Impressions upon returning after 10 years
Posted by DanH on January 8, 2022, 8:40 am
In 2012 ourselves and another couple spent a week in La Manz staying at Casa Humber (Mar y Sol). This time we were at Tranquilidad. The good news is no sewer overflows, at least none we saw. The bad news is, very little decent usable beach left in front of the town. Tranquilidad and a couple houses on either side of it seemed to front on most of the decent beach left until one walked pretty far north, past Casa Chaluda. That very pricey new place that bills itself as a hotel can't seem to muster any attempt to clean up the beach in front that it and adjacent construction have made a pretty gross mess of. Attached is a picture of what it looked like from our rental at Mar y Sol a decade ago. The restaurant next door had some tables and umbrellas on the beach but not the total takeover there now. Basically that entire end of the beach coming up to the causeway has been covered with junk down to and past the high tide line by the restaurants there. On the other end, it is just a mess of boats, litter, dead fish, odor and a collapsed mess around that lagoon there. Whatever was running out of that lagoon looked pretty questionable. Ugh. The beach was pretty dirty and rocky compared to 10 years ago and a whole lot smaller. I'm assuming the smaller is the result of that big storm a few years ago. Several restaurants have basically been allowed to take over much of the few hundred feet of decent beach left. Why a town that supposedly makes its living from the beach would permit this totally escapes me. It was very sad to return and see what has happened to La Manzanilla. Very, very sad. Apologies for the rotated image. Not sure why the image inserter rotated it. If a Mod can fix it, thank you very much.
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Posted by Nansee on January 8, 2022, 9:14 am, in reply to "Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
There are as many stories as there are people in La Manzanilla. Your imressions are your own. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some of us love this little pueblo, its inhabitants and although there are things to be addressed, we are not sad to be here but honored and touched that life has given us the chance to be here for a brief while.
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Posted by david dagoli on January 8, 2022, 9:24 am, in reply to "Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years"-------------------Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years
Posted by Daniel H on January 8, 2022, 10:13 am, in reply to "Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
"This time we were at Tranquilidad." Assuming for another week stay? So only a couple day's more and your misery will be over. So sad to see you go /s | -------------------Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years
Posted by Joy on January 8, 2022, 11:09 am, in reply to "Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
I too have been coming for 10 years & I think LM is still a very special place w special people. Despite numerous adversities over the years, the locals & tourists who come enjoy the hospitality & effort made to make LM a happy place. | -------------------Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years
Posted by Vicki (and Robin) on January 8, 2022, 12:30 pm, in reply to "Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
I find this letter quite interesting. The person who wrote it, DanH, was pretty hardy in his criticism of La Manzanilla at a peak time. The restaurants he mentions are only "up" with so many chairs because of the winter visitors for the holidays. It's going back to normal now. As for the fishing boats and the arroyo...yes, DanH, people fish here, to make a living. like the restaurant people. Yes, the lagoon is gross but it's natural in it's slimy grossness. It just goes that way when there's no way for it to get to the sea. My husband and I have been coming here for 14 years, and still find it beautiful and charming, although a bit cramped at Christmas. Viva La Manzanilla!!! | -------------------Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years
Posted by DanH on January 8, 2022, 4:18 pm, in reply to "Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
Vickie, see image below. It is dated May 17, 2021, most certainly not peak time. Pretty clearly shows the restaurant intrusion and take over of the beach up to and beyond the tide line is not seasonal, it is permanent. Among other things I believe this is in violation of Mexican law regarding private encroachment on the public beach. We picked up trash daily in front of our accommodation. Only a few accommodations, not including ours, had their maintenance folks clean and rake the beach daily. Since almost all of these rentals are managed by a few companies it would seem pretty easy to get together and have that as a standard. That alone would make a big difference. One would think there would be more concern about taking care of your beach. Instead, I see mainly defensiveness in the responsiveness here. That's usually a sign that the observations made are a bit too close to home for the readers. As a retired business person I learned a long time ago your best customers are the ones who are honest with you. We are permanent residents of Mexico for some 14 years now, widely traveled in this country and remember when La Manzanilla seemed to care more about its beach and environment that what we saw in our visit. Ten years ago is not the only time we have stayed there, previously we stayed at Chaluda several times. When Steve owned it, the beach in front was taken care of. I'll leave it at that. photo to picture online | -------------------Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years
Posted by Daniel H on January 8, 2022, 5:32 pm, in reply to "Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
You are a good communicator Dan. As a permanent resident perhaps I can answer you from where I sit. Beach conditions change all the time, its been cleaner most recently than ever. What you say about less beach for the tourist may need some attention. Basically the turn off about your post is we get new people that come here an say "this needs to change, that needs to change", then a few years later, when they have lost part of the mindset they arrived with, they tend to chill out and go with it. At times they have a point, more people equals new situations so maybe a little tweak here or there. But for the most part its tiring and just takes patience and compassion for the time to pass enough for them to realize its they who need to change, not La Manzanilla. Focus on whats right, not whats wrong. Don't sweat the small shit and its all small shit. You wake up in the morning with nothing to do and by the end of the day you only have 1/2 of it done. Manyana does not mean tomorrow, it means not today. My friends wife asked him what he was going to do today? He said nothing. She said that's what you did yesterday. He said I didn't finish. Now, all I have to do is read the above every morning when I get up. Remembering it seems to be the hard part, I keep thinking I am going to live forever. Life is good | -------------------Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years
Posted by Nigel on January 10, 2022, 12:58 am, in reply to "Re: Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
I thought DanH's message was a bit rude to people who live here and I was going to construct some politely-put but subtly-critical dig at him. But per Daniel's message it's not worth sweating over. I find another positive local culture that I can learn from! Manyana. Dan was positive about overflowing sewers, though ironically that's the only thing he mentioned that really concerns me. There was a lengthy thread on this a few months back. Did we decide that would be fixed by the next rainy season? Or is that an annual problem I need to learn to live with? I ask only because its maybe easier to fix when there's no hurricane competing for attention?
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Posted by Brandon L on January 8, 2022, 12:40 pm, in reply to "Impressions upon returning after 10 years"
My father has always been a skilled critic. He can easily point out problems with infrastructure, services and human behavior. He knows what the ideals should be. The challenge, for him and most of us, is to figure out how to get from A to B. My observation is that when we cannot have the things we think we should, then we become unhappy, frustrated, and even angry. Sadly, I believe my father is fairly unhappy. For myself, I believe there usually is a way to get from A to B, and if I can figure out “the puzzle” in the practical manner then that will give me a level of satisfaction and happiness. Like any good puzzle, it takes a lot of mental energy to consider all of the possibilities. Some puzzles are easier to solve than others. And while a plan might seem like a wonderful solution to a puzzle, one can never know if it is true until the plan is fully carried out.
I agree with DanH that the beach is getting more developed and unattractive. The community still has a long way to go in terms of litter and recycling. Bit by bit the town is getting more crowded. More people are riding motorcycles and I see fewer bicycles. I could find another place where things are more ecologically sound. However, I hope that my actions here can make a small difference. I bring my own grocery bag to the store, and now clerks ask if I need a bag. Previously they never asked. I am doing what I can to support the middle school garden project. If more people grow their own food, their carbon footprint will be significantly reduced.
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