One of the great things about Zihuatanejo is you can be a busy as possible or not. Busy one week relax and refresh the next. The opportunities are there. This has been one of my busiest weeks.
My Sunday begins as it often does with a day at Escollera enjoying friends and the lovely infinity pool.
Monday was a lovely at home day on my balcony where I can read, watch the busy Mexican street life or enjoy the company of a couple of the roof cats who visit with me frequently.
Tuesdays are usually spent with lunching with an ebb and flow of ladies who are here full time or full season at one of our favorite beach front restaurants. For me it is frequently followed by a swim in the lovely salt water of the ocean where you float effortlessly.
Wednesday was spent with my friends Bonny and Cheryle at Cheryle’s lovely abode and enjoying the best swimming pool I have ever had the privilege of swimming in.
Thursday was a day on the bay sailing swimming and snorkeling and enjoying Zihuatanejo’s exquisite sunset.
Snorkeling off Playa Las Gatas saw more colorful fish this day than I have ever seen beforeEven a small school of dolphins joined us
And it’s only Friday, but I have plans to go dancing tonight with friends and Saturday is dinner with other friends.
And folks wonder why I am so happy here! Everyday here is an adventure where you can choose to participate or not. Go out and do or stay home, relax, curl up with a good book, walk the beach. For me it’s as close to paradise as it can be.
M- Dock Band name came from the dock where their boats were parked
Wednesday night was concert with M-Dock, a Michigan based band that we have heard many times over the last few years. While we have always enjoyed the concert the venue was only so so. Food not very good and service extremely slow as probably a couple of hundred people show up. This year the venue was excellent at the Casa de Cultura but the food that a vendor was to provide was MIA and Sail fest was doing the bar and unfortunately it was running out of supplies by 9:00
Dancing to M-Dock
pm. But by that time with no
dinner and we had been enjoying wine and beer since 6:30 and even though we were dancing, it was time to leave and get food. Next year they will have the bugs worked out.
Thursday was much looked forward to chili cook off and silent auction. They had a live auction Tuesday evening, but it is a little too rich for our blood so we skip that event.
The Senor danced to much at the concert and was nursing aches and (he hasn’t moved that much and that quickly in the last year) said he wasn’t up to going out and handed me a fist of money and said enjoy the silent auction. So I did!
Friends Paul and Faye at Chili cook off and silent auction
I managed to get 6 dinners and one breakfast and a 2 hour ocean kayak adventure for me. Had 2 mango margaritas, and with the tip went back to the apartment without a single peso, but happy. This guarantees the Senor will take me out to dinner at some new and interesting places and the money goes to a great cause, the poor children of Zihuatanejo.
As the Senor was feeling a bit better today we headed out to Playa Las Gatas. In a drawing I won tickets for the water
Me hiding under one of my many sun hats at the auction, note my nails match my ring and my straw.
Playa Las Gatas, wonderful as always. Signing off KO
taxi so we took advantage of them today. As always we go to Gloria en Mar and visit with Jose our favorite waiter and friend. I tried the go pr again to catch some under water life, but it is a complicated camera for a non techie like me. But as always the beach and the swimming was wonderful, we ate a different type of fish today, good, but not a favorite.
Friday morning arrived and we decided, it’s beach time! We headed out to Playa Las Gatas with our friends Will and Sylvia even though the day was overcast. None of us were worried about “working on our tans”, just wanted a relaxing day, eating, drinking and people watching and enjoying the friendship.
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Our favorites pot is Gloria Del Mar, the tide was way up so the Senor and I hit the water right away as it is easier to get in to swim. The Senor likes to bob in the water and I went out for a swim. A few drinks, some good seafood and suddenly the day is gone. We always come back from the beach tired and worn out, like we had really done something. Somehow a day in the sun does that to you even when it is hid behind the clouds. It’s a good kind of tired.
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I love Saturday mornings at the street market in front of the school. It was pleasantly cool yesterday morning by Zihuatanejo standards which made the market extra enjoyable. As usual I bought the Senor his mushroom tamales for his breakfast some tofu taquitos, more of the delicious pasta salad for lunch later and a grapefruit for tomorrow. Visited with the folks from the turtle preserve and other friends and headed back to the apartment as I will have a busy day as I’m working the t-shirt table for Sailfest today.
