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Majahua, Guerrero, Mexico

January - April 2022
A 91-day adventure by Ladyandtramp Read more
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  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    Day 20

    Back to the Airport

    January 20, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 28 °C

    It was recommended that travellers get to the airport 3 hours before boarding. That would give them plenty time for the covid tests and results. Pat and Gail’s flight was departing at 2 p.m. , so we wanted to be there by 11.

    We had a big breakfast before we left, as we knew that it would be a long day for everyone - scrambled eggs with chorizo, tomatoes and onions, avocado slices, toast, and melon and papaya on the side.

    The weekly market in Troncones opened at 9, so we we had time to stop in and look around. We picked up some more granola and bought four tasty samosas for lunch.

    We dropped Pat and Gail at the airport but didn’t want to go too far away until their covid results came in. What if they tested positive? The big grocery store, Mega Soriana, is 9 km away so we went there to get a few things. Then we found a small paper store that sold acrylic paints and I got a few colours for my artwork. We got the call that all was good and headed back to Majahua.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    2
    Day 22

    Goats and then Coconut Shrimp at Emilios

    January 22, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    We kept hearing about a new restaurant in Majahua called Emilios. People raved about their coconut shrimp and we were ready to try them out.

    But first…A herd of 15+ goats had invaded the yard and were headed for the newly planted bougainvillea plants! Chris, the hero in most of my stories, rushed out to shoo them away. He used his most ferocious ‘shoo-the-Canada- Geese’ voice that he uses at the cottage. The goats scampered away from the flowers but occasionally grabbed at the green weeds, which was okay.

    Most of the goats stuck together in their herd but two of them ran in the other direction. So while Chris went to get them, the others went to the back of the yard and pooped all over. Once again, I was laughing at the herding technique Chris was using. A good dog would have done better, I think, but whatever technique he used, he got the goats to run through the broken fence that they had come through and back into the jungle.

    The photos that I took weren’t great as I was taking them using my iPad on the run, this way and that. Goats move quickly when threatened.

    After that episode, it was time to find Emilios. That was easy. In Majahua, there is a clear sign advertising the restaurant. We were the only people there so we had a wonderful experience.

    Chickens, yes those Majahua chickens again, were running around the sand floor of the restaurant pecking at any bugs that were there. A young teenager showed us his new fishing boat and motor. He was fishing on the beach using a long fishing rod. People were swimming and the waitress rested in a hammock while she waited for our food to be done.

    Chris had the best Margarita that he has ever had. Small but mighty! I enjoyed a refreshing Limonada while we waited.

    The meal was excellent. We had six giant coconut shrimp, French fries, rice and a salad. I think that our meal with the drinks and tips cost us $40. We intend to go back, sometime during our stay.

    From chasing goats to eating coconut shrimp with chickens. What a good day!    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    3
    Day 24

    Lagunillas Tianguis (Market)

    January 24, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 29 °C

    Lagunillas, the place of little lakes. A couple of weeks ago, the baker in town told us that she was originally from the town of Lagunillas that is located on the main road heading north. She also told us that there was a weekly market, a tianguis, with fruit and vegetable,s as well as odds and ends that people might need, i.e. shoe laces, tea towels, little toys, underwear. Kind of like a Mexican travelling $1 store.

    So when our cleaning lady, Sara, came at 9 a.m., we drove to Lagunillas. The quickest way there, we were told, was to take an unpaved and windy backroad over the mountain. We knew that there was a large cave off of that road that used to be used by the indigenous people as a ceremonial site. People can visit it but it is recommended that you get a guide as there are no lights in the cave and it is quite large.

    The road is in fairly good conditionalthough somewhat dusty, with potholes and big rocks on it.it was recommendedto drive slowly, which Chris did. After driving 6 km (1/2 hour), we got to the main road, took a left and went over the river into town.

    It wasn’t a big market but they had all the fresh fruit and vegetables that Mexicans use on a daily basis, chiles, avocados, cilantro, tomatoes, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, cantaloupes, watermelons, apples, pineapples, bananas, and so on.

    There was a little stand where a lady was selling a pineapple drink called Tepache. It is an old indigenous, fermented beverage made from the peel and the rind of pineapples, and is sweetened either with brown sugar, seasoned with powdered cinnamon, and served cold.

    Though tepache is fermented for several days, the drink does not contain a lot of alcohol. Some people add beer to this drink. The lady added chilli powder, pineapple bits, lime juice and orange slices to fancy it up for us. We have never had that drink before so we bought one to try it out. It was good. We just hope that the water and ice was purified and the fruit clean!

