Zihuatanejo, Mexico (July 8)

Despite spending three hours wandering around beautiful Zihuatanejo this morning, I saw neither Tim Robbins or Morgan Freeman; perhaps they were laying low given the number of police and soldiers on the streets. 

(I am one of perhaps 6 people in the United States who have not seen the Shawshank Redemption; if you’re one of the other five, that’s an allusion to the film.  I only found out last week that Zihuatanejo was the supposed location of the final scene, which actually was filmed in St. Croix.) 

Why so many armed, uniformed people?  The US government considers the entire state of Guerrero to be unsafe for tourists.  From what I’ve read online, those concerns are overblown as long as people follow the standard precautions that make sense everywhere (don’t wear flashy jewelry, keep your wallet/purse secured, stick to well-traveled, well-lit areas etc.).   

I’m sure if the place were truly dangerous for tourists, then cruise ships wouldn’t stop here.  And frankly, I feel safer in most other countries than I do at home under current conditions, but I’ll leave politics aside for the rest of the post.

I neglected to book a tour for today, but I found plenty to do strolling along the handsome waterfront promenade (the Paseo del Pescador, or Fisherman’s Walk). 

I chatted with several welcoming locals who tolerated my butchering of their native tongue, admired the evocative (and sometimes alarming; see below) statues dotting the waterfront, and marveled at the vibrant murals enlivening many houses and businesses. 

There were also plenty of photogenic birds, some of which held still long enough for me to take their pictures.

Around 200 meters from the tender dock, there’s a modest but well-curated Archeological Museum (Museo Arqueológico de la Costa Grande).  Admission is 15 pesos – a bit less than two dollars – which is a real bargain.  Housed in six small and blissfully air-conditioned rooms, the museum’s collection traces the area’s history from thousands of years ago through the recent past. 

Each room has three or four display cases of artifacts, along with written descriptions (in Spanish) putting the displays in context.  I found it both informative and charming.

Heading back toward the dock, I turned right on Avenida Cinco de Mayo and walked up a couple of blocks to the craft market, a procession of stalls selling all manner of clothing, hats, bags, and tchotchkes.  The market is designed for tourists; unfortunately, I didn’t have time to head to the municipal market, which the director of the Archeological Museum said is a delight for any photographer/people watcher.

There’s a pretty church, Our Lady of Guadelupe, across the street from the craft market. 

With more time in town, I would have loved to visit the nearby archeological sites and further explore this beautiful region of Mexico.  That’s the main drawback of ocean cruises: you get a small taste of a lot of locations, but there’s never enough time ashore to do a place justice.

For now, I’ll leave you with a few of the many signs urging people to protect the ocean and properly dispose of their trash.

Tomorrow is another sea day, then we head to Costa Rica, which will be my 99^th country/territory visited.  Hasta luego!