Reward for return of stolen chihuahua

Yesterday at 12:30 pm, someone took Darlene's tiny white applehead chihuahua from Luna y Coyote Bar in Barra. Darlene is offering a reward of $2000 pesos for her return. Her name is Lunabella and she is very friendly.
Call 315 109 3235.

Pro Animal Melaque. School Outreach

MORE SCHOOL OUTREACH

We were invited to present our program to Maestro Domingo's class at the Primaria Federal Virginia Torres in San Patricio. Twenty-eight eager third graders engaged in a discussion of proper pet care, and as usual their favorite part of the presentation was hands-on time with the animals. Thanks to Maribel, Christine, Debra and Mary for their involvement in this outreach, and a big gracias to Kiti, Gasparín, and Cinco for their patience while entertaining the kids! We are still looking for volunteers to help with the school outreach program so that we can reach more students each semester.

Festival del mar San Patricio Melaque 2014

Festival del Mar del 10 al 14 de Diciembre del 2014

Very healthy chile crop this year

Chili fields in Pinal Villa

Corn planted in the rows

Huge field

I remarked about the corn planted along with the chilies .... and Hugo said they use them as posts. When the chilies get taller and full of fruit they need to be supported with twine. A couple of posts at the end of the row and tied to the corn for the rest of the way. They might even get some corn out of the deal.

Cisco's Amigos - Barra Clinic - Dec 3

Cisco's Amigos will be holding it's first Barra de Navidad free spay and neuter clinic starting December 3rd. and running until December 7th. This will be our 23rd clinic in the area. The clinic will be held at the Campo de Futbol as you drive into Barra.

If anyone would like to help out please send an e-mail to ciscosamigos@hotmail.com or call @ 351-5164 if you have questions.

Volunteering a small amount of time is a wonderful way of not only helping the animals, but it's a way of giving back to our Mexican neighbors.

Cisco's is dedicated to providing the much needed sterilization services to the dogs and cats of the communities of the Costalegre. During our clinics we provide experienced help for overseeing the recovery of the animals after their surgeries and we provide medicines for parasites, fleas, ticks and provide help for any other medical problems the animals might have- all without charge.

Cuastecomate Dump Closed

Did you even know there was one? Well it's closed

Closed landfill in Cuastecomates

In an act in favor of ecology and tourism image, the municipal government of Cihuatlán closed landfill located on the road to Cuastecomate.

Mayor Jesús Huerta Aguilar says that the municipal government is acting against environmental pollution, urging people to avoid the proliferation of illegal dumping.

He said they have acquired more garbage trucks to improve garbage collection service in all cihuatlenses communities. (27 November 2014)

Melaque's water pump broken

The broken pump is just letting water dump into the yard and road

Like most towns in Mexico water reservoirs are built on a nearby hill to create gravity pressure. Usually the water source is much lower than the reservoir so it has to be pumped up. The problem today is the pump is broken and they are letting the water run out in the road. In the past rather than having two pumps they can switch the pump has to be repaired.  We'll see this time if Melaque runs out of water and for how long.

Festival del Mar - November 26 - 30, 2014

Get ready for another week of Festival del Mar starting the 26th of November.  It should include a number of sporting events like volleyball, swimming, skim board and soccer. Also a sand castle competition and other artistic events around town.  Sadly this year's schedule is neither on the Festival del Mar web site or their Facebook page. Someone on Tomzap may run into more info.

Festival del Mar - Melaque 2014

Clean Melaque tomorrow

Central Melaque clean up Saturday, November 8th - 8AM

Groups usually meet at the north end of the plaza

near the city offices and Immigration

Annual Melaque Plaza Dia de los Muertos

These should be available to view most of Thursday as they build them. All day Friday and into the evening as well. Most spectacular in the evening when when all the candles are lit. Years past the High School has done this and I think a Secondaria. This year it looks like CECYTEJ (technical school in Jaluco) has the honors.

For people that want to see the real thing in the area Panteon ... most decorations will be placed November 2nd.  The Panteon is out Highway 80 and you are welcome to visit. At night not advised.

Emissions testing in La Huerta

The place in Cihuatlan is closed and some have been going to Autlan which is a heck of a drive for a 15-20 minute test. La Huerta is much closer and a few have used Israel who is across the highway from the central Pemex up a half block or so. I'm sure asking locally would be productive.  Just heard that the cost is $450 pesos and Monday is Market (Tianguis) Day in La Huerta.

Beautiful Dog Needs Home

This heeler-mix is being cared for in La Manzanilla and we've been asked to help find him a permanent home. Contact Karen at 315 109 7527.

New bridge and old school

The west end bridge that crosses the canal is finally finished. Two guys are working on expansion joints and that will be it except for painting a line down the middle.

