It's Not Always About France

It wasn't looking good for a quick trip to France for a couple of weeks in March. Too much work at home to get away for two weeks, April was out of the question, because of the Remnants of the Past antique show, and a simultaneous visit from two dealer friends from the East Coast. So, when a friend, casually asked if I was interested in going to Ixtapa Mexico in five days, I jumped on it.
Nothing wrong with sun, great food, pristine beach, and warm tropical air in February is there?

Last Monday morning, we were jetting south. I have been to numerous areas in Mexico; Cabo (30 years ago, before it was so cool), Guadalajara, Cozumel, Oxacca, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, but never to Ixtapa. Ixtapa, is really two different destinations; Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa. Ixtapa is the newer, fancier, resort and Zihuatanejo is the older, more really village.

The group I was with was primarily interested in golf, so I had plenty of time to get into trouble on my own. I checked the internet for cooking classes. What a treasure I found with Monica! She didn't answer my emails, she shyly explained, because it is difficult for her to write in English. Her English was up to the job of explaining all the nuances of one of the specialties of the region, chili rellanos. We charred, peeled, stuffed, rolled in flour, and then beaten eggs and fried. This was all under the watchful eye of an enormous iguana. Monica said he was more of a pet and lived in the tree with a couple of smaller females.

Just to add to the atmosphere, the authorities came through the neighborhood and announced the possibility of a tsunami between 2 and 5 pm, the result of that monster earthquake in Chile. I am going to post a video of Monica on UTube later tonight.