Loofah sponge

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I have always seen this plant while going for walks in the area.  I had assumed that they were cucumbers. These plants grow like weeds in this area
 
According to Wikipedia, the fruit of at least two species is grown, harvested before maturity and eaten as a vegetable.  Its juice is used as a natural remedy for jaundice.
The ripe, dried fruit is also the source of the loofah sponge.
I have picked one that wasn’t quite ripe but will try to ripen it in the sun.  If it ripens, I will try to make a loofah sponge.  I will let you know how this experiment works.
The top picture is a plant growing up a telephone pole. The other two plants are growing on the ground. It seems they will grow anywhere

Parade

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The neighbouring town of Barra de Navidad hosted the “First Christmas International Floating Floats Parade”.   So off we go to Barra on the “chicken” bus for a cost of 6 pesos which is approximately 55 cents Canadian.  No, there aren’t any chickens on the buses but most of them look and sound like they are on their last legs.  These buses are the lifeline for many working Mexicans. 
The town had a very festive feel with people waiting to watch the parade.  We wandered around taking in the sights and sounds. 
 
We decided to try a bar called Piper Lovers, which is a biker bar.  Very interesting.   Apparently in the evening a band plays anything from rock to jazz.  Our waiter spoke excellent English and chatted to us about real estate as we were interested in finding out what the market was like.  He gave us his “business” card.  In Mexico you do not need to be a licenced realtor in order to sell real estate.
After trying out the excellent fish and chips at Babba Digga’s which is a new pub in Barra, we headed towards the Malecon to watch the parade.  We were fortunate to be able to get a water view seat in another restaurant.  15 boats took part and there were some very well decorated boats.  The parade was well organized for their first attempt.
We managed to catch the last bus back to Melaque.  All in all, a good day

What do we do all day

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What do we do all day?    When my husband and I decided to stay in Mexico for a 3 month stretch, we also made the decision to “live” in Mexico and not be just “tourists”.
A “typical” day?  First, you do not sleep in unless you are somehow able to ignore the roosters crowing and the dogs barking.  If you are able to do that, then the next challenge is the military practicing their marching, complete with drums and bugles at 7:30 am.  Then at 8:00 am the church bells start.
Once we have checked our emails and had our morning coffee, we head out on our daily morning walk before the heat of the day. Each day we have a “goal”.  Yesterday it was to find a knife sharpener and with some “Spanglish “and hand signs, we were able to find one.  We also decided to pick up some groceries.  We don’t buy enough for a week as it is always more fun to seek out new to us stores. So here is our list of shopping complete with costs:
1 kg. Brown sugar 26.95 pesos
1 kg. Granola                    28.67 p
400 g. Quaker oats         13.50 p
2 margarita glasses
And tongs                        73.00 p
½ kg. Ground beef          35.00 p
1 doz. Eggs; cinnamon;
And vanilla                         31.00 p
Knife sharpener                               20.00 p
Lunch: 2 tortas (similar to Panini’s) and 2 large juices
                                                71.00 p
TOTAL                                   399.00 p = 36.00 cdn
We stop to talk to friends and acquaintances or new people.  Once home again, we need to decide if we are going to the beach, up to the palapa or have a nap or combination of all three!!  We have dinner, visit neighbours and our day has ended and we are surprised at how quickly it seemed to go.  Tomorrow is another day and another adventure.

First night in Melaque

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After an uneventful flight from Canada, we finally arrived at the Manzanillo airport.  Our taxi to Melaque which is approximately 30 minutes travel cost 420 pesos which is approximately 40.00 cdn.   Our landlord was there to warmly greet us upon our arrival at the bungalow.  It felt good to be back. 
 
Once we settled in, we decided to go to Concha del Mar, a beachside restaurant for dinner.  We ordered our first margaritas of the trip and then had our favourite dish of 12 breaded prawns, choice of rice, beans or fries and some vegetables.  The total cost per person was 130 pesos, approximately 12.00 cdn. 
 
The moon was a brilliant reddish orange colour, reminding us of the colour of the lunar eclipse the previous evening. We were fortunate that we were able to see it so clearly.  What an evening it was, to see the colourful moon, hear the waves lapping up on the shore, watch some fireworks and people watch.
There were many happy sighs that evening.

A Traditional Mexican Wedding

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Have you ever been invited to a traditional Mexican wedding because you thought you were entering a restaurant rather than a private home? Or asked to stay for a birthday party because you admired a pinata?

Those are the types of adventures that happen to my husband and me who are frequent travelers to Mexico.  We prefer small towns, not an all-inclusive resort or over-built beach towns.  We found that in a little town called Melaque.  We have discovered many hidden treasures.  I love the “hunt” and meeting people who will kindly show me even more treasures.

The wedding? While we were driving back to Melaque after bringing a friend to the Manzanillo airport, we noticed that there were a lot of vehicles in front of these billboards.  We never paid attention to them before but because of the vehicles, we assumed it was a restaurant.  We drove over to take a look.  Upon entering the “restaurant”, it was apparent that it was a private home and a wedding reception was taking place.  We turned quickly to leave hoping no one noticed but this gentleman, Abraham came over to us.  We apologized profusely but he insisted we stay for a drink and enjoy the festivities.  We had a drink and enjoyed a mariachi band hired from Guadalajara for the reception. We had a great time and enoyed talking to  Abraham and learning about the area.  Thank you Abraham.

Our adventures also involve finding places to eat that are frequented by the locals.  We found one such place just off the highway towards Melaque.  The tables are made of rough hewn wood, the chairs are white plastic and you may have to share a table.  The waitress didn’t speak English and our Spanish is limited to we pointed to a shrimp dish that was being enjoyed by another customer.  We were not disappointed.  I am not sure what the dish was called but it was a large bowl of shrimps, which were more the size of prawns, with vegetables and an unknown sauce.  It was exquisite.  The total cost for the shrimp dish and a beverage was approximately $3.50 cdn.

Mexican people are warm, friendly, happy people.  They appreciate your attempts to speak their lanquage and will try to help you improve your Spanish.  Learning a few words will go a long way in Mexico.  I was trying to say one word but mispronounced it and apparently said “bum”.  That got quite a laugh at a store but the clerk corrected me and we had a good laugh over my “splangish”.

I must go now as another adventure awaits me.

Melaque

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Melaque is located approximately 135 miles south of Puerto Vallarta and is part of the Pacific coastline that is known as “Costa Alegre”, the “Happy Coast”.

Melaque is joined by two other villages, San Patricio and Villa Obregon to form a town of approximately 12,000 residents.  That number increases substantially with snowbirds from Canada and the U.S.  Melaque is also a popular beach destination for visitors from Guadalajara, Mexico City and other inland towns.

Melaque shares a beach with its neighbour Barra de Navidad.  November through to April, there is little or no rain and the temperatures during that time range from an average of 18 Celsius at night to 30 during the day.

Melaque beach close to where we stay

Getting Ready to Travel

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The time is getting closer for my new adventures, not only in Mexico but in life generally.  I will be retired by the time we reach Mexico.

This blog is intended to show what we do each day and what it cost to live in Mexico, along with photos to show the beautful scenery and people of the area.

More to come!!!

Costelegre coast