First Water Delivery

I’m not running low on water yet (having bought several gallons at the Walmart in Nogales), but wanted to get some before I started to think ‘Gee, I need to ration myself!’.

I was up at 5:45 this morning of my own accord. I had gone to bed at 9:30 and the rooster didn’t start till 6:00, YAY, so it was a good night! I got up around 6:15 and brought my water bottle to the curb, placing 12 pesos on it (10 peso coin + 2×1 peso coins).

Around 7:30, I heard a sound like an ice cream trucking passing and the cry of ‘ยกAgua!’ I went out and, sure enough, my empty water bottle and 12 pesos had been magically replaced by a new sealed bottle!

I hauled it into the apartment and stowed it under the sink (nice storage area for it).

Minutes later, I heard someone call out to the lady in the house and I went out. A gentleman said that I needed to pay for the water. I told him that I had put 12 pesos on the bottle, disheartened that the honour system hadn’t worked. Then, another guy came running up saying, ‘No! No! The lady left us 12 pesos on the bottle. I have them!’ The first guy apologized profusely, I told him it’s all fine and thanked him.

Water delivery, not yet mastered, but making progress at becoming a residente!

The landlady also provided a pump to go with the bottle, so I don’t have to pour it out and continue developing my muscles. I had brought my water dispenser from Haven, but I don’t know if I’ll use it. I’ll probably dispense into my 1-gallon Walmart jugs, which fit in the fridge. I don’t normally keep cold water on hand, but it’s so hot and sticky here that I’m preferring cold water, plus it’s something to offer guests.

Dale and I are going for a beer on the beach sometime in the afternoon and later this morning I want to go down to the City Deli to get butter and more of that Oaxaca cheese as well as scrub pads for the kitchen and possibly clothes pins. I thought about bringing my bag of pins from home and changed my mind at the last minute. ๐Ÿ™ Nothing has fallen off the line yet, but one big gust and all my clean laundry will go in the sand!

I need to do more laundry, but yesterday’s load is still drying, even the microfiber stuff that normal dries quickly! One of the challenges of being in a damp climate, although the line was put in the sunniest part of the yard (which is conveniently next to the washer). When I went out this morning, Moya was soaking wet and I got dripped on by a palm tree.

Now, I have to put in a day of work. The kitchen table is less than ideal, but it’ll have to do!

BTW, internet is still dismal. Same issue as I was having at Haven earlier last summer, so I’m convinced it’s an iPhone, not network, issue. Instead of just connecting steadyily to a weak signal and letting me have slow internet, it prefers to simply not connect. Do not get an iPhone 5C as this is a known weakness of this model! ๐Ÿ™

Scenes From An Isla Late Afternoon/Early Evening

Dale came by around 4:00. We both decided we did not want to experience the rodeo, but we still headed ‘downtown’ towards the grocery store to check out the crowd and some of the riders. She then took me to one of the docks where the pangas come and then she took me along the malecon, following the water front, to the other panga dock. It was starting to get dark, so she showed me the shortcut to the beach and we walked along it hoping to find an open bar, but everything shuts down at dusk! So I guess I will have to start stocking my own beer!

It was a nice walk, several hours long, and I was hungry when we got back to my place. I offered to make us some supper, but she wanted to go check on her dogs. I came in and made a proper pasta meal.

I didn’t think I got that much sun today, but I am cooked! I’ll definitely have to be more diligent with the sunscreen from now on. I also need to buy a beachy hat, not having remembered to bring the one I already own…

Beach and Town Scenes

I’m back at work full-time tomorrow for at least the weekend (YAY), so I imagine my rate of posting is about to go down. In the meantime, enjoy some more pictures of Isla!

 

Mexican Matches

Matches in Mexico are terrifying. People must have tiny fingers here.

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Lighting the stove was a leap of faith! ๐Ÿ˜€

Corn tortillas in MX are MUCH yummier than in Canada. For my first lunch here, I made a quesadilla in my cast iron frying pan. In other words, I’m eating like at home. ๐Ÿ™‚ The Oaxaca cheese is VERY stringy and has a lower melting point than mozzarella or cheddar. Yum!

I do need to remember to go back and pick up some butter. The olive oil I brought down didn’t make the trip, turning rancid in the heat of the truck. Not a big deal. I didn’t expect everything to arrive here okay and I turned out to have very little loss.

I’m going to take a walk on the beach (yes, I’m bringing the camera) and will come back here for fourish as Dale and I are going to a rodeo or some such event tonight!

Getting a Lay of the Land

Dale came over this morning as I was starting on the apartment pics post, so I closed up and followed her out to breakfast on the beach. The only option on the breakfast menu was eggs, so I ordered chicken tacos off the lunch menu! This was my first real breakfast in Mexico! ๐Ÿ˜€ Dale insisted on treating me and I provided the tip. We got out of there for something like 140 pesos total!

She then took me for a walk through the main part of the village. Yes, I will have pictures at some point. ๐Ÿ™‚ My camera ran out of juice this morning, sorry!

We made our way to the grocery store, further away than I expected (it’s not far, the village is bigger than I expected). The store, called The City Deli, NOT the mercado, is small, but has the essentials except for meat (as far as I could tell) and is no worse than some of the small grocery stores I’ve shopped at in Canada. I asked for “las cosas para hacer el fuego” (the things to make fire) and was offered matches and a lighter. See, no language barrier! ๐Ÿ˜€

I got whatever looked good for food to get me through a few days (more details below the pic), as well as a broom for inside, and a pair of heavy duty flip flops for beach walking. I was disappointed by the avocados, though, and didn’t buy any.

Grand total for all this?

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Let’s add it all up, shall we?

flip flops (EXACTLY what I was hoping to find)
broom
matches
red onion
2 small tomatoes
2 small orangey things (clementines?)
1 banana
1 apple
1 block of Oaxaca cheese (apparently tastes like Monterrey Jack, but has the texture of mozzarella)
1 container of strawberry yogurt
1 package of corn tortillas
1 bottle of electrolyte juice Dale highly recommended (not my usual thing, but if I’m not going to have much appetite, a good thing to have on hand)
2 small packages of macaroni
1 package of crackers

Total amount paid: 218 pesos (18.26 CAD/16.11USD)! That includes the shoes and broom! There are no prices marked anywhere in the store and I won’t worry about prices from now on. I was sure I was going to have to ask Dale to spot me some money since I only brought 300 pesos with me. Hah! I think I might be able to afford living here as long as I don’t get into the habit of eating out a lot!

The village is small, with a paved main road and some services, including a police station and a basketball court for the kids. There are a lot of restaurants on the beach, too. Not much was open today in the village proper, but it’s a holiday so there might be more going on Monday. Really, this is way more than I’m used to at Haven and I doubt I’ll get bored, especially once the internet is reliable! Plus, Mazatlan is just minutes away on the ferry! It’s probably a 10-minute walk to the grocery store, so 15 minutes to the village ferry. This is another ferry that goes to a different part of the city. Dale is going to show me the ropes!