Melaque Sunset from the Penthouse

Diane is down from New York for almost a month and she landed the penthouse of Hotel San Felipe over the holidays for a resonable price. She invited Ron, Dora and I over for drinks the other night. This is the view at about 7pm.

Video of a Melaque Sunset from the Penthouse

A good Christmas crowd on the beach

Not as busy as Semana Santa but still a good crowd. Beach conditions are good even tho many had concerns after hurricane Jova. Barra may be suffering because of the loss of so much beach but Melaque is doing fine. The streets are lined with busses and cars like a tourist beach town should be.

Comida Japonesa Kyoto Melaque

This is my favorite Japanese restaurant in Melaque. Not so much for the quality of the food but because of the different menu, location and they are open till 8 or 9 in the evening. The cook here learned his skills at the restaurant on the highway and thought longer hours and a different menu would work. The restaurant on the highway closes early in the afternoon and you are on the highway.

Comida Japonesa Kyoto is open for dinner and is located just off the east end of the market almost two blocks off the beach from Don Bigotes. When I don't feel like a full meal I order their half orders for nearly half the price. You can get a beer in the Deposito next door.

IPhone foto of Kyoto

Two tropical storms headed our way

Two tropical storms that were well out to sea are being forced to turn NE towards the coast of Mexico due to weather currents along the US border. A very unusual situation over my last 6 years here. Jova is closer but Irwin is a little bigger. Reports say if they don't take strength from each other we may have a level 2 hurricane landfall by early next week

Hotel Melaque in 1970

Not the most definitive pictures of the old hotel but there are so few. These were taken by Bill Bartlett in 1970 when it was fairly new (when was it built?). I've seen in the past fotos of the hotel in various beach bars but the pictures were brown and weather worn.

A number of years ago a woman offered me fotos of the interior ... the lobby, 'grand staircase' and the restaurant. She only had the physical paper fotos and was going to send them to me to scan ... but she never sent them.

If you didn't know this hotel was destroyed in the 1995 quake due to two large water tanks above the third floor not being supported properly

Hotel and Melaque from what is now the Malecon

From the beach in front of Hotel Melaque

Alvaro Obregon construction

Alvaro Obregon construction is going to be a long project. They plan on a divided street with sidewalks, cement pavers and a planted island in the middle. Alvaro Obregon is the obvious divider between Villa Obregon and Melaque/San Patricio ... tho not the legal one. It runs from the beach to the highway and is the widest street in town.

For the last two months they have been battling rain and mud along with redoing the sewers and sewer access so progress has been slow. Traffic between the two communities has been reduced to one crossing point unless you go out to the highway.

Because Alvaro Obregon is not used much, traffic switches to other routes causing the streets to fall apart faster. Improvements here are always an uphill battle but hopefully we'll soon see less rain and a little cooler weather. That would be a good thing

A normal Alvaro Obregon in the rainy season

Construction from a distance

Emiliano Zapata is a side street

Cabo Blanco fish and volleyball tournament

A beautiful day and beach location in Melaque. The Cabo Blanco restaurant was the sponsor. Beaches were also being enjoyed by tourists getting in some last minute beach time before school starts. Commentary is in Spanish, but you'll get the idea!

Sirenitas Saturday busy

I totally forgot about Cleone's birthday party and after a day's work on the house I dropped by to see who was at Sirenitas. Not only the long table full of 30+ gringos (which you don't need to see), but almost all their tables were full.

Elke and Vern went swimming and said the water was perfect and it was. Sad to say it's a combination of working every day ... and when you live on the beach you don't use it. Last time I went in the ocean it was chilly and in a few months it will be like soup. I have been missing perfect water.

Beach tables at Sirenitas

View of the beach

Sirenita's restaurant, Melaque Jalisco, Mexico

Hurricane Dora brings good weather

She's gone now but was a level 4 hurricane just a little over 200 miles off the coast. I thought she would be big and she was but I believe mixing with the Monsoon Trough (Trof) that was lining the coast changed the characteristics somehow.

It rained Monday night, nothing Monday day ... and no rain since. I was able to get a week of cement work done on my house just after we'd had rain for a month straight. Next week looks promising as well

Melaque has rain

And this without even a storm off shore. The biggest rain of the season so far was last night and most of the morning. The pool here gained about 2 inches, streets are flooded, the canal has about 3 feet of water in it and the "river mouth" opened for the first time in a long time.

And I was hoping for 3-4 dry days so I could coat my leaking roof. Oh well, you take it as you get it here in "el tiempo de lluvia". With so little rain all last summer ... this indicates to me a very wet year.

Melaque streets

West side canal

Canal opening on the beach

Sunset looking East

Usually you look west to see the sunset but I can't look west from this house. I took this from the patio looking east in Melaque

Tropical Storm Beatirz

Beatirz should be hurricane force Monday afternoon and the warning zone is from Manzanillo to Punta Perula which means Melaque is right in the middle. Stormpluse web site tracking shows the center 35 miles offshore from Barra d Navidad. This will be the first prediction in many years aiming a storm directly at this part of the coast. We will see come Tuesday. Personally I hope we just get a good rain

East Pacific Graphical Tropical Weather Outlook

Hurricane Adrian

Hurricane Adrian turned into a level four hurricane and looks close to shore. Right now it's as close as it's going to get, about 350 miles out. So far very little effect except some unusual clouds but we're hoping for a little rain in the next day or two. Surf is large and I expect it to be for a few days.

