Virgen de Guadalupe festival in Cihuatlan

Coming back from the airport yesterday Danny and Linda wanted to stop at the bank in Cihua. We found ourselves in the middle of the Virgen de Guadalupe festival. I parked up by the church and Lorena took the camera and the kids to get a closer look. Boom, boom boom was the dancing music and the very large and loud church bells started to compete. My ears were ringing sitting right next to the church. This is Mexico.

Apoyo para Pinal Villa

Presidente Fernando Martínez Guerrero

About a month ago a group of women went to Cihuatlan for a meeting with some government officials and discovered there was quite a bit of money earmarked for Pinal Villa improvements. One woman mentioned that the money was sitting there because our community had not asked for help. Yesterday on the plaza we had a junta with the Presidente and a bunch of department heads. The purpose of this first meeting in a long time was to find out what was most important to us.

They made quite a show of intention with the poles, a road grader, two dump trucks and they painted the playground equipment. The most talked about issues were the road into Pinal and the Soccer field. Improving the water situation on the road was promised and this morning they brought in lots of good fill dirt to fill some wet spots. They also promised to install some large pipes in the few water crossings. 

Of course, none of the soccer players showed up to give input about which area, of two, they wanted for a field and what to do with it. There are two stores on corners of the field and the owners had some pretty petty complaints about balls hitting the store or a car in front. We'll see about that later. Over all I was really impressed with the President.

Light poles for the Campo de Futbol

Obras Publicas boom truck

15% discount on taxes and water

This is from Autlan but it goes for most of Mexico including the Municipio of Cihuatlan. Pay your taxes and water bills in January or February and get a 15% discount. Many of the locals don't pay at all and the only tax collecting that will ever take place is during a property transfer at the time of sale.

Policia municipal cihuatlan jalisco.

Somebody made a statement about the Municipal Police of Cihuatlan on Facebook and lots of people agreed. There have been complaints about their response time and their general effectiveness. They are also not very well funded. Funny foto anyway.

Cihuatlán to Tequesquitlán

I've been told a number of times there is a partially paved road from Cihuatlán to Tequesquitlán but have always been unable to find the starting point in Cihuatlán. Yesterday was road trip day with Glen and we decided to go looking. Using Google Maps we could see the two exit roads that meet up just beyond the map below. Very possibly why I couldn't find it before is because the one on the right no longer exists and hasn't for a long time. There's a sign of it but it's totally washed out.

So off we go in the other direction, asked at a store and he drew us a map even though we were only a couple blocks from where it started. Now I have to apologize for not having my camera on the right setting so the unpaved first section with lots of water ruts did not turn out. I figured it out when we were well into the paved section. I wasn't that enthused to make the whole trip and I was a bit worried about Glen's Honda that does not have real high clearance. However he didn't bottom out once so that gives you a clue how serious the ruts were. The whole trip was probably 1.5 to 2 hours not counting the searching. We came back down highway 80.

Road on the right is washed out

We figured the pavement started when we changed Municipios

Some gravel and lots of potholes

Country side after we climbed up out of Cihuatlan

Entering Tequesquitlan

Leaving Tequesquitlan

Cane cutters after a days work

I've been to Tequesquitlan twice before from the backside of Jaluco up through Almolon. Here's a link to one trip including a stop at a Tamarindo packing house - Back Roads to Cuzalapa

15 years of marriage

Papel Picado banners in Cihuatlan - by David Dagoli

Last night I was treated to the story of how Hugo "stole" Lorena away from her family, both on one bicycle, and they hid in a Motel in Jaluco for 4 days. Lorena's family is very large and they all had different opinions of Hugo. Hugo's family was small and not as well known. Then the physical problems Euriel had were all blamed on Hugo. He got turned around in the womb with cord around his neck leading to Lorena's first Cesarean. 

So today is their 15th wedding anniversary which they jokingly call their Quinceañera. We're gonna have a special dinner tonight as yet undetermined. We'll decide when we shop in Melaque a little later. Maybe shrimp ??

Charcos y Lodo

While on a Chapala message board they play this game of name "the first rain" date ... our first 3 days have come and gone. Their game rules are so strange nobody has won yet even though it has rained quite a bit in the Chapala area. Here when we have our huge charcos (puddles) in the street and lodo (mud) streaming down the hill in Cihautlan to cover highway 200 .... we have rain.

Thanks to hurricane Amanda for breaking a 5-6 month dry spell. Amanda reached a level 4 hurricane but was far enough offshore that we just felt the rain around the edges.  Not much surf and just a nice breeze for 5-6 days. Weather reports say lightning and rain storms for next week but until another LOW comes up the coast it's very hard to tell. So I borrowed these Melaque street shots from Canal235 and a link to their weather fotos around the area. 

