They came, we saw, we played, we did...in "the little town that could"

On Vancouver Island, our summer home, there is a little town called Chemainus that, several years ago, reinvented it's former identity as a logging and shipping terminus into a small tourist oriented destination of theatres and shops.  It's been nicknamed "The Little Town that Could" which pays homage to the guts and determination of the locals who, when faced with the imminent demise of their home due to changes in the forest based economy, re-branded themselves into just what tourists want.  

This last month in Zihua reminded me of just that.  Locals, who have endured the effects of the ongoing drug cartel violence, mafia type extortions leading to business closures, cessation of cruiseship visits, a shrinking Mexican peso, declining numbers of tourists, poorly managed infrastructure projects that have resulted in major access problems all rallyed, put on their "game faces" and threw a month-long party that has left all of us, locals, ex-pats and all my friends who came to visit, smiling with the good memories of all they saw and did.    

We have had a lot of visitors who came for the month of March.  First, 2 friends from Victoria, Irena and Rosie arrived for Guitarfest.  They were joined the next day by Jane and Joe and Stan and Marianne who came for the sun, the fun and guitarfest.  Then when Marianne and Stan left, Dawn and Yves arrived for a little taste of everything.  So when we get to play "host and hostess" to this many friends here we did our best to squeeze in the experiences, sights, sounds, places and foods that makes this place so special....

In no particular order of importance, here's what's been going on this past few weeks.  

Guitarfest 2012

Santa Prisca for Pozole - and a chance for Irena to sing with Juanito

The Mercado for fresh fish and all things local
A dog walk/run to raise funds for the local SPCA

The Cooking School at Patio Mexica where Monica taught Dawn and Jane how to prepare mole

Troncones

El Refugio de Potosi

Chula Vida on Playa Blanca

A private concert with Juanito Zihua at La Ceiba - the perfect Mexican evening!

 Yoga on the waterfront

Los Gatos Beach for snorkelling and pampering massages

  

Carnavale

Gourmet dinners shared with friends at home and in restaurants

and to top it off today was the start of the Food and Wine Festival in Zihuatanejo!   But all good things must come to an end...and the countdown to leaving Mexico and returning to our Canadian home is beginning.

But first we have a little kitchen renovation to do on our small apartment at La Ceiba Suites.  I'm excited to see what can be done on a small budget by the Mexican workmen who have worked with Raul to build our homes.  Handmade, handbuilt and handcrafted to be unique...and just the way I like it! And having the extra 2 weeks here before we head home allows us to squeeze in one more trip to Uruapan for the Tianguis Artesanal Fair held each Easter - it's been called "the largest craft fair in Latin America"...who knows, but it is also one more example of the guts and determination of talented people who have chosen to strut their stuff in the midst of a tough time here in Mexico! 

A week of living dangerously in Zihuatanejo

It's a little over a week since we arrived back in sunny, hot and tropical Zihuatanejo.   A lot has happened...and not all of it good.    And to top it off...CBC decided to do a special on the crime and safety, or lack thereof in Mexico.  I'm beginning to believe some of our locals who claim that the press is owned by US travel interests and is trying to nail the last spike into what could be the dying year for tourism here.  Thank goodness for such fun events as Guitarfest which clearly demonstrates people love Zihuatanejo and Mexico and will continue to come here for all the right reasons!

Our little travel mate Cori, a macho poodle/terrier cross likes to think he's top dog in the hood...and can be a little bit of a show off when it comes to ball chasing,  fast running and looking cool.   But he was no match for our neighbor Lilly's Rottweiler "Pancha" who, after a month of not seeing Cori, decided to grab hold of him and toss him around a little on their first encounter.   After a few visits to the vet, multiple applications of Crazy Glue to hold his skin together...he's looking almost back to normal...except for wearing baby t-shirts to cover his wounds. 

And when, if  people think it is dangerous driving the back roads in the state of Morelos, or even the notorious stretch of highway 200 South of here, it was no match for the adrenalin produced when Doraliz asked us to take her and her 2 sisters to the local fair.   It would've been OK if we had stuck to the bumper cars because, after all,, we are pretty good at driving cars in close contact after our months of living here in Mexico...but riding the roller coaster, the Galaxy and the pitch black Time Tunnel produced more fear than I have known for a long time!

 

And then there was the baby shower....  Maria works for my neighbour who owns the beauty salon across the street.  Maria and her young husband came here from the US after jobs dried up in recent years.  Born in Mexico, it has taken Maria over a year to adjust to life back here in Mexico after a chance to live in a Mexican neighbourhood in the Southern US.  






This year when I returned, she announced she was expecting their second child...without her Mom to help her, this young mother, and wife who works daily as a manicurist for my neighbour needs a lot of support.   So when she invited most of her customers for her baby shower we were happy to be able to give her some of the things we know she needs.   Sheila who is my "go to person" for all things Mexican culture wise explained the variety of games we would be likely to encounter and gamely volunteered to be "baby" in the standard "blind Mom feeds baby" game that she won hands down...good for you Sheila!   I needlessly worried about not including a card to identify the gift that we put together....silly me, one of the games is for the Mom to be to identify the gift giver for each unmarked present...if she's right, you get marked with lipstick...if she's wrong,  you get to decorate her!  And on and on it goes...nothing is too ridiculous to make into a game for when the women get a chance to play without men....mayhem and laughter rule!  Luckily I left before things got really crazy, like drinking cervezas from baby bottles, and feeling the Mom to be's inner parts - blindfolded touching something wet and slippery... not identifiable to most gringas. 

 While we were away for a month, there were a few unhappy encounters between renters and owners at our condominium Casa Ceiba...and just cause I like to see things work out well and for decisions to be made that are fair and just, I volunteered to sit on a small working group to redraft the rules for renters....silly me, I should've known from my past worklife in VIHA that when you try to bring together two very disparate points of view, things do not go smoothly....the emails are flying and I'm playing duck and cover to avoid the inevitable ill feelings that come out of some of the exchanges.   Time will pass, memories will fade and the sun and good times will overcome  - at least that's what I hope.  I think we are making our administrator's job very tough and I shake my head in wonder how a small group of Canadian/Americans can make life so difficult on each other here.   No one is shooting real bullets, but the sideswipes and glancing blows still hurt!

And now we are waiting for our good friends Dawn and Yves to join our other friends who are here for Guitarfest and a chance to see sun in the month of March!  We want everyone to be safe and have fun in our winter home and so far no one is disappointed by what they are doing, seeing, hearing or tasting.  Mexico is a sensory experience that we are lucky to be part of each year!  Let the fun continue but with a little less fear factor por favor!