It's hard to believe it's been more than a month since we've updated the blog!
It's been a full month:
As I described in our previous entry, Rancho Buganvila is a delightful RV park. We kind of lost track of time and days there. We became lazy travelers: mostly we just hung out, read books, chatted with other RVers during sunset gatherings at the palapa, worked on some sewing projects, and Gracie and I walked at least once every day to the beach. The park, with Sandy and Cynthia providing such a welcoming atmosphere and plenty of friendly RVers, seemed to become a world unto itself, interrupted only by visits to the nearby village of La Placita for groceries and a meal or two. The worst part about staying there was that John could not get on the beach to join in my and Gracie's afternoon playtime. Gracie has become an amazing beach dog! Maybe we'll have to return with our ATV!
We love having the navigator with us and its Mexico maps are fairly accurate.
You can see how windy the highway was.
We departed from our two-week stay there on Feb 15. As we've described before, Hwy. 200 can be very slow going due to curves and topes (the speed bumps so common in Mexico). We had at first planned a mid-way stop on our way to Zihuatanejo but for whatever reason, we were anxious to get here so we drove 8 very tiring hours to make the trip in one day. The further south one drives on this coastal route, even fewer towns and villages are seen. The scenery is dramatic but we were unable to take many pics as there are so few turnouts when the road is hugging the ocean cliffs, and a good portion of the route winds inland from the ocean through the coastal range. I was trying to snap various shots but with the darn delay on our digital camera, most are just shrubbery. We have learned the government has 'big plans' for the coast between Manzanillo and smaller port town of Lazaro Cardenez, including plans to build an international airport in the latter in about two years. If anyone wants to speculate long-term on a region of Mexican real estate, this would be the area. Property is plentiful, beautiful, and cheap!
The trip was uneventful except for two military check points. We're sure you've been hearing the reports of increased violence, and police and military action in response, and we're sure these increased inspections are part of that action. We always greet these stops with smiles and friendliness. And in return, at both stops we were treated respectfully. We were asked at the first stop to get out of the truck as they wanted to inspect the vehicle. John explained in Spanish that he is disabled and once the soldier heard that he simply smiled and waved us through. About 15 miles later was the second inspection point. John tried the same tact but the young soldier spoke good English so he said "OK, you stay in the truck, but (pointing to me) you come with me to inspect the trailer." When we asked him where he learned such good English, he said his aunt and uncle live in Texas and he had gone for a long visit. I took the young guy and one other soldier back to the trailer with me and asked them to wait just a minute so I could get the cat. I told them the cat is afraid of strangers and I wanted to secure her in her carrying bag. Once I secured ChopChop in her bag, I opened the door. Only one of the guys came in. He took a quick glance around and said "OK, that's all." They looked at our passports and waved us through. All this took less than 10 mintues. I told John they really weren't inspecting us as 'suspects' they just wanted to see the inside of the trailer. haha! So, adding these experiences to our very pleasant interaction with the Mexican navy when we had our boat in Mexico, we've got pretty good feelings for the military here.
Maybe you heard in the news about the police station here in Zihuatanejo being 'bombed'. That happened about 3 days after our arrival. What actually happened was that 2 hand grenades were thrown at the police station from a passing car. Please understand the problems in Mexico are between the drug dealers and cartels and the police / military / gov't who are trying to control them. Tourists are virtually unaffected by this 'war'. Tourists here are as UNAFFECTED by the problem as tourists to Los Angeles are by the 'war' between gangs and cops in Los Angeles. As travelers who appreciate Mexico, it is distressing to see the Mexican people and their economy suffer due to the American media scaring Americans from visiting. There are plenty of Canadian and European travelers here! I guess they're not getting the 'news', but they sure are having a great time here!
About 3 days after the hand grenade incident, a police truck with policemen in the truck bed was ambushed and 4 cops were killed. Even before this event, police have been petitioning for pay increases and survivor benefits. A local policeman here makes the equivalent of $450 per month and has no survivor benefits. There has been a local effort to provide funds for the surviving widows and children. There has been an increase in police and military 'presence' and we notice many wear full face masks to remain unidentified to protect their families. In our opinion these men are brave souls who, in an effort to work to protect and improve their country, risk their lives. It's a complicated situation but if it weren't for the continuing demand for drugs north of the border, much of this could be resolved. When Robert was here he was solicited almost daily to buy drugs. Is it assumed that every young gringo uses drugs? What a shame!
