The unseasonal rain we had yesterday morning and the evening before surprised everyone. It appeared to be part of a stalled cold front that has since dissipated. Not sure if El Niño had anything to do with it.

The municipal government sure seems to be picking up the slack after 3 years of utter incompetence. Water service downtown seems much improved, garbage collection seems normal, parks and gardens are getting attention after 3 years of neglect, and even the potholes are finally getting fixed on some streets.

There's lots of buzz lately about the Puerto Balsas multi-million dollar tourist development project along the border with Michoacán. I still have a hard time believing any tourists will be attracted to the area where the smoke and ash fall from the coal-fired electric plant at Petacalco, but I guess if they put some time-shares and all-inclusives there and charge even less than Ixtapa they might fill up the place with low-budget tourists. I'm a little curious why the mangroves there aren't being protected under federal law, but I guess even the federal government has its price to look the other way.

Speaking of looking the other way, here are a few shots of this morning's scene along the Paseo del Pescador and the Playa Principal.