Barra de Navidad on the Costalegre

Costalegre Rotary's Chili Cook-Off

2012-01-20T15:35:00.001-06:00

The 5th Annual Costalegre Rotary's Chili Cook-Off will be on January 29th at the Barra de Navidad Jardin!

Call or write for English or Spanish versions of the application form

If you have any question not covered by the application please call the Cook-Off chairman, Jess Castillo, at 314 337-9091 or 314 305-7411 (cell). You can also email rotary@costalegre-rotary.org

Barra de Navidad Sunset

2011-12-28T10:04:00.001-06:00

Ron, Dora and I were over in Barra last night eating and meeting people we haven't seen since last year. Enough sand has returned that you can walk the beach at low tide. I'd only seen the destruction in bits and pieces but when you walk the whole beach it's pretty overwhelming. The good note is that Barra still has sunsets and the water is warm.

Barra Sunset with IPhone

Hurricane Jova Barra de Navidad 2011

2011-10-15T14:27:00.001-05:00

Barra de Navidad Jalisco, Mexico was spared a direct hit from hurricane Jova, but did not survive without any wounds. The beach structures took most of the beating. Jova came by at a category 2 hurricane.

Barra de Navidad beach Sept 30

2011-09-30T16:02:00.000-05:00

I dropped off two unwanted agave plants in Barra today and decided to give the beach a look. These are mid-day from Casa Chips looking in both directions

Beach erosion in Barra continues

2011-09-02T18:21:00.001-05:00

As the passing storms and heavy waves continue over this unusual season, not only is the beach non-existent in Barra, but the beach restaurants and bars are taking a beating. Almost all are closed due to collapsing bulkheads, under minded floors or just the possibility.

A very sad season for Barra de Navidad

Foto posted on TomZap by Flick

Barra washing away?

2011-06-03T08:08:00.001-05:00

Two weeks of heavy surf has done it's damage to the Barra beach. There is basically no usable beach the length of the waterfront. Even though the bulkhead still looks solid, water from waves breaking over the bulkhead washed the sand away below the tourist/police office at the head of the malecon. The next restaurant closer to town is also undermined ad has a collapsed floor. The restaurant is closed for safety reasons. The tourist/police office will probably be demolished in place and used for fill and foundation for the next building.

Almost no beach left

No sand behind the bulkhead

Remains of the last bulkhead

The new Barra de Navidad statue

2011-05-08T08:55:00.000-05:00

Bienvenidos a Barra de Navidad says the new statue at the entrance to Barra.

From the Guadalajara Reporter

Visitors to Barra de Navidad are now greeted by a new public sculpture featuring a marlin and sailfish, a tribute to the southern Jalisco beach town’s sport fishing tradition.

Made from fiberglass by Mazatlan artist Luis Zuniga Guerra, the work was funded by the Jalisco Department of Tourism, the Municipality of Cihuatlan and John Reed, a Canadian artist and longtime resident of Barra. The sculpture, which now adorns the glorieta at the entrance to town, is considered the largest marlin sculpture in the world, at over five meters tall. An application has been already been made for inclusion of this fact in the Guinness Book of Records.

Hector's Q Corner during Carnaval

2011-03-01T19:13:00.001-06:00

This video is of a local corner bar in Barra de Navidad, Mexico. Usually a quiet little corner where locals and tourists take in quantities of beer. It's Carnival week here and things tend to get a little colorful.

El Grupo Exito at Pipers Friday nights

2010-11-19T06:01:00.001-06:00

El Grupo Exito - a great band - plays at Pipers every Friday night. Raul, Ian and Hector with occasional guest musicians. Pipers is near the Malecon in Barra de Navidad.

Quiet September in Barra

2010-09-11T12:35:00.001-05:00

A quiet Barra de Navidad in September with somewhat eroded sand and lirio remains from the opening of Laguna de Tule. Lots and lots of rain for the last month required the opening of the lagoon between Melaque and Barra. This year the lirio (water hyacinth) even reached into the Barra lagoon.

Quiet beach being cleaned

Quiet street

The closing of Hector's Q-Club

2010-08-03T14:45:00.000-05:00

I never did get to make a post of Hector's Q-Club which many of us enjoyed for the last year. Well I wasn't here for much of that year but played vollyball on each of my visits. Sad day for both the Barra and Melaque areas but hopefully we'll find another pool to stay cool in the summer and get some exercise. Hector has opened the Q-Corner in downtown Barra

Below is a post from Elke on the TomZap forum

Today marked the end of a short-lived era in Barra. The Q-Club Community Center is closing its doors. And the bar. And the library. And the pool....

