San Patricio Secondaria

I got about 5 not very good pictures of current school construction and decided on these two.  Basically there are two very large classroom buildings and four smaller buildings. They all have roofs, floors and 3/4's of them are painted. Windows and doors are in all but the last large one below.   Both Yari and Euriel are excited that the new school may be ready for them next Fall.

Las Primaveras on Primavera

A new restaurant this year. Another that is aimed at the winter tourist crowd and will probably go away right after Semana Santa in April. I don't know anything about it except that it's attractive and in an area with no other restaurants except those on the beach. Maybe a little upscale to attract the average beach going Mexican but who knows. As far as I know the street is Primavera but they chose Primaveras -- in West Melaque.

Cut throat advertising in Melaque

I used to think La Oficina was a pretty cool place even tho I never went there much because it was in Barra and I live on the Melaque side. Reasonable food, good musicians and a relaxed atmosphere.  I think they did well in Barra because they were right in the middle of the forever wandering street crowds that fill the central 5-6 block area.

When they moved to Melaque they entered a very expanded neighborhood where a business could easily be missed if not advertised with directions on how to get there.   Now that the season has arrived and all the other restaurants and bars are open and advertising .... La Oficina thinks it has to post ads twice a day usually with deceptive headlines or headlines that mock any complaints of their constant SPAM.   The final straw today for me was this person called JULIANA P.C. (La Oficina) jumped in a thread from another restaurant (Bistro Escondido) and posted "imitation is the ultimate flattery, thanks"

Combine that rude - belligerent - behavior with Jimmy's Ribs (AKA - jimmydidit) who will say anything to attract attention as many time a day as he's able .... and TOMZAP becomes a real desert of meaningful information.   Especially for those of us that live here and are not just down for a few weeks.   Not only are these few loud mouth gringos stepping all over other gringo businesses ... but also the local Mexican ones.

I hate to paint the whole message board as useless so if you have the stomach here it is 

TomZap - Barra de Navidad - Melaque   Good luck

A change is upon us .... well maybe

Someone else mentioned Kano's murder in a "just in passing" kind of way that I didn't understand and no answer why was forthcoming. There are enough murders, extortion's and kidnapping around here that you could keep a Blog pretty active with the news that you hear/read about. If you were connected to the Mexican community you would have even more fodder for a Blog or News Website.   The question remains why one post of this kind and not more?

My post was not only meant to mention the death of Cesar Banda Chávez, alias “Kano” who was known by many as “jefe de plaza” or boss of the plaza but was also well respected around the greater community. A member of Kano's family is the lead singer for the group Banda Macho and at one time they made a corrido called "Quatro (4) Letras" which equals KANO in this case. Kano's death was only part the reason for a recent mobilization of the military and to some extent the Federal police.

In the last week police were attacked in El Chavarin located only a few kilometers into Colima from Cihuatlan, a respected man was murdered in Aguacate for unknown reasons, 2 OXXO stores were robbed - in Melaque and the gas station in Aguacate .... and extortion calls were reported to the local municipio.

Maybe this is just another change in the weather and mostly random but I think very little in the world of humans is random.  I worry that the problems in Michoacan can bleed over to our area especially when both the Federal Government and the local vigilantes are trying to rid the State of the Caballeros Templarios who have already raised hell around here a year ago.   Meaningful news and open to real possibilities will make it more secure for all of us that live here.

All done but the sweepin' up

For those that favor the west end of Melaque for beach and or restaurants .... the streets are finally finished. Compared to much of Melaque they really weren't all that bad but they are a whole lot nicer now. Going to be more parking and a whole lot less dust. I've heard from people a few blocks away that it takes everyone on your street to pay to have it done ... but I can't imagine that happening anywhere. Maybe just a few big spenders?   Whatever the story it's nice to have some real streets.

Far west looking east

First street out to Primavera

Last street from Sirenitas

The only street that extends to the beach

Mountain Bike Raffle

Mountain Bike Raffle benefit for Pro Animal Melaque

Rifa para bicicleta de montaña un benificio a Pro Animal Melaque

Primavera Block Party - Sat, Jan 18th

Its that time of year again. We are doing the Annual Primavera Block Party. It's BYOB and bring your own snacks. This year there will be burgers and hot-dog for sale as well. We supply the live music, location and tables and the only admission is a non perishable item such as rice, beans, clothes, formula, diapers, etc. This year we are focusing on single mothers and children which can give you a better idea of what to bring. We will be doing 50/50 raffles and raffling other items in order to cover the cost of the table rentals and sound system rental. Any money extra made will buy school supplies for the kids.

If you own a business or have something you would like to donate for the raffles? please contact me a few days before in order to give me enough time to make a gift certificate.

The day after the event we will need some volunteers to re organize the items into care packages and then help distribute them. Anybody interested can just show up the next day at Posada Arianna to help.

Last year was a success we had nearly 250 ppl show up and the party was amazing, but most importantly we received so many donations it filled up the pool area at the hotel.

I hope to double it this year. So come on by and have a good time with us for a good cause.

Pro Animal Melaque Bike-a-Thon

Pro Animal Melaque Bike-a-Thon fund raiser with a 200 peso entry fee. Starts at 9am, January 19th on the Melaque plaza. I suppose you could also get a sponsor or 2 that will contribute to your "team" effort

Karla Yareli, my neighbor, with her new puppy from Pro Animal Melaque.   Puppy's name is Anita