The Big Mexico Trip
Nov 17th, 2021, 06:26 AM
#121
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A SLAM DUNK..one of the best TRs I've read here..very interesting cause I lived in Zihua in the 80s----No gringos even went to Troncones back then..Fonatur had already developed Ixtapa and were just starting kicking out the locals living in Huatulco....magical times.
I used to love La Perla for huachinango on Playa La Ropa..is it still there?
I used to love La Perla for huachinango on Playa La Ropa..is it still there?
Last edited by ekscrunchy; Nov 17th, 2021 at 06:40 AM.
Nov 18th, 2021, 08:22 AM
#123
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Yeah, you think YOU are old??? I bet I can beat you by some years..how many more trips can I even take? Anyway, love "chatting" with you.... someday I will find my "certificate" saying I was one of the first gringas to set foot on the sands of Huatulco...from Fonatur. Journalist days.. I used to stay with a family on Tangolunda (sp??) beach that was paid for their land by how many palm trees were planted there! Basically nothing..thanks Sr Slim or whoever....nice while it lasted. Maybe $2 USD per night... Never liked Zipolite, though..is that not a big resort now, clothes optional.
I remember the bus rides from DF to Chiapas where they would sell turtle eggs to down raw......near Juchitan o Tehuantepec.... Used togo down there a lot...then bus from the coast to Oaxaca city.....always made me nauseous!
Mexico lindo y querido....si muera lejos de ti, que digan que estoy dormiendo.....y que me traigan aqui.
I remember the bus rides from DF to Chiapas where they would sell turtle eggs to down raw......near Juchitan o Tehuantepec.... Used togo down there a lot...then bus from the coast to Oaxaca city.....always made me nauseous!
Mexico lindo y querido....si muera lejos de ti, que digan que estoy dormiendo.....y que me traigan aqui.
Last edited by ekscrunchy; Nov 18th, 2021 at 08:25 AM.
Nov 19th, 2021, 05:59 AM
#125
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Final days in Barra de Potosi - Obviously not as much to write about staying here. Spending time with our hotel mates, couple from Alaska, another from Oliver, BC. We did however take a bird watching, lagoon tour one morning. My wife is on all of the Chats, Zihua, Barra, Troncones, she's a chatty one! But it's great when we are stateside and we can monitor all of the doings in Mexico. We heard about Chely and her bird tours on the chat. I digress, up at 7:00AM, yes there can be a 7AM, even on vacation and met Chely from Paradise Bird Tours. It's so great to be out on the lagoon with only one other boat, a single fisherman. Chely has been doing these tours for a number of years. She speaks very good English and is extremely knowledgeable about the birds. As we motor boat through the lagoon she points out and talks about all of the birds and there are a lot.
We see all of the egrets, snowy, brown, reddish, Great. All of the Heron's, Tri-colored, Green, Great blue, little blue, Gil-Scott Heron. Don't see as many Roseate Spoon Bill's as we had hoped. Last time we did this tour, we say a sand bar with about a hundred Spoon bills, they look like Flamingos only shorter. This time though I think the part of the lagoon we had ventured last time is silted up. We talk a lot about how rising waters are causing havoc along the shores down here.
I notice that after each new bird species we see, Chely, writes it down on a card. I think that she's just keeping track but after the tour, she hands us a postcard from her business and on the back are all of the different birds we saw. 35! Smart girl, now we have a great little souvenir of our tour and can look up all of the birds later on an App she showed us that tells us about each bird. There's not a lot to do in Barra de Potosi, but this is one of the best.
We see all of the egrets, snowy, brown, reddish, Great. All of the Heron's, Tri-colored, Green, Great blue, little blue, Gil-Scott Heron. Don't see as many Roseate Spoon Bill's as we had hoped. Last time we did this tour, we say a sand bar with about a hundred Spoon bills, they look like Flamingos only shorter. This time though I think the part of the lagoon we had ventured last time is silted up. We talk a lot about how rising waters are causing havoc along the shores down here.
