Joan now adds “travel agent” to her resume!

My friend, Le Anne Schreiber, told me several months ago over dinner that she was going to Mexico for her winter getaway to a place called Zihuatanejo.  “That’s where Joan went last year!” I said.  “That’s how I knew about it.  I read about it on Hammertown’s blog”, said Le Anne.  Well, Le Anne and her partner, Toney, had a wonderful time.  Here is her thank you letter to Joan.

Hi Joan,

I owe you and your blog a big debt of gratitude.

For three and a half seasons of a Columbia County year, I have no problem meeting Hammertown’s “love where you live” standard, but during the second half of every winter, only absence can make my heart stay fond. Since the late 80’s, I have looked for a winter home away from home, and although that made for some great, unregretted adventures in Costa Rica, Belize, Guatemela, Honduras, Nicaragua and a half-dozen Caribbean islands, I never found the place I could envision returning to year after year — until this winter. Prompted entirely by a blog entry you posted last May after a vacation of your own, I decided to book a month of winter warmth in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. I can’t thank you enough.

I loved Zihua (as it is called by the syllabically challenged), and not just because I enjoyed a month of 85 degree days with no rain, few clouds and not a single mosquito. And not just because it is a fish-eater’s paradise, where, when you ask a chef how fresh the catch is, he tells you whether it was hooked that morning, afternoon, or evening. And not just because of its spectacularly beautiful bay, a large near-perfect circle with one small arc opening out into the Pacific.

What struck me most, and what will keep me going back, are the kind, fun, welcoming people of Zihua. It’s a community of people who love where they live, and even just passing through, you feel that in dozens of interactions every day. In fact, the social spirit of Zihua reminded me of what I loved most about the Tuscan villages I used to visit in the 1980’s, where the quality of a day was measured by the many small human exchanges that filled it.

I was alone in Zihua for two weeks before being joined by my partner, Toney, but despite my limited Spanish, I never felt lonely or estranged, and I seldom went an hour without someone engaging me in a friendly conversation in whatever combination of languages we could splice together. On the day we left, it took us two hours to make the rounds of the village saying goodbye to new friends.

I suspect what keeps the local spirit alive in Zihua is that, unlike other beach vacation spots I have visited, the local population remains in control. Virtually all the small hotels (there are no large ones), restaurants and shops are still owned and staffed by Zihuans. On any given winter afternoon, at least half of the people swimming, fishing, basking or jogging on the beach are local residents. For the most part, Zihuans still set the tone, the pace, and the menu (the exception being a noticeable incursion of pizza). And fellow tourists seem to be a self-selected group who return year after year because they like it that way.

I could go on and on, but suffice it to say, I have already booked a Zihua stay for next winter and registered for online Spanish lessons. My only regret is having returned home in time for the ice storm.

Thanks again for making my winter,

Le Anne

Le Anne Schreiber, who is a longtime local resident, is a well-known author and journalist.  She was the first female sports editor for The New York Times (and later deputy editor of New York Times Book Review).  Le Anne is also the author of two acclaimed memoirs: Midstream and Light Years. She recently finished a 2-year stint with ESPN, serving as their (very popular) ombudsman.