dinner was quite nice, the company was good, but my personal opinion I’m done going to these big dinners where you have a choice of one of two items. If I’m going to eat out and pay for my meal I want to order off the menu. I”ll find plenty of other ways to support Sailfest.

Saturday was the Sail Parade out around the bay then out to Ixtapa to pay respects to the port captain, then each boat is on its own to do as the group chooses.  We headed to Ixtapa Island, moored out away then most of us jumped in to swim in the salty brine. You just can’t help but float, my feet just bob up to the top.

Monday the volunteers were treated to a party at Gloria’s lovely Las Palmas residence. The weather was fantastic, the food and drink plentiful, the music was good, the pool a pure pleasure, at times it looked like standing room only as everyone walked around with a drink in their hand.

Sailfest is done for this year, I’m sure it was quite profitable, every year seems to outdo the previous. I had a great time and look forward to volunteering, and participating. It’s the least I can do for this lovely community I am lucky enough to live in 4 months of the year.  Signing off KO

 

Since I lap swim pretty much 5 days a week I though It would be great to kayak on Sundays. Living on a lake and near Puget Sound I have a little background in kayaking and a friend and I earlier kayaked to Las Gattas for the day. Paddling a kayak is the easy part , for me the getting in and out is the difficult part. At home Puget Sound is about 45 degrees, even in the summer.   In Mexico  the water is warm about 82 degrees and a water launch is no problem.  I arrived at La Madera Beach about 9:30, earlier than the kayak people.  But they soon came and I struck my deal of an hour and a half for 200 pesos.

I pushed the kayak into the water and climbed in, not very gracefully, but only wet to my knees.  Timed the waves just right and paddled right over them and I was on my way.  (I’ll admit these were just little breakers)

My plan was to cross over to the clear green water along the path to Las Gattas hope fully to see some under water life. Either the water was too deep, or underwater life not cooperative as I didn’t see anything special there. But that’s OK as it is only the

destination and the trip was marvelous.  Saw only one kayak on the way over and waved to the family of 4 enjoying their outing. Enjoyed the quite on the water, watching birds circle, loving the warm air and the cooling breeze, and singing old camp canoeing songs to myself.  Perfectly wonderful, peaceful way to spend a morning.

I was quite proud of my return beach landing, but I now realize coming clear on to the beach is not the best for me. The kayak is on the beach with me swinging  my legs over one side and a 10 year old “muchacho” holding out his hand to help me stand up.  Little does he know that this is almost an impossibility for me to get from a crouched position to a standing position with less than 2 men and a small boy pulling. While he tried valiantly several times I simply can not get my knees to cooperate. (Now it’s real easy to blame everything on my 2 artificial knees, but I think I need to do some serious working on leg muscles.) Now two ladies of similar age of me recognized the difficulties I was having and came to the rescue and after many more tries with the three of them I finally got to my feet. I think in  future trips I simple need to get off the kayak in waist deep water and walk the kayak to shore.  (That won’t work in Puget Sound, but there I usually kayak with a group or maybe I need a wet suit so I can solo)

After a quick lunch at La Madera I walked up to the mercado to get a few things needed for the next day and quickly returned to our apartment to shower and head out to do my shift at the Sailfest Desk. A common fault of mine is crowding too much into too small of a time period which leaves me rushing.  I did my 4 hour shift, mostly sitting and when I got up I could hardly walk. I had done some serious pulling or stretching of muscles trying  to haul myself up out of that kayak. Hobbled back to the apartment decided that a bottle of wine an some movie watching was it for me. The next morning was worse, no dancing for me tonight at the Sailfest Welcome party. Signing off KO