... that's what happens when a local economy becomes 100% dependent upon tourism instead of diversifying and providing alternative opportunities for employment.

Rob, do you have any ideas for economic diversification in Zihuatanejo? I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some ideas. This question was not meant to put you on the spot. It is just hard to imagine what other industries or services the Zihuatanejo region would have to offer without a massive infusion of resources, both monetary and human. I am at a loss except to showcase its natural beauty, awesome climate, and warm and welcoming culture.

I have all kinds of ideas about fixing many local problems, but...

Until we have a municipal government dedicated less to padding its pockets and more to providing public security with a professional police force that can actually contribute to the efforts of the state and federal governments in the prevention, investigation and punishment of crimes, the local environment is not conducive to attracting businesses here beyond the slimy cartel inmobiliaria, which is where we currently are and why the local environmentalist Alex Serna was murdered.

Decades ago I worked on this idea and managed to attract an engineering firm that designed turbines. They even managed to get local schools to teach the engineering classes to produce the necessary workers. Things were going well, and the business was growing until local extortionists discovered they were making money. And there went that business, as far away from Zihuatanejo as they could get. Nothing of substance has changed since.

... that's what happens when a local economy becomes 100% dependent upon tourism instead of diversifying and providing alternative opportunities for employment.

Rob, do you have any ideas for economic diversification in Zihuatanejo? I have been racking my brain trying to come up with some ideas. This question was not meant to put you on the spot. It is just hard to imagine what other industries or services the Zihuatanejo region would have to offer without a massive infusion of resources, both monetary and human. I am at a loss except to showcase its natural beauty, awesome climate, and warm and welcoming culture.

Once again the rain predicted for overnight and for this Tuesday didn't appear. But the temperature seemed milder, at least during the morning. And this evening there was a slight breeze coming from the east along our part of the coast. It could still rain this evening. And it looks like we'll probably get a rain or two this Wednesday as a tropical wave passes by. But there just ain't no reason with the hurricane season, and anything could happen.

Zihuatanejo didn't hardly see any tourists today. Though tourists can be seen on the beachcams for Playa El Palmar in Ixtapa, the all-included hotels of Ixtapa's Zona Hotelera I no longer represent the benefit to the community that they used to before all the hotels went all-included. They can be full and we still receive almost no benefit from them. Few are their hotel guests who spend any money outside the hotel. A problem unattended to by our local authorities for over two decades now.

Come see the Danzón dancers this Wednesday evening at 6:30 in Plaza del Artista!

And this Saturday and Sunday enjoy the surfing competition at Las Escolleras in Ixtapa by the entrance to the marina.
Community Notices & Events

If you enjoy learning about and experiencing some of our local flora and fauna, El Refugio de Potosí is a center for wildlife conservation and environmental education. Among its attractions, it features a fully reconstructed sperm whale skeleton (the only one in Mexico), an observation tower, a wheelchair accessible footpath for observing local flora and fauna, and a butterfly pavilion. Located near the beach on the road to Barra de Potosí. Perfect for the entire family. (click to enlarge image)
Guide to Activities, Charters & Tours in Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa

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Pescadores y pangas en Playa Principal durante el amanecer en la bahía de Zihuatanejo.

Waking up Monday morning was fine until I moved around outside where there was no breeze and plenty of heat and humidity. I was all nice and comfy in bed with the window open and a fan on. But after returning from an easy morning walk to the bakery I was soaked. But my cold strawberry licuado along with some delicious pan dulce made everything all right again. And Monday morning turned out mighty fine!

There's a small chance of rain for this Monday evening and a good chance of rain for both Tuesday and Wednesday. We need it!

Tides have been extreme lately, worsening the effects of the mar de fondo, but the tides will be diminishing in the coming days until barely being noticeable by this Saturday, after which they'll start to increase again. Waves are expected to increase in size this Wednesday, peaking out this Thursday. And surfing conditions look good through Saturday.

