Living in La Manzanilla Mexico

So, we are defintely going to move back to the Casa on the beach in March.   Our Hacienda out here in Boca de Iguanas will be available for long term rental.   The monthly rate would be $ 1500.00 dollars.  This would include a maid, pool service, yard cleaning, and cable TV.  The property has over 15 fruit trees and I presently have two chickens that supply us with eggs and are fun to feed.    The Hacienda has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a Casita.  It is a short walk to the beach.   The Hacienda is also up for Sale for $ 250.000.

Well will really miss it out here but we need to downsize with our advancing years.    contack me is you want me to send pictures.    Cheers  Judy

Another winter season has come and gone.  For CasaJudita, it has been a busy one  .  As of  yesterday, my final renters of the season have gone and the Casa has been put to bed.  I do take rentals during the summer time.  Many people come for the Spanish classes or to just watch the wonderful summer rains.   Although hot, there is a constant breeze off the ocean making it tolerable and of course one air conditioned bedroom if  you feel the need.  Although I will not be here this summer  :(  I have a very good partner to help with the rentals and all your needs.

So, we have said adios to most of our friends for the season.   Some are staying longer in hopes that they will see the first summer rains .  Even the whales have left the bay.   Still, the birding tours continue, there is a new walkway through the mangroves to view the crocodiles which is really cool and the Polo Season is still featuring matches so not all is over.

At the moment Semana Santa is in full swing.  La Manzanilla has become so popular for this holiday that we actually have traffic police trying to keep the traffic moving and the big buses on the small side roads.    I love watching the Mexican families.  They have soooooo much fun.  This is the biggest holiday of the year for them.

Financial issues, crime and fear have not really effected our village, stores and rentals.  Everyone has had a good season.   People seem to not realize that the big drug problems are mainly in the border towns and the isolated problems elsewhere are bad people that one finds everywhere in the world.

Our village was booming with many new little restaurants opening, vegetable shops and a new Deli run by a Canadian couple.  We are so pleased to have all these new shops.  The only reason we ever have to leave the village is to get money in Melaque.   All of these new shops will take an order from you and have it within a couple of days.  The Deli  is really making life easy for us.   Fresh bread, free range eggs,  fresh fruit, fish, meat, it is all available now.
So, once Semana Santa is over, the village will revert to a sleepy little fishing village just waiting for the rains to come and turn all the hills around into a lush dark green jungle again.

Have a great summer.

There is just so much on the go here in La Manzanilla.  The season has been very busy with tourists.  I am going to list some of the ongoing events but first want to address the violence that one is reading about in Mexico, especially in the papers in the USA and Canada.   The problems are NOT here in La Manzanilla.  They are isolated in certain areas of Mexico and those that are happening in the Holiday destinations are isolated and usually involve bad apples from Canada or the USA.  So, all I can say is that La Manzanilla is still our beautiful peaceful fishing village and not to be frightened of for a holiday.

We have had several fund raisers this season.   Too many to list but they have all been successful and benefit the village enormously.   Dave Collins has added Whale watching to his birding tours, there have been several Cultural events in the plaza, salsa dancing, art classes, spanish classes, duplicate bridge, art exhabitions, plays such as “the Vaginas Monologues by the Bare Bone Productions, food products advertised from fresh Tuna arriving at our new Deli to “what we have for dinner this week” posted by the many restaurants in town.  Also the Movie nights,  Men’s Breakfast meeting, Women’s new Moon Celebration, Tarot readings, Tango, Tennis oh and Alex has ribs tonight at her restaurant and lamb tomorrow night.    I could go on but I am exhausted just thinking about all of this.  Forgot, Jazz jam sessions, Lounge Lizards at Palapa Joe’s, Lora Loca always has something on and of course Martin has entertainment weekly.  Much more too.

Special notice must be paid to Julie and her team for Cisco’s  Amigos Clinic for the animals.   They had fund raisers and raised enough to help over 150 animals.   What a wonderful job they do.  The art Gallery too has had several exhabitions.  Also the Artis Gallery  Cafe has reopened.  Patrons can sit and enjoy tapas, wine, mojitos or chocolate martinis.    Also Karen Taylor is now offering in her own studio “Bending Tree Yoga and Healing Center.    She does Yoga, Pilates and Meditation.

