Protección Civil and bomberos of Melaque

The Melaque Protección Civil del Estado provides emergency medical, rescue, firefighting, animal control, and disaster relief services covering a wide area from Tomatlán to Autlán de Navarro to the Manzanillo city limits. Equipment includes jet skis, a speedboat, 4-wheel drive vehicle, ambulance, 2 fire trucks, front-end loader, and dump truck. Personnel include 20 trained officials, a scuba-diving team, and a network of about 100 volunteers. (some of the info is older so they may have more or less of the equipment listed)

They are located just past the highway 80 Pemex on the same side at kilometer 1.5, Hwy 80, Melaque, Jalisco 48980

Phone numbers are
355-6375
355-6376 if other is busy
or cel 116 ... or use the number on the foto for fire

Folklorico Fiesta del Mar

I don't get out much with the house work but did quit a little early yesterday and ran into this Folklorico dance on the big stage on the plaza in Melaque. The weekend is coming and we only work half day Saturday and not on Sunday so maybe I'll get to see more of the festivities.

Another video of the indigenous school in Pinal Villa

La Escuela #3 - Overview of indigenous school, medical, housing, and music event. This school is just outside Melaque Jalisco on the Costalegre.

Motorcycle stunt riding in Melaque

I'm cheating with the photo which is from the motorcycle rally last year in Jocotepec. However there was a similar riding exhibition just off the Melaque plaza early this evening with a group of transit police from Guadalajara. This event marked the opening of the 'Festival del Mar' which starts tomorrow.

One of Elke's photos of the actual event.  Not sure they look more stable.

Comida Japonesa

Same family that runs the Japanese restaurant on the highway but are open until 7pm rather than closing around 5pm like the other store. Some have said the same menu but I don't think so. Last night had yakisoba that was great with thin noodles, not the fat ones, and lots of veggies. Can't wait to try a few other things I saw.

It's located in the Melaque central market

Fishing boats off Melaque beach

Gotta take a break sometimes. Foto from Sirenitas restaurant

Pinal Villa school for migrant kids

Nice video of the migrant school project in Pinal Villa

Children, who work all day in the fields near Melaque, Mexico, go to school for a couple of hours in the evening. They are driven to and from the school by John LaPointe. In this clip, musician Miguel visits the kids to sing and teach guitar.

Día de la Revolución en Pinal Villa

With the vacation day last Monday to make a three day weekend I forgot Saturday, the 20th, was the Día de la Revolución when they have parades. Downtown Melaque streets were being rerouted for a few hours in the morning because they have a large parade with floats, Queens of something, dignitaries in convertibles and every school class in the area.

Pinal Villa has 2 classes basically but both are Primary divided by age. No cars or floats ... just kids in school uniform. Normally I would run around looking for better views but this was just about it.

It was my maestro's (brick layer) birthday yesterday and we closed the work day with a bar-b-que (carne asada) and a few buckets of beer. Then more people showed up, bought more meat, re-lit the bar-b-que and more beer and ended up at a neighbors house who had better music. Ah the life in Mexico!

Sirenitas Saturday afternoons

Saturday afternoons from 3 to 6 there is open mike at Sirenita's beach restaurant on the west end of Melaque. The core of the group is the Red Neck Mothers but lots of other local talent have been showing up.

Primer Travesía Acuática

Primer Travesía Acuática Barra de Navidad - Melaque

With the participation of about 400 swimmers on the 2nd of October will be held the First Crossing Aquatic Barra de Navidad - Melaque. Competitors will come from the Malecon in Barra de Navidad to the front of the Restaurant La Sirenita in Melaque (west end)

False Alarm about Presa El Pedregal overflow

I've wanted to see the new dam up highway 80 called Presa El Pedregal (Stone Dam) but have not had the time or really known it's location.  With all the rain the unpaved roads have been bad and I didn't want to try.  I found this short article and fotos on an area website.

False Alarm Overflow Dam El Pedregal

Given the large amount of water that recent rains have left the coast of Jalisco, residents of San Patricio, Melaque were alarmed by the possibility that the Presa El Pedregal might overflow, thereby causing some panic.

In this situation , the Municipal Civil Protection Commander AC David Fregoso, told the media that the water levels of the Dam El Pedregal did not represent any danger to the population, since it's about 80 % capacity, which is about 1 million 300 thousand liters, Added to this, he said the dam is displacing water in a controlled and moderate manner.

La Presa El Pedregal, which recently opened in this rainstorm has gathered a considerable amount of water preventing areas in Melaque from flooding as they have previously .

Photos: David Fregoso

Costa Pródiga Article

Festival del Mar 2010

Melaque's first Festival del Mar this coming December 15th thru the 19th will be full of cultural and sporting events. Featuring folklorico, theater, music, ballet and painting.

Check it out on the web site

Beach cleanup in Melaque

After weeks of heavy rain (over 17" in August) they finally opened the lagoon for the first time this year. The lagoon was covered with lirio and resulted in more floating in the bay that I've seen previously. I've also never seen it reach the Barra lagoon the way it did this time. Lots of clean up and of course Melaque started on the calm beach (chicken beach) which is popular with tourists.

Back loader on the beach

Lots of garbage

Loading a dump truck

Enjoy the beach anyway

Bar Siboney Transvestite Show

Melaque has a 'red zone' botanero bar called Siboney that has a tranvestite burlesque type show twice a day on Wednesday and Saturdays at 5 and 7pm. I hear this is only during tourist season but I've not been enough to know. I'd be surprised if it's not open all year because it's always a mixed crown. For me the show is a once or twice a year thing but there are some that can go every week. It's fun and silly and worth a visit.

Siboney is in front of the Terraza Bar Corona which is the more wide open and open 'till all hours of the morning.