Temporal de Lluvias Cihualtecas 2014

Canal235 also had a foto of the piling installation of the new bridge 

Highway 200 Robberies

You almost expect to hear about highway robberies along the Michoacan coast with the recent disruptions to the Templarios activities. Well last week some Gringos in an RV lost the jeep they were towing by being forced to stop and relieved of the jeep at gun point. They were near Coleta de Campos. Below is a foto they took from the RV as the jeep drove away. 

There it goes

You don't expect to hear about it in this area .... let alone a pattern of it.  Two nights in a row people were robbed on highway 200 between here and La Manzanilla near the El Tamarindo turnoff.   A good reason to reconsider driving at night if you don't have to.   Only day trips to La Manzanilla.  Another issue may be that this is taking place on the border of La Huerta and Cihuatlan Municipios - no mans land.

First persons report on the La Manzanilla message board

The robbery occurred last Wednesday, Feb 19, between 9 and 9:30 pm. Two men were in separate pickup trucks, one went in front of the victim's vehicle, the other behind. The one in front suddenly braked at the Tamarindo entrance and pulled the victim's vehicle over.  

Both men had guns and the victim was pistol-whipped and robbed of cash. The robbers were violent and spoke of gang connections.  

I was told the same thing happened the following night (Thursday Feb 20) to a different driver, also from La Manzanilla, in the same place, again around 9 pm. He was also pistol-whipped and robbed.  

There is no cell-phone reception in the area where the victims are being targeted. 

The victim I talked to is afraid to report it to anyone, for fear of his and his family's safety. He said the same would be true of other victims. 

Second persons report

I know for a fact that this is taking place on the highway. …The people involved have chosen not to put it on the board for now…but it was reported to the authorities...

Ol' swimming hole dam

This was on a Sunday trip to two dams up the Marabasco river. This dam is the first just past Cihuatlan and is a diversion dam for irrigation. One side goes to Colima and the other to Jalisco. What this dam does for people wanting to relax and cool off on the weekends is creating several swimming holes both above and below.

Spending a day here used to be a much more regular thing until Hurricane Jova came through in 2011 and swept away all the shade trees and changed the whole river bed. The swimming holes are coming back but there is no shade to speak of. Be smart and bring your own if plan to stay the day like many do.

Irrigation dam from below

Can't see the dam from above

Good swimming behind the dam

Lake behind dam

Halfway up the valley to second dam

Wide but very shallow 

El Panteon

A Panteon is the local graveyard and we placed two wreaths on family graves today. The local Panteon for Melaque, Jaluco and Ranchito is out highway 80 not quite to the new bypass highway. Hugo didn't want to go because it's crazy busy with people but Lorena and the 3 kids and I went. Surprisingly there were very few people but many of the graves had been cleaned up and adorned with flowers, candles and wreaths. Then again at least a third of the sites looked like they had not been visited in years. There were a few guys cleaning around the entrance but by the overall look of the place no one is paid to do general maintenance during the year. Kind of on the depressing side.

The last photo is Lorena's aunt's grave. Like many they are deep and the next person in the family to pass will be placed above. Some covered and some not. The degree of ornateness depends on the wealth of the family and they range from covered in dirt to almost the Lincoln memorial in DC.   Lorena made a large wreath for Hugo's mom on my patio last night and a smaller one for her aunt this morning.

We've been taking specimens into Cihuatlan the last three days and pass the Panteon there. Euriel has a lung infection and is being tested for TB before he can take some drugs to help his immune system. The lab in Cihuatlan is where we take them. Anyway, the Panteon in Cihuatlan is 3-4 times larger than our local one so the Transito Police are in the street slowing drivers and giving parking tickets. Literally 100's of people there. A Misa (mass) will be held tonight about 5PM.

Panteon entrance

Flowers and food sold in front

Above average graves

Looking toward Melaque

Hugo's mom's grave with wreath Lorena made

Lorena's aunt's grave

Six and a half inches in 12 hours

One real rain gauge reported 6.5 inches, some bucket gauges reported considerably more.  Sinks and pools over flowed.   I got another sink hole below my main roof drain probably requiring me to uncover my french drain and build a better one.   No leaks in the roof at least. All this and nothing on the weather radar but a bunch of clouds.

The main road into Pinal became a river bed again with the upper part requiring a 4WD or large pickup to get in and out.   The lower part (second foto) actually gets better because water washed sand fills all the potholes.   Water from here all heads for Melaque and the lagoon and this morning the lagoon was opened to prevent it from backing up into town.  Video is from a few years ago

Upper road - not many people this far out

Lower road a couple hours after the rain had stopped

A short one of the Marabasco River in Cihuatlan

Spraying for Dengue

Another of those I didn't have a photo situations. Usually I'm in a closed up house when the spray trucks go by but this time we were all out on the patio. He passed the other side of the street and I took these on his return. As he passed I was back in the yard but still got a good whiff of the stuff. Neighbors assure me it's harmless but from the smell I wouldn't say so.

Centro de Salud has been making their yard inspection rounds and putting little bags of poison in anything that might hold water. The Cihuatlan Municipio is currently collecting old tires, buckets, etc and have hauled away tons of stuff so far. Below is a Canal 235 article on trash collection.

