Majahua, Guerrero, Mexico

Januari - April 2022
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  • A Volkswagon flower garden in Troncones
    Down a street in PantlaPantla's churchA little oasisA shaded Community parkOrganized recyclingFresh meat!Carnival in townAn interesting road.Oh no! A goat on a wall!Came home to a clean carpet

    Pantla, Guerrero

    21 Februari 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    We have been reading about the huge snowstorm in Wellington County where all the roads have been closed and driving is dangerous. Neighbours sent photos of the snow drifts and the blowing wind. Here we have the opposite. It has been scorching! In fact, a heat advisory has been issued. Thank heavens our evening are cool. It starts to become hot by 9 a.m. and it get hotter and hotter as the day progresses.

    Because of the heat, a few creatures have come to visit us again - scorpions, spiders and crabs. This creepy crawly brigade although small, keeps us on our toes, literally. Haha.

    Since the goats have eaten most the flowers and greenery, they are now more interested in the water in the pool. All the creeks have dried up and who knows where they are finding water. We feel somewhat sorry for them now. We have seen the chicken coop that the herd is living in, when they are not roaming the jungle. Not the best place to hang out, especially in this heat. We are just worried that when we are not at the house, a baby goat may fall into the pool and drown. Not a pleasant thought. Maybe we can find and fill a tub of water for them to drink out of, away from the house? Oh, the goats…

    This morning, while the house keeper and handyman couple worked around the house, we decided to drive in our air-conditioned car, to a market town just north of Zihuatanejo, called Pantla. We needed to fill up the propane tank that services our stove and that’s where we had to get it done.

    Chris happened to see a guy watering a Volkswagen garden with a hose in Troncones, and asked him if he would fill up our window washer water container, which he did with a smile. Funny.

    We don’t know anything about Pantla and an internet search doesn’t provide us with much info either. About 4,000 people live there and it appears to be a market town. I’m saying this because some shops weren’t open yet when we drove through it. It is a dusty and very Mexican town with no gringos that we could see. But it did seem to be bustling with activity, including a Fed Ex truck. A few sleepy dogs on the street and the kids were in school. An interesting place, but hot!

    We drove back north and went to our favourite tianguis town, Lagunillas,, where the fruit and vegetable vendors were making some good sales. Limes are still very expensive but they are available. We filled our bag up with apples, grapefruits, tangerines, grapes, jicama, potatoes, tomatoes, bananas, a cabbage, carrots and other goodies. We wore our masks and kept our distance but in 33C it sure gets hot under the mask.

    We decided to go home by taking a shortcut and driving across the riverbed in Boca de Lagunillas. That was fun. The water has really gone down and it getting a little skunky. Too bad as it was a clear and clean river a month ago. It was a pleasant and cool drive home under the big palm trees.

    We wash all of our fruits and vegetables using purifying drops, Microdyn, added to a sinkful of water. Most of the veggies are dusty so this way they are cleaned and disinfected before going in the fridge.

    Sara and her husband, Jaime, did a great cleaning job, inside and out. They even cleaned the big woven carpet in the living area. I guess that they beat it, hosed it down and put it in the sun to dry. Whatever they did, it is clean now.

    Our landlord and his family went to the States today from Patzcuaro. They will be there until mid April and we will be long gone. It is too bad that because of covid we weren’t able to see them this year. They are a special couple and we would have enjoyed seeing their kids.
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  • The moving truck arrives
    UnpackingBodega furniturePutting the cabinets togetherA few things that had to be storedBeforeAfterBeforeAfter

    Furniture arrives from Patzcuaro

    24 Februari 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Our landlord had mentioned that he and his family were moving out of the house that they were renting for years in Patzcuaro, and putting most of the furniture in storage. Some furniture would be coming to Majahua though and he wondered if we could be here when it arrived to make sure it got put away. He would have been here but he and his family had to go to the States until the middle of April.

    The moving date was set for Saturday but of course this is Mexico and you have to expect the unexpected. We got an email saying it would be there later today (Thursday). We were fine with that. It takes about 4 hours to drive from Patz. to Troncones so we figured Hugo and Antonio would be here by lunchtime and yes, they were.

