One of the reasons Canadians move to Mexico - or I can't believe the price!!!

I mentioned I was going to write about being thankful for our car, but in fact , the car was just the prompt to a realization about the cost of life here in Zihuatanejo vs. Victoria.   It's timely as the month we left Victoria in October, Boulevard magazine featured an article about "Living in Mexico"...a trend we see as being more and more a realistic future for retiring baby-boomers. 

The year we drove here in our 1996 Ford Explorer, we had 2 rock chips on the windshield within the last 100 kms. of arriving, both along the poorly maintained strip of Hwy. 200, just north of here.  Over the last 2 years, the chips became cracks that by this year had extended across the windshield at different levels leaving us with a car that looked more and more like a "Mexi-mobil" every day.  The problem, (in Gene's mind) was how could we repair the windshield and retain the very important official sticker that allows the imported vehicle to be kept here legally year around. 

Gene visited the customs officials, who suggested the police would have to give him a letter to take to an auto repair place and then we would have to drive to Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan to receive offical approval again....this is not easily done and would have been very difficult.  So...Gene went to an "autocristales" repair shop, where the owner said "no problemo" and 1800 pesos (approx. $160 Canadian) later, the car returned with the necessary sticker magically remounted on a perfect new windshield. 

On the heels of that good luck, Gene decided to get our car airconditioner repaired and the full cost of cleaning, rebuilding and recharging that unit was 800 pesos, or approx. $70 Canadian.  Now feeling really lucky, we followed up at the carwash, where we regularly get full interior and exterior cleaning for 50 pesos, asking for carpet shampooing to clean out the final residue of a summer left here....the full cost of a complete auto detailing was 150 pesos, or approx. $12 Canadian...Que bueno!  and for this our car is now a thing of beauty again and we hope we have added to the good karma we have had driving here in Mexico. 

So this morning, we awoke to the slight sound of water dripping and within a few feet of our bed, a swimming pool of water had grown during the night....horror of horrors, we assumed leaky toilet, but to our great relief, it was only the water pipes under the bathroom sink.  Now this is not good as all of my bathroom supplies and clean towels are stored there. and if this was Canada, we could anticipate several hours to days of waiting for the plumber to arrive.  But not in Mexico.  We found the construction manager of the property who within 5 minutes had the plumber in with his head under our sink repairing the leaky pipes. 




Oh, and did I mention that at the same time my carpenter was mounting my new curtain rod and tie- back....the total cost of this will be less than $20 Canadian.   My neighbours daughterinlaw was my seamstress for the $5/meter material, custom sewn for $12 ....all done with smiles, promptly, efficiently and with gratitude for their jobs which in Mexico means a lot to themselves and their families.  This attitude of gratitude  is so missing at home and is so great to encounter here. 


Today is November 30th, I know at home in Canada, this is the day when panic hits when I would realize how much I had left to do and so few days to do it.  Here, in the market and the Commercial Mexicana...it's beginning to look a lot like Xmas..... and without the guidelines of a workplace safety board, the elfs are climbing high into the treetops to display the Xmas goods being stockpiled in anticipation of the shopping spree that is soon to begin...

Thanksgiving Mexican Style - and a week of gratitude for all that is good

Yesterday was Thanksgiving for all of our American friends and family.  Normally, we wouldn't feel the need to celebrate again after all, it's really hard to imagine a full turkey dinner here,. However, when we found out Jimi Mamou was playing at the old Rick's Bar now called "Rafa's" and with our Victoria friends Sue and Paul wanting to join us, we headed off to experience a Thanksgiving dinner in Zihuatanejo. 

We entered to the familiar sound of Jimi at his keyboard, with some Ray Charles tunes that immediately put Gene into his full-on dancing mode...and dance and party we did.  It was 4 hours of the most fun Thanksgiving dinner I've ever had, turkey, all the trimmings and Judy's yummy chocolate fudge for dessert.  Not to mention, I wasn't responsible for any of the food or clean-up, and for that I am truly thankful!  

