Finally my trip report! Part 1

Sorry all it took so long to post on here. I was in Zihua from the 13th to the 27th of February but the laptop I brought with me and was going to let go on my last day on this vacation ended up going for a good cause the day after my arrival and posting on here with my phone was going to be too tedious as my phone auto correct was going crazy between english, french and spanish. After almost two weeks home now, it is just getting better! And I have yet to be able to use spanish keyboards so internet cafe in Zihua are not an option.

I left my place at 04:00 the 13th and got to the airport within 15 minutes and after a quick check in with WestJet, I went for a good breakfast and then through security. My 06:30 flight to Calgary was uneventful and I was on the ground for about 1.5 hour before switching planes and heading to Zihua. We did get a strong wind helping us and it was a much quicker flight than usual as we landed a good half hour early. This was a good start to my vacation. It was a breeze going through customs even if I was again traveling very heavy with a large hard sided suitcase and a large hockey size duffle bag and a big carry on computer bag all loaded with goodies. Nothing got searched this time and I hit a green light. From the time I exited the plane to the time I was waiting for a collectivo after paying at their counter, it took less than 30 minutes. Wednesdays are not too busy as there was only one other plane on the tarmack, an Alaskan Air p;lane, with no other passengers around. Then I wanted about 15-20 minutes for my collectivo. I paid 150 pesos for it, 10 more than last year. I noticed no stand outside for the dispatcher as he recognized me from chatting with me every year for several years now. A friendly fellow and we had another chat when he told me they don't have an outside counter anymore as it became too expensive for them to maintain one. I guess the same reason explain why there was nobody selling beer outside like they used to have all these years, just outside the doors. Likely after the restaurants inside complained as now you can buy at one of these restaurants and take your beer outside(for cans). Oh well! It did not take that long and I was on my way to La Madera.

Got to my hotel after a short drive to learn that I was going to stay at their sister place due to a snaffu on their part but no big deal. I ended up getting a different room the day after on the top floor and was there for the duration of my stay. As usual I was treated very well by all the staff at Zihua Caracol and very much enjoyed my stay. I unpacked shortly after checking in and took a shower and changed and off I went. I did not go far as I had been up all night and was starting to feel it and the 60* temperature swing takes me a day or two usually to adjust to. I also had a surgery a short time before leaving for this trip and was still tired from it so after a beer, a plate of guacamole and some tiritas at La Rana Rene, right at the beginning of La Madera and one of my favorite spot to watch sunset and enjoy fresh food and cold beers in a place run by a nice family, I felt like I was hit by a ton f bricks and needed to go back to my hotel and crashed. I was in bed before 20:00 that first night, which is very unusual for me but my body was telling me I needed the rest.

I made it the day after to the hotel restaurant for breakfast then switched rooms and properly unpacked and set up. Then went to visit my friends at El Cafecito in Casa Marina, one of the best coffee place in Zihua. It was so nice to reconnect and enjoy a nice espresso. Then I made plans to meet the buyer for my laptop in the afternoon so went back to the hotel to make sure it was all good and did the transaction. Glad to know it went to a nursing student who could not afford a laptop so in her 2nd year of studies she was still using a cell phone instead of a laptop. So glad I could help. Then back to my hotel and meet some of the folks there I see every year during my stay at Zihua Caracol or next door at Sun and Moon. I enjoyed the pool for a while and then it was time to shower and change and had a meal at the hotel as I was tired and did not want to deal with crowds on Valentine's Day. But I did have a walk on Calle Adelita and noticed it was busy but not as much as on previous Valentine's dinner I have seen there. I was told by locals that this was largely due to the recent violent events in Zihua and a warning on What's App by the cartels telling locals not to be outside on the streets after 22:00. It sure had several of my friends worried and staff at my hotel working the evening shift. Not an safety issue for me and other tourists but sad to see how this is affecting the lives of the local population.