    The driveway is pretty rough and the truck was loaded high. I was a little worried that it could tip over as it wobbled up the driveway but they made it.

    It was a super hot day and those guys worked up a sweat. Most of the items were heavy. Chris helped by cleaning all the tools and equipment out of the bodega and sweeping it so that the new items had room. I supervised. We didn’t know where to put most of it but just stuffed it all in so it looks organized. Jeremy will have to make sense of things when he moves in. But we can still get in to do our laundry which is good.

    The guys left in an hour after a cold beer and we finished putting things away.
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  • Yoga session
    A beautiful Lineated WoodpeckerWatering bird of paradise plants that were nibbled on by the goatsSkimming the poolChicken vegetable rice soupCondo zoom meetingOur favourite books so far. Chris also read and liked The Power of OnePutting together Jeremy's tableBilly eyeing the poolJerry Seinfeld show. Usually we see two geckos running across the screen.Old school Bicycle with a old Speed River Bicycle water bottle

    A Typical Day

    26 Februari 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    As mentioned before, we aren’t moving around very much because of covid. I thought that I would just make a footprint of the some of the things that keep Chris, and me, busy during the day.

    We usually get up at around 6:30 a.m. while it is still dark and cool (24C) outside, and one of us puts on the coffee. Then a little time is spent checking emails and the news. A few of our friends are experiencing rough times with medical or family issues and we are trying to keep in touch with them as they go through life’s challenges. Also, lately, the news has not been good as Putin (Russia) has invaded Ukraine. The Russian people have protested this move and of course, many Russians were arrested and there will be consequences. It is frightening to see what is happening. Money and greed…

    We brought our Home Google machine which was a great idea. We can listen to the local Fergus radio station, ask it questions or listen to music that we like. Great for travelling as long as we have wifi.

    Chris then goes into exercise mode. We haven’t been walking daily on the beach as we were doing previously. It gets hot so quickly. A lady in Troncones gave Chris an unused yoga mat and he is able to get in about 20 minutes of Pilates/yoga stretches while watching a Utube video, and follows those by doing a quick skimming of the pool and then a refreshing dip.

    It is very hot in the full sun and the new plants planted by our landlord need water. Chris drops the hose into the pool to fill it up and then fills and carries pails of water to the plants that are the furthest away from the hose. Most of the plants can be watered with the hose.

    In the meantime, I usually prepare a warm egg and veggie tortilla with either bacon or chorizo for breakfast. There is a lot of good fruit here so that is added on the side - black berries, melon, grapefruit, tangerines, etc.

    We sweep the floor every day and check for unwanted little creatures. The house keeper washes the floors on Mondays and usually find new creatures. Her husband comes two or three times a week to vacuum the pool, water plants and do any other odd job.

    By early afternoon, we are ready for a little rest and reading our books. We have read some good ones - The Lincoln Highway, Work Song, Daughter of Fortune - but we may have to go to some online books soon.

    Lunch comes and goes. It happens whenever someone feels the urge to eat something. With the heat, we don’t really feel very hungry. I’m writing this at 2:45 pm and maybe we will have lunch soon.

    Chris has had almost daily condo meetings with the president of the Corp via the computer. There are lots of things happening at our condo, so it is great that they can talk this way. But our wifi has not been very reliable lately. Off and on, for the past 3 days.

    At some point in the afternoon, Chris does 100 laps in the pool! When he came, he struggled to do 20. It takes time but we have time…and he loves it!

    Any time during the day, goats will have to be shooed away, new birds identified, and odds and ends jobs to do. Once a week, we make a big pot of a chicken vegetable soup that I freeze in yogurt containers for quick lunches. Today we saw a beautiful Lineated Woodpecker that looks like a Pileated Woodpecker that we sometimes see in Ontario. Our photos don’t do it justice so I found a photo online an added it.

    I have tried to do some art but something usually takes me away from trying to do it. In the afternoons, the wind blows (which is great but…) all my papers have be anchored down with rocks or they’ll blow away. I often watch demonstrations of some cool art techniques on utube instead.

    On Mondays, we drive to Lagunillas to the fruit and vegetable market. On Thursdays, we go to the organic market in Troncones and also pick up a freshly BBQed chicken in town. Then, once a week, we head to the big Mega Soriana grocery store in Zihua.

