During the time I've lived in Zihua, I've gone stretches of up to 4 months without venturing beyond city limits to Ixtapa. Everything I need - las playas, el mercado, sufficient quantities of vino - are all here so why bother? I don't drive (and try to only take taxis when transporting dairy products home from the grocery) so my forays to Ixtapa are usually limited to tagging along with friends and the occasional paraffin pedicure at Lavender & Roses. In these last few weeks, I've found myself over in Ixtapa on an almost daily basis between a slew of doctor's appointments and 7 trips to Telcel on a quest to switch my prepaid cellphone to a contract with data access (success was had!). I suppose because my trips to Ixtapa have always been at the mercy of friends or bus drivers, I've always thought that going to Ixtapa was a long haul. But really, it's not such a big trek. How do I know for sure? Because I've literally "trekked it" 9 times now. Nine times.

The first time I walked between Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo, it was quite by accident. Those readers who know me personally don't need any further explanation. Things like that happen to me on a regular basis - I met my partner through a misdialed phone number, I came to Zihua for 2 weeks and am still here over three years later, I once even accidentally gave a man the Heimlich Maneuver by rushing into a restaurant and colliding with him as he stood up to try to get help. So yes, walking well over 8 kilometers by accident is something I would do. I had dillydallied one afternoon on the way to Ixtapa to first apply for my new Telcel account. I wasn't watching the clock - and the late summer sunsets were throwing me off - so I arrived 30 minutes after the office closed. I didn't feel like hopping right back on a bus so I went to Lilian's Coffee Shop on the main drag and bought a triple espresso. I started walking while I sipped my coffee drink and figured I would hop on a bus once I finished. By the time my cup was drained, I had a good pace going on as I walked the paved sidewalks and so I decided to continue on "just a little further". Walking through downtown Zihua is often a lesson in patience, balance, and quick moving as I navigate around meandering tourists, sidestep potholes and broken up cobblestone, and try to avoid oncoming traffic when forced into the street by a mass of people (or a lack of sidewalk). It was such a treat to amble along the smooth sidewalk in solitude, only interrupted by the occasional bus slowing to see if I wanted a ride.

When I reached the stretch of green grass (such a rarity in ZIhuatanejo) that sits at the convergence of Paseo de Pelicanos and Ixtapa Boulevard, I couldn't resist but sit down for a few minutes... and then I couldn't resist taking off my shoes to enjoy the feeling of soft grass tickling my feet.

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