The first 3 days were very mellow for me as I was having a harder time recovering this year but I started to feel my energy levels going back up by late Friday and after meeting with friends in Centro, I had a meal At Los Braseros and glad to see the same staff there and the same good food and drinks. I had a nice chat with a buddy and then went off to Ixtapa for a night out. I had a short stop to say hi to friends working at Shakers, the old Senor Frogs and then walked over to Mangoz, a club managed by a friend and where I have a friend working there I have known for 20 years. Always fun times with these guys. Good times were had and I was back to my hotel quite late.

Saturday was a day I slept in and went for breakfast to one of my favorite spot, Margaritas. I am always very well treated there and had a great time chatting with all the staff and owners. A nice meal was had in a beautiful setting. After I was out and about in Centro, checking some new places and also had a look at the work done on the new walkway on La Madera beach. Eventually back at my hotel in the afternoon for a nap and cool off in the pool before repeating Friday cycle for the evening but this time I had dinner at Angustina, another favorite. Great modern twist on mexican cuisine and awesome cocktails. Their mango margarita made with mezcal is so good that it makes it hard to stop at one. Nice choice of shareable plates too. Then off to Ixtapa for another night out. Great times again while meeting some fun people I got introduced to by my friends working there. A fun mix in the clientele with a lot of Mexican tourists from the hotel across and a few north american tourists too and several locals. Pretty much latin music of all types all night. Good crowd and again I went back to my hotel late and spent.

Sunday was a day of recovery, taking it easy, with a nice breakfast at Margaritas then relaxing for a bit before heading mid afternoon to my other favorite coffee place, Cafe Cuattro, in Centro. This place is amazing and would be my favorite if they were back home. Aside a great coffee, they have very good food at reasonable pricing and their desserts are awesome. Nice staff and owners make it a pleasure to visit over and over when in Centro. And the place is just beautiful too! I walked back to my hotel to digest it all and after a nap spent some time chatting with my neighbours poolside. Then it was shower and change and off to La Cancha as I always enjoy Sundays there. But that night was just so so for me in terms of the entertainment as it was rap night and frankly got quickly bored so heading to Barracruda and Bandidos to check out the bands playing there that night. Ezcalibur, a nice local band was at Barracruda and I enjoyed them for a while after meeting some friends from Canada I met last year that were having a good time salsa dancing at Bandidos. Had some tacos al pastor and tamales from the food stands on the street in front of la Cancha and some great cucumber drink, a refreshing one, in between this dancing. Called it a night earlier this time and back in my room at a reasonable time....

So this was a good start of my 2 weeks in Zihua and although I relaxed more this year than ever as I was a bit under the weather, I still did plenty of touring around, checking new places and helping out some fundraisers and organizations one way or another. Through this great site and the Facebook page also being informative, I learned about this new seafood restaurant that is now on my must go list. It is called Mariscos Duke and it is a 5 minutes cab ride from La Cancha, very close to where the amusement park with all the rides is. It is in la colonia Cuauthemoc and was planning a dinner at my usual time which is a bit later than many and my local friends discouraged me to do so, in part because of the location as it is in a not so great part of town after 19:00 so I was told I should go for lunch instead, which for Mexicans is also their main meal of the day. Also being a Mariscos place, it is always better to eat there when the products are as fresh as possible. They are on Facebook and I had noticed some great posts from them showing their plates and that had got me curious. The chef used to work in some nice hotels and decided to take a shot at his own business but did not want to chance it all with high rents in Centro so he opened in his parents place. It does not hurt that his dad is a fisherman and mom is helping too. Great family and when I went I had a mixed plate of tuna sashimi and seared tuna. It was so good and nicely presented. A big plate for under $9 CDN. Crazy! I had a nice cold beer with it and took a Campechana to go that I brought to local friends so we could all taste it and they tell me their view on it. Everybody was impressed. While I was waiting for my main meal, I was given a taste of a couple shellfish they had on the menu and some fresh octopus they also had. Everything was just perfect. I was hoping to had more meals there during my stay but ran out of time. I sure will check them out again next trip and I hope he does well. Great people and awesome food at a very reasonable price.