How to relive your youth Mexican style - our anniversary day in Petatlan

Something occurred to me last night when we joined our neighbours for dinner on the second floor terrace of their apartment that overlooks our beautiful courtyard and lit pool.  I realized that many of the couples who we have met since we started spending more of our time in Mexico are approximately our age and have had a multi-year love affair with Mexico.  For most, like us, it started in the 1970's when as young adults, without the responsibility of children, we came to this country and liked what we experienced.  Life was easy,  people were friendly and welcoming and there was this charismatic draw to a culture of music, laughter, good food and frequent drinks.   In the daytime, we played on the beaches in the warm water with the sun tanning our skin and at night, we partied in bars and discos with locals and other tourists - it was easy to make friends and easy to feel good.  Is this what lured us back??  It reminds me of how I feel when I see aging rockstars performing from their 60's and 70's repertoire to an audience of people who have a hardtime staying up past 10 p.m. 

I love being here and I am sure the reasons people are here are as diverse as the style of our homes, our bank accounts and our lives have been...but perhaps we are all just trying to feel that spark of life and love that Mexico injects into you when you allow yourself to see past the poverty, dirt and crumbling architecture...when you open your heart to it's soul. 

I started today, the 33rd anniversary of our wedding day and the 38th anniversary of the day we met, at a 7:30 a.m. yoga class at Hotel Irma overlooking Zihua Bay.  The cool morning breezes at that time of day are so refreshing as "winter" arrives in the tropics.  Our teacher ended the class with the this message to us "chose between fear and love today and let love be what guides your day."

So promising to try to achieve that...Gene and I set about on a little trip together.  We drove south along Hwy. 200 to Petatlan, the land of "Palms"....this small agricultural town of 18,000 people set a bit inland has been known for it's affordably priced gold market.  Unfortunately, more recently, we hear about it more often in connection with drug war violence but after careful consideration of a mid-day trip to the town's central market, we set aside our recently heightened cautions and I'm glad we did.  

After strolling the tianguis each with signs that promise "buen precios" for "oro y plata"  I chose a small gold starfish pendant as a remembrance for this special day which marks a significant amount of my life together with Gene.  A life where we love the beach and snorkelling together and the ocean which is so close to both of our homes.

Artistic renditions of the Virgen of Guadalupe are everywhere these days and the church stairs lured us to a performance by some schoolchildren practising an intricate performance for the season.  

We wandered the streets surrounding the zocalo and cathedral seeing the sights of Xmas merchandise available.  I love towns with vibrant zocalos and Petatlan has earned a new place in my heart.   Everywhere we looked, school children in immaculate white shirts were laughing and enjoying the end of their second last week of school before the holidays.

Rather than carrying on in our car with our very hot little dog Cori to a point further south known as El Calvario, the viewpoint overlooking the ocean, we chose to drive back to Zihuatanejo to have lunch at Carmelito's, a small local restaurant that Rick Bayliss spoke so highly of last year during the Food and Wine Tour.  We were not disappointed, my attractive lunch of Ensalada Carmelito and Agua de sandia was the perfect way to wrap up a great anniversary day spent with Gene enjoying what we love about our life here...around every corner is a new sound, smell or view that just punctuates life.  

Coming home,I decided that I LOVE may new living room wall colors and that today was a day of love! 

 And only one more day till Amy and Patrick come.....now that's LOVE!!