    We had time to walk through the village. It was interesting to walk through this sleepy village.. We passed several cages of handsome roosters probably used for cock fights.

    In general, we enjoyed being there and will probably go back to the market.

    Our drive home on that road was just as interesting. All in all, it was a pleasant morning and we returned with fresh cilantro, apples, celery and two new tea towels.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    Day 25

    $12 (Cdn) Chicken Dinner

    January 25, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Yesterday, our housekeeper asked us if we had a favourite Mexican food. I told her that we always loved buying the roast chicken that we have seen cooking on the streets, either on a wood bbq or on a rotating grill. Because we are staying in a coastal town, the main foods that we see here are seafoods.

    Sara told us that there is a good place in Zihua to buy chicken and she could pick it up for us when she goes.

    Well, we were pleasantly surprised when Sara and her husband dropped by in the early evening with a bag full of roast chicken and condiments. How nice was that!

    The photos show what was in the bag - a whole chicken cooked and cut up, rice, cole slaw and a special salsa for the chicken.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    Day 26

    A Few Food Facts and the Price of Limes

    January 26, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    On most packaged foods, there are obvious labels created by the Secretary of Health notifying the shopper of food that has excessive sodium, sugar, salt, calories, saturated fats, or food colouring (not recommended for children). This is the first year that we have seen these labels and I think they are a good idea.

    As I have mentioned before, most of the meat, cheese or packaged foods that we buy cannot be bought in Troncones. We would have to go to a bigger grocery store in Zihua. But fruits, vegetables and seafood are readily available in little shops, close by, and are fresher and cheaper. Also, two or three times a week, a truck loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables arrives in town and you can buy these things from the driver who has a scale and weighs the items that you pick.

    Shopping in a grocery store is not inexpensive but it does offer a bigger variety of food and some familiar items. It looks like the price of foods have gone up here due to covid issues, just like in Ontario.

    Just for interest, I jotted down and converted the cost of some basic food items.

    30 Eggs - $4.20
    Hellman’s Mayo (960 gr) - $3.50
    Oscar Meyer Jumbo hot dogs - $8.00
    Alpura Natural unsweetened yogurt (900 gr) - $2.00
    Obela Hummus- $4.50
    Sliced ham - $10.00/kg
    Whole milk - $1.40 l
    White Wine Barefoot - $11.50
    9 rolls of Toilet Paper - $7.25
    Gouda slices (400gr) -$4.50
    Genoa salami (100 gr) -$5.00

    I just read this article about limes in a Mexican online paper.

    “Lime prices in particular have seen dizzying increases. This past week, they cost an average of 70 pesos nationally. Last January they cost 18 pesos. GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO

    Avocado, lime and chile see big spikes in prices
    Inflation, austerity and climate disasters are just a few factors pushing up prices

    Published on Friday, January 14, 2022

    In the midst of record inflation, prices are on the rise. One tragic victim of the increases is guacamole: avocado, lime and chile, three key ingredients of the beloved green dip, have become significantly more expensive.

    In Mexico City, chile prices ranged from 40 pesos (US $1.97) for a kilo of jalapeños to 125 pesos (US $6.15) per kilo for green chile de árbol, according to Mexico’s consumer protection agency Profeco. Avocados cost 67 pesos (US $3.30) per kilo on average, and a kilo of Colima limes cost an average of 62 pesos (US $3.05).

    Lime prices in particular have seen dizzying increases in the past several weeks, hitting 80 pesos (US $3.94) per kilo in many areas of the country. In the second week of January, limes cost an average of 70 pesos (US $3.44) per kilo nationally. During the same period in 2021, the same quantity cost 18 pesos (US $0.88).

    Grupo Consultor de Mercados Agrícolas (GCMA), an agricultural consulting group, blamed the price increase on low production. In some areas, limes are out of season, they said. In other places, like Michoacán, the fruit is in season but production is abnormally low this year due to a variety of problems, including unusual climate events and hurricane-damaged fruit.

    Lime prices have also taken a hit due to the removal of a government subsidy and a lack of natural disaster relief, the group said.

    In the case of avocados, prices could increase further as demand rises in early February, prior to the Super Bowl.

    The price spikes come in the midst of high inflation in Mexico and around the world. Nationally, annual inflation hit 7.37% in November, its highest level in more than 20 years. In December, the Bank of México forecast a 7.1% end-of-year inflation rate.”    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    Day 27

    Leiningen Versus the Ants

    January 27, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

    What a night we had last night.

