Manzanillo Skim Contest

This from back in November. I've never been to this one but have been to many in the Melaque area an hour north. Always a lot of fun and these guys are really amazing

Manzanillo Skim Fiesta

Manzanillo will also be hosting a National Tournamentevent on 11/14-16/2009 on the beach in Salahua. Therewill be radio and TV coverage of this event along withparticipation of National Brand Names. This eventpromotes surf and skim boarding activities among highschool students.There will be competition at theIntermediate and Advanced levels.

This event in the past has drawn observers andparticipants from Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico City,Oaxaca, Melaque, Acapulco and Guadalajara so it’s anevent that will be of interest to all Manzanillo residents. Manzanillo Real Estate Professionals are one of themany sponsors of this event in addition to helpingsupport two local surfers and a skim boarder. Othersponsors include Squalo and Victoria Skim boards

Beach Zamboni

Ever wonder how they keep those Las Brisas beaches so clean. Well maybe not a Zamboni - but a beach sweeper. Cute little guy. At times the plastic gets pretty thick. There's also no lagoons nearby or many overhanging palms

Puerto Santiago - Manzanillo needs it?

Is this what Manzanillo needs at the expense of La Boquita beach, the palapa restaurants, the local fisherman, the mangroves and all the wildlife the mangroves support. Well, below is their dream ....

Imagine a Mediterranean-style seaside village constructed from bricks, freestone, masonry, adobe tiles, and wood. Soothing earth tones will complement the natural materials. Imagine Puerto Santiago:

• Marina: The village-like marina will enchant visitors with over 150 boat slips, seaside benches, open plazas, and softly illuminated walkways.


• Beach Hotel: Puerto Santiago looks forward to the addition of a quality, five-star 220-room hotel, committed to building in the development.


• Shopping and Entertainment Center: Over one million square feet of retail space will enhance Puerto Santiago with a premiere shopping and entertainment district.


• Condominium Projects: Condominiums will anchor the Puerto Santiago development. Approximately 132 condominiums will line the beach, while another 800 condominiums face the lagoon and boast a community-style center with tennis courts, an exercise facility, and other amenities.


• Single Family Homes: Roughly 240 single-family lots rest alongside the marina and shopping area, as well as throughout the beach area.
  

Puerto Santiago Web Page

Manzanillo Tourist Website

A blurb and video from the Manzanillo Tourist Website. Pretty typical for tourism but the website is well done as well as the video

MANZANILLO COLIMA MEXICO
Manzanillo is located in the State of Colima in the Mexican Pacific Gold Coast, considered the most important port, is located in the path of the shipping lanes in the Far East, North, Central and South America. Its geographical location allows it to offer stunning scenery, exotic sunsets, beautiful beaches, mixed with golden sands, spectacular view of the bay and sunny days with average temperatures above 22 ° C make the beaches of Manzanillo a very attractive destination. In recent years its growth and development benefited the tourism industry with facilities Resorts, Hotels, Golf Courses and service first class domestic and foreign.

Manzanillo Tourist Website  Video works but site inactive

Faro de Campos - Manzanillo

The reason I've never found the light house before is it's a little hard to find. Finally we tried a little harder and asked a number of people. You find the access road in the small community across from the power plant south of downtown Manzanillo on the road to Campos. It's about five blocks toward the beach at the base of the hill on the north side.

The road is paved with brick but is narrow so watch for traffic and be prepared to backup some distance to allow passing. Great view and I wanted to get a foto when it was green. So many pictures I've seen were taken in the dry season. There is another great view spot about a quarter of a mile before you get to the lagoon inlet. If the gate is open check it out. The caretaker will welcome you

Faro de Campos - Lighthouse

View over the edge

From the road looking back at the power plant

Tropical Storm Andres

By NATALIA PARRA, Associated Press Writer Natalia Parra, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 28 mins ago

ACAPULCO, Mexico – A strengthening Tropical Storm Andres headed toward Mexico's Pacific coast Monday, prompting emergency preparations for a storm that forecasters said might become a hurricane.

Forecasters said Andres was likely to bring tropical storm force winds ashore between the port cities of Lazaro Cardenas and Manzanillo within a day, and the forecast track showed its center might scrape land at minimum hurricane force late Tuesday near picturesque towns such as Barra de Navidad that are home to some American and Canadian expatriates.

A hurricane watch was declared from Lazaro Cardenas to Cabo Corrientes.

The Acapulco city government prepared 120 shelters and warned residents to stay indoors, especially some 15,000 people in 20 zones most at risk for flooding. Heavy rains late Sunday downed a few trees in the resort city.

Late Sunday night, Andres became the first named storm of the Eastern Pacific hurricane season, which began May 15 and ends November 30 and is typically busiest between July and September.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Andres was centered about 240 miles (390 kilometers) southeast of Manzanillo at 11 a.m. PDT (2 p.m. EDT; 1800 GMT) Monday, and it had sustained winds near 60 mph (95 kph), with higher gusts.

It was moving toward the west-northwest near 5 mph (7 kph).

The forecast track showed it brushing the central Mexican coast on Tuesday before weakening and bending toward the west a little short of the Los Cabos resorts at the tip of the Baja California Peninsula Thursday night or Friday.

