Zihuatanejo, Mexico, el veintiuno de Febrero, 2020

What a lazy day!  I read most of a book - The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain.  I didn’t go to the pool, I didn’t leave my place except to walk to the bakery for a fresh warm bun for breakfast and then to the market to buy red snapper (it was so delicious!), a potato, a head of cauliflower and avocados for guacamole for lupper.  By the time I’d bought everything, I could have practically eaten out for the same money.  I guess that’s why there are so many restaurants - that’s what the tourists do of course but also many locals.

Unfortunately at 10 to 4 I had no choice but to go to the Cultural Centre where I had 10 students show up for my English class.  I noticed some improvement from yesterday which is encouraging.  Violeta is the mother of Alexis and Isiah.  She won’t leave them alone - she’s constantly whispering  to them and telling them what to say.  Finally I had to separate them from her!  Isiah looks handicapped - his eyes are really close together but once he was allowed to answer on his own, he’s pretty bright!  Believe it or not, the two hours passed quickly but during the last 15 minutes there was a loud band playing.  I thought it was in the courtyard of the centre but when I left my classroom, I could see a parade was in progress, celebrating Carnaval.  There were girls ribbon dancing-

Weird masks and costumes made of gunny sack material-

A man with a whip chasing a dog-

More masks and beards-

and girls in traditional dress-

The police were also present-

In the evening, I wandered down near the water front and came across a bar showing the curling.  I never imagined it would be on but I’ve sort of lost interest since Saskatchewan is out.  Downtown was just hopping - people eat supper so late - 9 pm!

Tomorrow is another day!  

Zihuatanejo, Mexico, el veinte de Febrero, 2020

I had a great day - typical leisurely morning and then I walked to the pool and swam a kilometre.  I thought I had been swimming at least that all this time but after calculating, no.  So, I’ll increase it by 100 meters/day until I leave March 7.  I was all alone in the pool until the last 5 minutes - my private Olympic sized pool!  Crazy!

Right after swimming, I caught a combi to La Playa Ropa which is just down the road from Zihuatanejo.  What a gorgeous place!

The beach is small-

and the sand feels like powder.  There are no big crashing waves and the breeze coming in off the water was awesome-

The beach is very flat and black sand ripples with the beige.  It’s a very nice place and may be where I spend a lot of my days from now on-

I had thought about not even going here because I’m not into beaches really, maybe I am, but Valeri, whom I met yesterday at Playa Linda, is staying close by and she suggested I come today.  She’s from San Francisco and a Jehovah’s Witness.  She got talking about God a bit but I didn’t say anything to cause an argument.  She’s full of life and likes to have a good time-

I left the beach at 2:45 in time to get home, get cleaned up and get “to work”.  I really wasn’t looking forward to going and was sort of hoping no one showed up because then I could spend all day every day at the beach!  Everybody there knew who I was and some of the adults even called me Maestra - I laugh at them when they say that and they giggle too.  I was shown to my classroom-

which has an AC unit that is way too small for the space, and a ceiling fan that was moving the air around.  At 4 which was starting time, there were 6 students.  By 4:30 there were 14.  We learned introductions, numbers 1- 10, days of the week, the date, colours, the alphabet and classroom objects. We played some games and at 5:30 I gave them a 15 minute break.  Learning a second language is hard.  You have to stay switched on all the time and you get really tired.  One woman had to leave to pick up a child at 6 and 2 men had to go to church.  After the break we talked about the length of the class and decided we would start punctually at 4 - no Mexican time allowed and quit at 6 without a break.  They seemed relieved with that so I assigned their homework and away they went-

During the class, two different men came in and recorded what I was doing, took pictures and even participated.  Another man brought me a big bottle of water.  The classroom is part of a large complex where there are all sorts of activities happening - music classes, traditional dance and Zumba out in the courtyard with music blaring.  It’s not the quietest place but it didn’t phase any of them so it’s me who has to get used to the noise.

Tomorrow, I’ll go swimming again, then go back to Playa Ropa, teach and then there’s supposed to be a MoTown night at a local restaurant that I’ll check out.  Life is great!

Ixtapa and Playa Linda, Mexico, el diecinueve de Febrero, 2020

It was a normal morning - paper, coffee, and breakfast.  I was at the swimming pool by 10.  I swam a little more than usual but now know the distance of the pool and I have not been swimming much at all - very disappointed so I have decided to increase my number of lengths every day from now on.  One month cost $18.29 which of course is a steal!  I had my own lane and there was a super clean bathroom where I could shower and change afterwards.

I caught a combi to Ixtapa and am very glad I’m not staying there.  The beach is lined with big resorts-

It seemed like a whole bunch of Paradise.  When I saw these huts, I thought they would be pretty cool to stay in-

but they are massage huts, not accommodation.  The small hotels and apartments seem a long way away from the beach, sort of in the hills.  That wouldn’t be convenient for me without a car so I’m glad I am where I am.

I left the beach and walked a bit to catch a bus to Playa Linda.  They have a few crocodiles and turtles in a swamp right where you get off the combi-

Playa Linda is a lovely small place with chaise longue restaurants!  Yeah!  I’ve been looking for these since Bucerias-

I had a coco loco which is a combination of rum, tequila and coconut water.  It was very strong but not tasty-

I spent about 4 hours on the beach, visiting for a while with Valeri from San Francisco and watching hordes of little kids play in the sand.  There were parasailers but they didn’t go very high-

Lupper was guacamole and it was close to the best I’ve had this trip-

I got home about 5 pm and enjoyed my AC, watched Meryl Streep in The Laundromat and planned my lesson for tomorrow afternoon.  It’s kind of hard because I don’t know how many students I will have or what their level of English may be.  One thing I know for sure is that I don’t have any resources so 3 hour classes are going to seem super long. Oh well, one day at a time!  

Zihuatanejo, Mexico, el dieciocho de Febrero, 2020

Well things seemed a lot better today  I had a great sleep and after reading the paper and a couple pots of coffee, I went walking before it got too hot.  The streets were pretty empty and it was relatively cool.  I walked to the alberca Olímpica and for about $18 I can get a month membership so I’ll start swimming tomorrow.  After, I walked and walked looking for the only CrossFit gym in Zihua.  I final found it high on a hill.  They offer 7 different classes a day but they have no air conditioning and after walking the 2.5 km there, I would be so hot it would be a repeat of PV in early November.  So, I walked home for breakfast.

Before breakfast, I went to the bakery just around the corner and heard “Alli” but paid no attention to it because who would be calling me here?  Then I heard it again and also heard footsteps.  It was Angie my landlady here because city workers were coming to verify that the apartment is where she lives, no longer a tienda and not a rental unit.  They were actually hanging out by my door when I got home from my walk and said “renta’ when I opened the door.  Owners have to pay more for electricity and water if it’s a tienda or a rental so she wanted to make sure they thought she lived here and that I was her visiting tia - aunt.  Not your sister? -she laughed.  She came in and decided I need more toilet paper, more towels and new batteries for the remote so she’s coming back at 8 tonight.  She works at a cyber shop with 6 computers 7 days a week.

After she left and breakfast, I caught a combi to the bus station to buy my ticket for Morelia which isn’t until March 7 but when I checked online, there wern’t many seats left.  The combi driver has lived here all his life and never been on a bus!  He dropped me off and sent me walking only for me to find out I should have stayed in the combi another block and I’d have ended up right at the front door!

I came home via the market where I bought what looks like awesome bacon and half a kilo of shrimp.  The vendor even peeled them for me and had them for lupper.  Very good, as usual.

I had an idea while walking that I should volunteer at a school to teach English so just around the corner from where I live is-

which offers programs after school for kids.  I went back and forth three times until the director was finally there.  He seemed very excited and is sending out a promotion today stating there will be intensive English classes offered for beginners starting this Thursday and running until Friday March 6 from 4-7 pm.  Who knows?  Maybe I’ll have one student, maybe I’ll have none but I thought it would be a way for me to fill my days.  I’ll have a white board, black markers, a table and chairs. Now I have to figure out how I’m going to fit in all that I have planned to see and do in the area in the mornings.

later, I walked down to the beach for a beer and found another statue-

Because of the heat, most of the sidewalks are covered with roofs which make for shady walks-

Tomorow I’ll go swimming and probably to La Playa Ropa.  Things are good.

Manzanillo to Zihuatanejo, Mexico, el diecisiete de Febrero, 2020

I spent quite a few hours at the pool yesterday although I wasn’t there alone.  Four young guys were drinking beer - I kind of think they snuck in and it looked like the guard eventually asked them to leave.  I swam my lengths and Wally came to say goodbye.  Another man showed up and we had a good visit.  He worked as a fashion designer for Levi Strauss in Mexico City for 25 years.  He’s now retired and living in Real Del Country, the condo complex where I stayed.  He was very spiritual - is a Buddhist and can see auras. We had a very interesting conversation.  Eventually I caught the bus to the depot - after awhile I asked the driver to make sure it went to the depot because we were off the path according to my map but we finally got there.  When I went to get off, a cord on my backpack was lodged underneath the seat and I couldn’t get it out.  Another passenger tried and eventually the bus driver had to help.  Usually you get to the door before the bus stops so you can get off quickly but I delayed the trip by a few minutes!

Unfortunately, the website is wrong and the bus didn’t leave at 6:30 but at 7 which meant I had even more time to kill.  I thought I should eat because I had no idea if the bus would stop for supper.  Outside there was a taco stand and I had the worst shrimp taco ever - so dry and over cooked and then  I had a hamburger in the depot that didn’t appear to be made of meat at all.  At 8:30, we did stop at a great restaurant but I wasn’t hungry.  Another surprise was that the length of the trip went from 5 hours and 15 minutes to 8 hours!  Yuck.  And, just like my last long trip, the bus sucked.  There was no wifi, my tv wouldn’t work and I couldn’t charge anything.  To make matters worse, I had chosen seat 5 which is near the front where it’s usually cooler and you don’t get any toilet smell but apparently with this bus line, your seat number means nothing - you take what you can get so I ended up at the smelly back.  There were four young kids - a girl and three boys, that were travelling alone to Acapulco.  The girl was the oldest and maybe 12.  The youngest boy ended up sitting with me which was great because he was little.  Throughout the night he slept all bent over, leaning on me.  I too slept quite a bit but it was cramped and uncomfortable.  We arrived on time at 3 am.  I messaged my hosts and they met me at the apartment.  It’s going to be okay - it’s right in the centre of town and I like that but it is windowless which is typical because the buildings are all built sharing side walls.  The bed is very comfortable-

