Vacation report- Part 1

Hello everybody!

Sorry if I did not post on here during my vacation. I kept meaning to do so and ended up getting back home before. But let me tell you I had a great time in Zihua.

I was there for 4 weeks and because of the high cost of flying direct, I decided to fly though Mexico City as good deals could be found. Winnipeg-Calgary-Mexico City and, as I was traveling heavy with 2 full-size suitcases around 50 lbs each and a good size carry-on, was going to bus from Mexico City to Zihua, a first for me. It was a late night arrival in Mexico City, at 01:00 and was hoping for a late night bus connecting soon after. Ended up not working as I was missing the last evening bus by the time I was landing. Originally I chose the bus due to the high cost of flying from Mexico City with all my stuff. Volaris for example had great deals if flying solo with no bags at about the same price as bussing but one hour versus 8-11 hours but add the baggage fees and they were 5-6 times that. But AeroMexico came up with a deal including bags that was great but the flight was at 11:00 Saturday morning. But I found a great lounge opened overnight with sleeping pods and massage so it was looking great. Left home Friday mid afternoon and got to Calgary no issues and then Calgary-Mexico City on WestJet to find it was a remodeled plane with very little leg space. Got to Mexico City so sore and of course had not been able to sleep. And it went downhill from there. I had to go from one terminal to the other and was informed that at the time I arrived, there was no more free transportation between terminals until 06:00. If I wanted to use a cab, it was 700-800 pesos. As I was contemplating doing this so I could go to my lounge, I was informed that in order to get to my lounge I first had to check-in at AeroMexico and of course their counter was closed at that time. I would also need to go through security after and they were closed too. So had to wait until the morning.

I arrived at the other terminal and AeroMexico counter by 07:00 and a supervisor was nice enough to check me in early by 07:30 so I could go through security and relax for a few hours before boarding. I got 2 hours crashing at the lounge and got on the flight half asleep and arrived in Zihua within an hour. I was beat but was in and out of Zihua airport in under 20 minutes as no customs to deal with there. And customs in Mexico City were the easiest ever as at 01:00 they did not seem to care about anything but th quickly. So got picked up at the airport by a friend and arrived at my lodging 10 minutes later. My friend had to go to work and I was beat so he left me and I unpacked and slept for 3 hours before starting the vacation.

This is I picked a different lodging that I had found on my previous vacation. It is in Dario Galeana, right behind the Bomberos station and I hope to be able to stay there for many years to come. For me, it is the ideal location as walking distance to everything. 5 minutes to la Madera/calle Adelita, 10 minutes to Centro/La Ropa/Soriana with several cafes and restaurants right next door. As well, it was super quiet which is really important for my sleep and me being a night owl and sleeping in every day. I found the only drawback was it had no pool but many places that did have one were ok with me using it as long as I purchased something there. It's a 1 bedroom in a 6-plex with only 3 occupied when I was there. Fans in livingroom/diningroom/bedroom and AC in bedroom. Full kitchen and bathroom. For those that follow me on Facebook, I posted pics and contact info there but feel free to contact me directly if you want more info and the person that rent the place info.

I had 3 weekends in Zihua and the first was a bit of a write off as I was really tired after the trip but also my last 2-3 months of work were super busy. I went to Soriana after waking up and shower and got a few essentials and checked out prices then dropped it all at my place and went to see the new workplace of my buddy who is a great chef in Zihua. Had a nice chat with him between clients and ened up having my first campechana of the trip and a couple nice cold beers. But after a couple hours there, I started to feel it and to get back home and sleep. Off I went and was out for 12 hours. Sunday was a foggy day for me and after a late breakfast took it easy and had a long siesta as it was my friend's birthday and I was told the celebration was at 18:00 at his work. Of course I forgot where I was and showed up with a friend at 18:00 and nobody had arrived yet. They finally started to arrive past 19:00 lol. We all had a nice time but by 21:00 I was done and went back home and crashed. And slept another 12 hours. Monday my vacation really started as I was feeling more like myself and more rested.

I love the music scene in Zihua and especially where the locals go to enjoy and spent many evenings and late nights having great times with live music. I was lucky as those spots were fairly busy, especially on the weekend , but other places catering more to tourists were not as busy compared to the last 2 years for the same time period. There was a big difference in the amount of Americans in bars and restaurants as well compared to that same time period. I spent most of my time away from restaurants and bars that are occupied mostly by tourists as my favorite spots are mostly occupied by locals or Mexican tourists. I did not see a lot of changes in the restaurants scene this year. Some had moved location and a few new places. Overall the same great people offering awesome food. I am someone that loves fish and seafood and real mexican cuisine and Zihua is a great spot for this. Lot of great choices to pick from and I had many meals at most of my favorites including El Manglar, El Perla Negra, La Diabla, El Dani, El Gabo, Any Y Atole, Los Braseros and all my breakfast places like Arrebol, Margaritas, Carmelitas, Bananas, Mole Negro, La Terracita, etc. But also so any small taquerias where my friends took me that are very popular with locals and no tourists ever go and a few restaurants I have been asked not to share lol.

One thing that has been painfully obvious last year and even more so now is that Zihua is no longer the cheap place we used to talk about. Yes you can still find good prices on lodging and some food. But in most nicer restaurants, the pricing is similar to what I would pay home and in many cases more expensive. Some small things you don't notice right away like the pricing of espresso that is about double what I pay at home or the beer that is now the same as at home. From 3 years ago to this year vacation, my total cost for my vacation has double or basically the same thing and same time period. Will I be looking for another destination? No, as I still find the value in what I spend and for me it is also all the friendships I made over the years and how I enjoy Zihua. And within a few more years, I intend on spending 4-5 months a year here. The trend to higher prices will not go down and also the loss of value of our dollar being a factor, I will have to make some changes like eating a few meals at home, especially breakfasts which tends to be more expensive in Zihua than at home. Of course we can't quantify the cost/value of freshness/flavours/taste, etc...