Thursday, December 29, 2011

Acapulco Trip

On November 11, 2011, Joanne and I leave early in the morning to drive to Acapulco.  I have never been to Acapulco and we plan to spend a few days sightseeing and shopping for inexpensive wine, interesting food, and the things that we can't get in Zihuatanejo.
We leave before sunrise and travel south on Highway 200, the coastal highway.  Two years ago we drove this highway from north of Sayulita and Puerto Vallarta all the way to Zihuatanejo.  Sierra Madre Del Sur Mountains follow the Pacific Coast and  the vistas are truly spectacular.  There are mountains edging the sea with waves crashing against their rugged sides, valleys with rivers that form beaches when they reach the ocean, and very few people or towns.
We leave before sunrise and we are prepared to spend a couple of days seeing Acapulco.  The sunrise with the ocean and mountains is spectacular.





Acapulco in the 1950's was popular with the stars of Hollywood and was the most popular tourist destination in Mexico in the early1990's.  Today, its has lost some popularity with international tourists but it is still popular with people from Mexico City because of a new highway that makes the drive only 3 1/2 hours.  Acapulco is situated on a large bay and has the longest beach in Mexico.




What happened to us next can best be described in an Email that I sent to the President of Mexico, go to the top when possible.  I also sent a blind carbon copy to many government agencies, consulates, politicians from all levels of government, tourist sites and anyone else that might help.


Dear Sir,
My wife and I love Mexico and we have spent part of the last four winters in Mexico.  We have done two road trips, one to the Colonial towns in Central Mexico and the other down the Pacific coast.  Last winter, we spent seven weeks in Zihuatanejo and this year we are spending five months in Zihuatanejo.
I had never been to Acapulco, so we decided to spend a couple of days shopping and exploring the city.
On November 11, 2011 at 2:45 to 3:00 p.m., we were driving south on Rompeolas Escenica south of the centre of town on a section of the road  where there is a large hill with a speed limit is 50 kilometres per hour.  I was not speeding as traffic was heavy and there were cars all around me.  A Municipal Police vehicle pulled us over, two officers (a man and a woman) took our drivers license, told us that we were speeding and that we would have to go to the police station to get the drivers licence back and pay a fine of over 5,800.00 pesos. (Over $500 CAN ) We were told that getting this resolved at the police station would take a few days and to avoid this we could give then 3,000 pesos in cash.  (about $300 CAN)We gave them 1,400 pesos ( $140 CAN) which was all our cash.  My wife and I have limited Spanish and the officers had limited English so all this negotiation was done using limited language and with gestures.
We were targeted because our license plates are from Ontario Canada, and just in front of us another car of tourists was targeted by other officers.
We had only been in Acapulco for a couple of hours, we left immediately and did not complete our shopping or spend any more time in Acapulco.  The people in our condominium were surprised to see us return but not surprised that we had been robbed by the Municipal Police. On the internet, I have found numerous similar experience by other travelers.
Tourism is down in Acapulco and one of the reasons is that some members of the Municipal Police rob your visitors.  I am writing to you in hope that you could send this message to officials that could take some action to stop this.

William Purchase

Did I get a response!  The Minister of Tourism for Mexico, Acapulco Department of Tourism, US Consulate, Consular Agency of Canada, as well as various Tourism web site.  One person's response was;

Yes, welcome to Acapulco.  They do the same with residents as well..............There is nothing anyone can do until if and when the federal government comes in and cleans house.............There is a learning curve to the way things work in Acapulco but once one gets used to it, it's not so unlivable.  It becomes more of an irritant akin to having to scrape the ice from one's car windshield in the morning up north. 

 The best response was from the Consular Agency of Canada.

Dear Mr. Purchase.  I have just received news that because you gave exact location , date and time, the police chief was able to find out which officers had robbed you.  He informs me that he has detained them and that he has recuperated your money.  He is asking me how to get it to you.  Please contact me as soon as possible at numbers below.

Regards,

I did get my money back and this story has a happy ending.

After our experience with the local police,  we left Acapulco and drove back to Zihuatanejo as the sun set.








Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas


Christmas will not be the same this year without Clay, Syd, Tiff, Les and Shredder.  We will really miss them all!
It was our understanding that Christmas in Mexico was a religious holiday without Santa Claus and the gift giving.  The giving of gifts takes place on January 6, Three Kings Day, the day that the kings gave gifts to the baby Jesus.  Near the beginning of November, we were surprised to hear Christmas carols being played in the supermarkets.
The square near our home was decorated and people began selling poinsettias.










Work areas were built to make pinatas and ropes were put up to display them.  Most of the pinatas are built around a clay pot that would be smashed to release the prizes inside'  They are really creative and beautiful.








Mini Mouse- a Christmas present for Tiff


Pinatas ready for decorations


 
Dia de la Virgen de Guadalupe is a week long festival when flowers and drawings of The Virgin of Guadalupe are paraded through the streets along with loud fireworks to ward off evil spirits.  Adults and children sometimes dress in traditional costumes.




Our friend and neighbour, Alan, is coming and will be here for Christmas. Our family tradition is that we celebrate on Christmas Eve with lots of small presents, champagne and many hors d'oeuvres.  We will do the same here.  We decorate our outdoor living area and we have many small presents to open.



Alan in new shirt and hat. "STUNNING!"
new shirt

looking good in new pajamas

After a leisurely Christmas Day, we have Christmas dinner at Coconuts.  Coconuts is located in one of the oldest buildings in Zihuatanejo and it is one of our favourite restaurants for special occasions.  The dining area is in a garden with hundreds of small white lights.  The food is always great and the waiters are wonderful and fun. For some of us old guys, it is reminiscent of days gone by in the landmark restaurant in Toronto "Fentons"!


Char Grilled pork chop with creamy mashed potato, flame charred pink lady apples and house made mango chutney and apple sauce


Hats always make an evening more festive


Our favourite waiter who says he looks exactly like Brad Pitt - and he does!
We did miss the kids, but with the help of our friend Alan, we had a very memorable Christmas.



Thursday, November 17, 2011

Life in Mexico and what is happening with the project?


In early November the rainy season has ended, the humidity level has plummeted, and the temperature has decreased slightly.  The weather is now one perfect day after another.  It is like Groundhog Day.   Since mid November we have had no rain, no cloudy days, no real windy days, 30C. or 31C. degrees in the day and 22C. or 23C. degrees at night.  There is no need to look at a weather forecast.  We live outside and never need a sweatshirt, jacket or a sweater.
The drug war in Mexico is more noticeable than last year as you see more Federal Police.  The head of the largest gang in the state of Guerrero (contains Acapulco, Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo) was killed by the Federal forces and now 2 rival gangs are trying to take over.  It really has no effect on our lives and we do not feel unsafe.  The other consequence of the drug war is that American tourists and some Canadians are staying away.  Therefore unemployment has increased and so has petty crime.  We left our car at the side of a country road when we went hiking and returned to find a window smashed and Joanne's camera bag stolen.  Luckily it did not have the camera or lenses in it or much of value.  This type of robbery also has happened on Logan Ave. and in our back alley.
We still love Mexico.  The Mexican people are hardworking, friendly, eager to help and have a great sense of humour.  It is a shame that this drug war is hurting them so much.
A lot of you have been asking about what is happening with our project.   We have decided to put building on hold for now.  The real estate market is very slow, especially in the middle and luxury properties.  The Americans have stopped buying second homes, although the Canadians and Mexicans are continuing to buy.  We can’t afford to build and wait a long time for a buyer.  The project is still a good idea and we could sell the land for more than we paid for it.  
We finished the floor plans and we are considering having 3D drawings made to create a website.  If we could sell one home based on the plans then we would build both houses.
It is very disappointing to have the main purpose of our trip cancelled. 

Fishing


It is always fun to go fishing, even if you don't catch a fish.  You arrive early at the dock and leave Zihuatanejo Bay as he sun is rising.  It is always spectacular.



 Our fishing companions are a fun group who are all staying in  the condos where we live;
 John, Janet, Rick and Sue are from Portland Oregon.
Tim and Natalie, newly weds from Alaska.

John and some good looking guy

Janet and Rick
Rick and Sue



Rick and mahi mahi which is a type of dolphin fish also called dorado
The crew cleaned the fish and we took it to a small local restaurant where they cooked it on a wood fire and served it with salad and rice.  Truly delicious!  The restaurant only charged us about $3.00 each.
Thanks to the crew and our new friends for a wonderful day.