Daniella or Danielle that runs Siboney

Daniella

This video is really too long - but you get the idea

Villa Pinal Primary School

A group in the Melaque area that doesn't seem to need to broadcast it's good deeds to the Gringo community is San Patricio by the Sea, an interdenominational church located bewteen San Particio and Villa Obregon. This project particularly interested me because this school is about three blocks from the house I'm building in Pinal Villa. A link to their web site is below if you want to look further into their projects.

Villa Pinal Primary School:

The Community Support Fund task force, with church board approval, agreed to take on the 4 priorities that the 3 teachers at the school determined to be of high priority:

1. A consistent water supply. A new water pump was installed by the principal and a teacher

2. Ceiling fans for one of the classrooms. A new ceiling fan was installed

3. Paint for the existing classrooms. Paint was purchased and the actual painting was done by volunteers from the community

4. Improvements to the open, tin-roof, cardboard walled "classroom".

The task force and church board deemed the classroom unsuitable for repair and recommended replacing it with a new classroom.

Preparations, plans and permits made with the approval of educational authorities led to the building of a concrete, post and beam classroom, with a reinforced roof which will allow for a second story classroom at a future date.

Original classroom

Building the new one

Offical opening

Inside new classroom

Kids lined up for inauguration 
San Patricio by the Sea

Homage to migrants in Melaque

The article below is from the Guadalajara Reporter and I guess they know this new complex is in Pinal Villa - with many of the migrants living there or Jaluco. I was out in Pinal working on my place last week and took a few fotos. Very nicely built, three large buildings with outdoor spaces and Gilliam's work adds a nice touch

Well-known muralist Ed Gilliam is creating a new work on a building in Villa Pinal, near Melaque. The 18-meter-long piece reflects the lives of indigenous migrant workers. The complex will eventually house an educational building, a health clinic and housing for 60 to 70 people. Details of Gilliam's mural

Gilliam has traveled and studied in Europe, Asia and Mexico. He has exhibited internationally and has permanent collections in major museums in the United States. Born in Denver, Colorado, he lived in Los Angeles for 20 years. He now lives in Melaque.

Guadalajara Reporter Article



The three Buildings


Classrooms

Hurricane season starts May 15th - 2010

The Eastern Pacific Hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30

Track Eastern Pacific weather here

All the major forecasting is done by the US covering what will effect the US which means the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico. Very few Eastern Pacific hurricanes effect the western US. The best I can assume is both areas will be somewhat similar.

The 2010 hurricane season is predicted to be more active than the average for the 1950-2000 seasons. The December 2009 report estimates approximately 11-16 named storms, 6-8 hurricanes and 3-5 major hurricanes occurring during the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which is more typical of years in an active era, such as the 1995 season.

The forecast utilizes a statistical methodology derived from 58 years of past data and climate-related global and regional predictors. The effects of El Nino or La Nina also have an impact on the frequency of hurricanes. El Nino creates warmer water, and stronger winds that rip tropical depressions apart before they become tropical storms or hurricanes. La Nina creates cooler water, resulting in more hurricanes. Based on these facts, it is forecasted that El Nino conditions now in effect will weaken.

Melaque Mirador

If you haven't been up to the Mirador lately you should give it a try. The road has been widened drastically but will get rough again with the summer rains. I assume widened for the large trucks heading up to the construction going on beyond the Mirador.

Very nice views from up top and as you can see it's still green which is rare this time of year. The Mirador is also a favorite 'Lovers Lane'

Mirador Road

View of Melaque

View of "Chicken Beach"

This is from TomZap's aerial Fotos of the coast
And the new construction

Ayuda a los Niños in the news again

Ayuda a los Niños Costalegre

Ayuda los Ninos has had management problems since I can remember but because they help kids they have been pretty much untouchable and successful at hiding their problems. At least they started out mostly helping the disabled kids in Cihuatlan (CAM). With their success at fund raising they've had more money to spend on other projects and that seems to be where the trouble starts.

Bad judgement on projects, not fully consulting with communities they choose to help ... and expecting more out of these communities than they should.

The latest project is/was a school in Pinal Villa that is nearly completed but now we find it can't be used because it's in the wetlands and the waste water can't be handled legally and safely.

Right now there's an ongoing conversation on TomZap Melaque Message Board where the following pictures were posted. This reminds me of a few years ago when I was asking questions on TomZap because everyone you talked to about Ayuda los Ninos had a different story. Who wants to get involved or contribute when they won't talk to you. I was attacked by our local lunatic "Dryhouse" for trying to sabotage a good cause when all I had were questions. It sounds like the infighting this time is for real.

Last year the fund raiser was held in a public space to avoid the possible conflict of interest and money caused by holding it in a "gringo restaurant". So here we have the 'indigenous' people, probably from Villa Pinal protesting in front of Ava's restaurant where the fund raiser was held this year. With lawyers envolved I'm sure we'll hear more but if you are into helping the locals I would point my dollars towards the local Rotary Club that seems to be doing quite well with management and their projects. I just hope CAM does not suffer from this

Gringo do-gooders in trouble again

Melaque Skim 2010

One of the most fun spectator events in the area and something I always tried not to miss. Presented by X3Mex, Victoria and RedBull. Always somewhere in Villa Obregon but the last few have been held near Laguna del Tule motel of the south end of the beach.

Here's from Feburary 2009

Melaque on Google Maps

View Larger Map
With quite a few street names

TomZap 9th Annual Beach Party

The poster explains itself but still here's the notice. Feburary 10th in the early afternoon at Don Bigotes on the Playa de Melaque. From the plaza walk to the beach and Bigotes is one block west or east (towards Barra) depending on how you are oriented