Z Papaya Chronicles: Big Bang Theory and Working Away in Zihua

On Sunday afternoon I was having a nice quiet time with myself reading on the bed. I had drifted off into a light slumber when I was jolted awake by the sound of a loud bang, followed by whoops and cheers. As I looked out my window onto Calle Adelita, there was another loud bang accompanied by a flash of light and more whooping and cheering. Either someone was setting off fire crackers or shooting a gun against the stone wall across the street. Either way, I was not about to venture out and find out.Our neighbor, Mike, a seasoned Zihua ex-pat went down to check it out. Turns out a bamboo tree, swaying in the breeze was the culprit. It would hit the the power lines making two of them touch, causing them to bang and arc. This made great Sunday afternoon entertainment for some locals who seemed to get a real kick out of this. City workers were soon out to remove the bamboo that was creating the problem. This was just another reminder of how different life here is. Had this happened back home, fire trucks and police cars would have raced to the scene and cordoned off the area licktety spit. Here it was just another day in Zihua.

While many of us have the luxury of lazing away our days, lounging in hammocks and sipping margaritas on the playa, working life in Zihua hums along at a steady pace.  Crews are working on the roads, the bread man ventures out early in the morning selling his pan, his sing song voice echoing along the street. The ice cream man beeps his horn, letting people know he is around. People set up their wares and crafts at various spots around town, hoping for good sales. These are the people we see everyday as tourists as we wander up and down Calle Adelita but there is another working side to Zihua that many don't get to see. A morning walk along the canal gives you a little peek into the day to day life of working of Zihua.

Cabinet Shop

Furniture Store

Beautifully carved headboards

Plaster Workers

Workshop Products 1

Workshop Products 2

Workshop

Around 4 O'Clock each afternoon restaurants along Calle Adelita fire up their barbecues, getting ready for the evening's onslaught of hungry tourists and locals. The air fills with the scent of burning wood and charcol as the grills are readied to perfectly cook those chicken, ribs, steaks, arrachera and burgers. From our vantage point we get the heavenly scents of Rufo's as it wafts up to our apartment. The staff that work behind the scenes at Rufo's have a great comraderie and they can often be heard laughing, singing and joking with one another. Everytime I pass by Rufo's it is packed and I am sure part of the reason is the friendliness and joy of the staff. Our first meal when we arrived in Zihua was at Rufo's and it certainly won't be our last.  

Behind the Scene at Rufo's

Rufo's

Hasta Luego!