Cihuatlán Township statistically has been strongly affected by dengue disease that keeps it in first place in the State of Jalisco. In order to reduce the number of people infected, state and local authorities conducted a campaign in coordination collecting 162 tons of water holding vessels during the months of April and May.

Colectan 162 toneladas de cacharros para disminuir el dengue

Abarrotes Rosita Cerrado

The only store in our little community that really stocks anything is family run and at least once a year they all go on vacation. So, from Tuesday to next Tuesday we have to shop in Melaque or the almost weekly trip to Cihuatlan to Bodega Aurrera. Since I drive Euriel to school every day in Melaque it's not so bad but also easy to forget to pickup a thing or two.  We will survive I'm sure.

3D Origami from the Cihuatlan Jail

These are being made by a family member of neighbors who is in the 'carcel' mainly because of a drug problem. We are selling them to help pay the legal fees, gas for visits, materials and personal items he needs or wants. He's also making these rather than just staring at the walls.   Seems like a good way to occupy your time. From an ad with fotos on Tomzap I found a couple in Barra that wants 2 or 3 so they will have first choice.  Heading over there later today.

I was totally amazed when I first saw them and had no idea how they were done. I finally found how with Google. You just have to make many hundreds of the little triangles and stick them together. Some things like the flowers have to be glued. Sounds simple from the video below but you still need to be able to visualize what you are going to make. The pieces of colored paper cost more because the family has to buy it. The other two pieces are made from magazines.

White baskets - 200 pesos each

Colored baskets - 200 pesos each

Large colored swan - 450 pesos

Magazine swan - 400 pesos

Large vase w/flowers - 400 pesos

CFE trimming trees

CFE (Mexico electric company) is responsible for keeping their main lines free of invading trees but also their lines to your house. The neighboring vacant lot has an old Mango tree that needs to be trimmed every couple years to keep my lines free as well as the transformer on the pole my lines come from. A good wind could have taken out my power along with the neighborhood in this case. This tree is actually on the lot line so partially in the street. Not sure what their attitude would be if the tree was 5-10 feet inside the property.

Last time they were here was two years ago so I knew this was their job ... but the new girl at the desk in Cihuatlan told me it was not their responsibility. I told her they had done it twice before at my request so she checked with the back office and scheduled a crew for this week. This tree has been a shady spot for neighbors to congregate so I kinda hated to do it but preferred to have my power more than a bit of comfort for neighbors. Looks kinda ugly but will green up in a month. We put all the cuttings in a burn pile and salvaged a number of mangoes that fell.

Starting

Finished

PRI, PRI, PRI

Election time in Mexico. This group is PRI nationally but also for Lupita Lopez for the local president of Cihuatlan. They offered me a cheap baseball cap and a wrist bracelet ... but I asked for a T-shirt and got one. T-shirt turned out to a small-medium so a neighbor kid got it. They also offered many pretty Mexican women when they found out I was single.

A couple hours later they fed about 100 people on the Pinal Villa plaza with some pretty good pozole. A month away for the elections and mucho energy expended early ....

Pozole feed

Coconut husk processing

My Canadian neighbors found a coconut shell processing plant on the way to Cihuatlan so I gave them a try the other day. What they do is spin the dry husks in a large wire drum and separate the stringy part from what becomes powder. You can see the baled stringy part below but what it's used for I don't know. The powder they bundle and sell locally for garden mulch. For some reason they didn't want me taking pictures so this is the only one I have. Very dirty - dusty work for the guys feeding the cocos into the machine.

A very heavy bale of mulch was $150 pesos

Just learned that the fiber is called Coir

Coco coir and coco peat is one of the promising coco-based products with a huge market potential due to its wide array of uses and its eco-friendly qualities. PKC Fibre Industry

And Wikipedia for it's many uses

My first Mexican Drivers Licence

I asked about getting a drivers licence on a local message board and later I got a PM from a friend that had not completed the process some time before. He knew where to go and wanted to do it again so we went together. Mine would have probably taken 30 minutes but he lacked proof of residence so we tried the municipio office for a Constancia. For a Constancia in Cihuatlan they now need birth certificate and fotos and he had no birth certificate.

Anyway the finance office is on the side street a block towards the plaza from Coppel, uphill. $495 pesos. Take that receipt, visa, passport and proof of residence (Constancia or CFE Bill in your name) ... with copies of the last three to the Validad office. You also need to know your blood type and have a name and number of someone to contact in case of emergency. Validad is about a block towards the plaza from Farmacia Guadalajara.

First a simple eye test on the computer and then a 20 question quiz. The terminology was a little strange but with a little help from the overseeing officer I got 95%. No driving test was required. I suggest knowing quite a bit of Spanish or take an interpreter. I think they are more receptive to people who can hold a conversation but not necessarily get the test terminology. I now have a very professional credit card style licence. Bike licences are different

Finance department where you pay

Validad where you get the licence