I notice that after each new bird species we see, Chely, writes it down on a card. I think that she's just keeping track but after the tour, she hands us a postcard from her business and on the back are all of the different birds we saw. 35! Smart girl, now we have a great little souvenir of our tour and can look up all of the birds later on an App she showed us that tells us about each bird. There's not a lot to do in Barra de Potosi, but this is one of the best.
Nov 22nd, 2021, 06:30 AM
#129
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So if you are following along, it's been a couple of days since I have posted about our trip. Primarily because we are back in Zihuatanejo and in our apartment that we return to every winter. eskscrunchy I am so envious that you lived here in the 80's it must have been really different! Zihua is the place that rekindled our live of Mexico about 6 years ago. If you will permit me, a very, very short history of Zihua. Many people have never heard of Zihua and if they have it is because of The Shawshank Redemption movie in which Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman end up here in the last scene of the movie. Which face it was probably shot on a beach in Malibu with a boat that they hauled out of storage in Burbank.
Zihua was a quiet little fishing town, still is to some degree, I just walked through the fish market at the Mercado and watched the long knives fillet a fish, like butter. There are pictures of John Wayne's yacht in the 60's in the harbor. It has a great natural harbor by the way. There are three distinct beach areas, Playa Municipal, La Madera and La Ropa. I guess four beaches if you count Los Gatos, which isn't an island but generally you get to it by taking a water taxi, so it feels like an island. At some point, FONTUR selected Ixtapa for one of its instant Mexican destination places. So many people fly into Zihua / Ixtapa airport and are whisked away to Ixtapa, which is a long line of high rise hotels and condominiums facing a nice stretch of beach. Pretty clean, well lit...safe to the American mind. Lot's of shopping, restaurants etc. , but that doesn't float our barco. Zihua is just a little funkier.
I have been visiting Mexico for at least 50 years, but mostly traditional places, Cabo, Puerta Vallarta, Cancun and a number of places in Baja, but when we got to Zihua we knew this was the place. We kept saying, this is what we always wanted Mexico to be, friendly people, nice beaches, some restaurants and fairly in expensive. We generally stay in an apartment complex, with about 30 units, mostly inhabited by Canadians a few Americans, quite a few are owned with a few rentals. The complex opens up to a pool in the middle and the apartments are pretty open, little patios on some of the units, it's three stories high. I'm not telling you where because it's too hard to get in here as it is! LOL
Yesterday was Sunday when the beaches are pretty full with locals and we all tend to hunker down around the pool. I told me wife it looks like an adult day care! Or at least adult day camp. We've made some nice friendships here over the years, see people once a year. Been in touch via Zoom the last year because of Covid. It is the best. BUT Zihua is changing and that will be the discussion for my next post!
Zihua was a quiet little fishing town, still is to some degree, I just walked through the fish market at the Mercado and watched the long knives fillet a fish, like butter. There are pictures of John Wayne's yacht in the 60's in the harbor. It has a great natural harbor by the way. There are three distinct beach areas, Playa Municipal, La Madera and La Ropa. I guess four beaches if you count Los Gatos, which isn't an island but generally you get to it by taking a water taxi, so it feels like an island. At some point, FONTUR selected Ixtapa for one of its instant Mexican destination places. So many people fly into Zihua / Ixtapa airport and are whisked away to Ixtapa, which is a long line of high rise hotels and condominiums facing a nice stretch of beach. Pretty clean, well lit...safe to the American mind. Lot's of shopping, restaurants etc. , but that doesn't float our barco. Zihua is just a little funkier.