Tourism is pretty much nil right now. Lots of businesses didn't even bother to open today. Las Gatas was quiet. This is the time of year when hotels, restaurants and shops lay off workers. It's also a time when we typically see an increase in crime, more people fishing for their meal, and even some people eating from garbage cans. It's a rough season for many people here. We look after each other as best we can, but so many new people show up each year looking for work that doesn't exist. So the elderly person makes ends meet by selling aluminum cans or recyclable plastic they find in the trash all of a sudden has competition they didn't have before. It's heartbreaking, but that's what happens when a local economy becomes 100% dependent upon tourism instead of diversifying and providing alternative opportunities for employment.

Penthouse Suite 612 is a 2-bedroom beachfront condominium for sale on Playa El Palmar in Ixtapa at the Tesoro Ixtapa Hotel & Condos. Near shopping centers, golf courses, banks, and restaurants. The condo comes fully furnished. Owners and their guests have access to the resort hotel's facilities including pool, beach, bars, and restaurants. (click to enlarge image)
Real Estate Properties and Services in Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa and Troncones

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La playa Principal vacía de turistas, y la vista de nuestro hermoso árbol de amate sin obstrucción por parte de las tontas decoraciones que suele poner el gobierno municipal. Aún dejan demasiadas luces colgadas en el árbol y Plaza del Artista.

Does anyone know the location of the webcam?

The buildings in the distance remind me of rooflines at the north end of Playa Manzanillo, but text at the bottom says Playa Troncones and the sand doesn’t look like Playa Manzanillo sand.

Yes, you're right. I just double-checked. It's Playa Manzanillo. It's on the website for a lodging I'm familiar with for their spamming on certain Facebook pages. I wonder why they would mislead potential guests?

I've updated my BEACHES page to reflect the correct beach. I had an odd feeling about that webcam, but I hadn't done my due diligence to pin down the location. Gracias por tu observación.

The buildings in the distance remind me of rooflines at the north end of Playa Manzanillo, but text at the bottom says Playa Troncones and the sand doesn’t look like Playa Manzanillo sand.

This Sunday is a day of some of my favorite sports. F1 Gran Premio D'Italia, IndyCar racing at Laguna Seca, SailGP in Valencia, and the Concacaf League's Cup Final this evening. Yeah!

The waves calmed down this Sunday, and it was another absolutely picture-postcard-perfect day in paradise. Some visitors showed up, but the beaches and their restaurants didn't look very busy. This Sunday evening there were a few people at La Cancha and along the waterfront, but they looked like mostly locals. There was some decent music for Domingos Culturales, but the sound was too loud so we didn't hang around. I've been to Rolling Stones concerts that weren't this loud. I feel sorry for the little children subjected to such ear-splitting volumes.

There's a chance of rain tonight and tomorrow. We haven't been getting much, and we sure could use it.

The water temperature is still around 31°C. Bathtub warm. But fishermen are still enjoying decent catches, though I haven't seen much tuna recently.

Surfing remains decent with waves from a meter to a meter and a half throughout this coming week. Saw some surfers a few days ago at Las Gatas, and some beginners were practicing at La Madera this past week. Now's a good time to hit the favorite local spots.

Every day I thank my lucky stars to be right here where I am. Whatever problems we may have locally seem to pale in comparison to anywhere else. According to popular search engines, I'm still the luckiest Gringo in México.

If you enjoy spectacular views and balmy breezes, you'll LOVE La Casa Roja on Cerro El Almacén with two comfortable suites. The upstairs has 2 bedrooms with a king-size and twin beds, full kitchen, private bath, and 2 terraces. The lower level also has 2 bedrooms with a king-size and twin beds, full kitchen, 2 baths, and a terrace. A peaceful place within easy walking distance of downtown and nearby restaurants. (click to enlarge image)
Zihuatanejo Vacation Rentals

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Las olas rompen sobre el Paseo del Pescador en Playa La Madera durante el amanecer en Zihuatanejo.

Checked the UNAM website and eventually it showed.