John's birthday was a few days after our arrival so we went out to dinner.
This was our view as we dined...
Robert was due to arrive Feb. 23, my sister Karen on the 27th, Shelli and Jay on March 1, so we had one week before their arrival to get a list of things resolved and repaired. Because of our love of this area and anticipating these visitors, we'd been looking forward this entire trip to our visit to Zihuatanejo. We also have friends from our boating days, Brent and Sue, who now live here 6 months of the year (the other 6 months in Hawaii), who we were looking forward to seeing again. Before we left Arizona in December, John had driven into a peice of rebar sticking up out of the ground at a campground and it had torn a large hole in the lower front fender of the truck. He's been looking forward to being in a place long enough to find a good repair shop, etc. and Zihua seemed like the best place so we'd put it off till here. The solution was quickly found after asking Dave, the owner of the hotel where we are staying, for a referral. He took us to a body shop where he'd had extensive work done on his truck. We'd never have gone there on our own, as it was a big out-door area, full of junk and cars to be worked on--with no identification that it was even a body shop. But the next day our truck was in and out, with the repair being done wonderfully in 4 hours at a cost of only $80.
There is a 9-mile stretch of beach south of Zihuatanejo, it's 'sections' known as Playa Larga, Playa Blanca, and Barra de Potosí. There are several access roads out to the dirt road that runs the length of this area and we'd learned of a bed and breakfast there that is completely wheelchair accessible so checking it out was on our "do list" also. It turns out to be the same place my sister had mentioned to me a couple years ago and we also learned they have 3 RV spots on the property! There are many beachfront properties for sale and as we explored, we had fun dreaming of living on the beach. It's a beautiful location but a little too remote from town for our liking, at least for a long term place to stay.
Here's the B&B website if any one is interested:
During that first week here John and I were out to lunch and part of his tooth (a molar) suddenly broke off, so we then were on a mission to find a dentist. I had planned to get some dental work done here (I don't have dental insurance so finding a dentist was on our 'do list' anyway) but it had now become a priority. My sister Karen owns a condo here and over the 5 years of ownership has developed an amazing network of friends, both Mexican and gringo. Her friend Frank, a relocated Canadian and fabulous photographer, offered us a referral to his dentist. We found stairs outside the dental office, but used the ramps we use to get the scooter off the truck, and John easily accessed the office in his wheelchair, drawing looks of amazement from the dentist. John's tooth is doing fine now! I had my teeth cleaned and will get further work done on them next week.
John's scooter had been making a 'scrunching' noise in the right rear wheel for quite a while (even at home) and, assuming the problem was the bearings in the electric motor, he decided to see if a mechanic here could fix it. We found an electric motor repair shop. The bearings had to be ordered, so Ulysses, the repair guy, said "maňana". Uh-oh. But two days later, we were thrilled to have it successfully repaired with new bearings in both motors for less than $70. The scooter is now quiet and smooth running. We can't emphasize enough how wonderful it is for John to have the scooter here. It makes such a difference in his ability to get around, going for walks, etc. The days without it he feels quite confined. It creates quite a sensation among the locals though--nobody's ever seen the likes of it here.
This picture was taken at one of our favorite restaurants, La Escalera.The food is wonderful and the view of the by is fabulous!
We had a great time with the kids while they were here. The first 4 nights of Robert's visit he stayed here at Villa Los Arcos (where we are camping in the back lot) then once my sister arrived he stayed with her at the condo. Robert has taken up golf in the last year or so and he brought his clubs with him. He golfed twice in nearby Ixtapa (the resort town near Zihuatanejo) and we rented a seperate cart and followed along to watch. It was fun, relaxing and a beautiful course. Shelli and Jay were only able to come for 4 nights and they stayed at a hotel just down the beach from us. It was a very nice location as we were all able to enjoy the beachfront amenities and neighboring restaurants. 
