We spent an entire month in Zihuatanejo.....wonderful place. We're so familiar with it because we've spent two months at a time two times before this. We have friends and a dentist and it's just home. And Joyce always comes for a visit so lots going on.
We always stay at Villas Los Arcos, which is a few minutes walk from Playa Ropa. It's a lovely small hotel with the most beautiful pool area which we enjoy daily. We camp out in the walled lot behind the hotel and since we've been coming here the place has changed from a six or seven spot RV lot to only room for maybe three. There's a duplex building at one end that made it a bit smaller and there's a chicken coop at the other. A big area for laying hens and we parked right next to it. Lol. Chickens just seem to be in our lives no matter where we go! Aja had a ball watching the hens, no roosters, and she was also entertained by the two parrots in a cage on the other side of our camper. Not to mention the lizards and iguanas. We had to keep an eye out for the two dogs, Volt and KiKi to make sure there were no problems but other than that she was highly amused. Kiki has been around for years and is blind now so not much of a problem but Volt was young and recently a street dog so we were careful to keep him away from Aja.
Brent and Susan let us know right off that they had a bunch of friends that play in a band a few nights a week at Rossy's which is a beach bar right down the street from where we stay. We went there a number of times to see "Steve and Friends" play and to drink the really good and strong margaritas. We even spent St. Patrick's Day night there and it was Steve's birthday. Good times.
I had a massage therapist that worked right behind Rossy's and was able to get eight therapeutic massages during our stay. Really helped with my sciatica pain. My massages cost twice as much as a regular Swedish Massage and including tips I paid a grand total of $170 for eight massages. Unreal. And Deisy was GOOD. Also got a pedicure and a facial.
We went back to our dentist, Rocio, and had cleanings (almost free) and Mike got a crown replaced. She is the best dentist ever. The crown was less than $250.
Zihuatanejo is a place where you run into people you know, even though you hardly "know" anybody, everywhere you go. It's crazy. But it makes you feel so at home. Guitar Fest was happening and we went to several of the dinners. The first night we were seated at a table with several other couples. One of the couples and their parents are neighbors of Brent and Susan and we saw them countless times during our stay. We ran into members of the "band" all the time. We would see Nancy, who owns Villa Los Arcos and is a friend, at dinner down the beach or seated next to us at Guitar Fest, we'd run into Brent and Susan during the times we didn't plan to see one another, we'd talk to a guy on the bus and he's say...."Oh, you're the people staying next to Marlene and Jim. I go bike riding with him." You'd go out to Isla Grande for the day and see the same people that you see sitting on Playa Ropa where you were yesterday. You'd drive to another beach twenty miles away and talk to the people you talked with on Playa Ropa yesterday....different ones. It's crazy. It's not that small of a town but it's so friendly.
There was a restaurant right across the street from our place that we went to several times. We had this really nice waiter and we got to talking after our meal. He asked us where we're from and we tell him Hawaii, he asks which island, Kauai. And of course his brother is Paco of Paco's Taco's where we go all the time at the Kukuiula Golf, right by where we live. Isidro starts to tell us how his brother lives on Kauai and Mike and I both say "Pacos Tacos" before he can even tell us......we knew Paco was from Zihua and that his brother lived and worked there as a waiter but Paco couldn't remember the name of the place. No worries, Isidro found us!
At Isla Grande I asked the waiter how long he had worked there.....32 years he says. So I ask if he remembers my friend Miguel who used to work on the island in the late 90's when I was cruising in Mexico and used to anchor there. Yes....of course. He remembers Miguel. He even tells me where Miguel now works! I'm pretty excited. Miguel was a good friend for many years and was with us on the boat the night before we sailed to Hawaii as we left from Isla Grande. He's met my daughter and grand daughter and everything!! We did go looking for him at Playa Larga but the people at the small hotel said he'd gone and they didn't know where. I would so have loved to have seen Miguel again. He'd have remembered too. Anyway, this is what Zihuatanejo is like.
We ate out almost all the time. We went to other beaches for the day with either Joyce or Brent and Susan and hung out and ate great seafood. We spent several nights at Guitar Fest dinners that were really yummy and with fantastic music. The five of us went to Casa Vieja for authentic Pozole. Joyce and I spent hours at the beach bars having Cervesa or Margaritas with lots of chips and great guacamole. It was grand.
I love Mexico and am going to miss being able to come down here like this. We're going to sell our camper and truck so visits in the future won't be as long but hopefully we'll figure out a way to visit. It's just so much fun and the people are so awesome. I love speaking my silly Spanish and I'm just going to miss it so much. But driving down here is tough and we're just not up to it anymore. One year's worth of driving in Mexico total....Mike deserves a medal.
I'm just going to post a bunch of photos and call it good. Might have to send out two batches of photos. Lots of people pictures and beach vendors and sunsets. If we didn't wind up with the flu the last few days life would of been perfect! Anyway, we're now in San Miguel de Allende after spending two days resting at the RV Park in Patzcuaro. Too sick to go to town....oh well. We're feeling better now and San Miguel is a wonderful place. We'll leave early next week and three days later we'll be in Texas.
Adios for now,
Gayle and Mike
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