Easter in Zihuatanejo - Peace, love and a whole lot more

Semana Santa, the two week period between Palm Sunday and the weekend after Easter, appears to be the biggest holiday period in the country.  Mexicans by the thousands flock to the beaches of this beautiful country and Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa are two of the most popular destinations for the residents of some of the largest colonial cities inland. 

This year, due to the combined reasons of a request by our Victoria house tenants to extend their stay in our house, and an opportunity to renovate our small La Ceiba rental apartments' kitchen,  we chose to stay here through the holiday period. 

I am happy to see the multigenerational families arriving, many in their large and luxurious SUV's, others, stepping sleepily off of rented tour buses having spent the night on the road, disembarking without a hotel or place to stay.  They carry most of their food for their vacation and local restaurants are quoted in the press lamenting that there is no monetary gain from the national tourists who come.  

However, I love that all over this country, people have saved their hard earned money to come to this place that we are lucky enough to call "home" for 6 months/year.  But. I have to be honest, this time is not my favorite time to be here in our small coastal town.

Tents line the beaches that are normally empty, and where I like to walk my dog every morning.  The effect on the environment causes me great concern.   Garbage and sewage are not really all that well managed here. 

 Our sister complex, La Ceiba Suites has run out of "agua potable" every day this week, requiring a delivery from a large tanker truck into their holding cistern.  Cars jockey for parking spots on the normally empty streets of Colonia La Madera.   Our fish merchant, Pancho is worried that he will run out of fish each day, as the fishing has been "off" with the cool temperatures recently.  The infrastructure can't support this many people for very long. 

This week is the last chance many businesses here have to make money before the 6 month "temporada baja", the low season, when the fewest visitors make their way in the steamy heat to this coastal resort.  Last summer was a very difficult time here in Zihuatanejo.  Crimes of extortion and kidnapping for ransom were common.  Many businesses closed their doors permanently.   The saving reprieve of the tourist season settled things down.  The US press would have the world believe that being a tourist here is dangerous, but in reality, we are safer here than we are in many other countries and cities in our own country.   The presence of "gringos" and our spending power has been the safety net for Zihuatanejo this season.  We are a valuable asset to Mexico.

But now the locals fear for the coming months.  Will the violence and crime rise again?  Many people here have lost their jobs.  Longtime employees of Raul's construction team greet me with friendly "hola's" when we pass on the street, and when I ask them where they are working now, they smile sadly and say "nada"...there is no work for most people, and no social programs to support them when they lose their incomes.  

The next two weeks will be spent assembling all the items, some big, some small we want to take back to Canada for ourselves, our friends and our family.  My favorite "cosera", Lety, is busy sewing oilcloth products for me to bring back.  I love the brightly colored cloth that seems to be almost indestructible outdoors.  I hope my friends love it as much as I do.  

This Easter Sunday, our adult children are each enjoying the holidays in different places.  Gone are the Easter Sunday mornings of their childhood, spent gathering homemade and chocolate eggs in the nature park on Beach Drive, Victoria.   Being somewhat of a traditionalist, I couldn't let the day pass without giving someone (Gene) an Easter hen...not chocolate, but ever so much more fun....made even more fun when I think of the women in their pueblas giggling as they created these scenes, and believe me they were not all the conventional style I picked.    It's important to look at the blessings in life, especially when things aren't all rosey here in the land of sun and fun!