A week back home and so missing Zihua!

Well, I have been back to the grinder for a week now and sure wish I could have stayed longer in Zihua. I was there from the 14th of February to the 14th of March. Time went by so fast and I lost a week as I was so tired when I arrived my first 3 days were mostly just resting and my herniated disk injury flared up on my last week and got me spending most of the time lying down in my bed the last few days. But overall another fantastic vacation and sorry I missed the Carnival as it seems everybody was enjoying it. But the dates for it came out so late I was already booked. Hoping to do 6 weeks next year and eventually the goal remains to be there for 3-4 months per winter...

Tourism was down in Zihua during my stay, and many of the tourists were spending more time on the beach and returning to their rentals with less spending in restaurants and shops and less people in Zihua. Between the economic situation in Canada and the exchange rate and the cost of everything going up and flights issues, many tourists have chosen different places to visit this year. It has been particularly hard on folks relying on a pension and that is the case for many of the visitors in Zihua. The tourism in Zihua is not the same as Cancun, Isla Mujeres, Cabo or even PV. For those coming for 3-4+ months and renting, the issue of the drastic rent increase, particularly last year and this year, was the last straw for many. I am in touch with many long-time visitors who decided last year and this year to go elsewhere. And along the Pacific coast there are many places where depending on your comfort level, your Spanish language skills and your budget; you can find something very similar to what Zihua was 40 years ago.

Of course for me I have too many friends and memories here to move to another location and I keep coming back. I went to another lodging this year as my previous place in Dario had doubled in price and was for sale. I found a place behind the parque de la Solidaridad, the pickleball parc behind the Scotia Bank and it did the trick for this year but already reserved a place back in Dario for next year. So much construction going on and many are trying to jump on the bandwagon but also many I think do not realize they are pricing themselves out of the market and pushing many of their long-time visitors away. Yes, there is a clientele for the small exclusive Inns but not that many. The folks with more spending power are owners for the most part in Zihua. But there are still several good locations depending on your budget and requirements...

Talking to some friends who own businesses in Zihua in the bar, restaurant and trade sector, many were complaining about how bad their peak season had been. A few did well but that seems to be a minority. And once again I saw many businesses had moved location and several were gone from last year. Zihua is not an easy place to do business and I feel there is just too many bars and restaurant for the clientele available. It makes it that much harder for everybody.

Being one that does not cook while on vacation, I was out dining for at least 3 meals a day and Zihua is as good as ever for finding great eating spots for all tastes and budgets. For me, I focus on real Mexican food and therefore try to go to places catering more to locals than tourists. I love my fish and seafood. So I had my share of tiritas, campechana, grilled fish fillet, etc. And I love my breakfast starting with a glass of fresh fruit juice, being orange, grapefruit, green juice, etc. I am quite partial to the huevos rancheros and a wuss when it comes down to spices, and as I am someone working afternoon/evening and often late into the night, breakfast tends to be at a time when most people are having lunch or their comida corrida. So it was hard to follow them into a meaty meal. But I did enjoy a chilaquile mole with chicken more than once and tried their version of eggs benedict at one of my favorite places. I have to say I have yet to be disappointed with a meal in Zihua. From the taco stand to fancier places, everybody delivers what they should.

I tried a couple new places this year but mostly stuck to my favorites and can recommend these places for you: La Terracita, Mole Negro, El Perla Negra, Los Braseros, Casa Majahua, Los Narvales, La Tasca, El Manglar, El Dani, El Rana Rene, Sabelina, Boxha. El Pirru, Garrobos, Agave, Margaritas, La Casa Vieja, and many others....And I would be amiss not to mention La Flechita if you are out and about on a late night and are hungry. This is the place to go for tacos to end the night!

I love the live music scene wherever I go and Zihua does well with this. As for my food, I prefer watching musicians performing music in spanish and latin music than the typical music for tourists. So I spent more time at Ta Rock, Over Time and also Toxic as I enjoy watching people dancing the local stuff. Barracruda was a nice place too although more of a tourists place and more english music. But great staff, a friendly owner and good food too! I did go to Ohana in Ixtapa twice for birthdays and it is your typical nightclub for the 18-24 years old clientele. Similar price of a good club at home. They were feeling the economic crunch too and not as busy as last year. Checked the old "Senor Frogs" as well on 2 Saturdays before heading to Ohana and it was not busy at all.

One issue I had this year I never encountered before was my credit cards not working in several locations. It seems several vendors are blocked and not accepted on the main networks so my canadian credit cards would not work there. I had no issues at Soriana but at Bodega they would not work. Apparently many businesses have switched to a vendor offering a better rate and that vendor is not recognized by Mastercard/Visa main network. But in a pinch these cards would work at a bank machine. I also found that the weekend of Valentine's Day and the music festival weekend, many of the downtown banks had little money in their machines.

I posted mostly on my Facebook and on some of the Facebook groups as easier and faster but I did manage to see some of the regular of this place while in Zihua. You know who you are. It was so nice to meet in person especially as some of the regulars have passed away in the last 2-3 years. Sadly I did not see Rob and his wife. Not being a morning person, I would not see you two on your morning walks. And although I was walking in front of your house daily, I had no luck bumping into you. But thank you for this place and the work you do to maintain it. I hope I have better luck next year so we can share some cold beers together.