Joanne is getting better

We have been here so long that the huge tree outside our kitchen and living area seems to be looking at us.

Joanne has stopped the really bland diet of rice, mashed potatoes and chicken broth and is now on the just plain bland diet (hold the spice). Her energy levels are returning and she is able to get out.
The weather forecast for heavy rain all day was wrong, thank goodness.

The rain has been very heavy at times but mostly just light. Joanne wants to get out so we go for a drive in the hills around town.

Playa la Ropa

Playa la Ropa

Town of Zihuatanejo

Over the next few days we take it easy and are tourists. Ixtapa, 28 years ago when we last visited had a couple of high rise hotels on a long beach with surfable waves (where I learned to body surf). The beach is now lined with hotel towers and condominiums. The street behind the towers has palm trees, beautiful gardens and many restaurants and shops.

The people that visit the Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo area are 2 very different groups.
Ixtapa visitors love the luxury of all inclusive hotels, spas, and condos. They have a short vacation time to get away from the cold and they want everything to be perfect.
Zihuatanejo visitors stay for a longer period of time and come back year after year. It has a small town feel and nothing is perfect. People stay in small apartments or hotels and one lady we met described her apartment as "Everything is wrong with it, but I love it". A large part of this group are older or baby boomers who enjoy a very laid back vacation.
One of the best things to make Joanne feel better is to take her to a beach and let her get sand between her toes and play with her camera. A short drive from Zihuatanejo is Playa Larga a long and almost deserted beach.

The waves crash close to shore so it is not a great beach for swimming or surfing.

We are staying on Cerro la Madera (Madera Hill) near Madera Beach and within walking distance of the centre of town. The small hotels, apartments and restaurants are filled with baby boomers who are escaping winter. It has a small town feel where everyone talks to everyone and people are out for a good time. And why wouldn't you be in a good mood when the weather is perfect.

Pete and Bev ask us to go to a restaurant bar to hear a singer that they like. She is a Canadian who now lives here and is raising a family in Zihuatanejo. I was very impressed with her voice as she easily switched between songs in Spanish and English.

Pete dancing with a waiter outside a restaurant

The restaurant and kitchen are outside (they have to close if it rains) in wonderful gardens. The place was packed with people! It was a definite party atmosphere. We certainly got a little crazy!