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La Unión de Isidoro Montes de Oca

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 70

      Woodworms

      11 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 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.      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 80

      Benito Juarez Day

      21 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

      Today is a public holiday in Mexico as it commemorates the birthday of Benito Juarez, the only indigenous president of Mexico from January 19, 1858 to July 18, 1872. Juarez is famous for his anti-clerical views and for fighting hard to remove the prejudices against the indigenous people of Mexico, a problem which plagued the country in the 19th century.

      He introduced reforms that would give the indigenous a better education and health care and improve their living conditions. He worked hard to modernize Mexico’s economy despite a very bad political environment.

      The people of Mexico consider Juarez a national hero and the most loved among the country’s presidents. When we were in the state of Oaxaca several years ago, we visited the humble place where he lived.

      The 20 peso bill features his face on it. As a security measure, the bill contains a famous Benito Juarez quote written in microscopic letters that can only be read through a magnifying glass:

      “May the people and the government respect the rights of all. Between individuals, as between nations, peace means respect for the rights of others.”

      His words are especially meaningful today. The war between Russia and Ukraine is horrifying as there is no respect. It’s very sad.

      Perhaps, Juarez’ bravest efforts apart from his incredible resistance against foreign rule were his anti-clerical acts which effectively limited the powers and influence of the Roman Catholic Church in Mexico stating that the church power hindered national development and the improvement of lives of the poor.

      Because of his important contributions, his birthday, March 21, was dedicated as a national celebration.

      During the holiday, speeches are given and big cohetes (booming fireworks) are heard all day from early in the morning until late at night in most places in Mexico. We didn’t hear any here.      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 72

      The King of Iguanas

      13 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      The ad says …

      “Come and visit Chalio the king of iguanas !!!! Access to the iguanary is totally free !!! If you like, you can bring vegetables and fruits to feed them and cooperate voluntarily for the feeding, maintenance and protection of the iguanary 🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎🦎 We are waiting for you”.

      How could we resist visiting the sanctuary after reading an ad like this? And it is conveniently close, a mere 5 km away, in the little village of Boca de Lagunillas.

      The area that we live in is full of little lizards and big iguanas. Believe it or not, iguanas are a traditional food source for the indigenous people in this part of Mexico as they are full of protein and they taste like chicken. We saw a man with a slingshot trying to down an iguana high in a tree. Free food…

      Anyways, there are laws in Mexico that prohibit this practice. Hunting, trapping, and killing of these iguanas is illegal throughout Mexico even though this law is not enforced.

      So off we went to visit the iguanary ( is there such a word?). We loaded up a bag with fruit and vegetable scraps and drove to the sanctuary before lunch. The iguanas are fed every day at 11 and 4 by Chalio, a colourful character who wears a beat up old hat and not so clean clothes. Haha. He lives on a lovely parcel of land beside the river that was once part of a coconut palm plantation owned by his father.

      We actually met Chalio on the road in front of a big gate and he invited us into his beautiful and shaded property. We met a young man who helps him out, Juan, who was cutting up coconuts and placing them on big sheets of plastic to dry. Later, these coconuts would go into bags and sold to make various coconut products. i.e. oil.

      Chalio in his enthusiastic and energetic manner explained in Spanish all the benefits that coconuts offer. It was quite a list. For many natives it is a cheap and healthy food source.

      We asked Juan how he gets the coconuts out of the 30+’ trees. He happily showed us how easy it was to climb up a palm. He said that he uses the bark ridges as steps/stairs. Then, with Juan’s coaching and encouragement, Chris took off his shoes and tried. Hmmmn, not so easy. I think that he was able to go up two ‘stairs’…

      Chalio took the food scraps out of the bag that we had brought and chopped them all up with his machete while telling us all about the wildlife in the area. He offered each of us a drink - a coconut with the top cut off with a straw. We shared a coconut as there is a lot of liquid in one coconut.

      Close to his lean-to, there was a cut tree trunk placed horizontally with a huge termite nest on it. Chalio put water into an empty coconut shell and placed it on the nest. While we were there lots of birds came and enjoyed a feast of termites from his giant homemade bird feeder, as well as a drink on the side.

      On a nearby tree, several hanging nests built by cardinals (?) and caciques were hung at a good level for us to check them out. They are amazing works of art and very sturdy. We had a good giggle because he was using one of them to store his cookies in.

      Then, the moment we were waiting for started. Chalio started to call the iguanas by name, ‘Dolores, Carlos, Roberto, Maria. Come to eat!’ From everywhere, iguanas started to appear! He kept calling them until there were about 40 big and small iguanas all around us eating the scraps we had brought. It was quite a sight.

      The iguanas that live in this area are called Spiny Tailed Iguanas. Adults are brown and have grey and brown rings on their tails. Their backs have soft comb-like spikes on it. Some of the adults were really very large. Young iguanas are green and as they get older their colour changes. Chalio told us that they can live to be 45 years old.

      The iguanas there were very comfortable with Chalio but a little skittish around us. Some were quite curious and would walk up to our shoes. Apparently anything pink looks like a papaya which they like and the iguanas often head straight towards pink shoes or nail polish. To a person unfamiliar with iguanas, that could be a little daunting.