They paved out to the highway and redid the on ramp towards Melaque.  Right now they are putting up a new metal guardrail where the guys are working.

And finally the old Secondaria on the highway. The picture is from a few days ago but now all but one building is a pile of rubble.  Destined to be a new soccer and sports field.

Bridge

On Ramp

Old Secondaria

Even a bridge can be a major event

Massive production for the new bridge in Melaque. 

Turn speakers down

West end bridge over the canal.  Took them a few months

Free Animal Sterilization - October

Make appointments early

Pro  Animal Melaque 

Thanks to everyone who donated towards our October spay & neuter campaign, we have met our goal of 15,000 pesos. We are now making appointments for those who would like to sterilize their pets. Please help get the word out. If anyone wishes to help by putting up flyers, we can arrange to get them to you.

Villa Obregon WiFi Zone

I'd heard a few weeks ago that the Villa Obregon plaza was a WiFi Zone but someone just posted this picture of the sign on the Delegación of Villa Obregón office.  Just means I don't know if the signal will reach the plaza.

Big surf from Hurricane Marie

Didn't catch the biggest but these are much bigger than normal. I saw one set just as we walked up that was starting to break half way out in the bay.   Actually saw someone surfing in Barra for the first time in a long time.

Too far out for skim boarding

Down a ways a few try now and then

Baptize a puddle near you

Baptized as Laguna Los Pericos

"Baptism" of pools in San Patricio-Melaque

It seems a joke to baptize a puddle as "Laguna Los Pericos" but in the delegation of San Patricio Melaque-some residents are tired of flooding in their homes and commercial establishments.

Juárez street, an area with puddles is already known as a lagoon, but the worst is the latent risk that storm storm hundreds of families who suffer the authorities require a permanent solution to the flooding problem.

The previous weekend, the municipal government of Cihuatlán allocated resources to repair and maintain three pumps operating in the stream connecting carcamo El Pedregal, however flooding is still present on the main avenues of this delegation. (August 22, 2014)

From -  canal235.com

Inexpensive Consultorio

I used one of these in Mazatlan on my first trip south while I recovered in a cheap motel for a week. The one there was a Farmacia Similares where the doctor had a small office off to the side of "his" farmacy. His consulting fee is only 25-40 pesos and then you go next door and spend 80-100+ in the pharmacy. 

Lorena went to this one on Ramon Corona the other day and was told she needed a blood analysis. We checked with the laboratory near Dentista Woo and the cost was $350 pesos. With her Seguro Popular ID she goes next door to Centro de Salud and is referred to a free laboratory near the "Happy Cow" on Benito Juarez. Today she'll pick up the lab results and go back to the doctor above.  I assume he will prescribe something from his pharmacy.

Waterpark and Picnic Sunday

The kids have been dying to go to the water park all summer vacation but we've been using my pool or going to the beach.  Finally someone suggested last Sunday, the day before school starts. We threw a bunch of sandwich stuff together and a cooler with Coke and beer and off we went.  Arriving later than usual there were no areas open near the kids pool so we setup by the deep pools and water slides.  Turned out to be a nice spot except we got bombed on occasion by falling mangoes. 

Under the mango

Deep pools

The picnic

Lots of umbrellas

We haven't been to the beach in awhile and needed to kill some time before an appointment.Our usual destination is Sirenitas on the west end. Seems like there are quite a few people in town but there weren't many on the beach. Umbrellas were ready for them but they were somewhere else. Noticed for the first time the plaque patting the government on the back for paving the streets in that area. Nice improvement.

Not many people on an overcast day

Plaque across from Sirenitas

Maria with the worst feet

Maria has a very bad condition on her feet and lower legs.  She has been to every doctor in town including Dr. Rosa whom she likes and has received free treatment from her. Dr. Rosa is in Canada for the summer. We found a specialist in Tecoman, Colima that treated her and gave her a list of medicine but it is not cheap and Seguro Popular only has/issues the most common medicines.

Maria's condition is open sores deep enough for tendons to show.  I have no idea if her problem has a name but I know it is painful and difficult to stand let alone walk.  Family dresses her bandages 3 times a day but can't afford the medicine. Maria does receive the old folks pension of $1000 pesos every two months but that is about the equivalent of $40 dollars a month. 

The list was estimated to last  month and the list says:

Daflon - $345.60

Tafirol - $150.00

Evocs  - $384.25

Rifocina Spray - $200.00

Total = $1080 pesos .... or about $82 dollars

Maria with her medicine list

86 year old Maria in her chair

If you have a little to donate via PayPal

Pets for Adoption - Melaque Plaza

On Friday we will be in the Melaque Jardín around 7:30PM with some kittens and a pup that are looking for new homes. All these pets have been neutered.