Saturday morning was quite comfortable under a bright and sunny sky. The sun is noticeably moving towards the south on the horizon as the end of summer nears, and it will soon be shining into southern-facing windows instead of northern-facing ones. We had some sprinkles late this afternoon, and rain is currently falling, though probably not for long, according to the satellite map.

Did anyone feel the temblor around noon this Saturday? A 4.2 just off our coast. It was a rather quick jolt. Though I shouted ¡TEMBLOR! and ran outside, apparently no one else in our home felt it. If you felt it, what was your reaction?

The current mar de fondo along with some extreme high tides has caused some of our beaches to be quite narrow, if even usable. Waves were crashing over parts of the walkway at Playa La Madera yesterday and today.

According to a local chismoso "news" source, we may soon be getting an UBER-like taxi service in Zihuatanejo called PRONTO. It's probably just chisme, but it's certainly a service that would go over well here, especially with the recent taxi rate hikes. However, I have no doubt that local taxi unions, especially UTAAZ since they have a history of it, would resort to violence to try to stop any encroachment on "their turf" by any app-based taxi services. It's long been a popular discussion among locals.

This Sunday evening at 8:15 PM local time, Toluca and Monterrey face off in the Concacaf League's Cup Final. The first time two Mexican teams have dominated the series, if I'm not mistaken. So expect locals to be tuned in and hopefully lots of joyful shouts of ¡GOOOOOOL!

For a peaceful and stress-free vacation getaway take a look at Casa Delfín Sonriente. A spacious and verdant 6-bedroom private beachfront villa with a pool on Playa Troncones that can be rented in its entirety or as individual suites and bungalows by the day or by the week. There's an outdoor BBQ area and areas for various outdoor activities. Any closer to paradise would be hard to get. (click to enlarge image)
Luxury Vacation Rentals in Troncones

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Una paloma sale volando mientras unos pescadores y sus familiares platican en Playa Principal durante el amanecer en la bahía de Zihuatanejo.

Hi Just wondering if there is any update or progress report at the former Hotel Palacios property?

It's being refurbished and upgraded apparently by the owner of the Kau-Kan restaurant. They're losing some of their view by converting the waterfront restaurant into two floors instead of one.

Though a large storm passed over us, it barely sprinkled overnight, and this Friday morning was bright, sunny and already quite warm, though not as bad as Thursday morning. A light sprinkle fell in the late afternoon, but again, barely enough to matter.

The mango licuado my saint of a wife made for me this morning hit the spot along with some delicious pan dulce from Panadería El Buen Gusto. Fresh locally grown coffee made it a perfect morning. This must be paradise!

The waves from the mar de fondo kept a lot of people out of the water, but from what I could tell there were hardly any people at most of our beaches. The downtown beach, Playa Principal, was much calmer than La Ropa. Yesterday I could see surfers at Las Gatas, but I didn't see any today. Las Gatas looked quite empty.

Downtown is noticeably much quieter since the summer vacation season ended. No thumping bars at night in my part of town, thank goodness. But the downtown businesses can't survive without customers, and all those delicious restaurants and cute family-owned shops are having a rough time.

Don't miss the Eco-Tianguis "Sanka" that happens every Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until 1:40 p.m. in the small plaza in front of the Vicente Guerrero school, across the street from the Museo Arqueológico de la Costa Grande in downtown Zihuatanejo by the waterfront where La Boquita canal runs into the bay. Besides wonderful handcrafts, they feature a variety of homegrown produce, fresh foods including pastries, breads and tamales, fresh coffee, juices and mezcal.
https://www.facebook.com/ecotianguissanka

Zihuatanejo Ixtapa Charters offers a wide variety of beautiful luxury yachts, party boats, and sport fishing boats large and small available for private charters and personalized tours. Experienced and friendly captains and crews offering unforgettable adventures and experiences including dolphin and whale watching, sport fishing, snorkeling, sunsets, special events, weddings, and parties at sea. (click to enlarge image)
Activities, Charters and Tours in Zihuatanejo-Ixtapa

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El andador de La Boquita cerca de Plaza Kioto durante el amanecer en Zihuatanejo.

