Ah, the holiday crowds have come and now almost gone… there were bus and carloads of people (but not a tremendously unruly amount), there were crowds of happy sun and sea bathers on the beaches (but not unbearable hoards) and for us there was a nice, calm holiday break that almost left us feeling relaxed a the end of it (except for a few lingering hangover effects).We escaped for a few days, taking a trip up to Caleta de Campos / Nexpa, slightly more than 2 hours up the coast to the north. We passed through Lazaro Cardenas and neighboring Playa Azul, a long stretch of wide beach with palapa-roofed restaurant after palapa-roofed restaurant, with lines of palm trees and low-lying land; a popular hangout for the locals and tourism mainly coming in from the inland areas of Michoacan and environs. That’s the place for ordering seafood such as Pulpo al Mojo de Ajo, shrimp cocktails and chilled fresh coconut milk.
Playa Azul Palms
At Nexpa there were no waves, so of course there were few surfers though a number of holiday campers were enjoying the relative peace of the beach and lagoon. Nevertheless, we had a great time hanging out with family and friends, stuffing ourselves with turkey and trimmings, lazily reading by the river in hammocks, taking leisurely breakfasts with our toes curled in the sand, and watching the whales pass by just a few hundred yards off the coast on their annual migration.
New Years back in Zihuatanejo low-key. There were plenty of people wandering around town on the evening of the 31st, awaiting the fireworks show. We had an early dinner, we peeked into a few of the places that were having special New Years’ setups with music and entertainment until and after midnight, such as the newly opened Zihua Lighthouse (El Faro de Zihua), formerly Rick’s Bar on Cuauhtemoc Street, where Josie and Eddie were scheduled to play. At the Sunset Bar on Playa Municipal, Jimi Mamou was regaling a happy crowd, and at Coconuts, diners were enjoying their meals in the magically-lit garden Our plan, though, was to head on back to La Ropa just before midnight, where at home we grabbed a drink and a towel and plopped ourselves somewhat unceremoniously upon the sand the the beach just as the first of the 20-minute fireworks show got going. That was one long show, and from out vantage point we could see almost all of it. There were bursts from Playa La Ropa itself in front of the Tides, from Cerro de la Vigia, from Playa Municipal and from Playa Madera. The entire bay was awash with colorful, bursting stars and big bangs.
The New Year on La Ropa
Now, as a culmination to this long holiday season, tomorrow is January 6th, or Three Kings Day (Epiphany), which traditionally in Mexico is the day when children receive their gifts and piñatas are broken, and Rosca de Reyes (a sweet bread with dried fruit) is eaten by all. Each Rosca holds one (or many) small figurines of the Christ child (and sometimes other figures), and tradition dictates that if you are served or cut yourself a piece of the Rosca that contains one of those figures, you must then provide tamales and atole for friends and family on February 2nd, or Candlemas Day. Schools and government offices in general are closing through Epiphany and will be grinding slowly back into working gear as of January 7th.
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