I have been visiting Mexico for at least 50 years, but mostly traditional places, Cabo, Puerta Vallarta, Cancun and a number of places in Baja, but when we got to Zihua we knew this was the place. We kept saying, this is what we always wanted Mexico to be, friendly people, nice beaches, some restaurants and fairly in expensive. We generally stay in an apartment complex, with about 30 units, mostly inhabited by Canadians a few Americans, quite a few are owned with a few rentals. The complex opens up to a pool in the middle and the apartments are pretty open, little patios on some of the units, it's three stories high. I'm not telling you where because it's too hard to get in here as it is! LOL
Yesterday was Sunday when the beaches are pretty full with locals and we all tend to hunker down around the pool. I told me wife it looks like an adult day care! Or at least adult day camp. We've made some nice friendships here over the years, see people once a year. Been in touch via Zoom the last year because of Covid. It is the best. BUT Zihua is changing and that will be the discussion for my next post!
Nov 23rd, 2021, 11:03 AM
#130
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When we first came to Zihua six years ago, there was an old pier where you would catch snorkeling trips, fishing boats and the little boats that took you to Los Gatos for $50 pesos. The Malecon, the beach side walkway, from downtown to the other end of La Madera beach was pretty dark at night, narrow, mostly paved, there were little crates every so many feet for holding garbage, cans etc. The Concha in the center of town, the basketball court, was pretty faded looking as we watched the locals play basketball Friday and Saturday nights. A year before Covid, the cruise ships started coming back, they started sprucing up the town!
Now, the Malecon, is very well lit, there are a lot of open restaurants along the way, some with music. The walkway is wider, and there are more people strolling. The Concha has been completely re-done, new concrete steps, a stage, all painted in super colors. What used to be almost a path along the little shops next to the Concha has been expanded in a really nice brick walkway. We've lost some trees in the process. The walkway runs down to the new Municipal Wharf. Why all this detail?
Because the lament has gone up amongst the Gringos. What happened to our beloved Zihua? I've done a pretty exhaustive study among the locals, actually it was one drunken night talking to a young couple in the bar, and guess what, the locals love what has happened to their town. The new mayor is taking an interest in improving the city, roads, some infrastructure etc. The Concha and walkways through town are packed with locals. There are long bench like structures that run along the whole pathway and it is filled with happy people. So we are, some of us, pining for the old and not taking into consideration, it's not our town! We've been blessed to enjoy it and now these darn Mexicans have changed it, how dare they. Will this lead to more changes in the future? Probably. Will it be better for the people who live here? Probably. Will I miss the old Zihua? Maybe. But you know, we don't seem to miss the orange groves and pig farms in the San Fernando Valley where I live in Los Angeles. Maybe we will all survive. Would love to hear your thoughts and changes to places that are supposed to stay the same!
Now, the Malecon, is very well lit, there are a lot of open restaurants along the way, some with music. The walkway is wider, and there are more people strolling. The Concha has been completely re-done, new concrete steps, a stage, all painted in super colors. What used to be almost a path along the little shops next to the Concha has been expanded in a really nice brick walkway. We've lost some trees in the process. The walkway runs down to the new Municipal Wharf. Why all this detail?
Because the lament has gone up amongst the Gringos. What happened to our beloved Zihua? I've done a pretty exhaustive study among the locals, actually it was one drunken night talking to a young couple in the bar, and guess what, the locals love what has happened to their town. The new mayor is taking an interest in improving the city, roads, some infrastructure etc. The Concha and walkways through town are packed with locals. There are long bench like structures that run along the whole pathway and it is filled with happy people. So we are, some of us, pining for the old and not taking into consideration, it's not our town! We've been blessed to enjoy it and now these darn Mexicans have changed it, how dare they. Will this lead to more changes in the future? Probably. Will it be better for the people who live here? Probably. Will I miss the old Zihua? Maybe. But you know, we don't seem to miss the orange groves and pig farms in the San Fernando Valley where I live in Los Angeles. Maybe we will all survive. Would love to hear your thoughts and changes to places that are supposed to stay the same!
