Wednesday, February 28, 2007

Day 8 - Friday - 2-9-07 Huevos Rancheros was our breakfast choice, at Nueavu Zelanda instead of Casa Cafe because we were going to be going in the opposite direction for our days activities!

Today we went to Isla Ixtapa! It is the largest island about 4 miles North of Ixtapa and has several beaches to choose from. We took the public transportation to Playa Linda where we had to get water taxi tickets to get to the island. When we got on the white school bus with Playa Linda written on the window we put our 80 pesos on a towel on the dashboard and took a seat. It was nearly empty when we boarded but was almost full by the time we reached Playa Linda! A Canadian couple boarded a few stops later on their way to Playa Linda also.
This was Jack's first look at Ixtapa. It is the town the Mexican government built for tourists and tourists only. The beaches are all lined with high-rise hotels with flawlessly landscaped grounds. We passed CLUB IXTAPA (a Club Med) right before our ride ended. Mexicans can not live in Ixtapa we were told. They work in the hotels and restaurants but have to live elsewhere. Our bus had a number of people get on in Zihuatanejo dressed in what looked like "uniforms" of different types. In Ixtapa several tourists boarded the bus for the 3 mile ride to the "jump off spot" to Isla Ixtapa. Turned out Playa Linda was the "end of the bus line" so we didn't have to worry about missing our stop!

There was a Mercado similar to the Artisans Mercado in Zihuatanejo that you work your way through to get to the mainland beach which is Playa Linda. To the far left end of the beach a white walkway led to a small adobe building where we purchased our tickets to ride a panga to the island which was reassuringly close! Our panga operator was a small, dark, very wrinkled old man that never said a word. He questioned with a look where we wanted to go - Jack looked to me and I said "Snorkeling". He nodded and pointed to the other end of the island. Beyond the first beach we came to, around a rocky point, there was a smaller beach and another concrete pier. There were fewer people and "restaurants" lining it. The information I had from the internet said we would have to walk to the other side of the island to reach the coral beach which is "the" snorkeling spot.
















The "walk" is 50 yards! Benito met us as we came off the pier and asked what we wanted to do for the day. When we said snorkel he lead us on the little path to Coral Beach! It wasn't any stress on Jack's still tender Achilles Heel! Benito set us up with a palapa, lounge chairs, and snorkeling gear within minutes. The gear cost $16 for both for all day here.


It is a very scenic small beach and the coral begins almost immediately. The water is crystal clear! It is by far the prettiest beach we've seen.

Although we saw many of the same fish we'd seen at Playa Los Gatos we did see some exciting new ones. A young green moray eel made it's way among rocks as we floated above him. A little later I spotted a black and white banded creature moving slowly through coral about 15 feet below us. Jack joined me when he saw I was staying in one spot obviously looking at something. He got pretty excited. He said it was a sea snake - extremely poisonous - but not aggressive. I didn't have a camera with me! Later when we came back with a camera I didn't see eels or snakes! Jack was not in favor of looking for the sea snake again anyway. We snorkeled 3 different times, I laid in the sun to dry off between times, Jack lounged in the shade of the palapa.


We snacked on chips and guacamole. About Noon Benito brought a tray loaded with freshly caught prawns, spiny lobster, and red snapper for us to choose our lunch from. We choose prawns and asked for them to be grilled. They were delicious! While diving Ricardo had told Jack how the lobster population has been decimated in recent years so Jack was passing on the lobsters. I had a huge lemonade with my meal but Jack stuck with water. Our bill for the day was $455 pesos - $45.50 for everything. More expensive than Los Gatos but then it is adjacent to Ixtapa where everything is very expensive.

















Our walk back to the bus took us past the crocodiles we'd heard so much about. I got a few pictures of the massive reptiles. It was amazing how the white egrets stood around in close proximity to the croc's!

















Our bus back to Zihuatanejo filled up at Playa Linda but the bus driver continued to stop if anyone was at a bus stop! Two or three people would have to step out of the bus so the new people could get in and then they would mount the steps again. Gave me a new picture of "standing room only"! We were traveling on the commuter bus out of Ixtapa at 5 pm! I know Jack was out of his comfort zone but he did fine. It was only a 15 minute ride and when he thought of $1.60 versus $25.00 for a cab he was pleased.

After showering and taking a short nap Jack and I decided to try a restaurant Buck had said is his favorite - "Sanka". It is two doors down from Tamales Y Atoles Any on Calle Ejido. I had the Arracharia (steak) and baked potato. Jack had fajitas. The baked potatoes were served whole in a "cup" of tin foil. Evaporated milk and goat cheese had been poured over the potato. It was very good. So was the steak! We'll return tomorrow night - Jack wants one of those steaks! While we were eating Buck and Kathy come in with another couple so we got the thank them for recommending the place. There was live music as we ate and I asked Jack if he would dance with me. Jack blanched and then agreed. I let him off the hook - we had dessert instead.
Leaving the restaurant at 8 pm we noted this has been the latest we've been out. We walked down Ejido to the Artisans Mercado and searched for a stall that had a pewter tray that I'd seen while shopping for sandals for Jack on Wednesday. I really liked the lines of the piece and wanted Jack to see it too. He did and we purchased it after just a little haggling. The platter, spoon and fork set was $60.00. I don't talk the price down much but it is expected and part of the fun of shopping in Mexico.

We returned to our room via the little pastry shop where we picked up a couple of their cookies and one of the jellyrolls Jack really likes.

It's now 9:45 pm and Jack is sleeping. I think I will follow suit. Another wonderful honeymoon day in Zihuatanejo!

Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Day 7 - Thursday - 2-8-07

Jack and I agreed we needed to stay out of the sun today to give our burns time to heal a bit. We've been putting lots of Aloe Vera cream on but the backs of our legs and our backs are pretty tender. We donned on shorts and tee-shirts for a day in town. Breakfast at Casa Cafe with a bueatiful capachino to start! I thought their fruit plates with papaya, mango, bananas, pinapple and coconut are awesome and then I discovered Linda's "green drink"! It consists of cucumbers, cilantro, and some other things we can't remember but it is very refreshing in this heat! Rumor is they will be calling it Zeus Juice on their next menu!

We made a great purchase this morning! It is a booklet produced by Linda Fox copyrighted 2006 called "Zihuatanejo - A Guide to Casas ~Camas~Comidas y Cosas. It is filled with great information, emails, websites, and stories. Jack learned how to eat pozole like a local and we used that knowledge this evening. Thursdays ae pozoli night in Zihuatanejo! We had ours at
Tamales Y Antoles.

This day was spent well. First we found the Post Office, buying stamps and sending off the postcards I've ready to go out. Finding the Post Office took us further off the beaten path than we've been so far but in coming back we found a shoe shop with a pair of sandals that Jack liked!
A leather shop further along had a wide variety of wallets and Jack found one that suited his taste! One of my goals was to return to the mercado and get a sleeveless Dive tee-shirt for Jack that we'd seen on our first day here so we made our way down Benito Juarez to the place I'd seen the tee-shirt before. There weren't any! I hate when that happens! Since Jack actually did dive here we needed to get one! The search took most of the day!

During our Tee-shirt search we came across many neat things. One of the neatest was hand-painted ceramic sinks, toliets and all related bathroom accessories in one shop and table linens in another. Since we couldn't see getting the large ceramic items in our suitcases we settled on buying a table runner and napkins that will forever remind us of Mexico. We also picked out one for a friend who just moved into a new home. Coffee is no longer difficult to find in Zihuatanejo. They have bistro's everywhere! We stopped at one for couple fruit smoothies, and listened to jazz music as we rested. Life is good!

Just when I was explaining to Jack that when we see something we like we NEED to buy it right then because there is no guarantee we'll find it again we wandered into another Tee-shirt shop and they had the shirt we were looking for! Jack bought 2 (the price is always better).

Feeling triumphant we walked another block to the Artisans market and immediately saw a featherwieght cotton pullover jacket with the diver insignia on it with Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa, Mexico too. $17 ! Jack is now well outfitted for future dive's!

We had lunch at a little place on the corner before the Artisans Market begins - an American couple were sitting at one of the tables and we asked them if the fish tacos where like "real tacos". The assured us the fish tacos were excellent and so were their ice mocachino's! Buck and Kathy said it was the best place in Zih to have lunch because it offered the most action! While there we saw another Coca Cola truck with an armed guard! They explained that the drivers collected cash on their deliveries - so they had armed guards. Another mystery solved! We visited with them for the duration of our lunch. They drive to Zihuatanejo from Sacramento, California. It's a nine day drive with the last two being between Puerto Vallarta and Zihuatanejo! They spend four months here each winter. Buck recommended the Sanka Resturant on Ejido for great beef dishes.

After a siesta, pozole' for dinner, we purchased 4 more postcards and filled them out while sitting on a bench in the public square (Zocola) on the paseo during the early evening. A couple sat on the next bench and we struck up a conversation. They are sailing their own sailboat down to South America! They stopped here to participate in SailFest. SailFest is a week long international fund raiser to raise funds for Education for the Indian Children in Guerrmo. That explains the huge number of sailboats we've seen filling the bay. They told us of being boarded by the Port Authorities also. The state is really trying to shut down drug traffic - on land and sea! Evidently the cartels have had several government officials killed this past week! The couples daughter told them this when they called home and told her how often they were being boarded and inspected. They had not heard about the heightened activity - but it does explain the heavy armour the military has been wearing in this heat!

Jack had told several people he was going to eat shrimp and smoke a Cuban Cigar while he was here! So when we came across some today he purchased a $12 Cuban Cigar and smoked it. He was determined to finish it too - since it cost $12! I don't think I'll have to worry about him wanting another one... he looked happy to grind the stubby out and toss it in the waste can!

I made my last jewelry purchases this evening. I went back to Pepe's and bought a multi-strand silver necklace and a turquoise and silver locket that will go well with the earrings I got yesterday.

We ended the day with huge cups of itlalian ice cream which we ate as we wandered about looking for a red postal (mail) box. We found it in a walkway between Nuevo Bravo and Ejido. Returning to our room by 7:30 PM. Jack is not comfortable being out after dark. The town gets very active about 8 or 9 PM based on the traffic and music we hear. We are usually ready to read in bed by then.

I have finish "Shadow War" by Richard Mitner and am reading "The Cat Who Wasn't There" by Lilian Jackson Braun now. Signe has told me about these stories for a long time. It's nice light reading afer the Mitner book on the Bush Administrations War on Terror.

Michels is noiser tonight than it has been sinc we've been here. I hear TV's and children in the halls. It's 10 pm and Jack is sound asleep. I'll read for a bit more and then retire also. Each day is tiring due to all the walking we find ourselves doing - if nothing else!















It's snowing - more! The robin's are back and the ground hog said early spring but I don't think so! It has been snowing at different intensities but constantly since last Friday. The roads clear where they've been plowed but the ground snow hasn't melted.

On the way to work this morning my windshield popped and a crack now snakes across the bottom! I knew I was risking that when I didn't get the rock chips fixed! I believe we'll wait until spring to fix it.

I heard that Crater Lake has added 5 feet to their snow pack! I think we'll have to plan a day in the snow at our local Natural Wonder!

One of my co-worker's clued me in on a good cross country loop right here in Klamath Falls. Moore Park has a loop on the crest of one of the hills! The bummer is I've discovered I have lost my cross country boots somewhere along the line! I've got 3 pair of X-country ski's and NO boots! Jack and I will both have to buy some before we can enjoy that sport!





















