Once we arrived in Zihuatanejo (Zee-wah-tah-NAE-ho) or Zihua (Zee-wah) as it’s also known, we knew we wanted to stay a while. It sits between the Sierra Madre Mountains and the Pacific Ocean on a beautiful stretch of Mexican coastline called the “Costa Grande” just 127 miles north of Acapulco. It has narrow cobblestone streets with local restaurants, bars, stores and artisan studios. The fishermen lay out their catch of the day on the main beach every morning.
Zihua use to be a sleepy fishing village and over the years it slowly morphed into a lively but still relaxed tourist town. Zihua was also put on the map by the movie The Shawshank Redemption (1994) where Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins escaped to for a free and more simple life.
International Guitar Fest (2004) happens in Zihua in February every year, and it’s the perfect time for Cruisers. Some Cruisers make it the last stop on their way down the Mexican Coast before heading north again to escape hurricane season, while other cruisers come up from El Salvador and Costa Rica to experience it. We were part of the cruisers who were continuing past Zihua towards Panama. We met a number of cruisers who were also heading that direction after spending some time in Zihua.
Every evening for a week we went to the cultural center in town to listen to various guitarists play all kinds of music. They were all world-class musicians and we loved every show.
There were concerts also happening on the beach during the late afternoons while the sun was starting to set. The tradition of cruisers was to meet off the beach in their dinghies to listen to the concert together from the water.
When we weren’t in Zihau enjoying the music from the festival, we were out exploring the sister city, Ixtapa (eeks-TAH-pah). We rented bikes and rode them on the bike paths from town, through the jungle, all the way to the beach and back. It was a beautiful long ride with lots to experience, and a fun way to see and hear all the different birds and wildlife of the area.
One of the sad parts about cruising is having to say goodbye to fellow cruisers whose plans take them to different places than your own. That time was soon approaching with our friends on Chaos, Rochambeau and EverAfter. So I decided to have the women of these boats (plus Michelle on Soul Rebel) over for some wine and cheese to watch the sunset and to paint with water colors together.
Painting with watercolors has been on my bucket list for a while now and it helps to gather with other women with similar interests to support us all getting started. Michelle led the group with some exercises for us to do to warm up our palettes. It was really fun and always special to hang with a group of women. Cruising has us spending so much time with our partners, which includes talking about boat projects. Not having to listen to them was a refreshing change for all of us.
While I was back in the States visiting my mom, Peter stayed in Zihuatanejo with the boat and went to the outdoor markets to do some extensive provisioning for our next long passage. He got freshly cut meat, fish, poultry, fresh vegetables, fresh herbs, seasonings, coffee, cheeses and baked bread.
He also got out with friends to experience Zihua’s version of Carnival, which included lots of partying, parades and fireworks.
Carnival takes place every year before the season of Lent which begins in February and ends on Easter Sunday (April). Lent is a time of fasting, and Carnival is the big blowout before Lent, when everyone gorges on the food and alcohol they’re about to give up. Mardi Gras is the last day of the Carnival season, meaning “Fat Tuesday” in French. Similar to New Orleans’ Mardi Gras, the Carnival in Zihua hosts a colorful display of floats, costumes and dancing, all parading through the town with lively music – much of which is actually the same, like Lou Bega’s Mambo Number 5 at the beginning of the video below.
The night before we were getting ready to leave Zihau, Bev and Rolf also Panama Bound and who coincidentally have a boat named Rochambeau, invited us to have dinner with them at a Michelin Star Restaurant in the hills overlooking the anchorage.
It was an exquisite setting with exceptional food and a beautiful sunset. We enjoyed getting to know Bev and Rolf some too before we headed out to Acapulco together. The night out was a great way to mark the end of our time in Zihua and the beginning of new relationships and places to come.
We stayed in Zihua for about a month. We loved the people of the town, the food, music, culture and beaches. We explored as much as we could while we were there and then it was finally time to go.
Transitions are hard sometimes, especially after being in one place for a while or having to say goodbye to friends. I was also in the middle of a major change with my mom who was not going to be in this world for long. As soon as I got back from my visit with her, we left Zihua and sailed over night to Acapulco. We were also transitioning from winter to spring. Endings have a way of creating new beginnings.
Stay tuned for more Enchanted Voyage as we finish our cruise of Mexico.
I love reading about your adventures. Can't wait to read about Costa Rica and Panama. Hope the canal is exciting and smooth. I believe you have friends joining you for that part? Let's try to do another zoom call soon!
Thank you for the Captain & 1st Mate Ship Log! I am awe struck all ways. But a few comments subject to moderation. Picture me welcomed aboard (oh no way). Sea of Cortez renamed to The Gulf of Mexico by the country of the charted waters you scoon. #Cruisers. Changes - Hunky Dory - 1971 David Bowie. The compulsive nature of artistic reinvention & concerns of clashes btn. children & their parents. Shawshank Redemption - 1994 a harrowing Steven King tale about the triumph of the human Sprit. Zihuantanejo? Mariners knew as Chequetano? Acapulco? more like ANARChapulco ex-pat, Dollar Vigilante/Jeff Berwick. Hey Capt.. Pete! know any Pete Seeger on that banjo of yours? Awe! that "spontaneous evening shot" reminds me of my favorite Aussie black opal, Indeed. Here, it, is changing from summer to fall. A MOTHERS LOVE NEVER DIES. Some enchanted evening on an enchanted voyage....don't rush it, steady as she goes, us land lubbers are standing by to catch the mooring lines! should we be so privy. GOD's speed 2U n Urs.