    A memorable short story that both Chris and I read in High School was called “Leiningen Versus the Ants”. It tells the story of a man whose coffee plantation in Brazil is threatened by a large swarm of deadly ants. Instead of fleeing, he prepares elaborate defenses to fight the ants and save his plantation.” The main or obvious theme is Man vs Nature. During our travels, we have been in a few situations where we could relate to that story. Last night was one of those times.

    Yesterday, the handyman, Jaime, came to spray around the house for termites. This is a new house with lovely wooden beams. Daily, we have done a walkabout around and in the house to check for tunnels because it doesn’t take long for those pests to come in and eat anything wooden.

    Termite nests in the trees are everywhere in the jungly area around us. In fact, there is a nest close to the house but apparently if you disturb these nests you may end up with a bigger problem than you had before.

    So, getting back to Jaime spraying the area around the house. He must have done a good job as every little critter ran for their lives.

    The problem started at 11 pm. We had gone to bed and for some reason a dog across the street started to bark, and bark and bark. It just wouldn’t stop.

    Chris decided to get up so he turned on the light and saw that the bedside table and lamp was covered in ants. And then looking closer, he realized that the ants covered our bed and very tiny ants were even in our bed carrying eggs! A tsunami of ants.

    Looking around, we saw that ants of all sizes were all over two of the walls. A line of ants went to the ceiling but they were everywhere - on the curtain rod, in the curtains, on the window sills, Everywhere!

    We went into the bathroom. Everywhere!

    We went outside and once again there were ants on the floor in front of our room and on the walls.

    Chris ran to get a ladder to check the top of the wall in the bathroom and some ant spray to make a ‘wall’ of spray around the bed. I stripped the bed and shook the sheets out. I’ll leave it up to your imagination how we reacted and what it was like. Thank heavens they were only ants, and not spiders or scorpions.

    I guess when Jaime had sprayed, he had disturbed a nest of regular ants and they were evacuating their nest through our room.

    By 2:30 a.m., the dog had stopped barking and the ants were all gone, but the room was smelling badly of bug spray. We remade the bed and left the ladder in the shower.

    Sleep didn’t come easily but I guess that in our story of The Smiths Versus the Ants we won. For now.

    P.S. One good thing came out of it. Chris unexpectedly was able to learn of Morrie’s fate in the book he is reading, “Worksong” by Ivan Doig, at 2:30 in the morning.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    1
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    Day 28

    Expect the Unexpected

    January 28, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    Yesterday, we went to a highly recommended beach-side restaurant in Majahua called Un Pedacito de Ciel, a little piece of heaven. We had heard that their Red Snapper dish was delicious so that is what we ordered. The waitress also mentioned that a customer-favourite appetizer was the sashimi so we ordered that also, and two Coronas.

    The restaurant is close to the beach so it is breezy and it has a great view.

    Well, the food couldn’t have been better. It was presented beautifully and was delicious. The total bill for the two of us ended up being close to $50.

    It took a little while to get our bill but when the waitress gave it to us with an apology, she said that when you are in Mexico, you have to expect the unexpected. Now, how true is that! I wish I had known that expression earlier. It’s great!

    So … to prove that that statement is true, a funny thing happened this morning. In our kitchen, there is a burlap shopping bag with a few bags inside of it. I wanted to take a few beer cans to Andrea the baker, so I reached into the bag to get a plastic bag to put them into. I happened to look inside and I noticed the big boy that you will see in the photo below. Well, Chris, my hero, came to the rescue again. I did want a photo. Haha. He took the bag and tried to shake the critter out but he/she didn’t want to come out. And it looked like he was getting ready to jump. Chris finally got it out, took the photo and it ran away. Apparently, they can run fast!

    Expect the unexpected.

    A few minutes later, I saw a praying mantis on the handle of my pot, a moth/ butterfly on a spoon in my dish rack and another lime green moth/butterfly on the countertop. Chris scooped out a drowned chameleon from the pool and a bloated frog. And then we sat and watched a couple of large iguanas interact in the front yard.

     Yes, in Mexico, expect the unexpected.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    Day 30

    Reckoning Day

    January 30, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ 🌙 25 °C

    The termites have been relentless (but so are the goats) and since our friend wants to come back to a house and not 4 concrete walls, he got a few estimates from exterminators. I thought that you’d like to hear how they do things here. Compare experiences for some of you…

    Carlos, the man who got the job, was highly recommended by other gringos in the area who had good experiences with him.

    He came to inspect the house with a mask on. We showed him the tracks inside and outside of the house and the tracks in the shed out back, but he found them all himself. He just knew where to look! Chris had cleaned most of the tunnels from the walls but of course you can still faintly see them.