We are getting some killer icesickles! Mike is loving the snow! He bounces around in it like a rabbit, smiling the whole time! With all this snow Zihuatanejo comes to mind often!

Friday, February 23, 2007

Day 6 - Wednesday - February 7, 2006

We noticed today that the rates on the board for two person occupancy at Hotel Michel is 350 pesos now instead of 500, which we paid a day for our 10 day stay. I think the hotel clerk was trying to tell us to only pay for 3 days and then pay more later when we first arrived. I didn't understand at the time but I think she was saying that the rates would go down after the "holiday weekend". You miss So much when you don't speak the language fluently! Maybe the rate is for the smaller rooms that don't have balcony's. Jack and I decided we are content with what we've paid for our room. We're not going to even say anything.

We were up early - packed up our dirty clothes to turn in to the laundry and hiked to Casa Cafe for our fruit and toast breakfast before hiking to the NAUI Dive Shop. We had to be there by 8:45 am. Two veteran scuba divers had also signed up. Art and Al have been diving with the dive shop owners since Ricardo and Carlos were teen-ager's working for a different dive shop.
Now "the boys" are grown with wives, children, and a business of their own. This makes Jack and I feel good about Jack going out for his first ocean dive with them! Watching them prepare for the trip made regret for not taking the classes well up for a few minutes but it passes quickly. Risking permanent damage to my ears isn't worth it.

As the dive boat headed out across the bay we passed a small boat with dozens of pelicans perched on it. Ricardo explained the owner had committed a crime and fled the area. The police impounded the boat and since it hasn't moved for a while the pelicans have decide to use it as a perch. Every edge on the boat was lined with pelicans - it looked like they could sink it!

Next we passed an ugly, rusty metal boat that the harbor patrol were boarding. The police had full flack jackets, machine guns, ammunition belts, and helmets. They looked like serious business was going down. "Checking for smugglers." Ricardo said.

Turning left once we left the bay we moved through the Pacific Ocean and it was okay as long as the boat was powering it's way to the dive site. About 10 minutes down the coast Jamie, the boat captain dropped anchor and the guys prepared to dive. IT only took them a couple of minutes to get their gear on and drop in to the ocean. I managed to take two photo's before the rocking of the boat got to me. Ricardo had instructed the divers to follow the anchor line down. Once they'd done that Jamie raised the anchor and moved the dive boat a little further away from the rocks. I asked him if he could take me back to the pier - hand over my stomach I said malle (sick). He looked sympathetic but said "Not possible". After thinking for a minute I realized that we were the "dive marker" a that is why he'd said that.

I nibbled on a cookie that was with the snacks we'd brought for Jack to eat to fuel up between dives. Jamie pointed to the lighthouse and then the mountains further down the coast indicating I should look at them not the ocean. I breathed slowly and stared at the mountains but my stomach continue to threaten to empty. It must have shown because via sign language Jamie suggested I might want to get in the water and said "better" with a nod. I nodded back and he dropped the little platform the divers use to get back in the boat. I made my way to it and dove in. Getting in the water did help!

I enjoyed swimming a little to get the sick feeling worked out and then just enjoyed alternately treading water and looking around and floating in the water, staring up at the beautifully blue sky, and listening to the water sounds. After about 25 minutes the ocean swells increased and the sick feeling started creeping in again. Jamie indicated I needed to board the boat, Jack had surfaced and we needed to go get him. I laid on the bow with closed eyes. Jamie got Jack in the boat.

Jack had used his air quicker than the others and would have to wait with us until the others reached 500 psi in their tanks. I tried to chat with Jack about his dive but only lasted on the boat for a couple of minutes and had to get back in the water. It was another 20 minutes before Ricardo, Al and Art surfaced.

I opted to stay in the water this time while the boat went to pick the divers up. When they returned they had all agreed that it would be ok to take me back to the pier. They had gone to 80 feet deep and had to wait an hour before they could dive again.

I was exhausted and shaky during the 15 minute ride back to the pier but felt better the minute my feet hit solid ground! I thanked them all profusely and happily waved to Jack as they headed back out for their second dive site which was to be north - outside of Ixtapa. The second dive was 40 feet and lasted about 25 minutes also, Jack told me later. Being new and larger than the other men he used his air up almost twice as fast. They all assured him that with more experience he will consume less and get to spend more time underwater.

As for me, I got a cold coke and sat on the pier until my stomach settled down and then spent the rest of the morning shopping for sandals for Jack - his sandals had come apart yesterday on our way to breakfast - leaving him only his tennis shoes to wear. It is way to hot to wear socks and shoes here!

I found a few hand painted fruit bowls, a hair clip and a pair of turquoise earrings as I shopped prices on men's sandals in the Artisan's market. I also picked up postcards. With 1 o'clock approaching I returned to the dive shop and let Carlos know I was going to wait for Jack's return on the pier where there was a cooling breeze off the water. Jack found me waiting at the pier filling out postcards. The dive boat had returned to a different pier!

We took a long siesta, picked up laundry at 6 pm, and then went to La Gaviota Restaurant at the southern-most end of Playa La Ropa - the resort beach in Zihuatanejo. We took a taxi and Jack got to traverse "the hill". Everyone that has stayed in Zihuatanejo knows what you are talking about when you say "the hill" It is steep and long. I walked it each day on my 1st trip here but would not want to now. Jack's ankle, knee and Achilles heel would all be aggravated by trying even a one way walk up or down it. We passed people trudging up or down each side. Some tried to hail our taxi! Half way up one side is where we passed the entrance to Hotel Irma. Jack lost all interest in that hotel.
Dinner was on an open patio covered with the somewhat standard thatched roof. It was early and the restaurant was almost deserted so we had a private dinner with a great view of the bay! Sunset and our dinner arrived at the same time and we got to enjoy a beautiful sunset with our dinner. We took a brief walk along the beach from the restaurant, turning back at a small creek that cut through the beach. We walked back to the main street of the La Ropa area and caught a taxi within a couple of minutes. I think this was another time I'd taken Jack out of his comfort area - it was dark and we were in a different area. From this far end of Zihuatanejo the taxi fare is $3 back to our hotel.

