Just Like Coming Home

 People often ask 'how we spend our time here.'  There is a routine to life in any place you live, auto repair, oil and filter change, pay new licence plate, property tax, get a haircut, buy groceries but life takes on an entirely different pace here.  We stay busy with many activities and it takes longer to accomplish routine business.  I love Manzanillo and this small state of Colima and hope to share some of what life is like here.

Sad looking after a hard prune but full of beautiful flowers when we return.



• Tropical plants that are triggered to bloom after the rainy season need a hard prune such as the top photo taken in May.  Most people are afraid to prune so drastically but the plants love it, especially bougainvillea. 

The bougainvillea was discovered in Rio de Janeiro in 1768 by a naturalist sailing on a world tour with Admiral Louis Antoine de Bougainvillea.  My friend, Inez, blending with the bougainvillea color in front of Sierra Madre Condos, F Building last season.  Bougainvilleas produce their greatest colors in winter and early spring, the dry season in Mexico.

The bougainvillea is the signature plant of the tropical image. It is showy, floriferous, hardy, pest free, disease resistant and can be trained as a vine, stand alone or planted in a container.  Bougainvilleas require full sun, good drainage and the correct amount of fertilizer to bloom abundantly.  They like the high humidity right before they come into bloom, which is this time of the year. 

It is difficult to imagine that plants pruned to nubs in May will look like the flowers below in five months.  These are the same plants.

We are a tropical region with the forested areas and the ocean to provide humidity.  The roots of the trees extend tens of feet, even 100's of feet into the water table below the ground and pump humidity into the air.  Colima has a fairly comfortable year-round climate.  It averages 350 days of sunshine a year and since most of the state is somewhat mountainous, enjoys cool, usually breezy evenings.  The average daytime temperatures from November through April are around 75 to 82 degree F and the nights 63-75 degree F.  Terrestrial vegetation is a dominant source of humidity here.  Absolute humidity is the amount of water vapor in the air.  This photo is very much like the rain forest that existed at one time here, trees overlapping and layering to form a canopy.

At this time of year, you can see the humidity hanging like a curtain in the hills and the clouds forming for a late afternoon or evening rain.  You can see the baranca (ditch) on the golf course filled with water from the hurricane, Jova. 

Colima's coastline provides a constant fare of regular year-round fresh delicacies from the sea.

I buy fish in one place only, Peruil.   It is a family operated business and one son fishes with the father and the other son runs the market with the help of his wife and the mother, Alicia, who makes the cleanest and best cerviches (finely chopped fish marinated in lime juice and combined with grated carrot, onions, tomatoes, chiles and cilantro).  Everyone has a slightly different recipe

The fresh shrimp is $12.00 per pound right now.  This Dorado was caught during the night and bought that morning, two beautiful fillets for $3.00.  You can see the size on the dinner plate. 

The hand blown glassware of Tonala, ceramics, jewelry, baskets and small gift items can be purchased in La Primaveras shop.

Fresh flowers are stocked twice each week and artistic arrangements are affordable.  Years ago the family grew acres of roses on their ranch.  They still grow plants for the nursery.

Las Primaveras flower shop in Santiago is much more than flowers. This family business started  many years ago by selling flowers on the patio of their home, same location as today.  It is one of the favorite shopping stops for the locals as well as tour groups.

Flores de Calabaza is seasonal and abundant at this time.  I like to spread them on corn tortillas with epazote, or cilantro leaves and shredded cheese and bake them on the grill.  I love the green tomatillo salsa served with them.  Also, I add them to rajas con crema ( poblano chili roasted and torn into strips and stirred into a sweet cream sauce) and cook on corn tortillas on the grill.  My favorite is Crema de Flor de Calabaza, an elegant golden squash blossom soup. It offers a hint of yellow squash flavor with an herbal aroma, bit of potato for body, poblano adds that smokey spice, a little zucchini and a light cream with natural chicken broth.  

The squash blossoms are gathered early in the day.  I break off the stems and little thin green sepals at the base of each blossom.  Pinch out the long pistils in the center of each flower.  Tear or cut the blossoms, including the bulbous base (optional), into wide strips. The quesadillas aren't fabulous unless made right before you are ready to serve them with tortillas bought fresh that day.

The village of Santiago has several vegetable stores and everyone has a favorite.  Sometimes I shop them all.  It is like living near a Farmers Market that is open everyday.  The produce is all local and has not been sprayed.  I wash everything and soak anything that is not to be cooked in bactericide water.

Colima's cuisine is frought with wonderful little things to snack on.  LuLu's tacos located in Santiago are the best. The hand-made corn tortillas are delicious and typical. There is an anthropological evidence that the indigenous people living in the lake region of the Valley of Mexico traditionally ate tacos filled with fish.  Bernal Diaz del Castillo documented the first taco feast enjoyed by Europeans, a meal which Herman Cortez arranged for his captains.  In the original sense of the word, a taco, is a 'plug' or a 'wad' to fill a hole. 

Inez and I look forward to tacos at LuLu's when in Santiago. Today was like a welcome home lunch.  We also stop in for their juice made from fresh vegetables and fruit, when running errands in the market.

This group of cute 9th graders having fun, know where to find a good taco. Notice that all are wearing a logo polo shirt, uniforms are required in all schools.They were friendly and eager to talk in English.

Everyone has Rosa's beauty salon at the top of their list when they return.  She gives an excellent haircut for men (less than $4.) and women (about $5.50).  Her two beautiful daughters work with her and a pedicure is just under $8.00.

 I enjoy talking with Chelsea, Rosa's five year old granddaughter, who is in the shop after kindergarten everyday.  She is studying English and loves to practice her numbers, colors and kindergarten songs in English.

Part of the 'returning to Mexico' celebration is lunch at Casa Pelicanos on the beach at Dick Eddy's. He serves the wonderful crudite platter like St. Tropez, everything is served on a specially designed lazy-susan.  There is always a group of fun, interesting people at the table..

I will continue on with life here; include some history, the jungle with enormous parota trees and lush vegetation, exotic flowers, birds, limes, mangoes and bananas growing wild, lizards, and butterflies.   I am planning trips to Manzanillo, Colima, Tlaquepaque as well as some small villages.  I hope to go soon to Minatitlan to see the flowering bromeliads, so beautiful after the rains, canopied jungle with vines hanging as thick as a rope and the waterfalls.  I want to introduce some wonderful Mexican cooks and their recipes.  Day of The Dead is a national holiday and families visit cemeteries and decorate graves with flowers and favorite food of the decease, dinners and gifts are given and I hope to have photos and show you the tradition.

HASTA LA PROXIMA

Until the Next time