Gord’s Blog

Life in Paris Sigh. It’s snowing like hell in Calgary so I thought I’d dig through the vault and find a bit of happiness in Paris. This is the El Vecino Mexican Restaurant located near Place de la République. We didn’t eat there, but the sign out front caught my eye and I couldn’t resist […]Read More »

Life in Mexico It’s the little things in life that makes living in Mexico so enjoyable. Every other week, we go down to the Santiago market where the chicken ladies have a stall under a staircase. Their counters are festooned with broilers and eggs and poultry appendages. Their free-range produce is classified as Mexi-organic, because […]Read More »

Life in Mexico There’s a line of coconut vendors at the side of the toll road heading toward Colima. Just past that is a shady cantina consisting of half a dozen picnic tables and a cow. The cantina serves ‘pajarete’, which is made from milk straight from the cow. The vendor then adds vanilla, chocolate, […]Read More »

Life in Mexico Mexico’s finest. I saw something today that I have never seen in Manzanillo; a traffic cop stopped a pick-up truck for running a red light. Sure, there’s lots of towns in Mexico where a police cruiser will pull you over for having noisy brake lights and then offer to sell your driver’s […]Read More »

Life in Mexico Christmas in Mexico is a month-long affair that beguiles and captivates everyone in the country. Festivities start the first of December, when Catholics venerate the Virgin of Guadalupe, the patron saint of Mexico. Everyone agrees; she’s a great saint. One frosty morning in December, 1531, the spectral image of a young, pregnant […]Read More »

Life in Mexico Life’s a Beach We live a few blocks from Santiago beach, a beautiful, 6-km stretch of coffee-colored sand situated in a protected bay. The beach is deserted most of the week, but come Sunday, several thousand people flock for a day of rest and celebration. Here are some of our observations about […]Read More »

Life in Calgary We’ve been residing in Mexico for the last 12 years, so a lot has happened in our old home town in the intervening decade. We’ve had a chance to spend the last two months in town, and here are a few things I never thought I’d live long enough to see. Co-op […]Read More »

Life in Calgary I am Sleeping in Jon Hamm’s Bed I am sleeping in Jon Hamm’s bed. Not the one in his Italianate villa overlooking Lake Como, of course, but the one that he used while filming a TV series in Calgary last year. I can’t tell you the name of the series because I’m […]Read More »

Life in London “When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.” Samuel Johnson said that over two hundred years ago, but it still holds true today. Whatever turns your crank, you’ll find it within the shadow of Big Ben. We spent a week at the end of July in a lovely […]Read More »

Life in France We’ve been in France for over a month now, and if there’s one thing that stands out more than anything else, it’s the fact that the French worship their stomachs. Or, more specifically, all the wonderful things they put in their stomachs. People ask us; ‘how do you spend your day?’ I’d […]Read More »

Life in France Linda and I have been in Antibes for almost a month now, and we love it! Even though Antibes is in France and Manzanillo in Mexico, it’s amazing how much the two towns have in common. The people are friendly and laid-back, the sun shines most of the year-round, and the streets […]Read More »

Life in France Linda and I have once again traded Manzanillo for a visit to France! We are in Antibes, staying in the seaside community of Juan le Pins. It’s great to be back; rather than doing my usual Life in Mexico, for the next few months I’ll be highlighting some of the lovely food, […]Read More »

Life in Mexico When you see all the nice, shiny sedans that grace the streets of Manzanillo, it’s easy to forget that only a few years ago the average car was a total rust bucket. Nowhere was the old beater more loved than Mexico. VW Bugs with no fenders, Chevy pick-ups with the bumper dragging […]Read More »

Life in Mexico It’s Semana Santa! Every year, 40,000 Mexicans descend on Manzanillo during Easter to celebrate their religious devotion with tequila. Here’s a few survival tips; Go the nearest ATM and empty it before everyone else does. Stock up at the OXXO with ten loaves of Bimbo bread and a big can of Spam. […]Read More »

Life in Mexico Every spring brings a new gaggle of buskers to Manzanillo. They congregate at the intersection of Audiencia and Miguel de la Madrid, where they can annoy the occasional driver who voluntarily obeys the stop light. They twirl hula-hoops, do hand-stands and ignite things on fire. My favorite is the juggler who keeps […]Read More »