The Q-Club lease was not renewed by mutual agreement between Hector Loza and Don Deines, the owner of the Cadillac Ranch, witnessed by yours truly.

Don Deines will continue to dedicate his time and efforts to expand the Cadillac Ranch RV Park. Hector Loza's Q-Corner has taken off in Barra de Navidad. Any outstanding Q cards with punches left on them, will be honored at the Q-Corner.

For anyone needing reading material, the Q-Club books have been re-located to "The Club" in La Manzanilla. Hector will also have a few books at the Q-Corner.

We will miss the good times we had for the last year. Water Volley Ball. Potlucks. The Library. Satellite TV. Free Internet. Free Coffee. FREE LIVE MUSIC.

Hector, Liz, Eber, Maricela. A very hard working, fun family.

Mega Tourist development on Isla de Navidad

2010-05-08T16:30:00.002-05:00

Colima's state governor and the head of FONATUR (the national tourist development fund) just signed papers to start development of a Mega complex in the Isla de Navidad area. To avoid the border conflict with Jalisco they conclude - "We can make a real Cancun in Manzanillo and not go through Jalisco" - which I assume means build a new highway from the airport up the beach all on the Colima side.

This plan is not only for the northern end of Colima near Playa de Cocos and Isla Navidad - but also for Playa de Oro, Santiago Bay and the southern coast of Colima. Colima currently has around 5000 tourist units and they want to compete with Cancun by building 30-40 thousand units

Map of Development Plans

El Grupo Exito in Barra

2010-03-26T13:34:00.002-06:00

At Rey Momo tonight around the corner from the Church - with the usual sack of potatoes. These guys play around town so is not just a one night thing.

Music in Barra de Navidad

Los LavaLamps

2010-02-23T15:43:00.002-06:00

A Wrestling Mexican Surf Band ???? I guess you have to go see for yourself at Piper's in Barra de Navidad

Carnaval Costalegre - 2010

2010-02-11T16:13:00.002-06:00

Carnaval Costalegre Schedule
Febuary 12th - Febuary 16th
Barra de Navidad, Melaque, Villa Obregon

Click for larger copy

Cuatro Centenario Expedicion Maritima Mexico-Filipinas in Manila

2010-01-13T11:56:00.000-06:00

The matching monument to the one on the Barra de Navidad malecon located in Manila Philippines

The Four Hundred Year monument on the Philippine-Mexican Plaza at the bank of the Ilog Pasig river built during the time of President Diosdado Macapagal. Next to it is the statue of Adolfo Lopez Mateo, President of Mexico from 1958-1964, which Luis A Sanguino sculpted in bronze.

Tour of Laguna de Navidad

2010-01-02T18:02:00.001-06:00

This is a family video of a tour around the lagoon and the canals lined with homes. I just included it because the video is good. Not sure how they came up with Colimilla as a label except it looks like they started there. Actually you can get any of the water taxis near the Barra Malecon to give you a similar tour for not much money.

Barra de Navidad on "Wanna Go Fishing"

2009-12-03T17:28:00.002-06:00

These guys from the ESPN show Wanna Go Fishing came down November 08 to film a show here. As is almost always the case when cameras are running the bite died and I was a nervous nellie, trying to get them a show. They were after a Roosterfish, which we'd been catching days earlier. Of course day one we caught 2 Giant needlefish, nothing else and I was looking pretty lame. However, the fish gods smiled the next day and we bagged a couple of them and got some good footage of chasers. Anyway, the showed aired a few weeks ago and it turned out okay.

Barra de Navidad, Costalegre, Jalisco Mexico

Ballet Xalixco - Dia de los Muertos

2009-10-31T15:40:00.003-06:00

On Monday November 2, Ballet Xalixco will perform at the Barra stage. Barra will celebrate the traditional (Dia de los Muertos). Dia de los Muertos is a centuries old Mexican celebration. Local schools will prepare the traditional alters for the dead at the square. Come and be part of this ancient tradition. The event will start at 8:00 pm. Please be on time because it will be a short event.