But this week has again reminded us of why we are so thankful to be here for our 3rd winter.  In September, we were worried, it almost wasn't going to happen as Gene was told he needed an operation on his thigh due to the fall he had here last winter...but after a lot of internet and soul searching, we decided to forego the surgery and head south as planned...and so far, this decision seems to be the right one.  We know that our family and friends back in Canada have been suffering through the worst weather in November . We are thankful that we are missing that onslaught of cold, and hope that everyone back home is safe and warm until the blast from the Arctic moves on.   

Gene and I are enjoying the opportunity to be outside, in the sun, and with the warm ocean breezes on our skin at any time of the day or night.  we are thankful that we have the health and the energy to enjoy this paradise.  Each year I regularly walk the 16 km. beach between Playa Larga and Barra de Potosi...and each time I do, I feel the magic of being in that open ocean air and feeling at one with the beauty and tranquility of the tropics.  Thanks Sue for joining me and that cerveza at the end....that is the best cerveza of the year!

We are thankful that there are people here who are making "paradise" even better. 

One of them is the founder of El Refugio de Potosi.  We have been to the beautiful wildlife refuge and eco-center near La Barra de Potosi several times, but each time there is something new to capture our minds and hearts...this time it came in the form of a golden baby porcupine named Lala.  She was one of the cutest creatures I've ever seen, and seems to be adjusting to life as a star in the foyer of the wildlife refuge. 

I could go on and on, but I think I'll save a blog about being thankful for our car for another time,...and just end this now, before I head off to yoga at Paty's (thank you for yoga on the waterfront in a fabulous environment with wonderful teachers).....namaste!

My neighbour, a modern Mexican woman - and a "show of guns"

One of the first persons whom I met when we moved into our neighborhood was Lily.  Lily and her family live across the street from our apartment and she owns a beauty shop "Liliana's" that is located on the mainfloor of her 3 storey house.  Her husband and one daughter are lawyers, one son is a refrigeration technician and I'm not sure what the other son does...but their lives are intricately entwined and on a day to day basis, they make sure that each of them, together with their spouses, sees, hugs, talks with and eats delicious food together.  Her 5 grandchildren are there each day after school.  

Lily is an esthetician who does hair and manicures/pedicures and a visit to her shop is an adventure in Mexican life.  On my first visit, she and I practised each others'  languages, each time she heard a new word, she wrote it and we practised the spelling and pronunciation.  I learned that she sewed, so she made my first curtains and tablecloths.  Over the years, our relationship has grown...she found Cori, my little Mexican dog who was abandoned...she nursed him back to health and then gave him to me, when she saw my sadness after Robbie died. 

Her shop has expanded, she sells her clothing and each visit is often interrupted by someone wanting to purchase something she has made. She is also a very talented artist, part of a local collective called Arte Nativo and I will soon be the proud owner of 2 of her most recent works, but shhhh...as they are regalos for anniversarios y navidad!   Her house has been under construction for the last 3  years.  She tells me that she is adding  4 apartments so her family can live with her and she may also rent out one or two in the future...she has a fulltime carpenter employed as well as a full time housekeeper, cook so she can pursue her artistic pasttimes.  They come to get direction from her while she works, neighbours pop by, local vendors come in to sell home made tamales, or local herbs...she stops and smiles and chats with each.  She takes "multi-tasking" to a whole new level. 

Today, she stopped briefly to say Hola this morning on her way back from her morning walk with her 3 perros...she is a busy woman with a life full of love and beauty!  Que buena mujere! 

 And Gene and I continued into town to see the morning parade for the 100th anniversary of the revolution...I think every school child in Zihuatanejo was in the parade.  Each school was on display with their students either smartly dressed in the schools gymastic uniform doing intricate pyramids for the judging stand or dressed in traditional revolutionary costumes and showing what makes Mexico famous world-wide today....GUNS!  And if you look closely, you will see the Mexican army on guard with their AK 47's in the background. 