Pro Animal Melaque

Melaque new Secondaria

This week is sign up for first year kids at the new Secondaria so we took Yari and we got our first good look. Very nice and definitely will be ready for the coming school year. Two large 2 story buildings and 4-5 smaller single story. I thought the overall property was much smaller but there is a full sized basketball court, a large tree lined drainage canal that looks like a stream, a huge open space in the direction of the highway for a soccer field and a very large "parade ground" for the 'marchando' they like to do. There is also a ramp for wheelchairs or disabled on the Melaque entrance.

Looking down from the largest building

Future campo de futbol

Stairs

Parade ground

Stand Up Paddle Board Melaque 2014

Sign up for the Event(s) 6 PM Thursday at Hotel Monterrey

Friday - July 25th
10 AM "Fun" Paddle
11:30 AM "Elite Pro"

Saturday - July 26th
10 AM Distance Paddle

Saturday in the afternoon, Beach volley Ball Competition at Hotel Monterrey

Saturday evening concludes the events with a party at Albatros with Surfosonso band from Colima

Spay and Neuter clinic next weekend in Jaluco

We are pleased to announce a 2-day spay & neuter clinic scheduled for July 26 & 27. This time we decided to reach out to Jaluco, and we have received a warm welcome. We will set up in the Municipal Agent's Office, which is just off the highway, next to the Jardin & taxis. No mobile surgical center this time, so the medico will be working inside the office. Please help get the word out and do all you can to assist your friends and neighbors in getting their animals attended. We hope to sterilize 50 animals over the weekend. Our printed publicity should be ready soon, and we will get posters & flyers out at that time. We are taking appointments but drop-ins are also welcome. 

It is important for the animals to be fasting for 12 hours prior to the surgery.

Palapa fire - Bigotes?

I think I got these some time ago on Canal 10 Melaque on Facebook .... but I really don't remember. What I do know is they were scanned from non digital originals. They even had little circular corners like a postcard might. So the fire is only rumored to be Bigotes burning .... I sure can't tell.  It could be anywhere.

The only think that tells me when these were taken is ... it's before the current andador / malecon at streets end.  I don't know or remember when it was built.

Taken in front of trailer park?

Bigotes?

Beach looking east

Beach looking west

Worse than it looks from here

I know we got wet here in Melaque the last few days. Just try driving around and you'll see right away. What I didn't realize was "the river" overflowed and isolated 2 communities along with flooding banana plantations. All the huge river containment work done since Jova has been upstream and alongside Cihuatlan but further along the river banks are normal. 

El Rebalse on the Jalisco side and El Centinela on the Colima side are two small communities way down stream from Cihuatlan and basically unprotected. It's not like this doesn't happen a few times a year but it's usually when a large storm comes up the coast.   Both of these are very small communities of maybe 20-30 homes and I'm not sure Centinela even has a town square

El Centinela road

El Rebalse road

Probably near El Rebalse

Rio Marabasco

Melaque's White Elephant

After spending many thousands of pesos for the San Patricio sports complex a few years ago it is hardly used and upkeep is being neglected. Maintenance under the direction of General Services Sports Cihuatlán Township was not properly considered and no budget allocated.

A few weeks ago the creation of a steering committee was announced, but the responsibility for funding and maintaining these public spaces in good condition is up to the authorities.

Blog post from March 2012 on the new complex

March 2102

Article from Canal235.com

The end of an Era

Ava's Bar and Restaurant has lasted longer than any other place that caters to Gringos except maybe Roosters. Ava's was here when I moved down in 2005 but how long before that I don't know. I was a regular at Ava's for few years for music and get together's but didn't care much for their food. Roosters was here in 2003 but they have moved all over the area from Barra to Melaque with sometimes 2 or 3 restaurants at one time.

From what I heard Ava's moved out of their rented property to one a couple doors down last year. They renamed it Antiguo Bar Social which was a little too cute for my taste so I only stuck my head in once.  Nice palapa roof, rather narrow in front and gringos sitting at tables in front watching the world go by.   I have a hard time sitting down with gringos/anyone in a bar watching the world go by like something is going to happen .... unless maybe on the beach (grin).

So Jack is tired and kinda crazy lately.  He says running two bars is hard on the liver.  Liver has to effect the brain?  When asked if Bar Social would be open this summer he claims Ava's never closed.   Jack, Ava's closed every summer I've been here. Why, no gringos!!! Anyway, from a few weeks ago and being open all summer to now ..... Antiguo Bar Social is for sale we see that Jack is exhausted to say the least. Just another crazy old fart who needs to walk home and not drive ;)

Ava's a few years ago

A borrowed foto that I guess is very tasteful

Adios Ava's