Forecasters said Andres could become a hurricane with sustained winds of at least 74 mph (119 kph) by Tuesday night.

It has been 40 years since it took so long for a named storm to develop in the Eastern Pacific.

"Normally that season gets under way somewhat earlier," said Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida. "But it's not necessarily an indication that it'll be a quiet year in that basin. We've seen some years starting late and become quite active. We're just going to have to wait and see on that."

Federal forecasters have predicted a near-normal or below-normal season, with the possibility for 13 to 18 named storms, including six to 10 hurricanes.

Yahoo weather News

Jellyfish in the harbor

I was in town last week to get my auto air conditioning fixed and check on Notario #1 downtown. I had to leave my car most of the day so took a taxi downtown and after locating the Notario decided to kill some time by walking back the waterfront to the Port Offices (port entrance).

Right in front of the sailfish and main malecon I noticed all these jellyfish bobbing around next to the docks. I've seen the very small ones wash ashore up the coast but never this size. Most were nearly a foot across. I guess they are just blown by the wind but I saw none on the Las Brisas beach. Must have been thousands of them all the way to the port offices. Nice walk by the way.

Jellyfish off the malecon

Port offices where Immigration is

Jellyfish in Manzanillo harbor

TransCanada wins CFE pipeline deal

From The News

Canadian energy firm TransCanada Corporation has won a bid to build and operate a 304-kilometer (190-mile) gas pipeline in western Mexico, the Federal Electricity Commission, or CFE, said.

CFE said in a statement that the proposed Guadalajara Pipeline will transport gas from a liquefied natural gas, or LNG, terminal under construction near Manzanillo, Colima, to Guadalajara, the nation's second-largest city.

The pipeline will be 30 inches in diameter and will have the capacity to transport 500 million cubic feet per day. The CFE said the 25-year contract will be signed on May 27 and that the construction phase will last 22 months.

According to the CFE, the project is part of electrical infrastructure works that it is developing in the western part of the country that include building a LNG terminal in Manzanillo and converting the thermoelectric plant in that Pacific coast city to use natural gas instead of fuel oil.

The LNG project will supply gas to thermoelectric plants in the states of Colima, Guanajuato, QuerActaro and Jalisco.

The government began construction of the LNG terminal in Manzanillo last year with the eventual goal of processing 500 million cubic feet of natural gas per day beginning in 2011.

The $700 million plant will create 1,500 jobs and allow the CFE to save $230 million annually.

The News article

SECTUR (Tourism Ministry) invests 62 million pesos

SECTUR (Tourism Ministry) invests 62 million pesos for tourism projects in the State of Colima

The federal government’s Tourism Ministry will invest an initial 62 million pesos into six touristic projects with the purpose of boosting the tourism sector of the state of Colima, the above was disclosed by the Mexican Government’s Tourism Minister, Rodolfo Elizondo Torres.

During a working session with Colima state governor, Jesús Silverio Cavazos Ceballos, both officers agreed to work in coordination to execute projects benefitting the entity’s touristic activity in order to increase the number of domestic and international visitors.

This year’s investments will be dedicated to the following projects: 8th stage of Manzanillo’s historic center refurbishment; building Manzanillo’s Convention Center, 5th stage of Tecoman’s historic center refurbishment; 2nd stage of Real-Pascuales pedestrian walk; urban image of El Paraíso beach resort and the state’s “señal-ética” program.

Source: Secretaría de Turismo (SECTUR)

Zeta Gas Terminal south of town

Grupo Zeta in Manzanillo, one of the worlds largest distributors of LPG gas, now operates this deep water port which is the largest plant of its kind in Mexico and Latin America. Someday this site will also feed the oil fired electric plant located in the same area - after it's re-tooled. This plant was mostly funded by Pemex and CFE and is now operated by Zeta Gas.

Not many tourists get down to this end of town but it's interesting. The Cuyutlan lagoon inlet and outlet used for cooling the power plant, a company town across the street from the plant, a few large palapa restaurants, a second lagoon/ocean opening and finally the microscopic town of Campos

Improvements or just changes

Improvements or just changes .... it's hard to say. Lots of gringos here don't like the changes because they came to Mexico for Mexico. Whatever your opinion or theirs below are some of the changes with the new Brisas Mall almost across from Walmart. Don't forget the first icon in this Plaza was Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). The most important changes I saw last weekend are the two new traffic lights on the highway in central Santiago

Dairy Queen

Office Depot

... and or course Starbucks with Dominos Pizza just around the corner

Manzanillo grows a bit more

Huizcolote behind Manzanillo

The day after Christmas is not a good day to be shopping in Manzanillo so after giving up on hardware stores and a quick trip to Sorianas I headed east towards the mountains. Huizcolote and other small communities can be reached by following the road in front of Las Hades or from the road to Minatitlan behind the Port. If you rent a car and like cruzing in the country, these roads are usually in very good shape. Huizcolote is not the end of the road with much more valley beyond but it was getting late and over an hour back to Melaque.

Nativity scene in front of a very poor house

The river that runs next to Huizcolote

Christmas beach vacation

Pre and Christmas Day crowds on Playa Miramar are not as large as the week following but never the less - Manzanillo is quite busy. There were fewer excursion buses and generally less people than last year. No doubt, a bit of the economy effect.