Zihuatanejo / Ixtapa

Zihuatanejo / Ixtapa
Whew! It’s HOT! We had a very smooth 35 hour motorsail, very light winds and very calm seas... so calm in fact we took showers while sailing! And we’ve never done that! We watched a perfect total lunar eclipse with completely clear skies.

We dropped anchor at 8am. Then we took a nap! We’re anchored in 20’ of clear water 200’ from the beach, and there are a LOT a fishermen pangas ready to take tourists fishing.

I see several people walking the beaches, before long we’ll have the dinghy in the water, motor mounted, and we’re ready to begin exploring. The simple old town is built on the beach front and surrounding hillsides that circle the little bay without big high-rise condos here…which I like. I spend one morning trouble shooting the motor issue, rewiring, testing, soldering wires… to find it was a corroded connection at the solenoid….and now the motor starts immediately! Yeah!!!!!

We haven’t checked in with the port captain yet, tried the day we got here…too close to closing time (3 pm), then again yesterday (2pm) closed, so we’ll try today! Hey…manaña!

Denielle and Jeff got a great hotel room with a HUGE balcony...actually like a HUGE open living room complete with two hanging hammocks, lounge chairs, tables, and an incredible view of the whole bay. We played Trivial Pursuit which we’re SURE Nancy and Denielle cheated, but Jeff and I couldn’t prove it! - Of course Denielle being a College Geography Professor and Teacher sure helped them out...But we still think they cheated!

We sat at a beachside café and drank Pacifico beers for a few hours. It’s HOT here! Sheesh! Last night Nancy and I watched “Christmas Vacation” with Chevy Chase – We sat in the cockpit, popped popcorn, and enjoyed the warm evening breeze. I watch this movie every year and it has become a tradition for us you could say.

It sure doesn’t feel like Christmas, being so hot, and not having to fight all the traffic, shoppers, parking lots, etc… it’s kind of nice. The town is festive for the Holidays with lights, music, and decorated with colorful lights.

Yesterday we all went snorkeling near a beach and seen a HUGE iron anchor from an old galleon ship… probably placed there for tourists…but, still very nice! The assorted colorful tropical fish are amazing to see as we snorkel the rocky areas where they hang out, it’s like swimming in an aquarium…it’s just missing the bubbling charcoal filter, ferns, and plastic sunken ship! We swam to shore and sat on the beach drinking cold beer while lobster tacos were being made to order. No problem, take all the time you need to prepare the tacos….”Amigo, dose cervices por farvor.”
We went to Ixtapa to check fuel prices and see the city…too big, too expenxive, and too many tourists for Nancy and I to enjo, but if big high rise hotels and great views are your thing…this is your place!
Next anchorage….Papanoa! (Sounds cool, eh?)