Zihua (as the boomers call it) is located on a round bay that is protected from the harsh seas of the Pacific Ocean. This has made it ideal for fisherman and hence why Zihua was originally a small fishing village. In about 1980, when we were last here, it was just a small fishing village and it is now a city of 60,000 people. There are 4 beaches in the bay:
Playa Principal or on some maps La Playa del Puerto is the beach in the main part of town. There is a water front promenade with many restaurants, the fishing pier, and fisherman statue,
the fisherman’s market, 
and many tourist and craft shops.
Playa la Madera is where we are staying. It is a smaller beach with black rocky ends that separate it from the other beaches. In the hills surrounding this bay are many small restaurants, hotels and apartments that are filled with well tanned boomers. It is impossible not to meet people here; everyone says hello, people at the next table in a restaurant talk to you, and you seem to keep bumping into people that you have met.
Playa La Ropa is a beautiful, mile long, wide, palm tree lined beach with restaurants and hotels. Zihua does not have the large hotels and condominium towers as there is a height restriction of 5 floors for hotels, apartments and condos and 3 floors for houses. It’s an active white sand beach that is not crowded, has gentle waves and is good for swimming. It is really beautiful.
You can walk along a scenic foot path that joins Playa Principal, Playa la Madera and Playa La Ropa but not at high tide or you’ll get wet for sure.
Playa las Gatas is near the mouth of the bay and can only be reached by a small footpath or by boat. It is a palm lined beach that has great snorkeling. We have not been there yet but it looks wonderful from a distance.
Years ago a ship containing silk fabrics tried to seek refuge from a storm in the bay and crashed into the rocks. The silk was washed ashore on one bay, Playa La Ropa (which means clothes), and the wood from the vessel came ashore on another bay, Playa la Madera (which means wood). For years visitors to the area could not understand why all the families of fisherman were dressed in fine silk.
Zihuatanejo is surrounded by rolling mountains, the Sierra Madre Del Sur.
Zihuatanejo is preparing for its carnival which take place in early February. The streets are being decorated.
There are a couple of American style supermarkets as well as a large, and many small, meat, fruit and vegetable markets.
I like it here and hope that we are able to find a property.
No comments:
Post a Comment