More of Z Good, Z Bad & Z Lovely

Folks who have lived in Zihuatanejo since before Ixtapa will remember the tranquility and peacefulness of those times and especially how little real crime or injustice there was in our town thanks to the constant daily patrols by the Marinos of the Armada de México. While I am indeed upset that they were allowed to build military quarters in a tourism and residential zone on the hillside at La Ropa, the good they have done for our community and our region far outshines any questionable matters they have been involved in. And while they no longer actually provide much in the way of security for our town, they still make us feel secure with their presence. They are a ready force of security if needed, and they also help us preserve the sea turtles as well as free whales that sometimes get trapped in fishing nets. As someone who has lived on the water most of my life, I appreciate very much their service. Here is their local patrol boat "Blanquilla" early on a cloudy morning with just a splash of color from the sunrise.

The Paseo del Pescador has become an emblematic part of the scenery and is an important public walkway both for residents as well as for visitors and tourists. Unfortunately since the current administration came into power not one centavo has been spent on its upkeep, and it shows. As a taxpayer I'm quite upset at the negligence, especially because it will cost much more to repair due to the municipal authorities' omission of providing regular and timely maintenance. Not to mention it has also become a dangerous and disgraceful symbol of the poor priorities of the current municipal government that has seemingly focused way too much on public projects of dubious necessity such as parks that will doubtless also suffer a similar lack of maintenance while our roads, infrastructure and public walkways such as this remain mostly abandoned.

This time of year when we enjoy our rainy season the sky often appears to be a work of art painted by the gods as our tropical weather provides the common sight of the afternoon buildup of thunderheads that move across the coast. Here was one we spied yesterday as we were about to return to Zihuatanejo from Ixtapa.