February 2013 - Catemaco

I had some negative feedback on my best months to visit and best months to live in Catemaco.
Frankly I put a lot of time into this and it is damn difficult to rate 12 months. Of course there are other perceptions.
If you like beaches, August is number one to visit. If  you live here, the month rates 8 because there are more visitors than beach, etc.

I live here year round except for my frequent escapes to other places. Would I recommend to live in Catemaco? Only for a chosen few! Would I recommend to visit here? DAMN YES, 12 months of the year, but as I am saying, some months are better than others.

Tourism:
A long weekend brought some relief from the doldrums, with the usual Mexican tourbuses and sprinkles of backpackers and foreigners.

Hotels:
I noticed nothing new, except for some discount offers.

Beaches:
This was one of the few times that I didn´t make it to the beach. I hear I did not miss anything. And the road still sucks.

Events:
A few parades, a huge funeral. That's it.
Today, Feb 28 begins the first Friday in March (Brujos) celebration and I'll save it for next month.

Weather:
I hate February. Frequently it is too cold for my taste, too many days are overcast with almost no rain, then a southwind whips through and shakes up every dust particle.  

Business:
A small grocery chain is rasing walls behind my house. I keep scratching my head about where their business will come from.

Food:
Prashanti (of the hotel and beach resort clan) opened a primitive garden restaurant next to the monster by the ADO bus station. Maybe I'll drop in when I actually see someone eat there.
The small restaurant on the first floor of Hotel Berthangel has new owners and it is a nice place to people watch the laza in front of the basilica.

Drink:
Looks like BossaNova (by the kayak place) will reopen.
Rumor has it the Italians of La Osteria fame, will try again with a bar/restaurant atop the TEXX store (the old El Pescador).

Crime:
I know everyone is eagerly awaiting a body count, but no, nothing of significance happened, as usual, except some jerk stole my garbage can.

Politics:
Elections are in July and the dozen wannabees are making so much noise in the press that it is hard to find nuggets of good news.
The mayor of Catemaco died. That came as a shock, being barely 40 years old. He was a good guy and bought a house from us. He'll be remembered by the locals for the new pier, and by me for trying to get the sewage problem fixed.

General

My favorite local photographer did it again and issued part two of his Catemaco and Los Tuxtlas videos

Catemaco Brujos 2013

Brujo Festival in Catemaco

Thursday,  Feb 28 / Friday, March 1,  2013

Read more about the brujo shenanigans, Q & A, videos, photos, etc.

http://www.catemaco.info/brujos

January 2013 - Catemaco

On a scale of 1 to 12 months, I give January in Catemaco a 10 for visiting and a 6 for living here.

Tourism:
Lots of tourists showed up the first week of January and then went into hibernation.

Hotels:
Nothing exciting. The newest Del Cid Hotel has added a restaurant on its ground floor, and the Casa Rosa has a new website.

Beaches:
The winter storms, as usual, are nibbling on the beaches. But don´t worry, the sand returns by summer.
The crashing waves made for great beach walks, on the few days that were nice and sunny this month.

Events:
The enjoyable musical presentations on Saturday night in the central park seem to be occurring less and less- And that is a shame!.

Weather:
Typical yo-yo weather, from freezing (68f today) to sweating (88f tomorrrow).

January at times gets pretty foggy in the mornings

Business:
The recently opened mega stores are flourishing with employees. Customers seem to be a rarity. In the US, by now, I think they would have "going out of business signs".

Food:
Several new or new owner taco stores have opened. I am sure that will make someone happy.

"Tampiqueña" at La Casita

Drink:
Basically only the drunks in the Zona Rosa (by the boat docks) are holding their own.

Crime:
Nothing exciting, unless you want to read about a young women slicing up her lover.

Politics:
Hot Hot - a dozen pretenders that want to be future millionaires and live in Xalapa are now cluttering the local press, juggling for the July7 elections.

Dozens of political signs messing up the neighborhoods

General:
Good time to be in Catemaco, if you can stand the coldest month of the year, average 68.9f. (Unfortunately I am hot blooded and become lethargic.)

Yes, you can get your hat polished in Catemaco

December 2012, Catemaco

Tourism:
I live on the Malecón, Catemaco's most famous street, and I mostly judge the amount of tourism by how many people walk in front of my nose, steal my parking spot, and the number of boatmen shouting "lancha- lancha" on my corner. Looks like December turned out pretty good for Catemaco. Better than last year.

Hotels:
The first world Club Neyama, on the way to Ruiz Cortines in San Andrés Tuxtla, added 7 cabañas to its recreation center. They also have gocarts and a restaurant. Interesting place to visit when it is open. They are flakes and apparently only open when they feel like it. Nevertheless, this is not what you expect to see in Los Tuxtlas. http://www.clubneyama.com/

Events:
The celebrations of the Virgin of Guadalupe, whose home is actually in Mexico City, attracted  thousands, maybe even 10000,  mostly day trippers, to the local Virgin version. The parades were endless and as usual mostly composed of taxis decorated with Virgin photos and blaring horns. Soon after, the customed "viejos" started strutting the streets of Catemaco until on New Year's eve, firecracker stuffed replicas were exploded. O Joy!  After you have seen both events once, you may consider heading for the beach or the mountains instead.
One nice recurrent addition are the fairly regular jarocha music presentations in Catemaco's central park.  I hope they keep them going.

