My 70th Birthday

Birthdays come and go but one birthday I will always remember is my 70th which occurred six years ago. My daughter took me to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo to celebrate my birthday. Upon our arrival in Ixtapa, after clearing customs, there was a lot of hustle and bustle as we waited for a taxi to take us to the hotel. The median had green shrubs trimmed like animals and when we arrived at Las Brisas Hotel I saw it was a huge hotel built like a pyramid. We checked in and were escorted to our room by a bell boy. In the room, my daughter noticed some trousers on the bed and I could see an indentation of someone's rear end in the fluffy bedspread. The attendant apologized and had us wait in the hall while he went to see about another room. When he returned he took us to Room 1530 with its two Queen size beds and a large veranda. The veranda had a hammock, two chairs, potted plants, a table and the view of the sky and ocean that
was spectacular. I liked the wooden shutters instead of drapes which gave it a more tropical look.

We decided to tour the hotel with its over 400 rooms. I found it odd that  the reception area is on the 18th floor though it seems to be the first floor. To get to the ground floor we had to take a tiny elevator. The place seemed deserted, as if we were the only ones in the hotel.

On returning to the room, we found two slices of chocolate cake, a greeting of Happy Birthday, Erlinda and daintily cut fruit. I was surprised that the hotel knew it was my birthday and gave my daughter a big hug and a kiss.  When we ate the cake we sang to both of us because her birthday is on June 18. We walked to town, about a mile away, to buy some snacks and fruit. It is like being in a jungle because we could hear different birds making weird calls, a fluttering of leaves and the sound of branches breaking. We returned to the hotel in a cab.

When my daughter came out of the bathroom, she said, "There is a giant cucaracha (cockroach) in there and I am going to chase it out." The bug scooted into the closet with my daughter in fast pursuit. The hunt took a few minutes but she was able to get it on its back. It looked pathetic with its little legs frantically wiggling as it tried to turn itself over. Using her foot, the cucaracha was sent flying into the hall. We hoped we would never see the one inch bug again! The two things we were prepared to see were bats and lizards because the literature in the room mentioned they help keep the mosquito population down.

The next day we found three swimming pools. The area reminded us of a jungle with trees, cactus, palms and

flowering bushes. From the pools we could hear the pounding of the waves on the beach.  The beach is small, but secluded, with the hotel residents resting in wooden lawn chairs. We did not go into the ocean because the taxi driver and the life guard mentioned that there were sharks in the water!


When the life guard blew his whistle and called a family in from where they were battling the waves, I thought it was because of the undertow or he had seen sharks but instead he wanted them to see the new turtles that had hatched.
The tiny black turtles were put into a bucket and we were told that they would be turned loose the next day. I felt sad that many of the turtles would not make it and that they were all orphans, without mother or father, but would struggle on their own. The cockroach we had seen the day before was bigger than the tiny turtles. The following day we watched the little turtles make their way into the rough ocean. Who knows how many will be alive in a year!

At Playa Larga, a deserted beach, we were dropped off by the cab driver. One family, in the distance, swam in the rough ocean.  A lone dog sat on the warm sand and watched the swimmers.  The white plastic tables and chairs under palapas were all empty.  Dark blue tablecloths covered some of the tables and whipped around in the breeze. The thatched roofs looked dry.  A lone vendor walked the length of the long beach but there weren't any people to buy her wares. She tried us but when we told her we were not interested she wandered away.

We took a tour with Carlos and he took us  to Zihuantenejo, a quaint  town. We visited a coconut plantation and the tools used seemed very primitive, saw a jerky factory  with strips of meat drying on the ground, and saw how adobe bricks were made. In another small town, Petatlan, we learned of the miraculous Christ. The story is that the son of a wealthy man was flying and had plane problems. When he called his father for help the father told him to pray and he would also prayed to the Christ of Petatlan. He promised if his son would live he would refurbish the small church. The son lived and the church was refurbished with a marble floor, wooden decorations, and stained glass windows. We returned to Playa Larga for delicious fish soaked in garlic.

Back at the hotel we heard the news that Tim Russert had died at 58 years old. The next day we prepared for our return trip to California.  What a wonderful birthday present in a beautiful and interesting location. Adios Ixtapa and my 70th birthday will be one that will never be forgotten!

 
When I returned from Mexico and California, my son had another party waiting for me to help me into my seventies! Yes, this birthday was extra special and one that will not be forgotten!