Mexico 2017

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Breakfast at our hotel, then off for a day at the beach at Isla Ixtapa. Picked up the bus in Zihuat, about $1.50 total for both tickets. We went through a part of old Zihuat, then made a U-turn taking us along the highway to Ixtapa. Ixtapa was built up as a tourist destination, so it has a completely different feel from Zihuat. We drove by the well manicured lawns of exclusive hotels and golf courses.

The bus let us off at Playa Linda, the location of the pier for boats to Isla Ixtapa. Boat tickets were $2.50 round-trip to the island per person. Prices here are a little higher than in Zihuat, but still reasonable. At the front of the beach is a small lagoon where you can see crocodiles and numerous birds like egrets and roseate spoonbills.There are three beaches on the island. The boat stops at the main beach, the most crowded. Straight across over a small hill is a snorkeling beach, with numerous coral reefs. We stopped at the third beach, which was quiet and peaceful. We settled down at a table under umbrellas, ordered drinks, and took out our books. I walked the beach again looking for shells.

We saw a couple of large friendly rabbits hopping on the beach, one gray and one black. We asked our server Eney if they were pets. He said they were just wild to the island. They would stand on their back legs near the tables begging for food. Very cute and very tame. Later in the afternoon we ordered lunch, good garlic shrimp and fish, served with rice, salad, and tortillas.

We took the boat back to the pier, then caught the 4:00 bus back to Zihuat. We had seats since we got on at the start of the route by Playa Linda, but the bus was packed tightly along the way.

Later in the evening we walked through town, caught part of a basketball game in the court down by the pier. Pretty serious game, uniforms, many onlookers.

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