After reading for a short while we were asleep!

Thursday, February 22, 2007

Day 5 – Tuesday- February 6, 2007

Playa Los Gatos day! We rested yesterday and now I’m ready to go again. Playa Los Gatos is the beach you take a boat to. It’s completely different from the other beaches around the bay. The history of the beach is that an ancient Indian King had a reef made create a safe place for his wives and children to enjoy the ocean…another story was they left the women on the other side of the bay and the beach was for men only! Whatever the reason it was made it is the spot for snorkeling!









We started our day with breakfast at Casa Café. Inquiring about how to get the laundry done we got a recommendation to drop our laundry off at a place we pass on our way to and from Casa Café and they will tell us when to pick it up – later the same day or the next. Nothing could be easier!

It is so nice being centrally located! Five blocks back to the hotel! We changed into our bathing suits, packed our beach bag with underwater camera, sunscreen, suntan lotion, Jack’s prescription mask, books, and our new Zihuatanejo beach towels! Jack carried the bag!

We decided to tuck our passports away in the room since we were going to be snorkeling and away from our stuff at the beach. Our room gets cleaned and bedding changed every day and nothing is ever missing. It seems like the safe place to leave them. We put them out of harms way but weren’t really worried.

Stopping at the NAUI Dive shop on Calle(Street) Juan N. Alvarez Jack signed up for a two tank dive on Wednesday. I would be able to ride along for $10 if the boat didn’t’ fill up with divers. We had cancelled my certification classes due to a combination of my sinus problems and the increased lodging expenses. We’d planned on $20 per night at Casa Elvira and although we are very happy with Hotel Michel it does cost more. With my sinuses staying plugged it seems that I am not meant to dive here! It will be nice to see the dive sites anyway!

We purchased our water taxi tickets from the adobe office on the left side of the pier and were being guided into a panga two minutes later. The little motor boats they call pangas hold about 8 to 10 people and they make the 5 minute run back and forth from the municipal pier to the simple concrete dock on the opposite side of the bay all day long. We rode over with a group from Alaska that comes to Zihuatanejo together every year. They filled us in on the “boat situation”. There are two different ticket sellers and certain pangas carry people for each ticket seller. That is why we were told to just hold our tickets up and the boatmen would tell us which boat to get on! You miss so much when you can’t speak the language fluently!

At Los Gatos we walked along the beach – following the “seasoned” people and settled in at a set of cushioned beach chairs adjacent to the establishment they stopped at. The beach is “staked out” for lack of a better word, by businesses that are a combination restaurant and equipment rental. A big plus is your belongings are watched over by the proprietor so you can swim without concern that your things could be tampered with while you are in the water. The prices for there food is higher closer to the pier and the Alaskan’s said that the service is better at the farther end of the beach as they what you to pass the others and come to their place. They told us the key is to find one we like and always go to the same one and they’ll treat you very well. Good information for the future! We’d determined by then that they were heavy drinkers and we didn’t want to dampen their fun in the sun with our obvious sobriety.

The outfit we stopped at is called Brisa Del Mar and the young man that was our “waiter” was Chica. We let him know we were interested in snorkeling and he had fins, masks, and snorkels for us before we had finished unpacking our beach bag! The lounge chairs are great and you have a table with an umbrella and chairs when the sun gets to be too much also.



Jack and I lost no time lathering up with sun screen and hitting the water in our snorkeling equipment! The water is clearer than Playa Madera but the sand is grainier. On our first trip out Jack discovered his prescription mask leaks – A LOT. He had to surface and empty it out often! During that outing we saw lots of large blue angel fish, smaller blue fish with iridescent spots on their backs, urchins and many other things I don’t know the names of.




When we returned to the beach we snacked on large plate of freshly made guacamole and homemade tortilla chips (for $3.50) and sodas. After reading a little and getting warm in the sun we went out snorkeling again. This time we took the camera! Jack had worked on his mask and was hoping it would be better. It wasn’t. We snorkeled to the left of the coral reef this time & took lots of photos.
Lunch was garlic camerones (shrimp) and quesidellas with bottled water. The shrimp were sliced lengthwise and grilled with lots of garlic, legs and head included! After lunch Jack requested one of their masks and he had a better time of it when we went out for our last snorkel of for the day.

The last panga back to the municipal pier runs at 5 pm. We packed up our stuff and settled our bill with Chica. Everything came to $300 pesos (Less than $30) and we gave him a $10 tip. Tired but very relaxed we made our way to the little pier at 4:30 pm.

Dinner was at Tamales Y Atoles, one block from our room, the food is good and it’s close to home! I tried the Chile Reono and Jack decided to go with their Tamale especial.

Sometime during the night I woke to the bed vibrating – we were having an earthquake! It was over in a few minutes and after confirming with Jack that he felt it to I settled back in to sleep. Jack chuckled and his response to my question of what he was laughing about was, “It’s amazing how well you take an earthquake.” Hmmmm. Since it was so small that there was no damage what else is there to do but go back to sleep?

We both received pretty good sunburns on our backs and on the backs of our legs! Obviously they were exposed while we were face down in the water! We had not covered them well enough with the sun screen!