Weather:
Running hot and cold, and most everyone I know laid down for a week with some really bad cases of the flu. I was lucky, I had mine a few months ago.

Business:
A Coppel department store opened where the Hotel Catemaco used to be. Two storied, with a little bit of parking behind it, it is a very welcome addition to Catemaco. I just wish they had built it on the highway instead of "beautiful" downtown Catemaco. Contino, a mostly dry goods retailer opened in the Bancomer building on the plaza.  I think that is a future disappearance act in that jinxed building.

Food:
Nothing exciting, except households fall all over themselves preparing dishes you usually do not see in restaurants. Make a friend in Catemaco, maybe they'll invite to a holiday meal.
I had my first meal at Valentino's, (next to El Caballo). Not bad!

Drink:
The teeny bopper and above crowd is barely holding its own in Catemaco's pink zone (Malecón near the boat dock). Watch out for some of those gorgeous creatures that have 5 o'clock shadows!
Saturday night, Dec. 30th, started a party that was still going strong at 7 am this morning 1 Jan.
For adults, nightlife is pretty much limited to El Caballo and the increasingly popular Wahikini, both at the south end of the Malecon.

Crime:
Didn´t really notice any this month, except for some really nasty stuff in neighboring counties. Very heavy army and police sightseeing traffic.

Politics:
The Catemaco mayor, best known for his frequent absence from Catemaco, followed by a flurry of  self praising pronouncements, did offer his 2nd annual  computerized "state of the union" speech. A big let down from the pomp of last year, especially the absence of monetary figures that would give citizens a chance to understand where the money went.

General:
Good time to be in Catemaco, if you can stand the noise. If not, don´t worry. 95% of the rest of Catemaco  stayed idyllic.

New News for Catemaco (in Spanish)

Catemaco Noticias

http://www.catemaconoticias.blogspot.mx/

November 2012, Catemaco

What sticks out in my mind about November was the arrest of a guy while trying to screw a mare in neighboring Lerdo de Tejada. That news may give you a hint of my current mindset.

Tourism:
Except for 2 of those famous long weekends (Days of the Dead and Revolution Day - (make that week, this year),  Catemaco's Malecón was a bowling alley cluttered only by shrieking boatmen and gypsies.

Snowbirds in their road hogs are now again arriving in transit to the south. Since I don´t talk to the Lard of Tepetapan anymore, I don´t know if business is good, but I doubt it.

Hotels:
Casa Rosa  added a few rooms. Aside from being a friend of mine, that German lady literally will do hand stands to please her guests. If there were more like her in Catemaco, we might have a return tourism business.
The renovated El Cid, down the street from city hall is also doing well.
La Finca hung out its seasonal 689 peso sign (plus tax in small letters, on weekdays) which makes it a best buy in the overpriced "luxury" market.

Weather:
The chill arrived, and out came all those heavy comforters. Each year it is more difficult to survive when the temperature drops to the maximum subarctic 61 degrees F. A few rain storms hit, but overall, this season is relatively dry, and most of the days are simply gorgeous.

Business:
The mini Soriana supermarket opened with a great parking lot and not much else to brag about, still leaving me in the quandary of: if not here, then San Andrés, if not there, Veracruz.
Last month, I mentioned Tienda Lores as another "GAP" - wrong! It is another aggressive grocery chain, that temporarily halted its construction, because their architect screwed up their plans.
Over the next few years I think that will be marked as the death knell for the miserable central "mercado" that is still the heart of commerce in Catemaco.

Food:
No new major restaurants. Taco joints and food stalls open and disappear faster than you can say "tacos al pastor". I have not eaten there, but the joint next to Don Pedro's liquor store keeps attracting a crowd.
And somehow, great sweet ball tomatoes are now available. Love 'em!

Drink:
The hole in the wall "The Pub" is celebrating its first anniversary, and I think all 12 of its chairs are taken for the anniversary party.
The new "Caballo",  near Gorell's on the Malecon is jam-packed on weekends, not necessarily because some raunchy bible thumping gringo is doing country music.

Crime:
What crime? Catemaco never really had any, except for the occasional hits here and there. But what can you expect from a county of almost 50 thousand?

Politics:
Actually this should be under the Crime header!
Between now and next July you may read a lot about this. The gist is that some of the same dinosaurs that I have never, ever, heard anyone saying anything good about, (granted!, my circle of spies is small), are all running again to be mayor of Catemaco. If this town spent as much effort on improving itself, as on political infighting, this might be a functional tourist resort.

General: