September 2005

September 1
I attended the Town Hall Meeting where they discussed the clean-up and mosquito control issues. The Municipal President came from Armeria (they control Cuyutlán’s finances), and our own mayor was in attendance, along with other assorted dignitaries.

We met in the huge palapa dining room of the Hotel San Rafael. This place is the favorite of many of my friends who visit. Open air beach-front dining, a friendly waitstaff, good food, and reasonably-priced rooms, along with a lovely pool area make it a good place to spend a few days.

Here’s a Mexico-wide hotel tip. Unless you’re staying in a luxury resort, bring your own washcloth and pillow. And if you’re going to the pool or the beach, you’ll appreciate having your own big beach towel along. And in the more tropical areas, wear your flip flops in the shower. We even do this at home. Germs grow fast in our warm, damp climate.

August 2005

More bad news. One of the local businessmen strangled his wife with a shoelace. He concocted a tale and borrowed 2000 pesos from his sister-in-law to take his “sick” son to the doctor and used the cash for his getaway. The six-year old boy is unaccounted for. The villagers are up in arms.

And even more bad news. The turtle egg poachers are out in force. They ride their ATVs up and down the beach at night, robbing the nests they discover. Dr. Marycruz Rivera who is in charge of El Tortugario, the local Ecological Center told me her staff had just a few nights ago scared away some thieves and recovered a backpack containing over 200 turtle eggs.

According to Dr. Rivera the black market price of turtle eggs in this area is from 3 to 7 pesos each. That backpack held a profit of from 600 to 2100 pesos. The average daily wage for the construction laborers in Cuyutlán is about 200 pesos - for those who can find work.

Maricruz spent quite a bit of time explaining the history and mission of El Tortugario. Miz T and I are working all of the information into an addition to this site.

In the meantime, if you want more specific info write to Dr. Marycruz Rivera Rodriguez at tortugariocuyutlan@hotmail.com or to me at dondelmundo@yahoo.com. Dr. Rivera wants to emphasize that El Tortugario (Centro Ecologico de Cuyutlán) is an ecological research and education center and that facilities are adequate and comfortable, but not luxurious. As she told us “This is not Disneyland.” Bring a lunch and enjoy relaxing under one of the big palapas.

Also bring bug spray and a hat if you plan on taking the boat tour of the estuary. Please leave your pet with a friend.

Baby turtles are released each Saturday after 4:00 during the hatching season if you want to join that activity. I recommend doing so. 9:30 to 4:30; Admission: 20 pesos. Phone: 313-328-8676 (LD) 328-8676 (Local) 01-313-322-7706 (Cellular)

Good news: Dolphins are all up and down the local coastline. Miz T and I sit on the terrace watching them feed and cavort as we eat breakfast. We look forward to our morning walk along the beach because of the opportunity to almost share in the action near the shore. The dolphins put on quite a show as they slowly roll across the surface, but the real excitement comes when they break the water and leap high, sometimes straight up and at other times arching into perfect half-circles as gravity pulls them back.

Pelicans gracefully glide inches above the waves, looking for all the world like modern pteradactyls or futuristic Klingon Birds of Prey as they scout for food; or they bob gently on the surface as they patiently wait for food to swim by; or cluster along the beach, for who knows what reason.

A couple of turtles made a reconnaissance of the beach behind the house the other morning but evidently found it unsuitable. Miz T and I watched them float in on the waves and then hold their positions about 30 to 40 feet offshore before deciding to seek more suitable sand.

Red Letter Day! August 6
Today was Miz T’s birthday. All she asked for was lunch at Las Hamacas in Boca de Pascuales. Nice drive over. Stopped and visited with some banana harvesters and took some pictures. It was a new show for us. Efficient and interesting.

A musical duo toting guitar and harp approached our table after being rebuffed by everyone else on our end of the restaurant.

Los Junior (sic) were two ancients from the State of Vera Cruz. Their instruments were both products of the guitar capitol, Paracho, Michoácan. They knew my request, Las Mananitas, the birthday song, but struck out on Miz T’s next pair. We deferred to their playlist and listened to yet one more rendition of a song I learned in Texas elementary school; Celito Lindo.

Then three of the lifeguards hit the surf to rescue a couple of guys who thought they were trapped in an undertow.

Gourmand note: The fried calamari at Las Hamacas is delicious!! Tender, tasty, well prepared. This is not a one-visit opinion; it’s consistently good. Choose a table up on the second level to enjoy a splendid beach vista. The place has been in business since 1953 so they’ve had plenty of time to refine the recipes. And the building is quite an attraction by itself. Check it out.

August 10 - Entertainment News
Cast and crew of the telenovella “Finding Maria” are in town to film for the series. As everywhere else in the world when celebrities attend, many of the locals are atwitter.

A couple of years back Cuyutlán and the surrounding area were chosen as the filming location for the movie "Tierra Caliente." Never have title and location more perfectly matched.

In that movie you’ll recognize the Malecon and the pescadero’s pier in the Estero Palo Verde. A local lawyer who lives about a quarter mile up the beach allowed the use of his home for some of the scenes. And our long pristine beach is prominently featured.

This is one of Colima’s seasons of plenty. In addition to the bananas, watermelons, cantaloupes, honeydews, mangos, papayas, almonds, and limes, other lesser food providers are in full production mode. Trees are bursting with bounty. And fishing is good. And the marsh birds are content.

According to their latest newsletter, if you get thrown in jail anywhere in Colima State the US Consulate in Guadalajara will send someone around to check on you every quarter. Comforting thought.

They’ve recently extended service to those of us down here. If you need to apply for a passport, get anything notarized, or just sit down to chat with a bureaucrat, you should dash off an e-mail Acsgdl@state.gov Their phone number is 01-333-268-2100. Business hours are M-F from 8:30 to noon, and from 2:00 to 3:00 for passport pickup, notary service, and information. After hours call 01-333-268-2145.

Another guest! He was stumbling along the highway, barely dodging speeding buses and cars. Of course I had to stop. He came to the truck and I shared some of my freshly purchased groceries before loading him and taking him home with me. Emaciated, stinky, and starving, this old red Doberman was obviously one more thread in the warp and woof of my dog karma.

After my bouts with “terminal” cancers it does my soul good to rehabilitate these pitiful animals. This one has been badly neglected. Huge craters high on his hips, every rib distinctly displaying itself under not much more than hide and hair, this old boy needs help.

Mangy of course, but with only a few fleas in his ears along with two ticks; he’s in bad shape. The frayed cord he chewed through says he really wanted to escape whatever hell he’d been consigned to. He’ll be fine now.

Rosa, my major domo-ette and her son Fidi suggested I name him Flash. Wasn’t that the hound on Hee-Haw? I chose my neighbor Teresa’s suggestion and went with Solovino; “One who comes along.” Seems appropriate.

Miz T and I sat at dinner last evening watching the famous Ola Verde, the Green Wave. One of our local surfers says it gets as high as eleven meters. That’s about 36 feet. I’m pretty well convinced that arriving at that figure requires an abacus and a liter of tequila, but I’ve only been here a year---and I’m not a surfer, so . . .

What we saw were huge rollers, one after another and at short intervals, cresting at from between 12 and 15 feet before crashing into a churning foam and splashing up a lacy mist about 30 to 40 feet from the beach. Very powerful and impressive. I see why they come from around the world to surf here.

The color changed from a deep brooding gray-green as the wave built, to a deep wine-bottle green as it rose, and finally to a translucent green infused with a touch of turquoise as it fell back into the foam. Even if you’re not a surfer this is a sight you’ll appreciate.

The late "Field & Stream and Outdoor Life" writer Russell Annabel described the place where the Pacific collides with Cuyutlán’s shoreline as a place where ". . . the world’s heaviest surf was crashing endlessly.” At certain times of the year his description is accurate. We’re nearing the time of year when the crashing waves cause my solidly built beach house to tremble slightly. And the sound is that of a thunderclap.

Reports from 1932 say that one of the waves that destroyed much of Cuyutlán that year reached a height of 20 meters. I hope to never see that power.

White butterflies by the hundreds join us on our morning walks. I’m once again relaxing into the slower rhythms of beach life. It’s taken nearly a year to cleanse myself of the contaminants of the gringo ghettos. Maybe I’m too iconoclastic. Or maybe I’m regaining sanity. Or maybe I’m just a reclusive s.o.b.

We drove home though a misty rain the other day and as we made the turn to enter Cuyutlán we came face-to-face with a gorgeous arcoiris doble; a double rainbow. What a treat.

Last week as we were heading to Colima for a movie outing a young coyote trotted across the road out by the estuary. He was very healthy looking, with a full bushy tail and an unhurried manner. I worry that animals in the wild everywhere are adapting too well to our intrusions. We need to be mutually respectful, but not overly familiar.

Last night brought another treat from the sea. The wind was up and the surf was high. The whitecaps far out sparkled with phosphorescence lighted by a waning full moon. The small natural delights are priceless.

Visited the Tortugario for the Saturday afternoon liberacion. At 4:30 Marycruz led dozens of visitors to the beach and distributed hatchlings to the kids. I’m not sure which is more fulfilling; watching the young sea turtles skitter into the surf, or seeing the faces of the kids. At times like that, many of the adults wish they were kids

August 19
Last night was tough on the livestock. Miz T woke up about 5:30 and heard Solovino whimpering so she went to check. He’d fallen into the pool and was unable to climb out. He was standing on his hind legs with his forepaws on the coping. Not in danger, but probably a bit anxious. And leaking mange germs and stinky medicine into the water.

She got wet to give him a boost out so it ended well. Especially for me since she was kind enough to leave me sleeping. And he’s recovering quickly. We’re getting his weight up and a combination of pills and medicinal spray are clearing up his skin. And he’s doing well in “Doggie School”. Now he just has to survive Raj, the Airedale. They fight frequently.

Then in the afternoon Fidi scooped out a small green iguana who was unable to get out after a wild ass leap into the water. All I ever find in there are mice, crabs, and palm fronds.

Olivia says the business folks are going to organize an on-going town pride clean-up effort each month. It’s about time, according to many. Miz T and I volunteered to tote trash and toss a peso in the pot for gas and incidentals. The salinero’s union will provide trucks, as they have on previous occasions.

And they’ve contacted a guy who will spray non-toxic natural alternatives for insect and mosquito control downtown. More ecological health awareness! Great job they’re doing.

Coming home from a drive-around tour of downtown we saw a squirrel run up an almond tree. First one I’ve seen down here.

Wind’s up, surf’s up. The sand felt like BBs hitting me. And the damned mosquitoes were out in the middle of the afternoon. Sunny, windy, and mosqitoey; bad beach trifecta.

Saturday, sitting on the beach watching wave after relentless wave surge in I thought of the myth of the Ola Verde, the Green Wave. It’s not just one, and not just at a certain time of year. It may grow at times but it’s a series of continuing constants; green, powerful, and high enough to offer the prospect of exciting rides to surfers.

As one wave rose and began to break about 50 feet out I watched a fish about four feet long and shaped very much like a snapper rise just inside the face of the swell to arc parallel to the shoreline and then disappear into the surf.

I’ve watched any number of fish break the surface in an exhilarating sky dance, but never have I seen the underwater equivalent. Truly a gift was bestowed - and much appreciated by the recipient.

Bad Karma coming for someone. One of the guys down the street poisoned four dogs on Sunday. Bobby, Toby, and Techalillo, along with a small black pup I wasn’t acquainted with were his victims. There has to be a special purgatory for creeps who harm children and animals.

The only good that came from this is that Solovino now has a new home where he won’t be hassled by Raj. Terrible way for him to gain his bliss. And I waited before I wrote this. It took a while for me to calm down.

Yet another guest! This one a female maybe a couple of years old. Teresa saw her sitting in the middle of the road as we took our morning walk. She’d flat out given up. It took a long while to get her home because she was so tired and emaciated that she had little strength or hope. A little mange, some tooth decay, but aside from that, and a few scars she seems saveable.

All the others accepted her with no complaints.