After dinner we returned to our room via the little jewelry store next to Cafeteria Nuevo Zelanda called Pepe’s. After sleeping on it I decided I really wanted to get the Diver’s flag pendant Jack had seen and liked last night. It’s the only thing he’d shown interest in for himself. We found an appropriate sterling silver chain to go with it too! Well under the $100 spent at the gold market but I can tell Jack really likes it!

We rubbed each other down with aloe gel and called it another good day done!

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

No novella entry tonight! Snow was on the ground when we woke up this morning - 3 or 4 inches - it has snowed all day - and it is still snowing tonight. I-5 between Ashland and Redding is closed due to the snow storm.

I've lost my tortuga pinky ring! I looked down yesterday afternoon and noticed it was off my finger. There is a white ring where it was! I wore it the whole time we were in Mexico and it never came off once... not even when we were in the water! I've looked everywhere in the house and at the office. Last night I decided I needed to retrace the route Signe and I took Saturday when we ran to see if it fell off somewhere along the way but now that will have to wait until the snow melts. I am really sad about losing it! It had fallen off Friday morning when I was brushing my hair but I thought it was just a fluke. If I recover it I'll wear it on a chain around my neck... evidently my fingers are thinner in this colder climate!

Working at Jeld-Wen is great. I'm learning a great deal about Excel and have walked through doing one piece of what my job will be. The processes are complex and numerous. It will take a while to really know how it all fits together! Everyone I work with is pleasant and do their jobs with personal pride. It is great to be among them.

I've stayed up tonight to watch LOST - my favorite TV show and then to watched the weather report but now I need to close and go to bed!

I watched the slide show my sister created for the Vero Beach community they live in. She has really created a neat mixture of necessary information and community activities! Seems pretty busy over there!

Hope all is well with one and all!

Tuesday, February 20, 2007


Day 4 – Monday – February 5, 2007

Last night the traffic going down Ejido was so congested they had a policeman hand directing traffic well in to the night. His whistle and hand motions were intertaining. The taxi's have some kind of horn honking code. We're trying to break the code but it is not clear yet. Drivers seems to have their individual style but there must be an underlying system to this mode of communication! It’s a holiday today and I think everyone in the State came to cruise the streets last night. There were strands of Christmas lights strung across the telephone and power lines giving town an additionally festive air.




Jack and I decided last night that today would be a “take it easy” day! We’ve had a couple busy ones! We slept in, walked the 3 blocks to the Paseo and had espressos while we waited for a table at Café Marina to open up. Joe Well’s little café has expanded greatly in 5 years. There are tables clear out to the Paseo and on the bay side! His paperback library has also expanded. We picked up a couple books for beach reading. Business seems to be booming!
































A cruise ship had arrived during the night and the Paseo was packed with Americans! We had fruit plates topped with yogurt and granola and Papaya smoothies for breakfast and watched the parade. Excellent!

















On the way back to the hotel we took 10 minutes to go through their modest museum. It only cost $2 and we learned some more about the area’s history. Some of the plaques had English translations and the stone artifacts were amazingly detailed.

We spent the afternoon at Playa Madera – swimming in to the ocean when we’d heat up in the sun. We faithfully lathered on the sun screen each time we got out of the water. Contrary to predictions the beaches weren’t overly crowded and we enjoyed the couple hours in the sun. The water is a wonderful 80 degrees! When we felt we’d reached our limit in the bright sun we packed up our beach bag and headed back to the Paseo via the walkway which is shaded in spots and the breeze was just enough to be refreshing.

A late lunch of fish tacos at La Serena Gorda ( The Fat Mermaid) was good. Dozens of what look like home made little boats hang from the ceiling. The hulls are signed by those that made them with the date and their home town. We saw several from Ashland, Oregon! What a small world! The walls of the restuaruant have some “interesting” mermaid paintings. The tacos here resembled soft tacos at home so we are feeling like we’re making progress in ordering our food. They are small but you get three. We also had chips and guacamole. We are definitely drinking our 32 oz’s of water a day! We buy it at nearly every meal!

Time to siesta now! The sun, water, and meal have made us lethargic!


































We found Zelanda Café for dinner this evening. Our internet searches had listed it as good, reasonably priced and that their mole was especially good. Jack ordered chorizo molletta and I the chicken molletta which was the closest thing we could find on the menu to mole. What was served resembled French bread pizzas. We put salsa on top, picked the slices up and ate it. It was not what we expected (What’s new?) but it was good. With a coconut shake, coffee, and water the bill came to $16 for dinner for two!


The silver jewelry store right next door, Pepe's, was still open so we took some time looking at the items he had. Jack took a liking to a pendent that looked like a divers flag but we didn't buy anything since it was the first shop we'd looked in.

Walking back by a different route we window shopped for silver jewelry in the many jewelry stores along Vincente Guerrero and Nicolas Bravo. Zihuatanejo is the market outlet for Taxco silver – the finest silver in Mexico. They weigh the jewelry pieces to determine the price.

On Nicolas Bravo we came across a small bakery not far from our hotel. We picked out an assortment of pastries and purchased a couple of cold drinks to retire for the night with. It’s 8:45 pm. We’re settled in to listen to Mexico drive by and read a little before falling asleep. Jack and I agree – this has been a very relaxing day.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Day 3 - Sunday 2/4/2007 I was so excited about the kayak trip I couldn't sleep! I was awake at 4 a.m. It was such a switch - Jack asking me to wake him up at 6 a.m. - that is usually my line!

At 6 am we walked to the pier in the pre-dawn light. I'm sure this made Jack uneasy but I could not lay around any longer and I was hungry. Zih doesn't go to sleep any to early or wake up early either. The only thing open as we walked through town was The Black Bull nightclub. The doors were open and music poured out. We found a couple tables set up at the pier that offered coffee, pastries, and miscellaneous items for the early morning sports fishermen to purchase for breakfast or lunch on the boats. We sat on the pier with our breakfast and watched the deep sea charter boats load ice, beer, and fishermen.

