Christmas Zihuatanejo 2021

Christmas in Mexico is noisy, loud, colorful, musical, festive and fun.

I went out for dinner Christmas Eve about 6:00 as the family party across the alley from me was just starting their festivities and the music was cranked up volume large. When I returned around 10pm the party was in full swing, music still going. I woke around 3am and the party was still going strong with the music blaring, at 5am when I got up the music had stopped, but they were still visiting, talking and laughing. I have to admire their stamina. I’m sure a good time was had by all. This is so typical of a Mexican fiesta, happy it doesn’t happen every night.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night. Signing off KO

THE POINSETTIA MART

This is a beautiful time of year in Zihuatanejo. We all look forward to this fantastic display of poinsettias in all sizes and colors. The red will always be my favorite.

I took the 1/2 mile or so walk along the paved bicycle path with my cart to get to Kyoto Circle to select my poinsettias. That way I don’t have to carry them home. This little cart doubles as a laundry cart, a shopping cart and has even helped people move from one apartment to another. It’s the 3 wheeled type that makes climbing stairs easier.

The poinsettia vendors are enjoying what I call a “pallet park” with swings, tables and chairs all made from pallets located beside where they have set up

My balcony is now decorated for Christmas. I may add a string of lights across the front. The old ones I had wouldn’t light up this year. Tomorrow I will have to purchase new. I tried to bring some solar fairy lights from home for my large fern type plant at the end of the balcony, but with the street light at the opposite end of the balcony they won’t come on. It just won’t get dark enough. Surprisingly I haven’t seen any solar Christmas lights here at all.

Just a reminder to tap the small pictures to see them full size. Signing off KO

TWAS THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

Christmas in Mexico has been, fun, interesting and very different.  There isn’t the “in your face” commercialism, not on the TV, not in the stores, and certainly not in the tiendas, the little shops.  I had to look long and hard to find some interesting Christmas ornaments to bring home to my family.  The big Comercial had the standard balls and a few

The nativity scene out side the church
The nativity scene out side the church

cheap decorations, but nothing special.  But I did pursue and found some nice ones.  Christmas trees here are interesting,

Tree of corn husks
Tree of corn husks

many are quite creative.  I was disappointed that the church bell seems not to be working this year, with the church just round the corner I usually hear them.  I misses that. We spent Christmas day much in our usual way, the Senor watching television, I went for  walk, visited with friends at one of the beach front restaurants, feed the chickens, and found  sweet street dog to

Sweet street dog
Sweet street dog

give our left overs to.  The day was overcast at first then changed to sun, we ended our day watching  movie just like we would have at home.  But this time we watched on the computer transferred to the TV instead of going out to a theater.  there are 2 theatres here, but none showing anything we liked in a language we could understand.

For the past several days there have been programs t the plaza, they last until 10 or sometimes later.  None on Christmas eve as it would have been rained out.  There is music, comedians and children programs and because of the mexicans love of loud speakers they can be heard from our balcony loud and clear.  When it’s music it’s nice, but the comedians and other speakers tend to be a bit annoying.  Last night I decided to go see hat the action was as it didn’t appear to be to busy.  I’m not  fan of tight crowds.  Lots going on but not jam-packed but they little battery powered cars for kids to rent and ride around all over the plaza.  to me it looked those carnival bumper cars turned out in public, with kids

20141225_174727creening all over, some running into each other purposely, some not on purpose.  Absolutly crazy, sometimes you had to move quick to avoid being run over, but I don’t believe there is a mexican word for “liability”.  Signing off KO

IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE DAY

Woke up this morning to the sound of rain, it’s another cloudy day with a bit of a fine Washington mist now coming down. Not enough to get you wet, and it’s warm.  I decided that I need to swim more or I won’t be in shape for Sharkfest in Troncones on Jan 10th. So at 7:30 this morning I went to Playa La Madera, just a short walk from where we stay and swam 3 laps out and back around a sailboat anchored out.  This is to become my new morning routine.  I can walk at other times, but there is almost no one at the beach at that time of the day and it is close to my normal home routine.

Since our TV service is not currently carrying the Senor’s favorite channel, I’ve learned to stream it from another source.  I use the word learn loosely, more like just plain luck, but it keeps him happy and informed.

View of the angel
View of the angel

The Senor decided he needs a new white shirt to wear with his dress white shorts for our Christmas Eve dinner so we will do some brief shopping this morningOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAand hopefully check in with the sand artist as I hope this rain hasn’t damaged his work of art.  Meantime we are playing Christmas music on my I pod and enjoying our little Christmas display, feeling just “Christmasy” enough.

