Zihuatenejo

ZIHUATANEJO (and ixtapa)
Ed bounced out of bed around 6 and got ready quicker than I ever recall. He went up to the Panarama Café to get breakfast before our tour gathering at 7:20 am. There were too many people for one bus but not enough for two so our bus had a smaller crowd. Our guide was Paco (nickname for Francisco) and he had the most interesting eyes: kind’ve green with brown flecks. And our bus was airconditioned and very comfortable.
The town
We didn’t see the abject poverty here that we’ve seen elsewhere. That is probably due to the fact that Ixtapa is so close, about 5 miles away. In the 1960s, Mexico’s experts on tourism used computers to choose sites for future development. They selected Cancun and Ixtapa. Today Ixtapa is a very posh resort with expensive hotels and shops.
Part of our trip was on the Pan American Highway which is, in some places here, a 6 lane divided highway. Many decorations were up in anticipation of Mardi Gras next week. This town is neat and clean and of modest economics. There are still police visible everywhere but more subtle in many ways.
I was amused to see one man outside his establishment with a handwritten sign that said: “ Free tequila”.
Coconut plantation
This was our first stop and the most popular attraction were three little boxer puppies. We’ve seen this all over the world where puppies have been present on a tour. This plantation is devoted to all things coconut so we had a mini-lesson on the various stages of the coconut’s growth and life, products that are used from it. For example, the fiberous covering was the stuffing for VW beetle seats for many years. It is also used to make jewelry and other items of fiber as well as serving as a fuel for fires. The shell likewise has many uses as bowls, spoons and fuel as well. The coconut itself is also versatile and the milk is attributed with many medical benefits.
The owners here also raise various birds and so it is a happy sounding place. We had the impression that we would be given a tour of the inside of the house but that didn’t happen.
Tile factory
These are wandering production areas because the makers move after about 5 yrs when the clay supply runs out. The owner is 80+ yrs old and doesn’t look it by any means. He still turns out 150 tiles a day on his own. Work is paid for by the piece. His son, one of 18 children, is taking over the business. These folks are real craftsmen; they make it look easy but it is all done by hand and one slip can ruin a tile at any point. In addition to roof tiles, they make bricks and floor tiles. Now I know why they cost so much. Most of these are made by special order and paid for in advance. When a certain number are ready, say 3-4000, they are fired in a kiln which is fueled by coconut husks.
There were also several plants here that had many purposes. Some medicinal, some herbal (we saw sesame for example), and some merely ornamental. It’s always interesting to see what they are like in their original form.
Panicsville
My camera has been acting up since yesterday and finally it was impossible. I have an 8 GB chip in it and so I asked Ed to help me trouble shoot it. We found it hard to believe that it could be full as I download and reformat each day if I can, but I always carry a backup battery and chip so I changed it. Voila! It worked perfectly again. So I was delighted because I was dreading trying to get it repaired in a few days in LA.
La Playa
This beach/resort area is a sleepy fishing village with a gorgeous beach. It is all very modest by Ixtapa (which is about 10 miles away) standards. Folks were selling local crafts but it was very low key. Any of us would have loved to stay here indefinitely. There was a parrot and I kept talking to him until I got him to say “Hola!” (hello) but that’s all I could get out of him.
We looked at some hammocks here and while talking with the owner, I picked up some tiny hammocks such as you see in ads for your fruit in the kitchen. The guy said they were for Chihuahuas. I had this vision of Teddy in his very own hammock; I doubt we’d ever get him to sit for that photo!
In town
We were dropped off in town and spent a few minutes looking at the stalls. Ed found a hat TOO BIG for him! (he has trouble in that all hats are too small) so the vendor kept going smaller until there was one just perfect and he got it for $5. The one he’s been using is great in that it folds up into his backpack but it doesn’t provide much coverage from the sun. He has a great safari hat that is perfect but he doesn’t like the way it looks. Humph. So at least now he has one that provides some sun protection.
There were some gorgeous views of the beach and surrounding areas from the port area. The hillsides are decked out with residences that are terraced on the hillside. We don’t know if these are private homes, condos or time shares. We quickly realized that we had to catch the tender back to the ship. Along the way, we saw some Mexican sailors and wanted to take their photo; at first they objected and finally relented.
The afternoon
We had lunch and then I downloaded the photos and began to edit them. I’m annoyed with Ed because he changes the camera I use and often doesn’t tell me. I was looking through the viewfinder and things looked fuzzy through there, but then my eyes aren’t very reliable anyway. However, when I’d look at the photo on the LED screen it would look pretty sharp. So I finally asked him. He had changed the control on the viewfinder without telling me.
A little knowledge is dangerous
Ed went to a class on the D90 a few weeks ago and came back with the idea that we should be saving the photos in both *.jpg and raw. I wasn’t for it but wasn’t willing to make an issue of it so he changed the camera and the result is that it saves the photos in 2 formats. This means that between the folklorico show and the tour, and the two cameras, we had 500+ photos. Well that translated into over 1200 photos I had to sort through. Grrrr So you know where my whole afternoon went! I think he finally agreed that he would leave it at one saved file per photo but I fear what it will be. Some things in a marriage simply don’t pass the worth-a-fight test but this is getting close. Since he now has his own camera, I use the D90 almost exclusively and I have visual and other challenges so leave the damned thing alone! …thanks for listening.