Back in our room by 7 am and down in the foyer at 7:15 am we watched for Brian of Zoe Kayak Tours. He was right on time! He drives a big late model blue suburban with Zoe Kayak Tours on the door - a real contrast to the small vehicles zipping around the streets! We climbed in and began a thoroughly enjoyable trip!
Brian shared history of the area, pointed out plants and birds all along the drive to Laguna de Potosi! He had many stories of how plants were and are used. If he didn't know something he would say so - but he knows a lot!


The kayaks were sit-on tops and easy to maneuver over the still, shallow waters of the lagoon. Brian pointed out the different kinds of birds as we passed them perched in the mangrove trees or wading in the waters. He identified the many strange calls we heard as we passed through the mangrove tunnels. Moving through the mangrove tunnels was my favorite part. The long roots of the trees are crusted with barnacles and and little shell fish. These mangroves grow in clumps with no central trunk. The "tunnels" are created by the movement of the water as the levels ebb and flow with the tides.








The far end of our tour was at a huge inland lake where the mangrove forest gave way to grasslands. In the distance were remnants of ancient Indian pyramid's. On the way back towards the lagoon we stopped at one place and took a short stroll across an oddly flat expanse of land. Odd wooden platforms were placed here and there on the plain. Near them were strange circular "ponds" and channels running from the area below the short platforms to them.
Brian shared the ancient Indian salt mining practices - which are still being practiced today. What we walked through is a salt mining area that is worked during the summer! It is winter now so nothing is going on. What he was showing us was a small "family" operation worked by maybe 4 or 5 people who will sell their harvested "sea salt" at local street stalls. The big operations haul many truckloads of sea salt to a processing plant where is is shipped all over Mexico.

Brian brought us back to Zih along a road that runs behind Playa Larga - a 7 mile long beach - very steep and with surf so strong only surfers enjoy it. The airport property borders the other side of the road that alternated between being paved and a rutted dirt road lined by huge hacienda's and new condo's all facing the beach.

Brian filled us in on many interesting current events in the area. We finally found out why we were seeing pickups with armed military looking people riding in the back. There are 5 police agencies in the area - 3 of them expressly for protection of tourists. Their constant presence being a deterrent to any illegal actions. The other two agencies are fighting a the drug cartels in Guerimo. The are have a drug war! The government is trying to shut down the hashish, heroin and cocaine trafficking from South American countries via this coastal highway to the United States.

Jack has noted FAL G3's, UZI's, and riot shotguns as well as various flac vests and helmet styles. Afterwards we noticed several troop trucks moving through town. A sad reminder that paradise also has problems.

The tour started at 7:30 am and ended at 2 pm as advertised! A unique thing in this part of the world! After quick showers we went to Antony's Tamales Any for lunch. Jack had carne asada although we thought he ordered an enchilada! I had a chicken tamale. It seems to run about $10 each time we eat there. From there we wandered down to the Paseo to witness the Sunday Plaza activities.

There was music everywhere. We had purchased some beach towels and used them to pad the concrete benches and enjoyed people watching for a while and decided to treat ourselves to dinner at one of the beach front restaurants. Jack had camarones (shrimp) and I had stuffed red fillet of red snapper at Daniel's. Jack started his meal with cievieche but I stuck with shrimp cocktail. It was all very tasteful. It cost the most of all our meals to date, $450 pesos ($45) After our leisurely dinner we went out on the walkway that connects the Playa Municipal,(Municipal Beach) that all the restaurants, shops, and town proper are located off of
, to Playa Madera and half way along the beach head to Playa Ropa. Finding a good place to have a good view of the setting sun we watched locals fishing in the incoming surf with simple hand lines. One young man landed a large Yellow Fin as we watched.

Somewhere during the day Jack's Achilles tendon started hurting. We think the sea kayak was just a little to short for him and his legs were in an uncomfortable position for to long. We made our way slowly back to our hotel and called it a night.

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Day 2 – Saturday – February 3, 2007 No hot water but the shower felt good after the initial shock…it wasn’t super cold either. Jack and I both really like the open shower structure.















We were dressed and headed on foot to Casa Café on Calle Adelita by 8:30 a.m.!

The house special, fruit plate and pan toast, was our choice for breakfast and the couple at the next table shared their past few days’ experiences with us as we ate. Tips gathered from them were – Ice with holes in it is from purified water, fishermen catch tuna on hand lines at the bay in the surf, Canadians are not well liked by the locals because they are very demanding, rude, and do not tip. The couple was staying at the Irma – paying $75 per night and there is a pool – the negative being that it is located on the hill that separates Zihuatanejo and Playa Ropa. Jack wants to check it out “for next time.” I’m so glad he isn’t totally discouraged after yesterday!

Saturday’s the banks are open from 10 am to 2 pm so we headed directly there from breakfast. Changing our 10 crisp 100 bills in to pesos was interesting – it is a lot of pesos! After dividing the money up and stashing it in various places on our persons we strolled over to the Mercado to kill time until it was time to check out of the Vic-Mar. We had been told we could pick up our key at Posada Michel Hotel at 1 p.m. We had a restaurant across the street picked out that we could sit with our luggage and have lunch while we waited for our 1 pm check-in time. We now had the money to pay the balance of what we owed for the room until the 12th. We were set.

At the Mercado we found tee-shirts we liked. I have my Dancing Ants! I also paid 15 pesos to a young Mexican lady at a telephone “stall” to make a call to Brian of Zoe Kayak Tours and confirmed our trip for tomorrow to Laguna del Potosi.

Requesting that our cab wait for us – we raced to our room at the Vic Mar and got our stuff - we were almost running out of the place! It was only a little after 11 am but Jack had the taxi drop us off right at the Hotel Michel. The clerk let us have the key and we took our luggage to the room although the maid had not finished making up the room. Jack and I sat on the balcony watching the activity on the street while the maid finished up. We felt very happy with the change.