I have a great air conditioner which is awesome because this place is hot - 33 today!  I also have a television but it only has Spanish stations-

and the kitchen seems well equipped with an induction hot plate-

Once I was up and my hosts had brought over a blanket and big jug of water, I wandered around and had excellent fish and shrimp tacos for brunch-

I also had Agua horchata.  It’s made with rice, almonds, cinnamon, evaporated milk, almond milk and sugar and is really good-

A few blocks away I found the main beach-

which was basically deserted.  There aren’t a lot of tourists here, at least not where I’ve been.  There are however a lot of statues-

I came home and had a cold shower and read my book.  Later I went out again and found a grocery store and the market-

I also found some pastel tres leches which looked too good to eat.  Pastel tres leches is a regular baked white cake that then has a cup of whipping cream, a can of condensed milk and a can of evaporated milk poured over it.  It’s covered in whipped cream and to die for-

After, I came home to the air conditioning, had another shower and read my book.  I’m going to have to find some way to spend my days because I’m here for three weeks and you can only eat, drink, shower and read so much!  I’m not complaining and maybe it’s because I’m tired after last night so we will see what I think come tomorrow.  

Manzanillo, Mexico, el quince de Febrero, 2020

Yesterday was typical.  I went to the pool in the morning and then went to Wally and Sharon’s at 2:30 because at 3, it was happy hour at the Oasis - 2 for 1 margaritas and beer.  Win, win!

Today, I caught the bus about 11 because we were going to Santiago which is just down the street.  Wally and Sharon were waiting at the next bus stop.  Sharon went to the dentist and Wally and I had a couple beer at Gringo’s Corner.  It’s like The Stump Bar in Guayabitos - everyone sits on plastic chairs on the sidewalk.  After, we went for lunch and I had a Michelada Especial-

It’s a regular michelada with shrimp, cucumber and oranges around the rim.  After, we went to the market where the strangest vendors were selling tables and tables of hair bows-

and used tools -

The only thing I bought was an avocado that I had for supper with tostadas.  A shoemaker works out of a booth beside the street-

We caught the bus home-

and I went to the pool.  I have permission to stay in my place tomorrow until 4 pm.  Checkout is at 11 but no one is moving in and the cleaner lives downstairs so she doesn’t mind if I stay late.  My bus leaves for Zihuatenengo at 6:30 pm.  I can’t believe I’ve already been here a week!  Time flies in lovely Mexico!

Barra de Navidad, Mexico, el trece de Febrero, 2020

Yesterday was slower than usual - if that’s possible.  I found a Starbucks so now hopefully have enough coffee to last the next month, I got a few groceries at Walmart and spent some time by the pool.  The end.

The weather at home has been pretty decent, until this morning-

-45 wind chill!  Glad I’m not there!

Today I went to Barra de Navidad, which is one hour away by bus.  I was very lucky because when I got to the front gate, the bus was coming down the road!  It took an hour to get there with the stops and starts and it’s a nice, small place filled with Canadians.  Two marlins welcome visitors to the town-

The market was in progress-

I really like these small wooden bowls that are sanded smooth, painted and vanished-

I found the beach and it was practically deserted-

I had coconut water and red wine-

A couple boys, I would guess 10 and 12 were surfing from the shore.  The smaller boy was really good.  They had some vicious wipeouts but never quit-

I visited with a couple from Toronto for awhile.  They spend 6 months here.  Wow!  What would you do all day?  Well, he reads and she cross stitches.  Anyway, I eventually ventured in the water - the waves were huge and crashing on the shore.  I got out okay but then the food I’d ordered arrived and the waiter had my change so I was trying to get out and got absolutely demolished.  There was sand in my hair, inside my bathing suit and in my mouth!  My lips were scrapped up and I was killing myself laughing!  I went in and out a couple more times without difficulty.  After a few hours of staring at the waves, enjoying the heat and peacefulness, I went to the bus depot, only to learn the bus would be another hour.  So, what does one do in Mexico when they have an hour to kill?  Find a bar.  I visited with a man from who lives on the hill at Silver Star in the Okanagan and who was a guide for 25 years, taking people skiing in the outback, either via helicopter or by his favourite way, climbing.  He did it until his knees gave out.  I also visited with a woman from Idaho who lives in Barrie full time now but first visited in 1997 and with an oil trucker from Brooks, AB who knew a few people there I know.  Eventually my bus came, I got home just fine and went swimming for an hour.

I had a great day and am looking forward to happy hour at the Oasis tomorrow with Wally and Sharon.