Zihuatenjo, Guerrero, Mexico

Zihuatenjo and Ixtapa has a population of 100,000 people. Prior to 1970 Zihuatenjo was a small fishing village. In the 1970 the federal government developed the near by resort Ixtapa and the population has grown.

The primary economic activity is tourism. Zihuatenjo is the third most visited area in Mexico after Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. Fishing also continues to be a way of life for the locals.

Most Mexican towns center evolve around a town plaza. In Zihuatenjo the center of town evolves around the basketball court which is along the beach front. The beauty of Zihua is its bay surrounded on land by the Sierra Madre mountains.




We have been enjoying the towns local restaurants, local beaches and activities. We went on a countryside tour with our friends Tom and Alicia, on Alegria, to see a coconut plantation, a traditional tile making plant, and local beaches. We were able to watch The Super Bowl at a local bar with our friends Rick and Karen, of Eyes of the World, and John and Debbie, of Lovely Rita.

We were able to participate in Carnival for 5 days. Carnival is a festive time occurring before Lent. During Carnival each evening bands played in the basketball area. The bands would often play until 2-3 a.m. As we were anchored in the bay there was not much sleeping as sound amplifies over the water. We especially enjoyed the parade with all of the colorful floats, dancers and marching bands. It appeared that the theme of the parade was around ecology and the sea. Many of the floats had people dressed in mermaid attire. After the parade we joined in the music at the basket ball courts. There were food booths around where we sampled tacos, quesadillas, tamales and flan. It was so exciting and fun to be part of the cultural event.











Due to the weather conditions this year the anchorage was quite rolly. In addition the water conditions are poor in the bay so we were unable to make water. We were fortunate to find a local vendor who would deliver, by panga, water and diesel. In addition they would pick up our laundry and return it the next day. Rick, Eyes of the World, had a great syphon which he called a jiggler that transferred the diesel to the fuel tanks in a short time.










We left Zihua Sunday for Ixtapa Marina. It feels really good to be tied up to the dock after being anchored for a month. While we are sad to leave all our new friends in Zihua we have already made new friends at the marina which we have come to find out is normal with cruising. We celebrated Valentine's Day with Tom and Alicia at a local restaurant. We will stay in Ixtapa until............