Then Jack realized he had left his suede vest and good shirt hanging in the closet at the Vic-Mar! Flagging down a taxi was quick and easy… I think they have 4 taxis for every person. We hopped in and returned to the dreaded hotel. His things were still in the room! We rejoiced as we returned to Hotel Michel!

We’d arranged, with an earlier taxi driver, for him to come to the hotel at 2 pm and drive us to Petalan – to the oro mercado (gold market). I’d read about the wild ride over the mountain road on the local bus and Jack preferred not to do that. We had just enough time to have a lunch of shrimp cocktails, stuffed shrimp, and avocado stuffed with tuna.

As we left Zihuatanejo the taxi had to pull over to a checkpoint manned with several armed policemen. Jack and I reached for our passports thinking they would request them. In his broken English our drive told us they were checking on him not us. He was unable to explain further but later we found out that the police were checking to make sure that taxi driver and taxi belonged together – taxi drivers are often mugged and their cars stolen. This checkpoint prevented the thieves from disappearing in to the mountains with the taxi from Zih (abbreviation for Zihuatanejo) and a reference point if a taxi didn’t return from their destination.

The drive to Petalan took 40 minutes. Bellies full Jack and I relaxed and enjoyed the countryside. Coconut plantations abound. We passed through a couple pueblos’ (small villages) as we steadily climbed into the foothills. I don’t think the person who wrote about the winding mountain roads has ever been in the Pacific Northwest. The paved two lane highway is in good repair with gradual turns winding through the hills. Nothing like our logging roads! We could have taken the bus and not had a moment’s anxiety!















At the market Jack and I picked out a gold bracelet, a two-tone gold tortuga (turtle) pinky ring, and 14 kt gold hoop earrings for me. I purchase a matching set of hoop earrings for my sister as her birthday is the 9th. We spent a little over $100 and I have some very nice 14 gold jewelry!















Just above the oro mercado is a large church that miracle healings are said to happen. We climbed the stairs and peeked in. It was simply but beautifully appointed.

We returned to Zih and took a siesta. Then we hit the streets looking for dinner and hats for tomorrow’s kayak tour of the mangrove forests in the Laguna de Potosi.

Mango’s was directly behind Hotel Michel so finding it was easy. We ordered tacos. We got taco soup. It was good – just not what we expected. Next shopping for cotton dresses and hats took us back towards the bay. Anything other than cotton is TO hot.

I found 2 dresses. One with my beloved tortuga’s and another bright tangerine gauze dress.
















We also found well made hats at the Artisans Mercado for $10 each. Another stroll down the Paseo del Pescador (Fish Walk) and an ice cream at the basketball court returned us to our end of town.

Our taco soup didn’t fill us up so we decided to have 4th meal at Ricomar. This local restaurant was on our list of good but inexpensive places to eat. It is located in what they call Pazole Alley. Jack ordered taco’s again but I went for an enchilada in green sauce. Jack got taco soup again. Guess that is just the way tacos come here! Acceptence…

Then as we were leaving their patio we saw the waiter put down a plate of what we call tacos – crisp corn shells with meat, lettuce, etc… wonder what that is called here?
















We ended our second day watching the intersection of Ejido and Calle Benito Juarez from the balcony. It is the busiest intersection in Zih! The mercado is on Benito Juarez and many restaurants and nightspots are on Ejido. As night fell the traffic became endless. Jack said it was an endless game of chicken when the traffic policeman wasn't there.

I had sweet potatoes from a street vendor as a late night (8 pm) treat. A little cart came around the corner that looked like a mobil BBQ and let out a toot like a little train. I ran down the three flights of stairs to join 4 or 5 others purchasing a plate of his product for 7 pesos. I thought I was getting Jack some sort of BBQ meat but it was sweet potatoes with canned milk poured over it. I liked it but Jack isn’t a great fan of sweet potatoes.

The warm night air and noises waft in through the open balcony door as I write. There are no bugs – it is their winter here. We are in Room 201 which is actually on the third floor so we feel fine leaving the slider open as we sleep. It is now 11:15 pm. Jack went to sleep long ago. We leave for our kayak adventure at 7:30 a.m.! I’m turning the lights off!

Friday, February 16, 2007

Honeymoon -Day 1 - Friday 2-2-07 We spent last night at the Days Inn in Medford so we could get to the airport in plenty of time for our 7 am flight. Our pre-arranged yellow cab picked us up at 5:15 am and had us at the airport before 5:30 am. After getting all checked in, checked out, and checked over we were waiting for our airplane to come in when a fire truck - lights flashing raced down the air strip. A few minutes later an Alaska Airlines plane pulled into the gate we were waiting at - no doubt our plane. The fire truck followed it in. Over the loud speaker it is announced that our plane will be having some maintenance work done and our departure will be delayed.

I called my family and left messages on their recorders that I love them! Jack paced.

Our connecting flight leaves Los Angelas at 11 a.m.. The flight takes 2 hours. 7:30 then 7:40 rolls by. At 7:50 we boarded the plane and quickly took off. Hope the maintenance went well!


I am always tense flying. Jack was amused. He never dreamed I had any problems with flying - I never said anything about it. Being an ex-paratrooper he doesn't have any issues with flying but is anxious about us making our connecting flight. We arrived in L.A. at 10:30 a.m. - 15 minutes to spare! The flight was in the same terminal so we had time for a quick trip to the bathrooms and for Jack chang $50 into pesos before boarding.