    Chris was riding the bicycle to Troncones and back but the roads have become super dusty, bumpy and dry. Not good while riding a bicycle. He started to cough so he stopped doing that.

    Then when the urge hits us, we go to one of the many inexpensive beachside restaurants that are in Troncones or Majahua.

    Dinner is usually around 7 pm. when it starts to get cooler…

    It is 3:15 now. Chris started his swimming (this time buck-naked) in the pool and the whole herd of goats came out of the jungle to drink water out of the pool. He was surrounded! I wish that I had taken a photo but things happen a little too fast at times. The owner came too, to try to shoo them away, and so did his 4 big dogs who are learning to herd the goats. Those goats! The little ones are fine but the big billies have big horns and don’t stand down.

    After dinner, we clean up and watch a little TV, rather big screen T.V., with the projector and our portable speaker. A Jerry Seinfeld show will start us out, and then we find a series or movie to watch on Netflix or Prime. The wifi seems to work well at night…

    We bought some American playing cards in the market and found a little English book trading library in a local resort. A lot of the books have yellow pages though and are obviously weathered..

    Anyways, always something to do but there is no rush to do anything.
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  • Baby Sea Turtle Release

    26 Februari 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Mexico has had a dark history of killing turtles for their meat. This practice is now illegal.

    Nowadays, it’s rare that the turtle eggs are left on the beach after the mother turtle lays them. Instead, volunteers dig them up and keep them safe in a turtle sanctuary.

    We went to a local restaurant at 5:30 pm to have a beer and learn a little more about sea turtle releases and watch the process. The turtles that are being released are leatherback sea turtles.

    A young man who was born in Troncones, Juan Carlos, decided that he wanted to help with the survival of sea turtles in the area so he initiated the turtle sanctuary in town.

    During the night during the summer months, turtles come to spawn along the beach, During turtle season in Mexico, adult turtles will only lay their eggs at night, usually from about 11 pm until dawn. This is done by the mother as a way to protect the eggs from predators. Juan Carlos and his team gather the eggs and then bury them again in a safe enclosed place in front of a small hotel.

    Two months later the turtles hatch and this is when tourists can help to put the babies into the ocean in front of Roberto’s Bistro. It doesn’t cost anything but a donation to help with the program are always welcome. Last year 15,000 turtles were helped into the water.

    There are many dangers for baby sea turtles, which makes seeing them hatch quite rare. Baby turtles can hatch during the day, although it is uncommon. It is much safer for the eggs to hatch in the safety of the nighttime when birds and other predators have gone to bed.

    Turtle Sanctuaries and hotels will usually free baby turtles around dusk, and will never release turtles if they can see birds or other predators hanging around.

    We enjoyed watching the whole process and went back the next night to watch again, and have a few tacos while we watched.
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  • The Maria Cookie

    1 Maret 2022, Meksiko ⋅ 🌙 22 °C

    Wherever we have travelled, we have always been able to find a simple, round, dunking cookie that goes well with coffee or tea, the Maria cookie. For us, it has been an old and familiar travelling friend..

    When I was a child, my mother would serve tea after school with a plate of these cookies if she didn’t have home-made cookies. They are round and usually had the name stamped into its top surface. The edges have a fancy design as well. Fun for taking tiny bites. It is made from wheat flour, sugar, palm oil or sunflower seed oil and is usually vanilla-flavored.

    I am not sure what they were called then but I did a little research and learned why they are called Maria’s.

    This cookie was invented in London to celebrate a royal marriage. The Marie biscuit was produced in 1874 by the London bakery Peek Freans in commemoration of Russia's Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna's marriage to Prince Alfredo, the Duke of Edinburgh.

    Although the wedding took place at the Winter Palace in Saint Petersburg (Russia), these cookies were baptized with the name Marie Biscuit, in honor of the new member of the Royal Family, and to drink them with tea, that we all know is part of British culture.

    The English quickly adopted Maria cookies as their favorite, a treat that we have found anywhere we have travelled. In Uruguay, a cookie sandwich was made with 2 cookies and caramel in the middle. Then it is rolled in coconut. In Portugal, two cookies would have a cream between them. There seem to be several variations on the names depending where we have been. Here in a Mexico, these cookies are called Marias.
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  • 600 Bicyclists!