Video is of the Fiestas de Octubre in Guadalajara this past Saturday October 24th.

The Cadillac Ranch

2009-10-08T11:39:00.007-05:00

"The Ranch" located across from the water park on the road into Barra has gone through changes over the last few years. It's been popular with snow birds in the winter months but goes dead in the summer. Early this year with the completion of the pool a groups of people decided to have water volleyball twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

It turned out to be the best exercise, way to stay cool and much fun for me over the summer. Now that I've moved from the area I will really miss it ... but you should give it a try. They were putting in a new patio around the pool when I left

The area is growing

2009-05-30T13:44:00.005-05:00

The area is growing, at least on the Barra/Aguacate side. Toward Barra from the old Infonavit homes and across from the cemetery is the beginning of this new development. I've heard close to 1000 new homes but that is second hand and will probably be in stages.

The old main road, which has been almost unusable in the summer rains, now has a new gravel bed and I assume will be paved before long. I suggest you use the dirt airstrip adjoining for the time being - very rough gravel.

Beginning of the possibly 1000 new Infonavit homes

New roadbed for the old Barra Road

Barra de Navidad

The Galleon Trade

2009-04-26T09:07:00.003-05:00

The Galleon Trade
By Floro L. Mercene
April 5, 2009, 9:59pm

More than 40 years after Magellan set foot on the Philippines, Spain sent an expedition to formally settle the islands. The expedition led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, a businessman who made a fortune in Mexico, was composed of about 300 men, mostly Mexicans. It left the small town of Barra de Navidad in Jalisco in 1565 and landed in Cebu three months later. Legaspi later moved to Manila and founded it as a city in 1570.

While in Cebu, Legaspi sent the galleon San Pablo back to Mexico to obtain supplies. It was commanded by his grandson, Felipe Salcedo, with a famous navigator, Andres de Urdaneta, as second in command.

Under Urdaneta’s expert guidance, the San Pablo was able to reach Acapulco in a record 100 days, the first successful crossing of the Pacific Ocean from east to west.

The eastward route pioneered by Urdaneta was to serve as the basis for the establishment of a trade monopoly by Spain in what we now know as the galleon trade.

It was the oldest shipping line that ever existed, traveling over the longest and most dangerous ocean route, from Manila to the Mexican seaport of Acapulco, and lasting for almost 250 years, from 1575 to 1815.

Almost every year, two galleons left Manila for Mexico loaded with exotic goods from Asia, mostly from China and Japan, to be sold in Mexico and Europe and countries in South America, such as Chile and Peru.

Barra before, during and after Hurricane Lane

2009-04-09T14:54:00.006-05:00

Hurricane Lane was the strongest Pacific hurricane to make landfall in Mexico since Hurricane Kenna of 2002. The thirteenth named storm, ninth hurricane, and sixth major hurricane of the 2006 Pacific hurricane season, Lane developed from a tropical wave on September 13 to the south of Mexico. It moved northwestward parallel to the coast of Mexico, and steadily intensified in an area conducive to further strengthening.

These fotos were sent to me by "Barra Jorge" as a before, during and after series of the hurricane and what it's like along the Costalegre in the summer months. The first two fotos were taken at Casa Chips restaurant and the last from the Malecon

Casa Chips Before

Casa Chips during

After - with dirty water and significant loss of beach

Carnaval Costalegre - 2009

2009-02-19T07:41:00.006-06:00

Click for larger copy

Carnaval Costalegre - 2009 - Barra de Navidad

Costalegre Rotary Chili Cookoff

2009-02-11T13:03:00.007-06:00

Last Saturday was the Chili Cookoff for the local Rotary to raise funds for some of their projects. How much they raised and for what is still unknown but it was a fun party with music and performances from the Ballet Xalixco, the local Folklorico group. This was the most gringos I've seen in one place in Mexico.

I took the kids over and they were kind of bored except for the hot-dogs, pop and the dancers. Old time rock-n-roll didn't really do it for them. We bought Mari a 'cookoff' apron with red trim ... that ruined the wash a few days later when the color ran. I wonder if the Rotary fund can replace this Mexican famlies clothes (grin). Just and idea!

Rotary Chili Cookoff poster

Chili crowd watching the dancers

Ballet Xalixco dancers

Ballet Xalixco dancers

Ballet Xalixco dancers

On the Barra de Navidad plaza