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Did a brisk business in T-shirt sales, koozies and a few caps. And I get to do it again Sunday afternoon. Signing off KO
We decided we have been lazy long enough and decided to visit our favorite waiter Jose, at Gloria del Mar at Playa Las Gattas.
Very mexican kitten relaxing in a hammock
As we walked through town to the pier we stopped to admire the kittens at the local humane society. This little orange kitty struck me as truly a mexican cat, all relaxed out in his hamock. Since we left a little later than usual, and weren’t familiar with the new little pier set up that is being used while some sort of repairs are being attempted on the main pier, we hit a traffic jam. Incoming fishing boats off loading families with their catches took president over out going beach seekers. The Senor, always the efficiancy expert, still can’t quite relax and just say “It’s Mexico”!
Playa Las Gattas was busy and Jose told us it would get busier towards the
Busy day at the beach
end of the week. Many Mexican nationals are here from the interior to enjoy the fresh air and warmth of the beach. A couple of drinks, swim a little, vist with folks around you, watch the sights and enjoy the beach sales people. I bought an ankle bracelet from Juanita, I have so much of her jewelry that I really don’t need any more. A short visit with we learned that she is sad as her mama has passed away and now it is just her and her sister.
Getting the snorklejust right
I did get a nice pair of silver hoops from Jorge. It always amazes me that the silver sales men have a credit card machine with them. But for every one else its cash only and exact change. As no one ever can change a large bill. And all the ATM gives out are large bills. We start to hord our small bills and change because if you run out you are SOL. The cambio across the street from us will usually change a 500 once a day, but if I start going there everyday they soon tell me no, no change. Maybe that is why there are these huge line ups to go into the banks, folks just needing change. Signing Off KO
Yesterday was beach day, and probably for the last time this year. What is so great here in Zihuatanejo is every day could be a beach day, the weather is always perfect for the beach. The senor has struck of a friendship with the Jose at Gloria del Mar so we headed there so they can visit while I swim and snorkel. There are so many more fish in the water, not just on the reef, but on my way to the reef some fish were swimming all around me so i sort of clapped my hands at on in front of me and he turned and challenged me. I thought you are quite nervy as you are only 6 or 8 inches long and I am over 5′ 7. Who are you to challenge me? But he stood his ground and I back peddled realizing I’m swimming in his pond and have no ideas what is behind his fishy lips and swam on a different. Which turned out to be very cool as that’s when I spotted a big ray laying on top of the sand.
For our lunch we had Huachinango, which I probably can’t spell and spell check won’t help. Lunch was great, way to much food for 2 and when the Senor flipped it over I realized it was head and all was there including teeth. Very tiny, very sharp teeth! Made me think that my earlier decision not to disturb the fish was a good one. I brought the bone with the teeth back to the apartment with plans to boil all flesh off it and bring it to my granddaughter. She is always asking me if I can find her a shark tooth, so this would be the perfect gift, trying to convince her it was a baby shark teeth. But I out smarted my self, I decided I would let the army of ants that we have been battling daily as they march from the planter box across the railing do the job. I’ve done that before with shells that I have collected that weren’t empty. So I placed it in the planter box and when I went to check it this morning it was gone. And clear evidence that we had been visited by a neighborhood cat. So I figured he had just buried it with what ever else he was burying, but no luck. He must have run off with my treasure.
The Senor taking picture of the brothers
We spent much of the day watching 3 brothers enjoying playing in the sand and water, kids about 13,10, and 2. The older 2 boys had snorkel masks and since we have an abundance of swim goggles, the senor gave the 2-year-old a pair of our swim goggles which the brothers helped put on the little tike and then told him to put his head under water . Which he promptly did. The kids tried to return the goggles but despite the language difficulties we convinced them it was a gift. They were very appreciative, real nice kids.
Tres Hermanos with goggles
There are always interesting sites to be seen on the beach at Playas Las Gatas.
