Las Hadas to Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo

Hola Amigos.....Well, after three days of cleaning Serena Ray and restocking our food supplies (boy the kids can put away the food!!) we departed Barra Navidad and were off to another picturesque Mexican city, Las Hadas.  A very "greek" looking resort/hotel area only 3 to 4 hours to the south of Barra and the place where the  movie "10" was filmed.  Our friends on s/v Chrokeva joined us here for a week of exploring..and hiking.

Las Hadas Resort and Marina (If you look close you might see Bo)

Anchored off of Las Hadas

Friends Mark, their daughter Amanda and Jackie

Both Las Hadas and the nearby town of Santiago are actually very "hiker" friendly.  We walked most everywhere we went through this "European-like" countryside.  For a saturday outing, we walked into Santiago for the open market (more like a huge flea market that moves around to different towns/cities), just a couple of miles inland from our anchorage.  There are lliterally 100's of booths that make up this street market, selling everything (and I mean everything!!) you could think of!!!

On the way to Santiago, cobblestone is the common road surface around Las Hadas.

Somebody is getting a new water supply....

The hike took us both up and down the hillsides and along the adjacent Santiago bay.

A Santiago fruit truck..Very fresh pineapple!!

Santiago Main Square

The market is comprised of row upon row of vendors...many actually selling the same stuff but still quite interesting to explore.  As the vendors might say .... "Shop here, it is almost free!"

Even a yarn shop in the market...



We were surprised to see that there were several "bra booths" in the market.  Never have we seen so many displayed like this... and the colors were wild....we called them "Mood Bras"

What's your mood color for the day??

DVD vendors also offer an extensive inventory of movies in English (most are actually still in theaters)...The price per movie is generally in the 25 peso range... ($2 USD).  

Fresh fruit and fish abound in Mexico....

Nice Yellow Fin don't you think??

We bought fresh filleted Dorado and also Mexican crabs from this vendor.  I hadn't yet tasted crab here...the oysters, clams and many different fish are great...but this was one of the first places we'd actually seen large for sale.  Three crabs for 70 pesos ($5).  Most often at the mercado markets, they fillet the fish when you buy it.

The wife handles the money and also a new baby!!  It is actually very common to see babies with the vendors at their shops.

Mexican Red Snapper....great tasting too!!

The hike back to Las Hadas from Santiago...up and over the hills and looking down into the anchorage..



Cemetery we spotted along the road we walked.  They are always very ornate and well manacured.



These are the 3 Mexican crab we bought at the Mercado...they were actually quite good, but not Dungeness!!!

After a week of exploring the Las Hadas area, it was time to say goodbye to our friends on s/v Chrokeva and continue our trek south to Zihautanejo, some 190 miles down the road.  This is an overnight passage so we departed the anchorage before sunrise and meandered through the freighters anchored in the bay awaiting their spot at the pier.  Manzanillo is a major sea port with freighters coming and going day and night. 

Sunrise departing Manzanillo

Passing 6,600 nm's since leaving Seattle in 2009

Joined by our friends

Overnight travel always brings us new sights.  At one point during the night we had over 30 targets (freighters/cruise ships) on our radar, moving up and down the coast.  This part of the Mexican coast is always quite busy!  We caught this cruise ship passing us at sunset.

Sunset enroute to Zihautanejo. 

Arriving in Bahia Zihautanejo the next day.

Zihautanejo is a beautiful town and just south of Ixtapa.  We arrived to 12 or 13 boats in the anchorage and launched the "dink" to explore the town. 

Much of the city is pedestrian friendly....

Typical side street. 

After a couple of hours wandering...it was time for a cold Cervesa

Gotta love the sign behind me...!!

Lunch at a small local restaurant....only 70 pesos ($5).  The food in Mexico is most always fabulous...and they never short you on portions!! 

We have learned over the last few years that prices in town are usually higher on days when cruise ships visit (who da thunk??)...That's the case not just here in Zihautanejo but throughout Mexico (we even saw this same thing in Alaska as well).   Holland Lines appears to be the only cruise line stopping here now..just 1 per week. 

One cruise ship a week anchors for the day and transports everyone to the beach...for a 2 hour shopping spree.

After a short day of buying souvenirs...off to the next port they go.

After 4 days at anchor in the bay we decided to move north to Ixtapa Marina to clean Serena Ray, fill water and make a few repairs.  The Ixtapa marina sits behind the tower in the picture.

Ixtapa



Narrow entrance to the Marina with a bit of a surge...

We had heard about the "crocs" in the marina.  This guy swam right by our slip.  His brother a few minutes later.......No bottom cleaning done here!!

Our marina slip fronts the marina's malecon.  The first night, we had front row seats for wedding pictures..

Wedding pictures on the bridge behind Serena Ray's slip. 

We have just decided to obtain a residency visa (called an FM3) as our tourist visa's already expire in mid-February.  This new visa will allow us to more fully enjoy the remainder of our travels through southern Mexico and also allow us time for inland sightseeing to many Mayan ruins near Hautulco and Chiapas. 

We will move Serena Ray back to the Z-town anchorage on Wednesday and then will join in the planning/participation of an annual Cruiser's gathering...called SailFest.  SailFest is a long-running, 6-day event highlighted by a variety of fun activities (boat races, beach games, auctions, parades, FOOD....) all of which is coordinated each year by ex-pats and cruisers and focused on raising money for local kids here in Zihautanejo that simply wouldn't have the opportunity to go to school without this support.  As a result, over the years, new schools have been built, needy kids have received food and clothing and much, much more, all from donations generated from this event.  It is a very worthwhile cause and we are happy to be part of it this year.  Our next update will be more about SailFest...  Until then Hasta Luego