    6 Maret 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We heard about a bicycle rally that was going to start and finish at the Troncones fairgrounds. 600 bicyclists were registered to be in this race. Many participants came from all over Mexico as well as local people from Zihua, Lazaro Cardenas and Troncones. The race was going to take them through Majahua so we walked to town to watch.

    The advertisement said that the race would start at 7:30 a.m. but being on Mexican time, we weren’t sure when they would be coming through town. Organizing 600 people would be a challenge, for sure, but amazingly, cyclists started to come through Majahua shortly before 9 a.m.

    We ordered a coffee at a restaurant in town that had a great view of the ocean and was next to the road and waited in the shade. We followed that up with a delicious breakfast.

    We met a family of about 10 people who had flown in from Tijuana to cheer on a father and his 14 year old son. They were in the 35 km race. The 50 km race was considerably more difficult and went in a different direction. Both races included going up and over a mountain in the heat.

    We wondered how the racers would negotiate a dirt road full of chickens, horses, sleepy dogs and kids but they took it all in stride.

    The family that we met made shakers out of plastic coke bottles filled with stones and as the cyclists passed they all got rousing support from all of us, cheering them on. It was fun.

    Chris wanted to enter with his Speed River Bicycle water bottle, but he wasn’t sure if he or his bike would make it!
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  • The View from Zihua’s Hotel Irma

    7 Maret 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Today is the day that our housekeeper and the pool guy come in the morning. While the cleaning was going on, it is always a good time for us to do a few errands. Our helpers can keep an eye out for the goats for us.

    Monday is also the day that the fruit and vegetable market in Lagunillas is on. We really enjoy the drive over the mountain and then shopping in that market for fresh fruits and vegetables. The town is close to the highway to Zihua so we figured that after the market we could easily go to the grocery store in Zihuatanejo. A plan for the day was coming together nicely. On the way back we could stop in at Troncones for anything else we need, like a bag ice and some ice cream.

    A long time ago, I had read a blog about an interesting hotel in Zihua called Hotel Irma that had a beautiful view of the Zihuatanejo Bays. We thought that it would be neat to try to find this hotel and see if the author was right.

    Shopping in the market and in Zihua is a familiar experience now so we did what we had to do in no time and went hunting for Hotel Irma using our handy Google Maps app.

    Hotel Irma sits on the side of a cliff overlooking Playa Madera so up a steep hill we drove. We parked and walked into the hotel and the blogger was right. What a great view! Wow!

    It was lunch time so we decided to eat lunch in the restaurant while watching the activity down below.

    In our photos, you can see the most heavily populated part of Zihuatanejo at the top left. This is where we went before, Playa Municipal, and saw the museum and the statues on the malecon. The curved beach stretching from the center to the lower right is Playa la Ropa. It is the largest of the four main beaches ( Municipal, Madera, Ropa, and Las Gatas) that lie around the edge of the small bay in front of Zihuatanejo.

    Each of the beaches is shaped like a half-moon with steep hills rising in back of it. There are rocky points at the tips of each beach, separating each one from the next one.

    Across the bay, we could see huge homes built into the mountainside. From the big dock, at the foot of that mountain, people can book all sorts of trips - fishing, whale watching, snorkelling, night time dinner cruises, catamaran rides or a trip out to the restaurants on Ixtapa Island.

    The night time view must be something else. Imagine having a two for one margarita at night in this hotel?

    It was lunch time, so we just sat in Hotel Irma’s restaurant and ate a hamburger and French fries while enjoying the gentle breezes and watching the activities on the bay.
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  • This is a tiny fruit fly sized woodworm beetle.
    Polyfilla in the holes.

    Woodworms

    11 Maret 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    All the termites are gone. Yay! Carlos did a great job.

