next stop - zihuantanejo/ixtapa

the next morning we hit zihuantanejo early, we browsed through a couple of shops then hit up a taxi to take us to a quiet beach. as soon as we got to the water Z recognized a boy from kid camp (R) - i can't tell you what a blessing that was! R was well behaved, he & Z got along splendidly & his parents were nice too! it was a definite win/win, the boys played & we could relax & chit chat.

we hung out for a few hours & drank & ate, then it was time to head up to ixtapa. the boys were scheduled to go swim with the dolphins so we headed back to port for the bus ride. they didn't even want to sit with parents, they were on their own program being boys. it was cute.

ixtapa is the nice, new, trendy part of town, but we didn't have time to explore. we were taken directly to the dolphin place, where B & Z spent about an hour in the water. each kid had a few minutes of one on one with a dolphin & in the meantime other ones same around them. R's mom said she was surprised at how close they would get, almost like cats that rub themselves up against you.

before we knew it time was up & we had to get back on the bus & head back to port to make it on boat before it left without us. at each of the ports, there were armed men; i wasn't sure if they were there to protect us or not. on our drive back to the port there was a coca-cola truck next to us, the doors were open & men sat inside holding guns. it was kind of scary & our guide conveniently didn't see them & couldn't explain when we asked about them.
we made it back safely & on time though.

oh & i had absolutely the BEST margarita ever in my life here! it was so thick & creamy, i think it may have been made with real cocunut milk & a sprinkle of cinnamon on top.