Nov 23rd, 2021, 07:57 PM
#132
Makes me think of Isla Mujeres when we first went there in the early 90's. It was far from undiscovered at that time, relatively speaking. We'd go every year for about 8 years in a row before we discovered colonial Mexico. We took a trip 2 years ago after probably a 20 year absence. We knew it wouldn't be the same, but Isla heldvso many fond memories. But Playa Norte, one of Mexico's finest, was ruined. 2 massive hotels, Ixchel, and the fugly AI of Privleges, absolutely ruined one of Mexico's best beaches. Not to mention the obnoxious massage tents. Unlike PV and other coastal areas that essentially have unlimited coastal zones to develop, Isla only has a limited amount of beach area. It was a good trip, just the same. But probably a return trip wont be any time soon, which is sad. And pretty much the same can be said for Holbox. I ask myself how much sites, like TA, YouTube (and their obnoxious vloggers), are contributing to the ruin of travel. I probably shouldn't have postted my Michoacan coast update, lol.
Nov 24th, 2021, 06:22 AM
#133
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Yeah, it's really a small world now with all the technology. Although the good old travel book could pack a punch. We are devotees of Rick Steves, like his style of traveling, humor etc. A number of years ago we went to a restaurant named Philipes in Rue Cler in Paris. Walk in and everyone in the joint is packing a Rick Steves book. We were one of the last customers and Philipe was out of half of the menu. We got to talk to him around closing time and he said that due to Rick Steves, so many Americans eat early, he started opening early, and he was generally out of food by 8PM, when most restaurants are just opening in Paris. Where he used to work until midnite, he was done by 9PM and watching TV.
Also as an update on my "the New Zihua research", I'm running at about 60% likes and 40% not sure or don't like it. Some like that the Malecon is well paved and lit but not sure about the changes downtown. So if I lead anyone to believe all of the locals are in love with the New Zihua that's not completely accurate. I did qualify my initial research that it was done after a number of tequilas in a bar.
Also as an update on my "the New Zihua research", I'm running at about 60% likes and 40% not sure or don't like it. Some like that the Malecon is well paved and lit but not sure about the changes downtown. So if I lead anyone to believe all of the locals are in love with the New Zihua that's not completely accurate. I did qualify my initial research that it was done after a number of tequilas in a bar.
Nov 24th, 2021, 08:50 AM
#134
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Ask the older locals if they remember Owen, who held some kind of lease and ran a guesthouse on Las Gatos...He was a sort of "hippie-ish" guy who had lived there for ages and I think finally got kicked out........the guest house was a dump but he had diving lessons.
Fanciest restaurant in town as Coconuts, run by an "arty" couple from Soho, NYC, I think their name was Del Guidice....the old locals will know. They lived off La Ropa.
The kid at La Perla was Francisco....he worked under his Dad on La Ropa. Cute kid, must be an abuelo by now.....
And then there was Villa del Sol under Commandante Helmut.....$$$$$$$$ on La Ropa (NEVER take a tea spoon to your room/villa or you will be charged!)...still there I think under a different name and owner.
Fanciest restaurant in town as Coconuts, run by an "arty" couple from Soho, NYC, I think their name was Del Guidice....the old locals will know. They lived off La Ropa.
The kid at La Perla was Francisco....he worked under his Dad on La Ropa. Cute kid, must be an abuelo by now.....
And then there was Villa del Sol under Commandante Helmut.....$$$$$$$$ on La Ropa (NEVER take a tea spoon to your room/villa or you will be charged!)...still there I think under a different name and owner.
Nov 25th, 2021, 06:14 AM
#135
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ekscrunchy, I'll ask about Owen although I don't know a lot of locals here from the 80's. Did you ever run into Abbie Hoffman? I understand he was here maybe around that time, probably didn't broadcast it. We didn't go to Los Gatos last time we were here, Jan. 2021, but will have to go this time.
