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!