Zihua throws a little party

We are in the middle of our annual International Guitar Fest and it's a lot of fun. This year, unlike the last 3 years that we have attended, the event was reduced, both in number of performers and length, and none of us were sure what to expect. The locals who organize this event, which is a charitable event to support the Casa de la Cultura, an arts school which provides education to children and adults, scaled back due to the expenses involved.

Opening night coincided with St. Patrick's Day....so what better excuse to have a party! Our "green drinks" were the wonderful lime margaritas that start each evening's cocktail hour. Gene and I, together with our friend Evelyn, one of the many Calgarians who are making Zihua their second home, courtesy of the new direct Westjet flight and a soaring Canadian dollar, joined the large crowd at Frank's in Ixtapa. Opening nights bring out all the locals and many curious tourists who lined the tables all waiting to hear the talent.

Last night, the venue moved to the end of La Ropa beach to Las Gaviotas for the "jam session", where every musician made an appearance and we heard some amazing combinations. Think flamenco classic, combined with funky blues, an eclectic rock guitarist and a classic country musician, and put them all on the stage at the same time...for more musically minded persons than me, well it was a night to remember!

2 nights of music left....that and a trip to Barra with our Nino's Adelante family and dinners with friends....we've got a lot to pack into our last 2 weeks. Never mind walking the waterfront as many times as possible as I just have to fill my memory banks with images such as this....

Oh, and a little trip to Uruapan for the largest craft fair in Latin America too!! There just might be something that catches my eye.

Postscript: I asked my friend, Paty who is the Mexican owner of the yoga studio I visit 3 times/week, whether she enjoyed the guitarfest last night. She said that she didn't. She said only 2 men were good looking and they all dressed so badly. And she's right. Then I thought about it. In Mexico, women and men always look fabulous. They are well-groomed, smell amazing and wear stylish, if rather sexy clothing. If they think that the clothing worn by the musicians at Guitarfest symbolizes the respect they have for being here, I can understand why she is saying this.... it is easy to say "don't judge a book by it's cover"...but in a country where everyone takes great care in looking good from newborn babies onwards, what kind of message are we sending to the people who we are here to support?