July 2005

Great news!
Miz T has finished the 2nd Edition of her guide to the Lake Chapala area and is now permanently here with me at the beach. Visit her website www.chapalaguide.com

Documentary filmmaker Bill Livingston and Guadalupe stopped by for a short visit. Several months back, on an earlier visit to the area, we met at breakfast in the Fenix Hotel dining room. He gave me a copy of his National Geographic Society work The Mexicans; Through their Own Eyes. I unblushingly offered in return a copy of my book, "Head for Mexico: The Renegade Guide"

On this visit he kindly presented us with copies of "The Italians and The Great Indian Railways." Miz T reciprocated with a copy of her book, "Mexico’s Lake Chapala and Ajijic; The Insider’s Guide."

Watching his incredible movie about the efficient rail transport in India brought back memories of my last train trip in México. About 7 or 8 years back I bought a ticket to ride from Mazatlan to Guadalajara. 13 hours later I abandoned both sanity and any hope of completing the journey and bailed out when the engine gasped into Tepic.

I was gasping almost as hard. The stench from the open bathrooms more or less dulled the ambitions of the few food vendors who bolted through on occasion, and definitely choked off any thoughts of purchase by my fellow passengers.

As soon as I got to the hotel I piled my traveling clothes in the shower stall, splashed on a couple of shots of Herradura, and set them ablaze.

Okay, the last sentence might be an exaggeration - but not by much.

July 30
A local pescadero, one of about 118 licensed to take fish from the Palo Verde Estuary at the north end of town, was attacked and killed by a crocodile. According to an official 2005 survey there are about 69 of the Crocodylus acutus in the estuary. The story is that the pescadero was in the water with his mochila (knapsack or shoulder bag) containing a few tilapia whose blood attracted the croc. Mal suerte!

Tourist tip: Don’t go wading in the estuary with a bloody fish in your pocket.

And the reptiles in the estuary are officially crocodiles (Crocodylus acutus), not caimans, as they’re usually called. Laura Jimenez, a doctoral candidate from the U of Colima recently completed her thesis on those very reptiles. It’s the first scientific study of this particular group.

Look at Laura’s article on the El Tortugario pages to find out why a croc will be able to locate you even if you’re not toting bloody fish.

June 2005

It costs 160 pesos to make the round trip from Cuyutlán to Manzanillo via the carretera. After I was shown the backroad shortcut, it’s now free. Bumpy, but free. Dusty, but free. Slower, but… Of course there’s the libre, the old highway, but it’s a longer drive. I do recommend that those traveling from the north get off the toll road and take the free route occasionally. Especially during the wet season. Gorgeous scenery.

It’s the end of the dry season. Manuel spoke with the head of the salinero’s union and arranged for one of them to take us into the Cuyutlan Lagoon to take pictures and gather information about salt production. Our article is elsewhere on the site.

The first rains are light, but welcome. They cool the night and freshen the air. And then, with both dusk and dawn, come the mosquitoes.

Went fishing with a group of the local lifeguards on a couple of different days. They like the area down by the Campos cut-off to Manzanillo, in the Tepalcates Channel that connects the ocean and the lagoon. They also like the Las Ventanas area by the power plant. I think they just enjoy a change of scenery from time to time. A couple went up the beach with nets and brought back bags of lisa, or mullet. Others geared up with fins and masks to “harpoon” anything venturing close to the beach.

The inlets to the lagoon were sources of variety. Crabs, a small pulpo, or octopus, and several pargos, or sea bass were caught or speared. Manuel and I each caught an eel. In addition to having no natural rhythm I also can’t fish worth a damn.

Another guest! Mangy and flea-bitten are but two of the adjectives that could be applied to the puppy I found at the Hotel Oasis. I stopped by to take some pictures for a promo poster that some of the local businesses are putting together and found her cowering under one of the tables on the terrace.

Took her home. Fleas were solid on the ends of her ears - like rust scale. Only one small tick, though. Bathed her, showed her to Dr. Ochoa the next day. Got medicine from him, and advice from dog lovers on the www.chapala.com webboard so she’ll be okay. Named her Panchita.

May 2005

The Salt Museum celebrated its remodeling. Elections are coming up and every politician and political hopeful in the State turned out to be seen. Lots of bloviation and air pollution. Lots of weapon toting cops.

Miss Colima was there too. And definitely more of an attraction than the candidates. And she wasn’t packing heat.