This leg of the trip was 7 hours. At times bumpy. Jack is very conforting - letting me clutch his hand and upper arm when the plane drops or shudders. The fare doesn't include meals these days but you can buy a turkey sandwich for $5. Evidently most the people on the plane didn't have time between connecting flights because the sandwichs were all gone after Jack bo;ught our two. The passenger behind us was pretty angry and declared he would be writing Alaska Airlines. The stewards handled him as well as they could. I gratefully ate the stale turkey sandwich! It was now 2 pm and we'd only had coffee and a muffin at 6 am.

















Customs and Immagration went smooth at the Zihuatanejo Ixtapa airport. We breezed right through!

The air was muggy it was so warm! I stripped down to my tank top. We took a private, air-conditioned taxi to Casa Elvira! Luxury! It cost $28 which we were informed we could get back if we would sit through a presentation at an Ixtapa hotel. They would buy us breakfast & refund our cab fare. Ok, Ok we set a time for next Sunday...we're not greedy - we just wanted to go!

Walking into the courtyard at Casa Elvira we were met with long looks from the women there. I recognized the woman from my stay there 5 years ago and addressed her, introducing myself in my limited spanish and saying we were here for our 10 day stay. I got no response. I asked for Uberto and they sent a young girl in to the resturant for him. Uberto did remember me calling and us setting up the reservation-he talked to the manager. The news was bad.

They had written down the wrong date. They did not have room for us. Jack was doing laps around the stack of luggage, pausing and looking at me when I explained each piece of bad news.
I asked Uberto if he could call this other place Jack had found on the internet - Hotel Vic-Mar. I pulled the page Jack had printed and we had in our Zih folder (that contained all the information we'd gathered on what we wanted to do while we were there) It contained the address and phone number. Uberto called and asked if they had room and told him we were on our way. We flagged a taxi. I shook hands with everyone and climbed into the taxi where Jack had gone without a word.

My heart sank as we drove further and further from the bay and in to a more "native" section of town. The Vic-Mar was the nicest looking place in 3 blocks. We were definately out of the "tourist area". The clerk would only accept pesos. Since we'd paid the cabs we only had enough to pay for one night - and that took all the mexican money we had. It was $250 pesos which equals $25.The clerk looked and acted like Egor in the Frankenstien movie. Big bulging eyes, no smiles, total veathy. He lead us to our room and left. We had a place to stay we repeated to each other. We were grateful. But the pictures had been complinentary. The beds were like boards. We changed in to shorts and headed back in to town on foot - we needed an ATM to get more pesos. We didn't have anything to pay for transportation or food although we had about $1000 on us!
















Because we'd printed off maps of Zihuatanejo marked with where the resturants were that we wanted to go to we knew where we where. We were not to far from Casa Cafe - owned by two Oregonians and a gathering place for English speakers - so we headed there. It was closed but Jack asked the man picking up around the tables if he could direct us to the nearest ATM. It was Pedro - the owner - and he graciously gave us a map marked with the all the ATM's in town. He also explained Frebruary is the busisest time of year - rooms could be scarce. He advised if we found something available and we liked we should hesitate in paying for it. He said he'd ask around for us this evening and told us to come back in the morning.

It was a short walk from there to the closest ATM and Jack withdrew $1500 pesos. We were going to look for place to have dinner and ran in to a couple just outside the bank. We asked where they were staying and they pointed to the place. It was just two doors away. They said it wasn't fancy but they liked it. They recommended we ask to look at the room before renting it as there was a range of accomodation levels there. We went right there and asked if they had rooms available. The clerk didn't speak English so it took sometime for us to get things ironed out with my limited spanish but she gave us a key and we went and looked at the room.

The room was huge and brightly painted, with tile floors, kig size bed, air conditioner,TV, balconey, and private path. We loved it immediately. $500 pesos ($50) instead of the $200 pesos a night but centrally located and nice. We paid for 3 nights and it was a struggle to get her to understand we didn't want to stay there tonight but would come 'manyana". We were broke again!
















Back to the ATM and then off to discover that Antonys Tamales Any - one of the restruants on our list was at the end of the same block! Finally a break - we were very tired and hungry. I had one of their signature tamale's in a plantain leaf and Jack had pazole. We also had a huge 2 litre bottle of water. Everything tasted wonderful.

















After eating Jack let me talk him into walking the 2 blocks to the Paseo de Pescador along the bay front. The italian ice cream shop wasn't on the corner by the peir anymore but we got an ice cream from the little store there and reviewed our plans for the migration the next day as we ate it and strolled the peir.

We caught a taxi back to Hotel Vic-Mar - it's $20 pesos anywhere in town. "Egor" let us know check out was at 11 am. NO PROBLEMO!

The room was stuffy even with the ceiling fan going full bore. I developed a headache and my nose plugged up then drained. The sheets were bumpy and threadbare. The pillows were lumpy and did not smell very fresh. I tossed and preasure on my sinuses built-up again. I had to sit up to breath- head was splitting. We didn't have any water in our room for me to take any Sinus pills with. There was no question of going anywhere to get any either.

It was a LONG night. A rooster crowed at 2:30 am giveing me false hope the night was nearly over. Dogs barked all around the area around 4 am. Finally the bio-feedback excersizes and pinching the area between my thumb and index finger(pressure point for sinuses) worked enough I could go to sleep. We are not going to miss this place!

WHAT A DAY!

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

We're home! It was a wonderful honeymoon! I can't think of anything more we could have done. Not that everything went as planned...by any means... but it all worked out wonderfully. Jack got to work on codependency issues, expanding his comfort zone, and containing himself under stressfull situations. I got to practice my Spanish, patience, maintaining internal peace dispite external stimuli, and witness personal growth in the man I love not to mention snorkel, shop, kayak and eat great food! What a honeymoon.

I'll post excerpts from my journal in the coming days along with pictures. But tomorrow is my first day back on the job and I need to get ready and get a good nights sleep.

Hope everyone had a great valentines day! Love.