Internet woes
I don’t know the details but Princess has a crew of technicians on board who are working on the internet connection. It means that IF we have internet connection, it kicks us off unpredictably. Essentially, it’s useless to try to use the internet. This is several days now. Folks are getting cranky including moi who is backed up on her blogs and photos.
Stitch and Bitch group
There is a group that meets to knit, crochet and such. I stopped by because the staff member has the needlepoint kits I like. They were making rosaries out of ribbon using a straw. These rosaries are then donated to servicemen. I like that idea and may join them sometime as I think I might be able to manage that with my arm.
Glamorous dressing
I skipped this. I think we had this same lecturer last time and while she does practice what she preaches, I’d rather spend my time doing other things than worrying about whether I’m dressed properly for a photo shoot. She’ll have more lectures if it’s like last time
We whooped ‘em!
We had some of our old team members and a new addition and we did a great job! We got 17 correct answers and the next highest score was 1
Stitch and Bitch group
There is a group that meets to knit, crochet and such. I stopped by because the staff member has the needlepoint kits I like. They were making rosaries out of ribbon using a straw. These rosaries are then donated to servicemen. I like that idea and may join them sometime as I think I might be able to manage that with my arm.
Glamorous dressing
I skipped this. I think we had this same lecturer last time and while she does practice what she preaches, I’d rather spend my time doing other things than worrying about whether I’m dressed properly for a photo shoot. She’ll have more lectures if it’s like last time
We whooped ‘em!
We had some of our old team members and a new addition and we did a great job! We got 17 correct answers and the next highest score was 14. We’re not getting smug but it felt good. It isn’t so much whether folks are smart or not. It’s the team process that folks follow. If you have someone who insists on their answer, that’s a danger sign. Sometimes they’re right, but equally, they are wrong as well. As usual, someone often has the right answer and the group consensus is to go with another answer. We’ve all had these experiences and you win some, you lose some. It happens the other way as well.
Dinner
We all sit in different seats depending on when we arrive and this helps different kinds of discussions. There was a lot of discussion about all the guns we’ve seen on this trip. That led to: if you shoot someone trying to break into your house, be sure to drag them in and make sure there’s no blood trail. Discussing these things is safer than tip toeing into politics.
Flamboyant pianist
I couldn’t endure another performance from her but Ed adores her so he went. Even some folks who like her are getting a little fatigued at her over the top displays. Liberace could carry it off without the folks getting bored. She should fall a little shorter of the mark. I spent the time trying to plow through the 1200 photos, grinding my teeth the whole time. I went to the internet café thinking I might get lucky and could get some emails and perhaps a blog posted. No luck. I spent some time talking with the poor tech up there as we were alone. He’s kind’ve helpless actually. What a thankless job.
ISLAND NIGHT PARTY
We decided to go up for this and had a good time. I was stunned because Nikolas, the ship’s MD, was the life of the party. He’s a great dancer and dances with many folks. His wife Ursula is a charmer. Who knew? They had an enormous dessert bar which groaned with various offerings. I enjoy the fresh fruit and Ed kept dragging over more chocolate covered strawberries.
We danced some and then the staff began a very funny game. The men are all collected in the center and the women are all in a circle around the sides. The music plays and when it stops the women have to grab a man. If you don’t get a man, you’re out. Then they begin to eliminate men. If he had on a plain shirt, he was out. Later white shoes. Then a certain colored lei. Well (another Chuck from 2008 cruise) was next to him and told him to take off his glasses so when that was called, Ed didn’t have his glasses on so he stayed. Is that cheating? It was great fun and I’m sure the men had a ball with all the women swarming them. I was eliminated about half way through and it was even more fun to watch. Some of those women have very sharp elbows, probably from all those after Christmas sales.
Eventually it was down to 3 women and two men. To condense a very long and funny ordeal, one woman was eliminated by a vote from the watchers, coincidentally the female of the exhibitionists, and two women and one man remained. In the end the two women hugged when the music stopped and then hugged the man. 3 bottles of champagne were given out to the finalists. One of them looks like a rather young old-maid-schoolmarm. But don’t be fooled, she’s a hoot.
Ed and I visited with some other folks and when the wife ordered the drink of the day, a mango caipirahna, so did Ed. I didn’t think much of it frankly. I like the real thing. Eventually, they started stacking up the chairs so that was our hint to leave.
The weather up there was marvelous. Just the right temperature and the breeze was outstanding for such an event. It was after midnight when we got back to our cabin and we both showered. Ed went right to sleep but it wasn’t so easy for me. We both woke before dawn and finally rolled out of bed (after giving up any more futile attempts at sleeping) at around 10.
FEBRUARY 10th: at sea
Trivia
We saved some seats but our regulars either came late or didn’t show up at all so we invited others to join us. We didn’t win, but we didn’t have to hang our heads either.
Photo please
A lady had been pulled out of the audience to dance with one of the dancers during the folklorico. She asked me if I had any photos of her and I told her I’d look. I found 5, cropped and edited them, and put them on a flash drive. I carried this with me for lunch as I had a feeling I’d see them in the dining room. Sure enough, they sat at our table, so I passed it to them and told them how to ask the photo shop to help them with copies. Before we left the table, they had returned the flash drive and I was so delighted I was able to do this.
Speaking of photos: the photo contest now has a few more entries. Some are getting more interesting but unfortunately there are 3, including ours, that look a lot alike though they were taken in different areas. Sooo it was fun but I think that takes care of those 3 photos.