Met with success on our shopping trip,  the senor got his new shirt and I learned that a “bolsa” is not only a bag or purse but also a pocket. Checked in with the sand carver, I’m so impressed. It’s been fun watching the progess and so glad the rain hasn’t hurt his work of art. He  has brought me much enjoyment
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Tonight we will join friends and enjoy a Christmas feast at Daniels, and enjoy the music of Jimmi Mamou  FelizeNavidad from our casa to yours.  Signing off KO

Our Christmas display
Our Christmas display

slowly findi g my way in espanol

The plan for the day was to attend the Sat morning market, the “ecologiatianguissanka”, a charming littlebazzar composed of local artist making hand crafted items, many from recycled materials and organic foods that are usually served on a banana leaf. I found several things I  liked, but settled on a Christmas decoration for one of y daughters. I have more time for other purchases and limited suitcase space. My purchase had tobe done in Spanish, rocky but successful. Next was to get our phones set up. I knew where a

Sat AM Bazar
Sat AM Bazar

Telcel store was,  the one with the  handsome young man with the grey eyes who spoke fair, but not proficient english. Together we got my regular home cell phone up and running, and then he ran out of sim cards.  But one phone does us little good as we use them just to communicate with each  other.  So now I’m off to a different Tel cell  (they are as common as coffee stands at home.)  But here no english is spoken.   None the less I leave with the  Senor’s phone up and running. Next  I run into our friends from Ixtapa, Iswear all you need to do is just walk around town and you will eventually meet everyone you know.

Onward to purchase a hamburgerguesa from the corner bar for the Senor who has opted for a day of football and socializing at the Captians Daughter.  The cook speaks good english but he his going to make me do it all in Spanish.  Good practice, but makes me nervous but I do try.

After a brief siesta I’m off to the Posada in the La Madera neighborhood.  I am told this is very traditional Mexico. A block or two is blocked off from street traffic.   Both sides of the street are lined with tables with a variety of food, drink and other wares, much like at any bazar.

street of posada
street of posada

It begins with the children dressed as Mary and Joseph along with an angel and another child at the top of the street where folks are gathered arround  singing what appers to be a song with many, many verses, then the ribbon across the street is

singing just prior to posda
singing just prior to posda

dropped and the children parade down to the front of the stage and sit in the first row and you don’t see them again. On stage sits the childrens orchastra, dressed in jeans and white shirts. The program proceeds much like the School Christmas programs, the orchestra plays and they are good, a group of children singing stand below. Some music was familiar, others not. Christmas carols that we are familiar were sung in spanish of course, but the absolute star of the program was when they sang the beatles

Orchastra and choir
Orchastra and choir

“Imagine” in english, show casing the voices of two teenage fellows with great voices, an absolute show stopper.  The startling difference between this program and kids christmas programs at home was much of the audience had beer or other drinks in their hands.  Next were some folkloric dancers, very good, and then a group of latin dancers who were ok.

A pinata was hung from a tree in the center of the street and the kids gathered around to take turns batting at it until it would break. The man from the latin dancers got upset came and told them to stop the pinata until his group was done dancing on the stage. I was takings pictures of the kids and he told me “pinata later, now dancing” I think they did one more dance and it was pinata time again. He wasn’t making any friends  They did several pinatas and when the pinata finally breaks it is definitely a dog pile and the kids grab all they can get.  I’m amazed no one gets hurt, but the kids here tough and not whiney at all. Fun evening!

After returning to our ‘casa” Ii look out from the balcony and there is an art show set up in the street below.  Of course I went down to see, I’m forever amazed a the beautiful

street art show
street art show

art here. The big news for the day is the Senor finally has his TV going, still can’t get all the channels he wants but he cn live with this.  Thanks to all who helped.  Signing oiff KO

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Morning moon over Zihuatanejo
Morning moon over Zihuatanejo

Last night we had a rip roaring thunder an lightening storm.   Beautiful but only  lasted about an hour , but the lightening was spectacular and only a brief flicker of a power failure. This morning I woke to a  almost  daylight sky with a full moon shinning in thru our patio door,  and clear skies.  But what to my wondering eyes should appear over the bay but a whole string of lights  that had never been there before.  Thankfully my camera

cruise ship super zoom
cruise ship super zoom

has a good zoom, I can’t hold the  camera still enough to get a good picture on super zoom, but good enough to see that it was a large cruise ship.  I knew no cruise ships had scheduled stops in Zihuatanejo this year, so I suspect they were seeing safe harbor from the storm.  By one that afternoon they were gone.

Cruise ship Amadeus bound for French Polynesian Islands
Cruise ship Amadeus bound for French Polynesian Islands

 

 

 

 

 

Also yesterday a large yacht came into the bay.  I wonder now if they had warnings about the weather and decided to “slum it overnight” in our bay. Yachts like that aren’t the average visitor here.

Yacht in Zihuatanejo Bay
Yacht in Zihuatanejo Bay

I keep finding traces of Christmas here and there. No one is in a hurry to take down the decorations.  On my morning quest to get my newspaper I discovered this large cactus still decorated. But I didn’t find the paper. At 8:30 I was told come back at 1-00.  I went back  2:30 and I was told manana.  Now I have learned that manana does not necessarily mean tomorrow, it just simply means not today.

Cactus Christmas tree
Cactus Christmas tree

As I write this it is just a little after midnight I’m sitting on the balcony listening to music coming from about 3 different bars. The temperature is in the high 70’s right now and a little humid.  There is a possibility of more thunder storms tomorrow, should be interesting. The music so far it is pleasant as they are not real loud. One of them will play until 6 am, and sometimes. Signing off KO