    Carlos said that arboreal termites usually have two nests and they forage between the two nests. The house is between the two nests, and has lots of wood in the ceiling and beams. He said that the nests would have to go. Five people would come and would work for 6-7 hours. We would have to vacate for the day.

    So on Tuesday, they arrived, punctually, three women and two men. We stayed around for an hour to see what would be done. It is an interesting process.

    The boss got a ladder and started breaking up the nest in the tree with a claw hammer. The nest is really hard to break. Then each ‘room’ was injected with a poison which would kill the termites and hopefully the queen. The pieces of the nest that fell to the ground were also sprayed.

    A shallow trench was dug around the base of house and poison injected into it .

    All the interior and exterior wooden ceilings and roof would be coated with a preventative substance.

    A lady took the covers off of all of the electrical outlets and put a powder into every one. Termites travel via the electrical wires in a house and will eat the wires too.

    The wooden pillars got a similar treatment. Apparently moth beetles, woodworms, are eating those too. They leave a pile of sawdust around the wood that they eat so you can see where they are.

    Branches in the trees beside the house with tunnels were going to be cut and the trees sprayed.

    The bodega (shed/garage) needed to be sprayed and then holes drilled into the concrete floor and poison put in there also. The warranty for this work is for a year.

    The poison that they use will kill any termites or insects that are in or around or on the house. It was suggested that we go somewhere from 8 - 5 but apparently it is safe for us to sleep there at night. Hmmmn.

    So we left but it would have been interesting to see the rest of the process. Hopefully,, everything works out well, and those critters have taken their last stand.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    Day 31

    Playa de la Saladita

    January 31, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

    As the crow flies, the beach at Saladita is not that far from the Majahua beach but for us to go there by car, it was a 1/2 hour drive over the mountain, through the town of Lagunillas and its Monday fruit and vegetable market and then down a winding road through mango and palm orchards to the ocean.

    Ever since we started hearing about Troncones, we knew that the area was full of off-the-beaten-track surfing beaches for people of all abilities. People come here from all over to boogie board, to short board and long board. Not that I know very much about surfing and waves, but it is fun to watch surfers catch a ride.

    The two beaches in this area that are known for their long rides are La Saladita and The Ranch.

    We decided to drive to the nearest one, La Saladita, to see what it was like. What we found was a long, picturesque beach dotted with oceanfront cabanas and little shack-like restaurants. The ocean was full of young people doing their best to stay up on their longboards for as long as possible. Very entertaining!

    We found a good, shady spot to have a limonada and watch all the activity. We were also rewarded with a sighting of whales splashing around in the distance.    Read more

  • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
    Day 32

    Zihuatanejo’s Malecon

    February 1, 2022 in Mexico ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    We had planned on checking out the fishing village of Zihuatanejo at some time and today, with the exterminators coming, it seemed to be just the right time to do it.

    Now, we have been to the airport a few times and the Mega grocery store so this time we headed to the touristy area of the town, near the big market. We easily found a big parking lot close to the area we wanted to explore.

    The heart of Zihuatanejo is the Paseo del Pescador (Route of the Fishermen), also called the malecon. This palm-lined pedestrian walkway borders the Municipal Beach between the archaeological museum and the fishing pier. It is lined with restaurants offering seafood and many other dishes. As well, there is a variety of small shops selling rugs, crafts and souvenirs. Even though the water is fairly calm and the beach is sandy, there is a lot of boat traffic, so it isn’t the best beach for swimming.

    At the centre of this area, there is a beautiful basketball court that is also used for concerts or plays. Great spot for a puppet theatre!

    Apparently at night, this section of the malecon fills with people that come to eat seafood, socialize and listen to live music.

    We started our walk close to the Archaeological Museum, so went in for a little visit that cost us 60 cents. There were six rooms with various archaeological pieces obtained in the area: ceramics, weapons and utensils that have been influenced by the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Tarasca and Mexica cultures. We were given an English translation page to follow.

    On the malecon, there are several beautiful bronze statues. In the following blog, I will talk a little more about them.

    At the end of the malecon is a brand new dock that was built to accommodate cruise ships when covid is under control… we sat under a palapa and enjoyed a limonada while watching the activity on the water and on the malecon.

    Chris needed a haircut and a lady at the museum directed us to someone who she said was economical and good. She proved to be right! We both got haircuts from Sophie. Chris’ cost $3.50 and mine was $12.00. We will return.

    It was time to head home but we were able to get in a quick shopping stop in at Mega before leaving Zihua.    Read more

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