Last night in Zihua :-(

Well, it has been 2 weeks here and I didn't come close too do all I wanted so hopefully next year I will be back for 3 weeks. But I wanted/needed to relax more this year so some had to give. But it has been a great vacation once again!

I had great times at the Guitarfest, making it twice on the Madera beach and once at the House of Culture after it had to be relocated due to high tide. I also saw their closing concert Sunday. All in all, a lot of talent! Friday, Saturday and Sunday was a mixed bag for the weather with a lot of rain. The most I have ever seen here at this time of the year and by a lot. But still managed to have some great food and do interesting things. I had a tattoo done by the artist Pelon last year and it was my first and I said last too. Then I went with a family that had their 2 daughters here with them and they both got tattooed and I saw a drawing that really got me thinking and it will get done on my next vacation. For those interested in getting work done while here, Pelon and his associate Jimi are very talented artists with many years behind their belt and Pelon relocated last year to a bigger and nicer location, right in front of Barracruda. You don't choose a tattoo artist based on price but for an artist of his talent/level, his rates are lower and he tend to work faster than your average artist. Back home I would have spend about 1/3 more.

I ended up going to an outdoor concert Saturday just on the top of the hill at the edge of La Madera. 3 bands played that night and although 2 of them were not my style, the people there were very welcoming and it was a fun time. The night before I visited Canta Canta which is a karaoke bar with a dj as well. It was fun and different too but so hot in there. I'm still convinced my beer evaporated before I could drink it. Also went in to Tentationes, a 2 level club that had a banda band playing. It was quite entertaining watching all the people dancing and I was lucky enough that nobody managed to get me on the dancing floor as I would have been so lost Friday and Saturday we ended the night at the old Senor Frogs, not called SF Shakers. I tell you Mexican are late night owls. Our group got there at 01:00 both nights and there was barely any North Americans. But the Mexicans were getting the party started. I left around 05:00 both night and needed to sleep in the morning after. My huevos rancheros had to be delayed.But so much fun were had by all.

Yesterday I ended up going to Agave for dinner and again I was not dissapointed. Simple but tasty choices for me. I had a crema de aguacate, a nice cold soup of avocado. Creamy and refreshing! With it I had a different version of chile relleno. Very good! I had a couple from Alberta next to me and being from cattle country, they ordered a steak and a tenderloin and were both pleasantly surprised by their meals.

Today being my last day, I ended up all over the place. Started my day earlier than usual with breakfast at La Terracita. I had their version of the huevos rancheros and it was very tasty and nice presentation. Their choices of freshly squeezed fruit juices is the best I have seen in Zihua and they do have reasonable rates too. All in all, a great restaurant. As I was leaving and going over the canal, for the 1rst time in a few years I bumped into the fellow selling mezcal in the pop bottle. It used to be 100 pesos but now it is 200 but it is really good quality mezcal. I can't wait to try it at home with friends that are knowledgeable about it and will appreciate it. Then I hit the mercado and got my vanilla and honey and took a bunch of pictures. Then after leaving the mercado I stop at a coffee place for my espresso and next dor got my chocolate croissant and sat on the bench in front of the coffee place and did some people watching before heading back to my hotel.

Then it was time to cool off in the pool and did some chatting with some neighbours then shower/change and hit La Ropa. Walked the beach and took a bunch of pictures and ended up at El Manglar. I did miss the crocs that were right next to my table before I arived but I was fine with that. I actually had already planned my escape route if one showed up lol. But this place is great. I had the best tiritas of my trip there and let me tell you I eat a lot of tiritas. They used mahi-mahi and you could tell the difference. I also had guacamole and the portion was generous and pricing was fair. All this with a lesbianna (some lime juice, salt, clamato juice and beer) and I felt great after. Great location to watch birds too! Then on my way backk I decided to drop by the Catalina Hotel and their Sunset bar for a mojito but sadly the week-end rain had killed their mint so no--go and I had to switch to a margarita to rehydrate Took a bunch of pictures then hiked the steps to get back to the road. It's a nice hotel but dealing with a few hundred steps every day must be a challenge to many.

After another shower and change, it was off to meet friends at El Cafecito where I had a nice refreshing almond cappucino oon the rocks before deciding where we were going for dinner. We decided on Tatas, the beach restaurant attached to the Avila hotel. For the second night on this stay I had the fish filet with garlic butter served with rice and some veggies for 95 pesos. Most restaurants average 110-120 and Tatas was the best the 1rst night and very good tonight. Awesome location too. Then hooked up with other friends after they finished work and they wanted to go eat so off to Los Braseros where I had a glass of horchata and a flan. By then I was stuffed and we all headed home.

Tomorrow it is packing and off to the airport after a last breakfast at Margaritas. I had my clothes washed and folded at the Lavendaria Kyoto. I have had the good fortune to travel and lived in well over a hundred countries in my life so far and found that often we tend to leave our dirty clothes on the floor and many people end up with bugs in them and bring them back home when packing. As well, having to do laundry after arriving home is not my favorite thing. Here for 60 pesos I had 4 kg(almost 10 lbs) of clothing done and no worries about bugs. As well, since already floded, packing is made easier. I sure will be missing this place but will be back hopefully for longer next winter. The friendliness, politeness of the people here is remarkable. They are genuine and you can make great friends here. Great times can be had by all. It has changed a lot over the years and that is the way everywhere but it has managed to maintain some of it's qualities. I have posted over 100 pictures on my Facebook so feel free to enjoy and for those that have not been here yet and just thinking about it reading posts such as these, give it a try. You may get hooked!