March 2005

Hospitality is alive and well in Cuyutlán. John and Karen Nelson and Paul and Sybil Ostrof teamed to throw a “leaving town for awhile” party. Many of the winter residents are either leaving or preparing to do so. What a great excuse for a get-together.

Manuel and Ruth did the cooking - best beans in Mexico, along with steak and chicken fajitas, pork ribs, a salad bar, guacamole, potato salad, rice, chicken taquitos, and a few other delicacies I’ve forgotten. Gillo manned a well-stocked bar and popped the tops off the icy cervezas to keep the group happy.

John and Paul invited all of the resident gringos, many of our Mexican neighbors, and every tourist they ran across. It was a lively and diverse group and many new friendships were formed.

Semana Santa. Tecoman advertises a population of nearly 100,000. During this holiday I believe Cuyutlán temporarily exceeds that. People and vehicles are EVERYWHERE. Hotel rooms are filled, tents are pitched on the beaches, on the beach access roads, on vacant lots, alongside the roads; in short, anywhere there’s 10 square feet of open ground.

I try to stay home during these busy days. Local merchants and the armies of itinerant vendors love all of México’s holidays.

January 2005

Whale sightings are a daily occurrence. Singly, or in mini-pods of up to four, they cruise by daily, no more than 1,000 yards from shore.

Somehow we’ve been unable to time our seawatches to coincide with the whale’s schedules but one morning our neighbor Teresa walked down to tell us one had just passed her house. We thanked her and jumped into the beach Blazer to rush up the road to intercept a traveler southbound no more than 50 yards off the beach.

Despite the lack of gills or blowholes I believe there’s a ragged strand of DNA that insists we not forget our evolutionary starting points. Each time I fall ill I head for the beach. South Carolina, Texas, Mexico - they all heal me. And the creatures of the sea call for my attention. And they soothe me.

December 2004

A young Californian staying at the Fenix Hotel went fishing and hooked his first sailfish. Olivia’s mother, Dona Elisa, fried it up in a delicious batter and a group of us, including 6 or 8 Irish surfers, enjoyed a spontaneous feast.

Christmas Eve
This night re-taught lessons I thought I’d learned years ago. First, excessive tequila consumption will put you on a first-name basis with our Lord and Savior; and second, regardless of how industriously I apply myself, appearing on the dance floor is still an exercise in self-inflicted humiliation.

Pirata and I got back from a trip to the big city - Tecoman - and drove through the plaza to see what was happening. Manuel, the polloero, had his cooker stoked way past his usual closing time. I stopped to pass the time of day and instantly became a part of the reason for the fire. He was roasting a whole pig. And he pointed to the keg iced down on the sidewalk of the plaza.

It was Christmas Eve and several of the business owners of the pueblo had chipped in to buy one of Manuel’s pigs, la presidenta provided the keg and presents to be passed out to the children in attendance, and several others brought hot, fresh tortillas (a rare treat in the evening!) and other food. And an industrial-strength boom box and CDs were being carted to a place of honor.

FIESTA!!!
Our local millionaire insisted on sharing his bottle of excellent tequila, and several of the local señoras and señoritas demanded that I entertain the crowd by demonstrating with them my ability to remain upright while suffering a musical gran mal. If one of the signs of mental health and self-confidence is to “dance like no one is watching” then I deserve to be the poster boy for normality.

More on this later. But - a good time was had by all. I went home at 3:30. Ay Em. The rest, including a ninety-something Mama were still going strong. It was about three days before I regained that degree of mobility.

November 2004

As soon as the construction crew completed the welcoming arch across the road leading into town from Highway 200 three miscreants from Armeria took a few minutes out of a recent visit to beat holes in both legs of the structure.

The police arrested them and confiscated their car. More on this if the locals spill the beans.

But now its been repaired and its good as new! Great job by both the police and the repairmen.

Geoff and Olivia at the Fenix Hotel prepared a complimentary Thanksgiving cena for all who were still in town and wished to come. Big turkey, sweet potatoes, green beans, salad, and desert.

Here’s Geoff’s secret for the moist turkey he served. Turn it upside down. All that poultry fat seeps down to moisten the breast, which is the part that usually dries out because it’s on top and lacking juices and oils.