Playa Las Gatas Marching Band ?
As we returned home we could smell the barbecued ribs I started early that morning in the crock pot, a short siesta and an easy dinner on the balcony which I thought would bring this day this day to a pleasant end.
But then I had to make a quick trip to the Misceleana for a couple of items we can’t survive without, and the evening was so lovely I decided to go down the beach and listen to Jimmi Mamou and was invited to join folks there as they recognized me from this blog. Thank you Norma, Patty and Wally you made my evening most enjoyable.
Jimmi Mamou
Upon return to my home my apartment friends & neighbors were gathered outside where we sat and visited until the liquid refreshments gave out bringing this day to a wonderful end. Just another truly wonderful day in Zihuatanejo.
Will being the “mixologist”
PS Thank you Curtis for stopping me to say hello, this blog has given me a wonderful opportunity to meet wonderful people. Signing off KO
With Sailfest starting up this week Monday was the only day available for going to the beach. We don’t want to over do so we must pace ourselves. Monday in it’s self is already busy with the loading of the laundry into a suitcase and wheeling it up to the laundaria and then picking it up again after 5. Then of course there is the tidying up of our apartment as the cleaning lady comes on Monday. So to make things easy on ourselves we went out to breakfast first. Then we had to stop by the Sailfest booth so I could purchase my sail parade ticket. The Senor opted not to go, he says after 22 yrs in the Navy he’s already spent plenty of time on the ocean. Funny how he looks at it differently if the boat is going fishing! By this time it’s almost noon and we grab our beach stuff and headed out to Playas Las Gatas
View of Zihuatanejo from the water taxi
On the water taxi we met a fellow Northwestener who joined us at Gloria del Mar and was soon joined by his spouse and friends. So a nice afrtenoon of swimming, snorkeling, conversation, food and drinks was had.
Beautiful bracelets
As always Juanita, my jeweler, came by. This year I’m just buying bracelets, but it is so hard to choose as there are so many pretty ones. The peanut man came by, I’ve finally learned to say peanut in Spanish
Cacahuate Man
(cacahuate). I only wanted one bag, but he kept handing me a second empty plastic sack. then I figured it out the second sack was for the shells to keep the beach clean. I really do try to learn a few new words every day even though the Senor thinks folks can understand my English better than my Spanish. A young boy came by with a sack full of shells he had been diving for so I bought one for my granddaughter Morgan who plans to decorate her new apartment’s living room, nautical.
The Senor and Jose our waiter at Gloria Del Mar, Playa Las Gattas
We catch the water taxi back to the pier and decide it’s definitely siesta time before we reheat the chicken in a pot that was last nights dinner. Dinner on the balcony, the Senor watches a little TV, computer time for me and my latest kindle book while I listen to the pleasant music coming from the Baracruda Bar. A most pleasant day. Signing off KO
It was a great day at one of our favorite beaches, took the water taxi across and discovered there are two water taxi companies and the one that docks on the starboard side of the pier is a bit easier to getting on and off. It’s still a bit of a challenge, but there are always very strong young men to assist for a few coins and they are worth every centavos we pay them. As soon a we docked we met Juanita, my jeweler, after a hello and a hug she promised she would stop by and see me later.
We picked Oliverio’s to eat and relax and swim from and it was a good choice recommended by one of our party. There were 6 of us. The snorkeling was fabulous as the water was clearer than I think I’ve ever seen it and the colorful fish were closer in. I sort of scoot out on my rear until the water is just deep enough to float in and as i turned over to swim and snorkel just to my right was a platter size Manta Ray, well it was a ray at least, couldn’t have been 5 feet from the shore. Luckily I hadn’t sat on him, they don’t bother you unless you bother them first.
The margaritas were wonderful, the beer was cold, I bought a new necklace from Juanita and we had a wonderful filette veracruz.
I also think what made this day extra fun was knowing that is was snowing to beat the band back home and we didn’t have to deal with it. It’s now after 9 pm, I’m sipping wine on our balcony listening to and watching the street life as a warm breeze blows. Life is good, signing off KO
Zihuathyme 