The Municipality of La Huerta just sponsored a Regatta in the village.  Looked like lots of boats and people out enjoying the event under tents that the Corona Beer folks sponsored.

Many of the events in the village give the funds to our new local ambulance service, schools, Ciscos and so much more.

In the bay this year we have seen many many whales and dolphins.   Sail boats have been visiting too.  It is lovely to look out over the bay and see this very special view.

Casa Judita has had a busy season.  We have had a bit of a face lift with new upholstery and palapa.     The Spanish Classes will be running all summer if interested.  Of course I have very good summer rates.

Have a good summer and see you next year.  Cheers  Judy

Slowly the winter folks are returning to La Manzanilla after a long steamy summer.  One can’t believe how green and lush it is.  What with 41.85 inches of rain (this includes 6.24 last February) no wonder everything looks so tropical.

Everyone seems to be busy fixing up this and that in preparation for this winter season.   Reports out of Canada say all the bad press regarding Mexico is not stopping folks from coming.    In fact, we are expecting an even busier season.
Boca de Iguana resort has reopened for the season much to the relief of the homeowners there.  We expect that classes will start up again around the pool and that the small restaurant will be open.  Fingers crossed.

I will try  to touch on some of the news in the village.

Mangrove birding tours by Dave Collins will be in full swing.  This is very popular and by appointment only.

Yolanda’s Restaurant, which is just two houses down from my Casa,  has wireless internet.  They don’t charge a lot and it is nice to look out at the ocean whilst playing on the net.  She just received a large shipment of new spices so we can expect yummy food this winter.

Of course there are the ongoing  Spanish Classes all season long.  All year long actually.

Willy,  from Palapa Joes , has just remodeled his restaurant.  He installed a lovely long bar that will seat about 18 happy patrons.  Two big TV screens can be viewed from this location.  He also added an intimate outdoor dining deck in the garden just off the main dining area.   The bar is such a great place for single people to come.

Mike McCombs has teamed up with Jolanda’s  restaurant on the beach to offer a wide range of water excursions.  All gear is included in the price of the tours, as are instructions and transportation when required.  He is a certified dive master.  Kayaks are also available here for rent.  Swimming and water awareness lessons for children and adults also are available and taught by a certified instructor.  One can visit www.jolandasrestaurante.com for more information.

There is a new Seafood deli in town.  They will have fresh and frozen fish and soon deli meats and cheeses once the season gets going.  Fingers crossed.  They have a sampler Sunday.  Ceviche, smoked fish and sushi are on the menu.   Yummmmoooooo

Another new restaurant has opened just beside the fish coop.  They will feature seafood along with many other items.  It is right on the beach too.  The owners Lola and Cato also offer sport fishing expeditions and tours of the Tenacatita mangrove.  Lets not forget the Italian Restaurant which is also on the beach.    Just this week I have heard of about four more new restaurants which I will investigate as they open.

The Galleria will be open soon.  December will feature Efren Gonzales at the Meet the Artist reception.

Eileen Zack will be offering her cooking classes again this winter.  She has a new home and kitchen to show off.  You can check out her website at www.eileenslamanzanilla.com for cuisine schedule and map.

We have a Hatha Yoga instructor and certified Thetahealer, who conducts yoga and Pilates classes at Live Bliss Studios five days a week.  She has a Meditation session too.  This is just down the street from the Casa next to the book store.

Speaking of the book store, it has a new location across from the fish coop and really has a good selection of second hand books.  They also sell locally made items.  All proceeds from the bookstore go to good causes in the village.

Nansee New will continue her Argentine Tango classes at her home Casa Luz.

David Collins is offering a Bamboo Construction course which is really cool.

The village will have so much to offer this winter. Don’t forget the Rodeo, boat race and lots of other fun events.     This blog is just a teaser so you know you will have fun during your visit.    The weather has cooled down making both daytime and nights most enjoyable.  Email me anytime with questions that you might have.