Dia de la Revolucion...or how I got fired up this holiday weekend.

This is the 2nd day of a 3 day holiday in Mexico.  For Zihuatanejo, that means that many people from the already frosty inland cities come out to the coast to enjoy the sun, sand and ocean.  The buses line the streets, the Mexicans arrive in coats, carrying most of the food that they will need to enjoy a full day at the beach.  They get in the water just shortly after sunrise and they leave the beach after a long and happy day - it is fun to watch and always reinforces the great value that Mexicans place on family and leisure time.  


So, we decided to go with the flow and take a small lancha to one of our favorite destinations...Los Gatos beach.  A little tropical paradise with one of the best coral reefs for snorkelling in our area.  I had thought the day would be a "lucky day", as on my morning walk with our dog, Cori, an excited crowd stood by on guard watching a huge tortuga work her way back laboriously from her night time journey to high, dry sand to lay her eggs.  I watched in awe as the first waved lapped against her shell and she easily slid off into the waves, with her head popping up twice as she effortlessly glided back to safety in the ocean...aaah, what beauty!  So, a couple of hours later, while snorkeling the coral reef at Los Gatos, feelings of anger and outrage overtook me as we floated over plastic bags caught on the coral, and watched them floating freely just above the reef.   I know that Mexico is slowly developing a culture of environmental awareness, garbage cans and signs remind us at every corner to "not throw out garbage"....but this was terrible, and with outrage I wrote a note on our local website 's message board asking for help to clean up the reef.  So far, I've been promised that the local dive clubs do indeed do this and a major cleanup is scheduled for January, but I am saying the time is now...let's go, let's do it.  


I've also decided that as owners in the original complex we purchased we have a right to expect certain standards for maintenance, and when we don't see the results we need, we do not need to sit back and wait for someone else to do the job...we can do it ourselves.  


So today, Gene met Roger over at the pool, they donned their masks and snorkels and cleaned our pool to a standard that is acceptable to our fussy gringo tastes.  These small revolutionary acts make me feel more powerful....we don't have to sit back and feel like victims, we can and will do what we can to make sure paradise isn't lost for us here.  Like the dog in the window, we can be on guard for what we know is right and make it happen!












Oh, and just when I thought that I was going from bad to worse,....I happened upon the prettiest refrigerator I've ever seen. Who could imagine a nicer to look at kitchen appliance...way to go Maralyn - a woman with taste.   Another revolutionary.....in kitchen design!  Viva la revolucion!  

Boys and their toys.....and the colors that make me happy

So we've been working hard to finish our painting project on our one bedroom rental apartment, and we're almost there.  I love the colors of Mexico - they make me happy.  I wish they were colors that I could use at home in Canada but people would object, they aren't considered "liveable" and are far from the neutral that is so recommended in order to decorate and safely re-sell your home...but I don't care. 

Here my eyes which seem to never have enough light at home see the sunshine and the brightness and we decided to paint with the colors we love...they are the colors of the flowers, the ocean and the wildlife...hence we've used paints named "Gardenia, Jamaica Bay and Parakeet"....and I feel happy to be finishing.  Gene has done a great job...I'm sure our Mexican friends and staff wonder why we choose to do it ourselves when labor is so reasonable...well, they just don't know Gene, the original do-it-yourselfer and the fact is, I think he kind of liked the whole project. 

Meanwhile we have taken some time to play at the local beaches....I love walking by the big Intrawest resort on my way to Yoga classes at La Ropa...and seeing Canada on display.  By the way, that Carnival Cruise ship made it safely in and out of Zihua and is not the one that has customers stranded....but cruise ships and the type of clientele that emerge from them is a whole other blog someday.

And a day at Playa Larga made me smile...boys and their toys...Cori and the Mexicans playing with balls, big small and anything in between if it moves and is round, there is always a game to be played.  