    And now, introducing, the wood eating woodworms …

    The first time Carlos came to deal with the termites, he noticed little piles of sawdust on the window sills and on the floor. Upon further inspection, he said that some of the wood that was used for the headers of the doors and windows was infected with the larva of woodworms. He could see the little round exit holes made by the woodworm beetles. When the larva mature (2-5 years), it turns into an insect with wings that lives for a short time but lays eggs in wood to start the cycle again. But while it is in the larva stage, it eats the wood it is in, forming tunnels throughout the furniture or beams. They are not a good insect to have around a house that has a lot of wood!

    As part of Carlos’ warranty, he also deals with woodworms so he started the process of eliminating them. First the wood is sprayed. After a short time, you may notice a dying beetle exiting a tiny round hole. Carlos pulled each one out with a small sharp took like. Then he covered the hole with polyfilla. With some of the holes, he injected a poison into the wood with a hypodermic needle. Depending on how bad the infestation is, different strategies have to be used, but he starts with the least disruptive, for us, strategy.

    After a couple or weeks, we started to notice the sawdust piles in various places again.

    Carlos came immediately and went to Plan B. This involved taking all the wooden furniture outside for 3 days and spraying it thoroughly. Then the window frames, inside and outside, were sealed in a heavy duty plastic. Carlos put pellets between the plastic and added water. A gas was created that infiltrated the holes and killed any larva or beetles that were in the wood. The rooms were locked and had to sit like that for three days. He did 2 rooms at a time so that we would have somewhere to safe to sleep. Stinky stuff.

    He came back three days later, took off the plastic and cleaned up. The furniture was put back into the bedrooms. Then he did the third bedroom. Same process. Our bedroom was not affected by the woodworms so we were okay. Three days later, he came again and opened up the room again. Looks like he got all of them now! What a process but our landlord should be happy with the results. Nothing eating the house from the inside out. The warrantee is for a year and Carlos said to call if ever any little sawdust piles are seen again. Great service!

    While Carlos was removing the plastic, he found a scorpion caught on the blue tape that held the plastic up. We all wondered how it got there and were happy that he hadn’t got stung!

    Have we ever learned a lot about insects on this trip! Thank heavens we are not bothered by little creepy crawlies. In our travels, there have always been strange and wonderful critters unique to the environment they live it.
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  • We Saw a Big Cat!

    11 Maret 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    Tonight, we saw a very big cat run across the road close to our house. At first we thought that it was a black lab but it has a very long black tail and definitely was a cat. We asked if anyone on the Troncones Lets Chat board had seen anything similar and someone mentioned a puma and another person said that we may have seen a jaguarundi! We felt very fortunate to have seen this amazing animal!

    Of course, we didn’t have time to get a photo but the photos have some Spanish information given to me re jaguarundis.
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  • Cane toad recued from the pool
    Poison glands on the side of the face.This is not our photo but it shows how it can rise up and run!Enjoying a toadless, frogless and lizardless pool.

    Cane Toads

    12 Maret 2022, Meksiko ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C

    Yesterday and today, we rescued two giant cane toads from our pool. The photo makes the toad look like it is normal Ontario size but it was much much bigger. Karen’s toad houses would have to be three or four times the size of the ones she makes for the toads at our cottage.

    Historically, Cane toads, due to their voracious appetites, were used to get rid of pests in sugarcane plantations, giving rise to their common name. They are also called “giant toads" or “marine toads".

    They are very large and females are significantly longer than males. The ones we have seen and rescued from our pool were the size of small cabbages! Maybe 6” long and very fat and flabby. Some can weigh up to 1 kg! They have a life expectancy of 10- 15 years in the wild.

    The skin of the toad is dry and warty and the ones we have seen are a yellow-brown colour, with a pattern. I don’t have a problem scooping frogs out of the pool with my hands but there is no way that I want to grab one of this squishy toads. Our pool skimmer works just fine.

    I did read that if this toad feels threatened, it releases a milky substance that is toxic enough to burn the eyes or inflame the skin unless it is sensed off immediately.

    Once the toad was released, it raised itself and ran, and I mean ran. Not like our toads at home. It was fast! It didn’t really have fully webbed feet, they were more like long fingers. In the morning, we wake up to their deep croaks.

    By the way, this was the same type of toad that that we saw when we first arrived here, hiding under my face mask on an end table. Another night, there was one under the seat cushion. Imagine if we had sat on it!
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