A quick note about our summer.  It was fabulous.  We have never seen it so green  and lush.  There were no horrific storms, it just rained softly almost daily,  46 inches total.     Hot and humid yes but my home town of Ottawa, Canada can be just the same.

We did do an in country trip in October.  We travelled to Mexico City, Oaxaca, Taxco and Puebla.  We flew to Mexico City and then bussed  it to the other places.  The first class buses are fabulous.   This worked out really well.    In Mexico City we stayed at two very lovely places in two different areas.  My favourite was the Red Tree House.   It was so comfortable and the owners friendly.  On a cool night I was using their computer in front of the fire in their living room.  I was alone.  The owner approached me and asked if I would like a glass of wine.  Now how perfect is that?  Google it and see how great it is.   Of course here is the renowned Museum of Anthropology.  This was extraordinarily interesting.  Everything was so very well presented.  Mexico City is  also meant for eating out .  And that we did.  Fabulous restaurants.    Regarding security, we noticed armed police on just about every corner.    We hailed cabs during the day but took hotel cabs in the evening.   We carried nothing and showed no jewellery or cameras.  We felt safe.   From Mexico City we took a first class bus to Taxco.  We passed the puffing mountain of Popocatepetl (highest mountain in Central America) and lots of other spectacular scenery.  Taxco is set on the side of a steep hillside with houses jumbled all over the narrow cobbled streets.  In the main square, it had an incredible Baroque Church.   We stayed in a lovely house with views which we had all to ourselves.  We had a husband and wife team that cooked all our meals for us and lit the fire when the sun went down.    I treated myself to some nice silver which is what Taxco is noted for.    From here we went to Oaxaca.   This is a sizeable city with lovely old colonial and stone buildings.   It has dry mountain heat making it a lovely place to live.   There are many shady plazas and cafes.  Lots of handicrafts,   Spanish and cooking courses can be found too.   One needs a few days here because there are many fun side trips out in the Valles Centrales.  Good oaxaqueno regional cooking is spicily delicious and the seven traditional Oaxacan Moles (sauces) are renowned.  I only tried a couple and found them just delicious.  Even the black ones.  Only downside for those living there is lack of water.    Next City was Puebla which is the fourth largest City in Mexico.   Known for its most characteristically colonial architecture created by the Spanish I thoroughly enjoyed touring here.   It is here where the famous hand painted Talavera Tiles are made.    We met friends here and enjoyed eating local food and touring.     Recommended.  Back in Mexico City, they cancelled our flight for no real reason.    They flew us the next day but did not give us free hotel accommodations or food.  Sign of the times?  They said they called us.  Funny that since our phone was not working then. 
 
Now, we are back in La Manzanilla.  We had friends and family for the next three months and Casa Judita is full.    The weather is fabulous as usual.    Some of the programs that are being offered this years are:   Meditation Retreats, cooking and painting lessons, Spanish lessons, book discussion meetings,   chilli cook-off fun, tango lessons,  Iyengal Yoga in Boca,  birdwatching and lagoon tours, Harmonic sound and workshops, Temazcals..sweat lodge and oh Gosh so much more.    The bookstore continues to do well and puts money back into the community as does La Catalina Education Foundation.  They are having an Auction soon to raise money for the schools.  I have Casa Judita being auctioned off for three nights.    We also have had open air Classical Music concerts at the Boca de Iquanas Hotel.  This has been lovely.    The four day Fiesta in La Manzanilla has just finished.   They did the usual Banda and Farola parade from the jardin to the Casino and back everynight.  Bull riding at Plaza de Toros too, and this year a cavalcade of horses being ridden down the arroyo to Los ingenious and back just in time to join the parade.    Several Galleries too in the village are having shows this year along with art fairs.  The Friday market has really improved too.   Fishing we hear is good and whilst doing our daily walks we are seeing lots of whales in the bay.  One in particular is huge.  The dog clinic too is coming up.  This is such a fabulous service we have here in the village.  Oh, nearly forgot—our main road has been paved.  This is just soooooo fabulous.  They have almost finished it around the jardin.   Less dust thank heavens.     Before we know it the season will be over.   We plan on driving up to Ottawa for a couple of months.   Will keep you posted.  Cheers for now.