First possible storm of the season (100%)

TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK
NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
500 PM PDT SUN JUN 5 2011

Showers and thunderstorms continue in association with a low pressure area located about 450 miles south of Acapulco Mexico. even though there has not been any recent change in the organization of the shower and thunderstorm activity, satellite images indicate that the circulation has become better defined over the past few hours. Environmental conditions appear favorable for further development, and the low will likely become a tropical depression during the next day or two. There is a high chance, 90 percent, Of this system becoming a tropical cyclone during the next 48 hours as it drifts to the northwest.

This is the Western Pacific map that will change with time.

At least for a few days we can watch this one

Escape the heat

People escaping the summer heat head for the beach in Melaque. Another busy Sunday on the west end beach.

Presa El Pedregal - barely open access

I wanted to visit for the first time. In most of the fotos I've seen it didn't look that large but it surprised me. After a few wrong turns and help from the neighbors I found the right road. The turnoff is to your right just after the agricultural stop on highway 80.

So thinking this might be at least public access or even camping or picnicking ... I find a gate (not open but unlocked) and further on a palapa with a few guys sitting around. He asks me why I passed the gate, this was his property. I said I just came up to see the dam and take a few fotos. He didn't ask for money and I didn't feel like asking what his future intentions are, palapa restaurant, camping ???

Anyway ... you can get in but don't expect to feel welcome

Turn left here

The gate and palapa in the background

The dam from below

Presa El Pedregal is a stone dam just NE of Melaque Jalisco off highway 80. It's main purpose to control flood conditions in the agricultural area in the flood plain below.

2011 Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season

For the Pacific coast, Mexico’s National Meteorological Service (Servicio Metrológico Nacional, SMN) is expecting 17 storms: 7 tropical storms, 6 moderate hurricanes (1 or 2 on the Saffir-Simpson scale), and 4 severe hurricanes (3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale). The SNM publishes regular updates on hurricane activity (in Spanish) on its webpage.

Servicio Metrológico Nacional, SMN

Compared to last year

The 2010 Pacific hurricane season was the least active Pacific hurricane season, in terms of the number of named storms and hurricanes, on record, due to a moderate La Niña, unlike the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, which was one of the most active on record. It officially started on May 15, 2010 for the eastern Pacific, and June 1, 2010 for the central Pacific, and officially ended on November 30, 2010; however, the final storm of the season dissipated on September 23, nine weeks before the official end of the season.

Politically correct Mexico - Carnaval

Everything is ready for February 24 to March 01 the opening of the traditional "Carnaval Costalegre" with a series of events ranging from arts and cultural presentations, to competitions and sporting events and dances.

The Mayor of Cihuatlán, Roberto Gallardo Ruiz, said the "feria del pescado" will be in its second season, and is already prepared, it will be on Sunday 27 February.

The "feria del pescado", an event that was first held the past year, is an initiative of the current municipal authorities Cihuatlán seeks to institutionalize the event to be held every year.

Prior to this "feria del pescado" on Saturday 26, there will be a fishing tournament, where the municipal authority as a prize awarded to first place an outboard, "we are inviting the people of the region to participate in this exciting tournament that is part of what we have for this year's Carnival, "he added.

According to the schedule of events unveiled the organizing committee of "Carnaval Costalegre 2011" which is based Barra de Navidad, referred to photographic exhibitions, cultural performances and art, an art exhibition, sporting events, a race in La Manzanilla, and the traditional competition to choose the carnival queen.

Foto and article from Correo de Manzanillo

X3M Skim Contest 2011

X3M SKIM CONTEST 2011 - Febrero 26 y 27

Meet/greet and registration is Friday night at Albatross Bar in Melaque.

Elimination rounds on Saturday with finals Sunday.

It's rumored that other riders are coming from as far as France this year and that the contest would be held near the Laguna del Tule.

Melaque Bypass

I went to Cihuatlan today to get a few things not available in Melaque ... or at least not usually available. Also with a stop along the highway to checkout a brick and tecata tile store. Tiles are for the upcoming roof work on my house and everything there is from Guadalajara. I prefer to buy locally if possible.

The new Melaque bypass starts just south of Aquacate and continues over to Highway 80 past the panteon and Pemex

I was out behind Jaluco a few months ago checking out the brick makers but the one group I talked to said no tiles. Lately I've heard others in the area make tiles so thought I would try the new highway rather than use the bad road out of Jaluco. Very smooth and the exit is close to where they make the bricks.

The brick/tile story is actually another post but here are a few shots along the new road. Nice shoulders and almost no traffic if you want to bike in the area. The first is of the El Almolon exit where the make they bricks.

El Almolon exit

Near a road that heads towards Pinal Villa (bad road)

Not yet completed Interchange with highway 80

Melaque west end beach

A late quite afternoon on the west end of the beach in Melaque. Last weekend there was only one boat anchored out ... and today there are 6. Also a first with the tables way out on the beach away from the restaurants. These people must have brought their own.