Jan 31, 2008 — When we were in Manzanillo for a weekend recently, we stayed in the older part of the hotel district… outside the city itself but closer to it than most of the tourism area.
We had breakfast with our friends from Colorado, whom we had arranged to meet there:
On a walk to a nearby cafe for lunch. I was intrigued by the semi-rundown, semi-posh quality to the neighborhood. I liked the look of this apartment complex, but as it was across the street from the beachfront hotels, it was not prime real estate. There’s a “For Rent” sign on one of the balconies, and only one of the other places showed any sign of human occupation. Maybe these are getaway places for Mexicans who come more during the holidays.
Manzanillo is a major port, and there is a naval base. On a late afternoon walk, I was captivated by this street sign was in front of the naval base. There were lots of young Mexican men around, but we didn’t see any bicycle groups!
This huge ship, at least a block long and carrying literally hundreds of containers, had glided out to sea while we were in the water and couldn’t get a shot of its immense presence compared to the palm trees and buildings:
But this does show the containers piled high on piers:
Coming into the city you can see how the container cranes rise above the urban landscape. Manzanillo is an interesting combination of busy commercial port — it’s Mexico’s largest container port — and tourism attraction. We know more Mexicans who come to Manzanillo for beach trips, from where we live by Lake Chapala, than ones who go to Puerto Vallarta. It’s more economical here, it seems, and also a shorter drive, not requiring going through Guadalajara.
It’s always good to relax after a vigorous outing…
… or enjoy the sunset from our hotel room. That’s a kite, not birds, flying.
On the drive back home, we stopped at a couple of roadside stands. At the first one, we bought several green coconuts for 2.5 pesos (about 20 cents US) each. At the one below, we loaded up on melons…
… after accepting tastes of several kinds and chatting with the stand owners. They have been there 27 years and their family grows the melons nearby.
2 Comments from the old blog:
- At May 31, 2008 10:09 PM, laura misch said…
pictures are beautiful! stories are beautiful! you have even brought excess moisture to my eyes :) this site is great. i’m going to share it. thanks for such an exciting adventure through your words. i want to have my 5th wedding anniversary in mexico. you give all the information i have been looking for and more.
take care. - At June 01, 2008 7:20 AM, Rosana Hart said…
Thanks, Laura! Have a wonderful anniversary.
Posted in Manzanillo