Zihua was fun. There was something to do every day if we wanted to, or not as there was always hanging in the sunshine aboard Impulsive....We got to meet up with our Seattle friends Bob (Happy ## Birthday man), and Kris who were in town celebrating a birthday and experiencing Guitar fest (something they do every year-lucky ducks).
Kris and Bob
What fun to see friends in port, and it brought to home how much we actually miss our family and friends back in Seattle. MISS ALL of YOU GUYS back in Washington!
Shaving brush tree
One night at dinner near the hotel Irma where Kris and Bob were staying we saw this rare tree (rare per our waiter), a Clavellina or Shaving Brush Tree in the Hibiscus family. It had very little foliage and looked kind of baren, but arount 8 PM magic happened. It bloomed these softball size blossoms similar to a Mimosa tree blooms, but on a much grander scale. Georgous! We spent a lovely evening with many friends including Kris and Bob, Vandy and Eric from Scoots under the tree watching the bats swoop in pollinating the tree and enjoying some yummy ribs and local fare.
Guitar Fest 2015
We experienced Guitar Fest 2015 both from the boat where the acoustics in the cockpit were actually better than sitting onshore at a restaurant next to the concert to visiting an ancient Xihuacan pyramid near Petatlan complete with 1 of only 2 full ball courts discovered in the world (I believe, though may have this wrong?).
Xihuacan Pyramid
Xihuacan ball court
Our day excursion to Petatlan was an unexpected experiences, the trip was fablious, and what a treat to see artifacts as old as 3500 years up close in their environment. Again lunch on the beach on our way back to Zihua. This does not suck!
Zihuatanego main anchorage
Zihuatanejo has a lot to offer tourists. Beautiful scenic panaromaic bay, plenty of excellent restaurants, shops, and things to see. The Mercado Centro and surrounding vegetable tiendas were fabulous for provisioning. Here is where I get negative, and do not mean to offend but... the bay near town is not so clean, filthy even. I refused to swim in it, or make water, and the marine eco-system growing on our bottom paint exploded expotentially while there. Crud on the bottom grew faster in the time we were at anchor (a week +) than in 2 months in La Paz. Seriousy this is no exageration. Morris actually had to clean the bottom, and when he came back aboard critters, shrimp, kreel, and crabs were litterally jumping off him, his gear, and out of his dive skin. Ugh.
Vandy and Eric from SV Scoots
We anchored initially below Hotel Irma closer to town right off the concert venue. Not a bad anchorage location though rolly, and many boats were here. After our friends left back to Seattle we moved over to Playa Ropa, which was somewhat cleaner water wise and swimable.
Us enjoying Playa Ropa
Playa Ropa was a great beach named for some cloths that washed ashore in 1910 from a shipwrecked Chinese ship.
Sun rays.... .literally
All in all we liked Zihua and will go back, but sure wish more ecological minded changes are put into place soon. Perhaps moving the burning of garbage more inland, and less plastic bags which line the bottom of the bay?? I am just saying....Caio from Zihua.