Zihuatanejo

 Hola todos!

It's not often that a city leaves a mark in my heart. Is just simply because I am not a city girl. But this one, indeed is a special one. 

Zihuatanejo. Just the name by itself already calls me. No wonder in Shawshank Redemption they end up in Zihuatanejo.

I have been sharing this city for nearly three months now. 

The cities make me feel lonely. There are just so many people around me and I know nobody. To some, this kind of anonimisity gives freedom. To me, it makes me feel not part of anything. Just a drop, without any ocean. 

And I did feel that in the beginning. Until I started to dive like a fish in the sea through it's concrete jungle. 

I found all my favourite spots. The bridge crossing highway with the best breeze in the city and stunning sunset views. Gheto area, as I call it, with so much life in it and reminder of my own childhood spent in the poorest neighborhoud in town. The best paletas in town, filled with so much delicious fruit. The promenade hang outs, the back streets, the shortcuts, secret quiet spots in the downtown.

I learnt to drive it's crazy streets and had so much fun in my salsa dance classes. 

I talked and talked answering friendly locals back and making them question about normalities in life, about women that choose not to have children, about fearless hitch hiking and freedom to live life on the road.

I shared beautiful times in Saturday markets selling kombuchas and kimchis, rolling summer rolls and keeping the bellies full with vegan deliciousness.

I ran and swam and did some pushups with my neighbour to keep us fit, sharing similar values in life and realising how rich we are having so much free time in our lifes.

I surfed the waves outside it with occassional turtle around and got fascinated with incredible beaches around and its wonderful creatures, flipping massive tail and spraying water out of the ocean :)

I watched numerous sunsets in it's warm and beautiful Pacific, my favourite ocean.

Zihuatanejo left a big mark in my heart. I often called it soft mexican city, as it kind of finds the sweet middle in between harsh and tough mexican cities and overcrowded foreign hippy towns. 

It's not so bad to live in the city, especially by the ocean but the nature is calling me. I am a small town girl in the end and my roots feel the best far away from the trafic.

I am heading towards Oaxaca, leaving Guerrero behind me. Another love of my life has to be visited. Oh Mexico, you are too big to be fully explored. But I love you.

Sending you some city fun,

Ligita

Mexican City Life

Hola todos!

Ohhhh Mexico.. took me over! Today while buying the fruit the woman said to me 'you look like you are in love'. And I am. 

It's been now over a month I have been indulging, exploring and discovering this beautiful land and its people.

Funny how this time coming to Mexico felt just right. If some of you remember last time I was flying to Mexico I was with my broken and sad heart. 

I have always dreamt about Latin America, always been that kind of girl admiring the fire, intensity, the colours, full on life. And this time coming here with my open heart, strong ground underneath and curiosity for tropics I was welcomed like I really belong here.

This feeling when you get out of a plane after 10 hours and the tropic heat slaps you in your face felt so good, so right. I must have been living my previous lives in hot countries because I always feel home.

There is a beauty of coming back to a country that you visited before. There is this peculiar sense of familiarity even if you are in a completely new town. The slow and steady Spanish kissed my ears again and conversation after conversation I realised how much I can understand and express myself now. 

I did come here though to have a bit of a settled place. For a month, two or more. 

I am helping my friend with amazing delicious vegan food and lots of fermented goodies. We are selling it in the markets and that gives me an inpsiration to continue somewhere else once I leave this place.

Living in a city is like a new school for me. And a kid who likes thousand things it can get a bit overwhelming, but I love it!

This soft but ohhh so mexican city fits right in my category. The beaches here are stunning, I finally get a chance to improve my surfing and spend time swimming and looking for whales an dolphins.

I finally enrolled in official driving school ( yes yes, they do have such thing in Mexico and yes yes I am crazy to do it here) and I love how quickly the guy trusts my confidence. 1 hour of theory and the next class I was already on the road with a quick one on the highway! Imagine this in Europe!

Salsa was another dream of mine and being the only foreigner in the class gives me a chance to meet more of the locals from 16 to 70 years old! I love how mexicans open their hearts and make you feel seen, loved, cared for. I love my new dancing buddies!

So Mexico is taking care of me. Providing me with right activities and right people around. I am very grateful for this period of life.

In general, I feel strong on my feet, aware, I feel like I know what I want, I am with my beautiful friends volunteeringly cooking food I believe in with an opportunity to live in a city I love, meet the culture of Mexico while sharing interesting conversations around and just instensily living my life.

This period of my life is high. I know it all changes. So I celebrate it and enjoy it fully while I have it.

If you pass by Zihuatanejo, come and see me!

Con mucho amor, mis queridas,

Ligita