Note: I have not been able to find our pictures from this trip. Once I do I will come back and add them to this blog.
Ever since Doug and I went on our Mexican Riviera cruise we have both wanted to go back to Mexico. However, working hard on getting Doug’s new business profitable has been our focus, so travel plans have been on hold. Well, we finally decided to get something scheduled. I had read an article about Zihuatanejo /Ixtapa and how you can get the best of both worlds by staying in a cheap hotel in the heart of Zihuatanejo, then take a taxi for the plush things over in Ixtapa , which is about a 5 minute ride. Since we both were looking forward to the cultural experience we thought this was the place to go. To also take advantage of low rates we decided to go right before high season which starts November 1st. The summer rains would be over, the weather should be nice, and the hotels should be reasonable.
As I started doing research I began reading about a little village called Troncones, which is about 20 miles outside of Zihuatanejo. I contacted the proprietor of Casa Alegria and started an email dialog. She assured me that there were taxis to take us to town if we wanted, but there were restaurants and plenty of things to do in the village. Since our idea was to have a cultural experience, and to get some much needed rest, this sounded like the perfect spot. To top it off we asked Doug’s Dad and his girlfriend to come along with us.
Plans were coming along, and we were all getting excited when suddenly it looked like everything might change. On September 11th the World Trade Center, as well as the Pentagon were attacked by terrorists. Suddenly the best laid plans are in question. Would it be safe to fly? Would it be wise to go out of the country? As we reflected on the lives lost, and on the turmoil that our country was now in, we needed to make a decision. Finally after some deliberating we decided to go ahead.
We arrived at the Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo airport and took a taxi to Troncones. Though we had been assured it was about 15 miles it took us about 50 minutes to get there. As we turned down the gravel road to the village we realized that this was going to be much more remote than we had planned. With only a few dusty village kids in site, we drove to the property and found the proprietor at her house which was on the same property as the other units. Our “house” was a Mexican style bungalow with a main room, and kitchen in the center and two bedrooms on either end. It was charming and clean.
Our host explained that since we were coming before “high season” there was nothing open except one little restaurant several properties down the beach. Also, the pool would not be available until the next day. And, no, there were no other tourists at this time. Hmmmm.. not quite what she described in her emails. After cleaning up a little, we walked down to the one and only restaurant that was opened and met the owners and a couple of the locals having drinks. As we looked over the menu they were sure to point out the things that were not available yet since it was before “high season”. Well, after finally getting a bite to eat, and a refreshing drink, we walked back to our property, Cal had a bad knee so he was having to walk up the dirt road with his cane, and carefully watch every step.
After a restful night’s sleep- it was very comfortable- we got up in the morning and asked about getting a taxi to Zihuatanejo. Our host drove us to the main road where we were to meet our taxi. After finding out it was $45 to go to town we decided that we may want to reconsider staying in Troncones where restaurants aren’t open, no one is in site except the locals, Cal cannot get around easily on the dirt roads, etc. We rode into town and after visiting the local market and having lunch we checked out a couple hotels right in town. Although there were not a lot of tourists in town, we were much more comfortable and loved having streets to walk on, several choices of restaurants, markets to visit, etc. We found the Centro hotel and they agreed to let us stay for $35 per night per couple. They had a nice pool, and friendly, clean rooms. We booked our stay starting the next day. After more touring around the area we got a cab and headed back to our hotel. We found our host and she told us the pool was now available so we decided to enjoy that before telling her the bad news. After the refreshing swim, she made us dinner and brought out the wine. She proceeded to drink so Cal thought it would be a good time to tell her that we were leaving in the morning. She wasn’t angry, at least she didn’t say it, but after that she continued to drink and got more and more obstinate as the evening went on. She finally got up to leave us and we stayed and visited out on the patio for quite awhile. On our way back to our room we saw a figure huddled by the fence, but thought it was just one of the locals so we just walked on by. Well, in the morning our host came out to greet us, and gave us our deposit that we had put on the remaining nights. She had a big scrape on her face which it turns out she received when she fell on her way back to her house the night before!
Back in Zihuatanejo we explored the tiny fishing village, all the little shops and the restaurants. We rode a cab over to Ixtapa and checked out the various things over there. We saw very few tourists and when asked we were told that there were many cancellations because of the trouble in the U.S. For example, we went to Senor Frogs on Friday night at 7:30pm which any other time would be hopping (no pun intended) with customers, however we were the only ones there, except a few locals.
During our first evening at the Centro Hotel there was an earthquake which measured 5.2 It sent me running down the stairs when I heard water gushing from above the staircase. Although it sounded like a pipe had broken, apparently they had it all under control.
After 2 nights at the Centro Hotel, Doug and I ventured over to Ixtapa and went into one of the plush hotels there. Since tourism was down, we thought we might be able to strike a deal. After negotiating for quite awhile we were able to get a suite with room for all 4 of us, and breakfast each day for the same price we were paying for both rooms at the Centro. So back to Zihuatanejo to hook up with Cal and Juanita, to once again move to our new hotel. Once we got there we decided that as much as we liked living among the locals, we really appreciated the plush of a 4 star hotel. The pool, the restaurants, the room, etc were all first class.
One evening we walked down to the beach to attend a ceremony where we would be releasing baby turtles back into the sea. Each hotel has areas set aside where they are hatching turtle eggs and once old enough they are released. As we were waiting for our guide to come up, suddenly there was commotion as a huge sea turtle started making her way up the beach. They are considered endangered species, and as such there are several ordinances in place to protect them from poaching. Well, she chose to walk up the beach at the exact middle between our hotel and the neighboring hotel, so immediately the hotel security guards were there, bickering about who she belonged to. They formed a circle in the sand that we needed to stay behind as she found her nesting spot. She finally started digging a hole with her tail, and once it was deep enough she released her eggs. As she crawled off the hole, she started filling it back again with the sand that she had moved. This whole process took about half an hour, and was fascinating to watch. Once she turned and made her way back to the sea, our security guard dug up the eggs and reburied them in the area set aside for eggs on the hotel property. We were told that the turtles will come to hatch their eggs every 8 years. Back to the original ceremony, as it was starting to get dark we were each given 2 baby turtles (2 months old) that we were to release. Another line was drawn in the sand and we each put down our turtles. As they started moving toward the sea it was fun to watch. As the waves came in they were washed back several steps, and had to try again. This process is nature’s way of preparing them for the harsh situations in the future so we were told not to help them along.
We left Ixtapa / Zihuatanejo with a longing to come back to Mexico and enjoy the nature, the culture, the weather, and the rest and relaxation. We will be back!
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