Bringing Cori Home....the other half of a year in my life

So, it took 4 days, one in Vancouver visiting our 3 kids and saying goodbye while staying in a haunted house B&B that takes dogs Balfour Inn ( in case anyone is interested). Then a short flight to Calgary where Cori and I were made very welcome by our good friends who have a dog friendly house, some great walks with Uncle Alex and another direct flight with Westjet who make the whole issue of travelling with a dog seem quite casual, and we arrived.For Cori, it was like "no big deal"...I know where my food is, where the coolest spot on the cement floor is, and where the best beach to play ball is. He has said hello to his old canine amigos, and has found all the best corners to mark...he's back and he's perro feliz.
For me, it's not quite so easy. First of all, this has been one of the wettest summers on record in Zihua. With temperatures in the high 30'C and heavy rain, there is a lot of cleaning up to do. Every fabric that was left here smells mouldy to me, so at last count, we may have spent a record $200.00 on laundry. Now I shouldn't complain as the laundry is done by a wonderful man called Antonio who operates Lavanderia Especial and his handsome son brings back the laundry, clean, folded and smelling amazing all with the widest smile each day....
But laundry is just the beginning. This year we have decided to do a complete interior repainting of La Ceiba #9, our original one bedroom condo. that we purchased 6 years ago. Gene is the original do-it-yourselfer. So he is mainly working solo, after I wash and tape the walls....Roger, our friend and neighbour has been assisting, unless he's had too late of a night....we have the bedroom and bathroom done...living room and kitchen to go. and then we can relax knowing it's ready for our first guests who arrive mid-November. This is no longer a 'vacation"...it is our life, in a second home that, like all homes, requires maintenance.
So I wanted to share some of the special moments that have happened since I've been back...I feel like this, my 3rd winter in Zihua marks a turning point....I am no longer a "tourista"...I am now a "vecina"...an "amiga" and a local....so here goes the things that stand out in my mind as significant at the beginning of my 3rd winter spent in Zihua.
1. The street beggars say "hola, bienvenidos, como esta!" and look happy to see me back. They are all in their usual spots and I look forward to seeing them as I go on my daily excursions.
2. A taxi of gringa tourists asked me if I spoke English...and then asked me to tell their taxi driver where they wanted to go.
3. I recognize all the dogs on the streets - many are the same ones that hung out with Cori when he was abandoned, but they all look good and are surviving here in their same hangouts each year.
4. The group of Mexican women who regularly do their morning cardio workouts on the waterfront walkway and have never ever spoken to me before, all now say "hola and bienvenidos" and smile when they see Cori and I each morning.
5. I have now added the most amazing yoga class to my regular morning classes at Paty's. It is taught by Ana, the Mexican woman champion surfer, on the open air palapa covered top floor of a hotel near our casa. It was magic....sunset, breeze, star-filled sky, and the sounds of a seaside Mexican town coming to life in the cool of the evening.... This just could be my new best find for 2011 season.
6. Today, Gene and I were invited to my good friend Monica and Anibals', 25th wedding anniversary. It was an honor and a privilege to be included in the group of neighbors invited to the home of our friends in Colonia La Madera. I practised my increasing Spanish and met new friends who I can now include in the growing group of Mexican's we feel so fortunate to know....and I didn't even mention the mole de pollo, ceviche y tiritas y pastele con frutas tropicales that were so lovingily prepared and served by our friends.
7. Last but not least. I made a new friend when shopping today for a card, ribbon and paper to wrap the champagne I had purchased for the party. Adelina who owns a small floreria downtown has offered to accompany Gene and me on an excursion to some newly discovered archeological ruins near her home in one of the small pueblas south of Zihuatanejo. She's also offered to be my floral designer for any arrangements or gifts I would like to give this Xmas...at a "buen precio"...not the gringo price!!! A sure sign of success.