Zihuatanejo/Ixtapa
Posted up here in the anchorage of Zihuatanejo Bay. If you read thru the painfully log post I shared on the 10th, you know that we held out here for about 5 days as we awaited word on some key future work stuff that would determine where we would be going and how the rest of our trip would pan out.
In the meantime while we bite our nails and wait for this news, we are enjoying five awesome days in Zihuatanejo and neighboring town of Ixtapa.
(given how much livelier and happening Zihua is, I am going to guess they are still working on painting this sign)
After a three day, super easy sail from Las Hadras, we pulled into Isla Ixtapa the morning of April 9 (like around 6am-got a lovely pick-up of currents and winds on day two getting us in a bit earlier than we originally anticipated, which we will gladly take!)
Biggest surprise of this trip overall has been how much we've had to motor-sail and how little wind/calm the conditions have been overall. Not ALL the time (we've had a few big sea days and some uncomfortable passages with Poseidon tossing us around) but we didn't anticipate putting on the motor as much as we have. Full disclosure, Jay and I aren't sailing "purest" in the truest sense of the word. We have no problem turning the engine on should we drop below 4.5kts, just to keep time and get to where we want to go without having to triple our travel time. This isn't to say we are throwing sailing our SAILboat to the wayside at all. In fact, this (sailing, man vs. nature) is what Jay thrives on (I'm getting there...slowly)--using wind and nature to get us to where we want to go. However, we prefer to balance this out with not unnecessarily bobbing around aimlessly for hours with less than 5kts of wind, since we do have a reliable motor and BOAT is pretty damn fuel efficient.
So we arrived at Isla Ixtapa, which is just slightly north of Zihuatanejo and just west of Ixtapa, as we had heard/read it was a beautiful anchorage, clear waters, nice beaches and great snorkling!
Welll.....we arrived at 6am. Promptly fell asleep and woke up around 9am to the anchorage TEAMING with pangas, snorklers, loud music, fishing boats--you name it. It was utter, utter mayhem all around us.
DAMN IT!! Seriously, is there no where else left on this earth teaming with people like little ants swarming a delicious donut crumb morsel?! (I mean, we weren't surprised by any of this. It figures as much, that IS the trifecta soup for a busy and popular beach locale, right?)
So we lifted anchor and headed to the main anchorage in Zihuatanejo-haha! After a passage we just wanted some rest and to recharge anyway. We can rally for the mayhem later.
Zihuatanejo is a great beach town. Loads of pangas line the shore right off the anchorage, zipping in and out of the bay, bringing back tons of fish where they convene on the shore, laying out their catch display every mid morning, for the locals to come get their pick of the sea goodies.
(I mean seriously how awesome is this sign--fully behind the closing of this restaurant!)
The maze of streets closest to the bay cater to bustling tourism that draws visitors from all over, selling a plethora of beach trinkets/dodads/tchotchkes, bathing suits, coverups, beautiful hand woven tapestries and incredibly beautiful Mexican artwork and ceramics. Restaurants and bars catering to gringos abound as well as loud contemporary and classic rock American music filling the streets starting around noon (you know, beer and wine-thirty time when the partiers from the previous night have rallied, opening their peepers looking for more hair of the dog to ease their brainfog from previous night's antics)
Venturing further away from the tourist areas, the bustling city of Zihuatanejo changes from tourism to a more local feel, with an even bigger maze of open air markets, secretly tucked away and off the main roads. Think produce, meat and spice market bazaar galore! We ducked into this side alley and came upon the most amazing produce and meat market EVER!
(Jay was REALLY embarrassed that I wanted to photograph the hanging meats in this side alley--so why this is a TERRIBLE photo as I promised I would be discreet. You can somewhat see the leg of the hanging full pig in the lower left corner. The smell was awful, but so damn cool nonetheless. I haven't seen a meat market like this since the north end in Boston nearby where I use to live)
As some of those that know me, my previous life and passions were, fashion and beauty products (figures, as I worked in fashion/women's lifestyle publishing.) Clothes, shoes, makeup--everything and anything incredibly cliche female--BINGO that's me (Jay called me a lemming as you really couldn't get more cliche LA--but HELL, I'll own that! Designer, shiny, beautiful things. Closets filled with entirely too many clothes and boxes upon boxes of shoes. AND complete with the makeup product graveyards to boot--SWOON! Like I said, yep, I OWN IT!) However, those things don't translate well for life aboard and traveling on a 41' sailboat. And that was totally and completely ok with me as the OTHER side of me loves the complete and utter opposite of that.
I mention all of this as my biggest excitement on this trip has been discovering and buying ALL OF THE AMAZING PRODUCE AND FRESH MEAT (I'm trading one vice-shopping for clothes/makeup, for another vice - food shopping!!) OMG it's incredible and I could lose days on end going food shopping! And also incredible how different it is from what we were previously use to, American produce and grocery stores. Bottom line: the stuff they sell us in America isn't real food. I've always been acutely aware of this any time I have traveled outside of the US. No wonder we have so many weird health issues as a culture. What in the hell do they feed us in the US?!?!
Everything and I mean everything we have purchased food-wise since we have left two months ago lasts maybe, MAYBEEE 5 days at most (and that is with me pulling all the basic food preserving tricks I have learned, not including freezing it. Mind you we are shopping all fresh produce and rarely going into a traditional grocery store to buy "packaged" goods, except when Jay's sweet tooth hits! Mexico has AWESOME candy!)
Food just taste differently, and I mean in the best way. I noticed while munching on a raw carrot and tomato the other day, I mean I actually had to stop mid-rabbit munch. I actually forgot how sweet a real carrot is and how juicy a real tomato is!? (Keep in mind this is also coming from the girl whose diet solely subsists of veggies, fruit and some meat. SO this girl knows her veggie flavors!)
Anyway, open air markets and fresh meat are my shopping heaven. So naturally, I duck into one of the stands in this alleyway with the biggest selection and GO TO TOWN! The guy at the counter when we rang up was laughing at me, as Jay shook his head. I have produce for days and currently am drunk off too many veggies and mangos. No joke, my stomach is actually holding up my computer right now as I type this, acting as a pillow due to my mass food coma consumption.
PRO TIP for BOAT OWNERS: I have finally figured out a way to get rid of the terrible "boat" smell, that inevitably invades and drives all us boat owners MAD! Despite any and all extreme and drastic attempts to rid our boat of this smell, we just can't shake it. I HAVE THE SOLUTION!
Guavas! Buy enough guavas to feed a small squirrel army and your boat will smell HEAVENLY! I'm not kidding and it's a glorious discovery. Sadly, I know it will likely result in a TERRIBLE stomach ache once they all ripen at the same time and I eat them all in one sitting. But for now, BOAT smells GREAT!
So food talk aside, Zihua has basically everything we could need as we post up here for the next few days! We've enjoyed a few delicious fresh caught fish dinners on land as well as cooking up some of our delectable purchases on the boat a few nights as well. Got laundry done in town (awesome fluff and fold service yet again and costing only USD$10 for a gynormous Courtney size bag of laundry!) and meandered over to Ixtapa for a night (stayed in a hotel for a change and enjoyed some pampered life for a night)
Anyway, there you have it for now. Our neighbor in the anchorage just popped over for happy hour so, time for drink mixing. Also, my parasitic stomach bloat has lessened to what looks like a salty old sailor beer-belly pooch. So, Time to feed the beast again.