Life in Mexico Driving in Mexico Driving in Mexico is a delight. It’s like traveling 50-years back in time, when you could ride in the back of the station wagon with the dog or stand on the rear seat and stick your head out the sun roof. Here are some invaluable tips: When you are […]Read More »

Life in Mexico – Brr! We’ve lived full time in Manzanillo for over a decade now, and don’t regret a single moment. Sure, southern Mexico can get hot and muggy in the summertime, but the winter months are a pure joy. The two photos show the Peace Bridge in Calgary and the wonderful Oasis restaurant […]Read More »

Life in Mexico There is a new mural on the wall beside the entrance to Santiago cemetery. A small girl with curly blonde hair is rising into the air. The Grim Reaper is reaching for her. He has a big smile (which is about all you can manage with a skull). The girl, for her […]Read More »

Joan the Saint – Official Launch! Join me at Oasis Restaurant in Manzanillo on Wednesday November 9 for the official book signing during the Mujeres luncheon. Another amazing book by Gordon Cope. A must read! Amazon 5-star review. Joan of Arc, born in northeast France during the Hundred Years War between England and France, arose […]Read More »

Life in Mexico Mexicans are hard at work spiffing up the graves of their beloved ancestors in anticipation of Day of the Dead. The festival is often compared to Christian ceremonies such as All Saints Day, but the pre-Columbian celebration is a lot more light-hearted, with gifts of sugar skulls and lots of rum. Grannies […]Read More »

European Dreams Linda and I had a wonderful journey this summer through southern France, Italy, Paris and London. There are so many wonderful memories and experiences that it would take a book to encapsulate them all! We were amazed by the wonderful hospitality we encountered. People were happy to greet us and eager to speak […]Read More »

Life in France Every bistro in France has a dog named Hoover. The moment I walk in, they rush right over, eagerly awaiting the next errant meatball. It’s stinking hot in Paris, which means it’s movie time! We go half an hour before the actual movie starts to watch the commercials. My favorite is the […]Read More »

Life in Italy We’re visiting Italy in July, and we’re having a tremendous time! The people are friendly, the weather is smoking hot, and the food and wine are wonderful! Here are a few experiences. Coffee in Italy The sun comes up over our rooftop pied-a-terre just after 7 am. I arise and plug in […]Read More »

Life in France We’ve just arrived back in France for the summer, and are pleased to see that teenagers have discovered a new form of immolation! Twenty years ago, when we first moved to Paris, in-line roller blades were all the rage. Every Friday evening, about 10,000 maniacs would parade en masse through the streets, […]Read More »

Life in Mexico It’s watermelon season in Manzanillo! Every year around May, the town is full of vendors selling big, juicy watermelons from the back of their trucks. While you’re paying $15 in Canada, they’re three bucks on the street. There’s a saying in Kelowna; the best way to eat a peach is to stand […]Read More »

Life in Mexico It’s Easter, and that means Manzanillo goes nuts. Every year, about 100,000 Chilangos make the annual pilgrimage from Mexico City to our sunbaked shores in order to bathe in the restorative waters of the Pacific Ocean. They also bathe in gallons of tequila to restore the spirits. Manzanillo begins preparations well in […]Read More »

Life in Mexico We missed National Kahlua Day on February 28! Bummer. We first came to the Manzanillo area several decades ago on a two-week winter getaway in Barra de Navidad. We stayed in a family-run hotel overlooking the bay. Every evening we would toast the sunset with Kahlúa and milk on ice; we drank […]Read More »

Life in Mexico We finally made it to the Monarch butterfly sanctuary! There are five sanctuaries spread across the states of Michoacán and Mexico; Rosario, Chincua, Cerro Pelon, Herradura, and La Mesa. The butterflies rest in Mexico from November to March, then begin a 10,000 km journey every spring to North America and back. The […]Read More »

Life in Mexico I know this is a rotten thing to do to all my friends and family back in Canada, but I noticed the other day that it was -30C in Calgary and it inspired me to write about all the things I love about Manzanillo. There are banana trees growing in my backyard. […]Read More »

Life in Mexico Club Santiago is a wonderful place to live, nestled between a beautiful beach that stretches for several kilometres along Santiago Bay and the environmental reserve surrounding Juluapan Lagoon. Unfortunately, even paradise has pests, and these take the form of racoons. Known locally as mapaches, these nocturnal creatures make a habit of breaking-and-entering […]Read More »