      We thoroughly enjoyed the iguana tea party, but Chalio had more for us to see. He showed us where a crocodile often comes up on the bank of the river. He probably has a name for her too. Where there are iguanas, there are crocodiles hoping for a free lunch. While we were checking out the crocodile nest, an heavy iguana fell from the tree over the river and splashed into the water. Luckily for the iguana, the crocodile was out hunting elsewhere.

      We must say that we were a little concerned when walking under the coconut palm trees. Coconuts are heavy and we didn’t want one falling on our head! According to a study by the University of Florida, around 150 people die every year after being hit by falling coconuts. That’s 15 times as many deaths as by shark attacks!

      Chalio was an entertaining, fun and enthusiastic guide. A lot of tourists would probably not visit this cool place as he only speaks Spanish. He is also missing a few teeth which may be the reason that we didn’t understand him 100%. We got the gist of what he was saying though and were able to ask lots of questions so we were okay.

      We loved every minute of being with this kind and gentle man and will return another day with more compostable food scraps for his iguana family.      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 78

      La Union

      19 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

      We keep hearing about the nearby town of La Union, so we figured that it was time to visit it.

      Apparently there is a big market on Tuesdays, but since we are avoiding large groups of people due to the possibility of Covid, we went on a Saturday. It was about a 45 minute drive away.

      We turned off the highway and drove through a big arched entrance welcoming us to La Union. We figured that we would see the town fairly soon but we didn’t, just a new hospital. Hmmmn. We continued down the windy road and were ready to give up finding a town, when we spotted a church spire in the distance. We took a bridge over a river, and voila! There was the town of La Union.

      Actually the town is a good size with a big church, a cancha (basketball/volleyball court), police department, lots of stores, a Central Park, and agricultural equipment and feed stores. I did a Google search to find out more about this town but didn’t find much information about it.

      It is an authentic Mexican town though and we were the only gringos around which is what we like. Everyone was super nice to us so we had a pleasant visit and took a few photos.      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 71

      Cane Toads

      12 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 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!      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 57

      A Typical Day

      26 февраля 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 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.      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 57

      Baby Sea Turtle Release

      26 февраля 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 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.      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 73

      Mountaintop Retreat

      14 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

      As we near Troncones, from HWY 200, we pass a sign with an arrow that says, Glamping. A dusty road leads upwards into a mountain.

      Since our car was already horribly dusty, curiosity got the best of us and we turned onto the road to see where it would lead us.

      We drove up a steep road and there at the top of the mountain was a little enclave of teepees and rustic buildings. We started to turn the car around and a bunch of dogs started to bark at us. A Mexican came and motioned for us to drive in and see the property.

      Well, we were pleasantly surprised by the beautiful 360 degree views the property had. In the distance, we could see the ocean to the west and a ring of mountains and valleys surrounded the mountain we were on. The man and his wife invited us in, offered us a coffee or a cold drink and we sat admiring the view. Three backpacker/surfers from France and Switzerland were staying there and we all had a great chat about our experiences in Mexico and beyond.

      The man and his wife, Fanny and Oscar, who own the place had built a large sweat lodge, big enough to hold 20 people, and were offering traditional temescal healing ceremonies every week. People who stayed there slept in lovely teepee-shaped bedrooms overlooking the mountains with great morning views of the sunrise.

      Fanny is a herbalist, like our friend Scott. She makes and sells medicinal tinctures and infusions made from local plants.

      We were invited to a celebration of their second anniversary on Thursday. We won’t be going but wished them well.      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 81

      Nono’s

      22 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

      “ Nono’s has the best hamburgers and chicken wings in Mexico!’, or so we have been told by several people. So of course, when something is touted as ‘the best’, our curiosity becomes piqued. But curiosity also killed the cat … so will it be? We went for it.

      Nono’s tiny little restaurant is found on the main road in Lagunillas, our favourite market town. A funny altered MacDonald’s sign marks the spot. The owner and chief cook and probably bottle washer, Carlos, is a handsome man who formerly acted in a few Mexican movies. One movie was called El Guero.

      His little bar/restaurant is basically made up of a tiny cooking area, an equally tiny eating area, a bathroom out the back and a rustic wash up area. But the eating area was interesting. Twinkly lights and Mexican banners on the ceiling. A wall that had a collage of photos of famous Mexican actors as well as photos of Carlos. In the corner was hung a TV that either played music, showed soccer games or old time movies, like Treasure Island in Spanish. Dogs come and go and various people come in for a beer or something quick to eat.

      We have been there three times and would go every week if we were staying longer. Every time we have eaten his fantastic wings! He has a choice of three sauces - bbq, mango habanero, Or pineapple habanero. The two habanero ones are pretty spicy but wow, are they ever tasty. We haven’t even tried the hamburgers yet. Well, we still have 5 more days. I’m sure we can fit it in.

      Next door, his brother runs a mechanic shop. We met him too and his souped up Ford truck.
      We also got a tour of a newly renovated apartment that we, or anyone that we know, might want to rent. What a fun visit and such delicious chicken wings! Also the price was right. Last night’s wings for 2 people, French fries, 2 beers and tip cost us a total of $12.

      To miss eating there would have been a No-no. We are so happy we made the trip over the mountain to this cool little restaurant. Definitely a thumbs up!      Читать далее

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    • LadyandtrampMajahua, Guerrero, Mexico
      День 66

      The View from Zihua’s Hotel Irma

      7 марта 2022 г., Мексика ⋅ ☀️ 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.      Читать далее

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