Good morning! Any idea what's up with YouTube? None of the webcams work (here and on YouTube).

Thanks!

All fixed! Thanks for the heads up!
https://www.zihuatanejo.net/beaches.html

Thanks!

Another warm and humid night quickly became a hot and humid morning. Cloud cover helped a little, but not much, and after taking a stroll this morning we both returned soaking with perspiration. Though my dear grandmother, a sweet Southern Belle, always said, "Horses sweat, men perspire, and women glow." So I guess Lupita was glowing quite brightly.

The clouds kept getting denser and darker, and by siesta time it was quite dark out and it started to sprinkle. Of course there were a couple of small groups of tourists on the beach. A small family sheltering under their umbrella, and a couple sheltering under a palm tree. They weren't going to let a little rain ruin their day. Good attitude, because the rain helped bring the heat down and made the afternoon more comfortable.

The municipal government FINALLY removed the very odd decorations for summer vacation they'd placed in Plaza del Artista today. Over a week after they'd removed them from everywhere else, but they never seem to remove all the lights and junk they hang in our poor abused amate tree. They've begun to put decorations at the Cancha Municipal for Mes de la Patria, which mostly culminates in the Grito de la Independencia on the night of Sept. 15 and the parade the following morning. All of Mexico proudly turns green, white and red at this time of year. ¡Viva México!

Hotel Quinta Camelinas is one of Zihuatanejo's hidden gems. A truly lovely and extremely comfortable colonial-style boutique hotel with a pool offering different sized rooms and suites, perfect for couples, all with air-conditioning, cable TV and wi-fi internet access. Conveniently located in a quiet neighborhood two blocks from La Madera Beach in the Darío Galeana neighborhood near the fire department. (click to enlarge photo)
Hotels in Zihuatanejo

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La calle Juan N. Álvarez en el centro de Zihuatanejo luce vacío durante un amanecer nublado.

Thunderstorms once again teased us Tuesday night as they passed by our coast outside Zihuatanejo's bay. But no rain fell in the downtown region. ¡Seguimos sala'o!

Overnight temperatures were mild enough to sleep with the windows open listening to the sound of the surf in the bay. My favorite sound to sleep by. Towards dawn it got so cool I had to pull the sheets up over me, though the official low temperature was only 26°C.

The sun was out this morning as we walked to one of our favorite nearby bakeries for some morning treats to go with our licuados de platano. Along with some fresh locally grown coffee, it made for a perfect morning in our home.

So it looks like the mayor has given control of the now destroyed pier and its facilities to the branch of the Secretaría de la Marina that administers Acapulco's pier and bay. Goodbye to more of Zihuatanejo's character and culture, and hello to a lot more cement along the waterfront. This is a huge loss for the community, but I suspect it's a big win for a certain cement company. Her administration's ineptitude to attract cruise ships is one thing, but giving away control of our bay and port facilities is another entirely. The great majority of comments I've seen on the subject by locals express feelings similar to mine: incredulous, disgusted, betrayed.

The Hotel Thompson has a new owner: Grupo Hotelero Santa Fe. I've lost count of how many times it's changed hands since Helmut sold the Villa del Sol, which is what most older locals will always call it. I can't wait to see if they give it another silly name.

The two turtles that had been stuck together copulating for the past week were found dead at Playa La Madera this morning. Apparently a shark or something ate their legs and tails, I suspect after they were already dead. I reported them to the authorities, who had to have already known about them since they made the news and everyone, including local lancheros, saw them day after day, but no one helped them. A damn shame.

Location is everything, and located front and center on El Palmar Beach in Ixtapa with all the amenities of a resort hotel you'll find Tesoro Ixtapa Condos. One- and 2BR furnished vacation rental condos with use of pool, restaurants and beach services. One on the 2nd floor, the other on the 6th. Spectacular views! (click to enlarge image)
Ixtapa Vacation Rentals

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Un amanecer nublado en el área de los pescadores en Playa Principal de Zihuatanejo.