Zihuatanejo Mexico and the inconveniences of working on the road

Some days, working from the road has its downsides. After being without internet the previous night in ­­­the surf-haven of Nexpa we arrived in the bustling town of Zihuatanejo (just down the road from the beach resort town of Ixtapa). Besides Zihuatanejo being a happening Mexican town—let’s face it—it has an awesome name that you just want to repeat over and over until you can actually say it correctly.

ZEE-WHA-TAH-NEY-HOE !

 We arrived when the sun had not yet gone down, and the streets were full of shoppers. Their downtown area has storefronts with matching signage and overhangs—reminding us of US locales like Park City or even Skagway, Alaska. You certainly don’t find towns in Mexico that go through so much trouble to create an atmosphere like this very often!

We found an affordable hotel, Zihuatanejo Dorado Hotel & Suites, which was just down the street from the busiest shopping street. We tried to hook up to the internet, but found it difficult to get the internet from our room, or even the pool area. When I finally did get connected, I found frantic messages from some of our wholesale clients who were having a bit of a freak-out moment and needing some reassuring. I finally ended up asking the front desk if I could hide in their storage closet for half an hour while I Skyped the clients and the suppliers to calm everyone’s fears and bring everything to satisfying conclusion.

Problem was—when I finally logged off—the sun had gone down, and suddenly it had gone from 7pm to 9pm. Boo hoo!  We set off on the hunt for food, since we were all famished from our day at the beach!  Unfortunately, we found most of the businesses were now closed, and we had missed our opportunity to see the bustling downtown. It was such a disappointment.

This is the price we pay to work remotely and see the world. Sometimes we give up wonderful opportunities to experience something because work calls, and the call must be answered. At the same time, I realize how ridiculous it is that I can complain that I have to give up a few hours there, when there’s something else I really want to do. We don’t have a desk job from 9-5, and we have been granted so many more opportunities than most people. How can we really complain?

Off we walked…down the streets, until we found a few roadside corn stands open, as well as an open-air bakery.

Finally, we settled on a simple restaurant that served (wouldn’t you guess it?)—huevos divorciados.  I saw platanos fritos on the menu, and wondered what exactly fried bananas could look like. We ordered it on a whim, and for dessert were served horizontally sliced bananas that had been fried and covered in sweet and condensed milk.  Sounds gross to you?  Well, let me tell you—it was heaven. Forget the chocolate cake—give me some fried bananas!

When we awoke in the morning, we tried to make up for last night by taking advantage of some early-opening shops throughout town. We found a massive shoe store that sold imported shoes from around the world—and Ethan got a pair of much-needed sandals.

A bundle of hammocks being sold on the streets…

We also found some indoor markets and acquired some sarongs that would become our new towels/blankets for the rest of our trip and worldwide travels. Sarongs are some of the best traveling accessories ever (more on that later)!

Anyhow, Zijuatanejo has a really cool feel to it, and I would be interested in going back just to spend a bit more time there. It’s close proximity to Ixtapa also makes it a great, more affordable place to stay while enjoying the pristine beaches in Ixtapa (although I hear Zihuatanejo also has some great beaches within walking distance from town)! You must go there!