Coconuts just re-opened this week! Not sure who runs it. The biggest scuttlebutt seems to be the new prices, $500 pesos for shrimp dishes. They have a lot of competition now, there are so many restaurants. One of the more interesting ideas, that started actually before Covid, is a "food court" across the street behind the Museum, if you can picture that, and it's about 15 shipping containers, you know the ones that go on semi-trucks and it's all different types of food. Hamburgers, tacos, ribs, desserts and the area has been strung with lights, very festive. It was started by a young woman we met 3 years ago. Only had about 5 containers then but it's expended. Very popular.
Coconuts just re-opened this week! Not sure who runs it. The biggest scuttlebutt seems to be the new prices, $500 pesos for shrimp dishes. They have a lot of competition now, there are so many restaurants. One of the more interesting ideas, that started actually before Covid, is a "food court" across the street behind the Museum, if you can picture that, and it's about 15 shipping containers, you know the ones that go on semi-trucks and it's all different types of food. Hamburgers, tacos, ribs, desserts and the area has been strung with lights, very festive. It was started by a young woman we met 3 years ago. Only had about 5 containers then but it's expended. Very popular.
Nov 26th, 2021, 07:31 AM
#136
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Never hearfd of Hoffman being there but I hung around only with the locals..knew all the boat owners on the pier....they were so young and cute back then but must be old men by now, or gone to another plane.
PLEASE ask ab oout Owen!! He was kind of a nut...he was American and we were not really friends but I used to go out there to snorkel. It was such a different time..Coconuts was the only high end place to eat..I used to like the tacos at the bus station!!!
These were the days when if you took a bus down to Guatemala, there would be litttle boys selling bags of turtle eggs near Juchitan and the passengers would buy them and eat them raw! Shame! Must be some macho remedy.....
Is there anything on Playa Linda in Ixtapa now..? Back then there was a
Club Med....
PLEASE ask ab oout Owen!! He was kind of a nut...he was American and we were not really friends but I used to go out there to snorkel. It was such a different time..Coconuts was the only high end place to eat..I used to like the tacos at the bus station!!!
These were the days when if you took a bus down to Guatemala, there would be litttle boys selling bags of turtle eggs near Juchitan and the passengers would buy them and eat them raw! Shame! Must be some macho remedy.....
Is there anything on Playa Linda in Ixtapa now..? Back then there was a
Club Med....
Nov 27th, 2021, 08:54 AM
#137
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OK, ekscrunchy, I believe the universe gives you what you ask for. Our Thanksgiving was at the Captain's Daughter down on Nicolas Bravo. Lot's of ex-pats, there was a large hombre, pretty dark who grew up in East LA, sitting at a big table with maybe 10 other people. We started talking and he said he has lived here in the 80's off and on then moved here permanently in 2016. I asked him if he knew Owen? About half of the table said, " We knew Owen!" So Owen has passed to that big palapa in the sky, but his son is running the dive shop on Los Gatos. So that's about all I could find out about Owen.
Playa Linda is still filled with crocodilios and the boats that go out to Isla Ixtapa. There is a big resort, that I think is a Mexican resort next to Playa Linda, but the Club Med is close by. A number of shops at the end of the Playa. We usually go to Isla Ixtapa every time we are here, not sure if we will make it this time because we didn't bring our snorkel gear.
Playa Linda is still filled with crocodilios and the boats that go out to Isla Ixtapa. There is a big resort, that I think is a Mexican resort next to Playa Linda, but the Club Med is close by. A number of shops at the end of the Playa. We usually go to Isla Ixtapa every time we are here, not sure if we will make it this time because we didn't bring our snorkel gear.
Nov 30th, 2021, 05:34 AM
#138
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Lazy days in Zihua. Not a lot to report because our day has taken the familiar pattern of food, pool, playa, happy hour and then Buenas noches. We've met a lot of new people at our apartment, mostly Canadians, and hung out with old friends. Now we are doing the basics of living, morning exercise to a Youtube series we started during Covid, walk to the market for our fruit and vegetables. Hit the beach around 1PM and frolic in the warm Mexican water. One big difference, is that we walk to do all of this. Only get in a taxi for a longer ride. Normally we would take combis but we are still trying to social distance to some degree. We are aware, however, how blessed we are to come here and relax in this country when all around us we see so many hard working people.
One of our next big adventures in life is that we are buying a van to turn into a camper and the van I am told is in the Lazaro Port waiting to be shipped to the US! The Lazaro Port is 105 KMs away! If I could figure out how to get it out of one of the millions of container cars, I would go get it. Guess I'll just have another Victoria and watch the sunset until then.
One of our next big adventures in life is that we are buying a van to turn into a camper and the van I am told is in the Lazaro Port waiting to be shipped to the US! The Lazaro Port is 105 KMs away! If I could figure out how to get it out of one of the millions of container cars, I would go get it. Guess I'll just have another Victoria and watch the sunset until then.
Dec 6th, 2021, 04:44 AM
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Last days in Zihua, thought I would check in. We've had a very nice restful time vs. our jaunt through Colonial Mexico which saw us moving every 3 to 4 days. Some highlights, going to Sotovento Beach Club on La Ropa. Sotovento is a condo development that I think has been going on for ten years or longer. I don't know if it will ever be done. It's probably 8 stories high, right on the beach, could be fabulous but I understand that it has been bankrupt and then sold to different developers. Kind of a shell right now, but it has a Beach club at the bottom next to the Sales Office. Great lounges, good food. This year they have implemented a $400 peso minimum on food and drink to lay on the lounges. We feel it's well worth it. Have a few drinks, slip into the ocean for a cool off. Order lunch, all under these large umbrellas.
Sunday night is Domingo Cultura. They put on some kind of show every Sunday at 7PM at the Cancha, so no basketball. White chairs are set out and the stone bleachers are full of townspeople. Two weeks ago it was an aerial show some what like Cirque de Soleil, but all amateurs from a local club of some sort. Last night it was a musical troupe from a university in Morelia. Started with a horn band, then a chorus of singers and finally a singer backed by a few members of the previous group. Good singer and it is always a lot of fun. The town is out and there are food stalls open down the Main Street. It's not Coyoacan, but it's a nice night.
Biggest news is that a snake invaded our condo complex. Not too dangerous looking, about 4 foot long, skinny. We had to chase the poor thing around the pool most of Sunday afternoon. He/She kept slinking into the little gardens around the apartments and then a little while later it would be back on the concrete. It was kind of funny because most of the men in the complex were at the Captain's Daughter bar watching the Canadian football finals, so it was me and about 4 women chasing this critter. We finally opened the front door to our building and chased him out the door. Had to call the firemen, the Bomberos, to come and take him away. They caught him with a device, then one of the guys, a big guy grabbed him by the neck in back of his head and put him in a bag. A little action on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
Sunday night is Domingo Cultura. They put on some kind of show every Sunday at 7PM at the Cancha, so no basketball. White chairs are set out and the stone bleachers are full of townspeople. Two weeks ago it was an aerial show some what like Cirque de Soleil, but all amateurs from a local club of some sort. Last night it was a musical troupe from a university in Morelia. Started with a horn band, then a chorus of singers and finally a singer backed by a few members of the previous group. Good singer and it is always a lot of fun. The town is out and there are food stalls open down the Main Street. It's not Coyoacan, but it's a nice night.
Biggest news is that a snake invaded our condo complex. Not too dangerous looking, about 4 foot long, skinny. We had to chase the poor thing around the pool most of Sunday afternoon. He/She kept slinking into the little gardens around the apartments and then a little while later it would be back on the concrete. It was kind of funny because most of the men in the complex were at the Captain's Daughter bar watching the Canadian football finals, so it was me and about 4 women chasing this critter. We finally opened the front door to our building and chased him out the door. Had to call the firemen, the Bomberos, to come and take him away. They caught him with a device, then one of the guys, a big guy grabbed him by the neck in back of his head and put him in a bag. A little action on a quiet Sunday afternoon.
