Is the new fence around the La Manzanilla lagoon to keep the crocodiles in, or the tourists out? Apparently both, depending to whom one speaks.
SEMARNAT (Secretaria de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales) funded the project’s construction. Since this federal department oversees the environment and natural resources of the entire country, one could suppose the fence is to keep people, trash and illegal dumping out of our eco-protected crocodile refuge and mangrove.
That the La Manzanilla Ejido got the ball rolling presents the other side of the coin. Naturally they are concerned with the vitality of the mangrove in their jurisdiction. Even more important is the health and well being of our residents and visitors. A croc attack would put a major kink in our chain of tourism and its attendant prosperity. The unfenced end of the lagoon where it meets the beach has been a disaster waiting to happen. Big crocs often can be seen basking on the sand, keeping a vigilant eye for potential prey. Add to that the people (fools!) who whack the crocs on the snout with a stick or throw food at them. Crocodile Dundee may have known when a croc was about to retaliate, but it’s doubtful tourists do. That no one has lost a foot or a first-born to this folly is sheer dumb – but good! – luck.
The plastic-coated chain link fence that contains the open end of the lagoon has so far been a sturdy enough deterrent to keep the crocodiles and the people away from each other. Good fences really do make good neighbors. Those of us who live here in the summer, however, wondered what will happen to the fence when the lagoon breaks, or is broken, free during the rainy season.
Each year, with nowhere to go but up and over, the lagoon backs up and overflows its banks onto adjacent low-lying property when it rains. Sometimes storm surge from the ocean cuts through the narrow isthmus of sand that separates it from the lagoon and opens a path for the interior water to escape. Other times, if nature doesn’t take its course, we have to call out the big machines to dig a channel to the sea. In either event, our pretty new green fence wouldn’t stand a chance.
Demitrio (Demi) Lopez, Ejido secretary and owner of Materiales Estefania in La Manzanilla, solved the mystery. “The fence is temporary,” he said, “installed primarily to protect people during the tourist-heavy Semanas Santa and Pascua.” Hundreds of families walk around the lagoon during that time, on their way between town and the busy campgrounds on the north end of the beach. “We’ll take it down and store it when the storms come.”
The SEMARNAT project also includes a new suspension footbridge spanning the lagoon. Built to replace the wooden structure washed away in the deluge a couple of years ago, it offers an unobstructed view into the mangrove and the crocodiles lounging in the shallows.
Eco-experts continue to claim that crocodiles aren’t interested in adult humans for either sport or food. One look at those giant jaws and cold, focused eyes, however, and I say “Tell that to Captain Hook!
Paving project
After ten months of on-and-off labor, the final brick was laid. It is now possible to drive down Calle Maria Asuncion, La Manzanilla’s main street, from the lagoon to around the plaza and back, without hitting a puddle or a pot hole.
Although the street-paving project missed its original December 2008 deadline, every piece of adoquin was in place to handle the surge of Semana Santa visitors. Whether or not La Manzanilla had more or fewer visitors compared to previous years – an annual debate among locals – the street was still crammed with pedestrians, making a drive through town slow going.
The only bumps in the road are sporadically placed concrete topes. Everyone complains about these man-made speed reducers, prevalent throughout Mexico, yet more are clearly needed on Maria Asuncion. Daniel Hallas, owner of Costa Alegre Realty in the middle of town, compared the traffic to “the 405 freeway in Los Angeles during non-rush hour.” Zoom, zoom, zoom.
La Manzanilla isn’t built for speed. The irregular condition of our dirt roads throughout town has been its own velocity deterrent. Now, after all these years, something about turning the corner onto main street and seeing that long stretch of smooth pavement ahead just tempts drivers to put the pedal to the metal.
The need for speed versus the tradition of people and animals wandering into the street without heed for fast-moving traffic is an accident waiting to happen. Will La Manzanilla take a proactive stance, as we did with the fence around the lagoon, before something drastic occurs?
Estetica Yemaya debuts
Lorena Sandoval chose a great-for-business location for her beauty salon, Estetica Yemaya. Caterconer across the street from the church and the plaza, there’s a new paleteria on one side and a vivero on the other.
With so many people going to Melaque, Cihuatlan, and even Manzanillo for salon services, Estetica Yemaya is a welcome addition to our village. Opening late in the season as they did, Lorena and her associate Carla/Carlos will stick to the basis of hair and nails for the rest of the summer. They anticipate full-service capabilities in the fall.
Lorena recently relocated to La Manzanilla from Autlan, where she also had a salon. The shop is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
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