The best part about for us of having them here was the ability to just 'hang out'. (The picture here is Robert, Shelli and Jay in my sister's kitchen.) One day the kids and I took a boat out to Playa Los Gatos, a small cove on the south side of Zihuatanejo Bay popular for its snorkeling and beach restaurants. The cove is protected from waves and surge by a reef, perfect for viewing fish and underwater creatures.
The beach at Los Gatos, looking across the bay to Zihuatanejo. Note the pangas anchored inside the reef of this small cove.
My sister Karen arrived for a 3-week stay at her condo and it was great to share with her walks on the beach and into town, meals at favorite restaurants, lazy afternoons at her pool or the beach. But even with three weeks, the time passed too quickly and seems we didn't do all we'd intended to.
A couple days after Shelli and Jay went home, we went with Karen and Robert to the inland colonial town of Pátzcuaro. After these several months along Mexico's warm beaches, climbing to Pátzcuaro's elevation of 7,500 feet, with its pine- and cedar-covered mountains and cool morning air was a refreshing change. The town has a population of about 70,000, boasts two charming plazas surrounded by wonderful shops featuring the area's copperware and craftworks, and has numerous churches to enjoy. I'll take the liberty once again to quote directly the description of the town from our tour book:
Pátzcuaro is "the crown jewel of highland Michoacán (the state)...Its center is filled with serene plazas, impressive churches, pretty cobbled streets and tiled adobe buildings painted white and reddish-brown...The city center is fairly flat, but some streets climb steeply to the basilica just east of thh plazas. It's a very walkable city, and most points of interest are easily reached by foot." John disagrees with the idea that cobbled streets are so great, but at least he can get around them with the scooter. We're not sure how we ever managed all these Mexican streets with just the wheelchair.
We stayed at a wonderful B&B called Casa Werma. Karen had learned of this 5-acre retreat on a Zihua-based chat forum and it was perfect for us in so many ways: wheelchair accessible, within two blocks of the central plazas, and pets are welcome--as we took Gracie and Karen has her small dog too. The retreat also functions as a Buddhist retreat which also provided a unique perspective to our stay. It was a great place, and we really enjoyed our 2 nights there.
Here's the website for anyone interested in viewing this wonderful property:
">http://www.blogger.com/www.casawerma.com/pages/lodging/
I purchased colorful woven table linens and embroidered clothing, crafts unique to the area. When we leave Zihua in a couple weeks we will return to Pátzcuaro for a few days for more exploring, especially around the nearby city of Morelia.
Gracie is a great conversation starter, one of the benefits of traveling with a dog. Almost daily on our beach walks we chat with her admirers, both Mexican and gringo. As she retrieves the ball with such energy and focus, she can't help but draw attention. People want to pet her but she is so focused on the game she doesn't pay attention to them. We've met several vacationers from Oregon, many from BC, and a few from Colorado. But when we see locals admiring her, we offer the "chuck it" ball thrower to them to play with her. These types of dog toys are rare here. There are no Petsmarts with its endless isles of pet supplies. And Mexican dogs are mostly just to have around--they don't do tricks or chase balls and bring them back to you.
Real life does continue through our travels...I contracted some kind of cold / sinus infection in the last week and finally went to a doctor on Thursday. He was referred by Nancy, the hotel owner, and spoke enough basic English for us to communicate. Nancy led me to believe he didn't speak any English so I went prepared with a pre-written description, in Spanish, of my symptoms and our language translator. He was a young doc, about 35-ish, and prescribed antibiotics. The office visit cost $35. We spent about the same on the meds.
On Sunday nights here in Zihuatanejo at the zócalo, the downtown plaza, the community gathers for evenings of music, sports (there is a basketball court at the plaza), food, or various other forms of entertainment. We attended this last Sunday and inspite of the language barrier we enjoyed watching as a clown entertained the children. We had delicious hamburgers at a popular street cart operated by a local man who Karen explained has, over the years he's been selling burgers, put his children through college with the proceeds.
So, as you can see, we've enjoyed our time in Zihuatanejo. John has really settled in and says he'd like to stay longer. We've had 'vacation' time with visitors and real life experiences with local community members.
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