First Night

Getting a cab in Zihua was a piece of cake.  Just walked around all the travelshare people and went straight to the cab stand.  The price went up 10 pesos from last year..Grand total 460 pesos ($22.14). The ride was easy and comfortable.  But we did see the poorer parts of Zihuatanejo, and it does drive home how lucky we are in the States.

I checked in and got my free Cubre Libre (but I'm not much of a soda drinker and only finished 1/4th of it and checked in.  Here's my room... I booked a Studio King, so everything is pretty much in the

 main room.  However, everything is spacious and well laid out, so I'm not cramped or anything.  I have a mini fridge (yes, I turned up the cooling on it), and a coffee maker.  The bathroom, shower, and storage are all located behind the wall of the bed.

The view is fantastic from the deck.  I was thinking about asking for one higher up, but I think I'll wait on that.  The palms give some really cool shade, which I won't get at the higher levels.

 After I checked in and changed my clothes, I headed down stairs to see about happy hour.  The tequila was not 100% agave on happy hour so I passed and had a top shelf one made with Don Julio Blanco (2x), and a Grand Marnier floater.  Needless to say, that was one pricey drink!!!  375 pesos ($18), but after I drank it...I definitely felt like I was on vacation!


Because that Margarita lit me up wicked, I knew it was time for dinner.  I headed to Leo's (pronounced Layos), a small family owned restaurant about a quarter mile from the resort. Now, this place is a 'local' place. It's not all fancied up for the tourists, but the seafood is heaven and it is caught by the family every morning.  The menu is only in Spanish, so I made sure to take pictures so I could look up anything I'm interested in.  This dinner was going to be all about the Taco's. And since I only have 200 pesos until I get to the bank tomorrow, well....

 I decided on the Pescadillas (fish tacos), a side of guacamole and a Modelo Especial.  They bring out chips, lime wedges and sea salt along with a little cup of their fish soup.  OMG, so good and just the right amount.   A little taste of what is to come.  The beer is cold and refreshing and the tortilla chips are home made and greasy.  I don't care, I'll be working that off!  Worth the wait! They bring out four nice sized, crispy fried fish tacos, my quac and salsa.

I have to say, biting into those tacos was a rush of nostalgia and thankfulness that I'm right here, right now, in this place.

I polish those off in no time flat. My belly is round and I am satisfied.  I lean back and enjoy my beer, the sounds of children playing and the other diners.

My waiter comes and asks if I'd like a shot of their Mezcal (they offer the after dinner shot on the house). It's made by family and it is good!  It has a deep smoky flavor, so if you don't like smoke, you won't like this clear mezcal. I do like it, and down it goes.  The entire dinner cost me 112 pesos ($5.32), and that includes the beer!!! Needless to say, it's time for Dizzy to bring the day to a close and rest.

I'm back in Zihuatanejo!!!

Departure

5:24 a.m.
So, I was up early and making sure that everything was taken care of. My flight outta Sac leaves at 6 a.m.  I was gonna Uber, but my girlie Chris took me to the airport instead.  It was so nice to leave with a friendly face.

Kitties are locked in and food, water, doors, etc. taken care of. Thermostat set to 63 degrees and all bathroom and bedroom doors wedged open. I think I have everything I need.  If I don't....

I know people are concerned that I'm spending time in a Country that is upset with Americans right now.  I'm feeling ok about it.  I might be a little more hesitant if I hadn't been there before, but it's not like I'm going into an area that I'm unfamiliar with.  Looking forward to seeing Arturo and getting an ice cold beer in Hemingway and John Wayne's bar.  Here we go peeps...

8:49 a.m.
Well, I've navigated LAX successfully. Although I did have to exit the secured area, there was a side street from the parking garage that took me directly across the entire airport to the Alaska terminal.  Thank God!  That, plus having TSA Pre...., well, I was GOLDEN!!!  Looks like I worried for nothing, but I'd rather plan then not make the flight.

I picked up a chicken sandwich, which wasn't half bad and ate half, but didn't open my chips.  This was a $15.00 meal...REALLY?  I would've picked up a sandwich the night before, but being without a vehicle has its drawbacks.  In the grand scheme of things, this bitch isn't doing half bad...well, that is until I get home to solve the vehicle problem.  In the meantime, it's time to get ready to fly to Mexico.  Wish me luck peeps!

Water Filtration

Tomorrow is the big day, but one of the things I've prepared for is water filtration.  I want to know that wherever I walk, I have a water source without having to drag around tons of water bottles or look for a store to purchase water.

Not only that, but our resort is one purchased from another group, and their water is questionable. They do provide bottled water, but I wanted to make sure it was readily available. So I decided on OKO which uses NASA filtration technology.  Its affordable, easy to use and rated for the area I'm going to.

We won't know how it's working until trial by fire, but I've included the links below if you're interested.  I chose the largest bottle, and although there are other bottles out there with filters that last longer, they are also more expensive.  This bottle I can fill up about 350 times before having to replace the filter. Which is about 92 gallons of water.  I can live with that.

So check out the links below if you're interested, and I'll provide an update on the trip to let you know how its working.

http://www.okoh2o.com/

https://hydrationanywhere.com/oko-h2o-level-2-advanced-filtration-bottle-review/

One Week To Go

One week and I leave for a month long trip to Zihuatanejo.  How does one pack for a month long trip and not overdo it?  Well, I'll tell you as I go.  Fortunately for me, I dress pretty light, the closer I get to the equator.

I mainly wear sarongs, chonies, tops and bathing suits.  Other than that...what else do I need. This is what I'm going with so far:

Suitcase 1 – Check In

• Sarongs 6
• flip flops 2
• Chonies 6
• Bathing Suits 4
• Beach towel 1
•  Face stuff (cleanser, moisturizer, etc)
•  Immodium
•  Neosporin
•  Pepto tablets
•  skin lotion
•  hair brush, clips, ties, conditioner, 
• Mini griddle, spatula, knife, broken cutting board (that I can leave behind),
• Tees 6

Back Pack – Carry On

• Water filtration bottle – rated for Mexico and will filter out all the yukky stuff 
• Electrical equipment
• Small purse
•  Passport
•  Wallet
•  Screwdriver clip

To be continued….