Day: December 2, 2014

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Mazatlán Suits Me

One of the biggest compromises I made when I purchased my property was that I can’t walk to anything, like a bar, food store, or coffee shop. I was really hoping to find something on the outskirts of a town about the size of Assiniboia, but still within walking distance, but Haven was just too good of a deal with big investment potential.

Isla de la Piedra, early morning noise notwithstanding, is pretty dang close to what I was hoping to find in Canada, but even better because there is also a very large full service city right at my door step. I have life in a small vibrant village with most of the basic services I need, but I can also walk and take public transportation to everything that I’m missing on Isla.

I work at a desk all day and try to get out to walk several times if I can. At Haven, that means a walk to the post office or around the block or perhaps mowing the lawn when I have grass. It’s very limiting and not particularly fun. Isla has miles of beach, tons of small streets to explore, and if I have time for a longer break, Maz is less than 15 minutes away. I don’t really bother stocking up on anything because stores are so close that a 10-minute break from my desk can mean picking up tortillas or a block of cheese at the store.

Maz feels like a very approachable city for its size. The downtown core is very walkable and there is tons of inexpensive public transportation. I think pulmonias would be great when I’m carrying heavy groceries to the panga, but I plan to learn the bus route to go to Walmart, Soriana, and the cinema. The city is clean and the parts I have visited do not have many panhandlers or homeless people. There are some sellers who will approach you, but it’s not at all a gauntlet like the ones you have to pass in border towns.

I doubt I would like Maz in summer (too hot and humid!), but the winter climate is wonderful. Today was really hot, but the nights are cool and comfortable for sleeping. My house does not retain heat, so it’s always cooler inside than out.

A lot of people told me that I would not like Maz because it is such a gringo destination, but living in the village next to Mexicans, shopping as they do, and speaking Spanish really makes we wonder how much more real Mexico can get. I have no regrets about my winter destination and am pretty sure I’ll end up spending another winter here…

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Grocery Prices in Mazatlán

My friend Grant met me this morning to take me to Maz to show me where the Ley grocery store is. We left around 8:30, it’s 11:30 now (feels so late!), and we walked around for a bit looking for an ATM, so, really, getting groceries isn’t even a half-day thing.

We took the village panga and he showed me the most direct main street to take. It’s the street I took last time, but I turned too soon. So I really was very close, pretty much skirting around the store. If we had gone straight there, it would have taken about 15 minutes to get to the store.

But we both needed an ATM. He had done research ahead of time and thought he knew where there was a ScotiaBank, but we struck out. We thought we might have better luck around the Mercado and found a bank that wouldn’t accept our debit cards. I asked someone in uniform for another option and he said, I was pretty sure, ‘go a block that way, turn left, and there’s a bank a block or two down.’

That’s what we did and by the second block, we hadn’t seen a bank. I figured that I hadn’t understood correctly when Grant noticed that the building we were standing in front of was an under renovation bank, so little signage, but it was open! I understood the directions just fine!

My card once again got refused and I was getting a little nervous, but I decided to try one more time and instead of requesting a specific amount, I chose their highest pre-selected amount, 2,000 pesos. Success!

The Ley was just a couple of blocks away and, dang, there’s a Banamex ATM right there! I wouldn’t want to take out a large withdrawal there (rent), but it would be good for a smaller amount.

The store was wonderful! It’s just a small ‘express’ Ley and I know that stores like Soriana, Mega, and Walmart would have a lot more choice, but this was a million times better than what I’m used to back home with our crappy Co-Op grocery! I was able to get some brands that I’m more particular about (I don’t eat a lot of pasta, but when I do I favour Barilla), prices were cheap, and the produce was so fresh and more varied than what I can get on Isla. I will want at some point to take a pulmonia to a larger store to get more variety, but I am thrilled to have this Ley within walking distance!

Now that I have a proper receipt, I can give some exact prices for those who are curious about such things. I prefer to buy things on sale when possible, so the following are discounted prices unless I put an F in front of the price for full price. Prices are in pesos/CAD/USD.

(I am amused that the receipt is in alphabetical order, btw!)

Avocado (3 Hass): 8.06/0.65/0.57

Almond milk (one carton, purchased as a gift for Dale): F33.90/2.74/2.40

Red onions (two medium): F7.32/0.59/0.52

Jalapeño pepper (one small): 0.20/0.02/0.01

Crema (Mexican sour cream, medium tub): F21.60/1.75/1.53

Saladitas crackers (big box): F36.70/2.97/2.60

American-style turkey ham (two packages): 39.00/3.15/2.76

Romaine lettuce (small head): F14.90/1.20/1.06

Key limes (about a dozen): 1.65/0.13/0.12

Butter (small stick): 11.00/0.89/0.78

Barilla pasta (two bags): F32.60/2.63/2.31

Bananas (about six): F11.40/0.92/0.81

Oaxaca cheese (2 400g packs): 99.60/8.04/7.06

Philadelphia cheese (one brick): 19.90/1.61/1.41

Ramen noodles (4 packages): 10.00/0.81/0.71

Bacon (small package): 34.90/2.82/2.47

Tomatoes (4 small): F8.82/0.71/0.63

Red grapefruit (2 big): 6.55/0.53/0.46

Yoghurt (large tub): 22.90/1.85/1.62

Beer (8x355mL cans at the Super Deli on Isla): F90.00/7.27/6.38

I think it’s obvious that dairy prices are the best deal in Mexico. I don’t know about meat prices yet (still waiting to be able to cook…) but my biggest luxury item in Canada is a staple item here. Full price, a brick of Philly cream cheese is about four times more expensive in Assiniboia and the tub of yoghurt would have been easily 7 or 8CAD! I’m trying a different brand, one that has fewer ingredients (ie. more natural). It’s coconut pineapple and I’m itching to get into it. 🙂

Bacon was the last thing I picked up. I didn’t go in with a list, not being certain of what I’d be able to find, and I’m glad I did a final sweep of the store and stopped at the deli counter. Bacon is tocino, BTW.

I came to the store with my own bags, including an insulated one that my friend L gave me. I filled one of my Nalgene water bottles about two thirds full last night, stuck it in the freezer, and topped it off this morning. This gave me not only cold water to drink while we walked around, but an ice pack to keep things cold in my insulated bag. I was able to tell the bagger to put the cold things in the insulated bag and the rest in the cloth one and she understood me perfectly. You have to tip baggers, so I gave her 2 pesos plus all the small change (centavos) that I’ve been collecting since it doesn’t seem to be any good for anything else.

Grant was a gentleman and insisted on carrying my heaviest bag all the way back to the panga and then home! It was nice to have a pack mule. 😀 I stopped at the City Deli for beer, we both went next door to get a fresh batch of tortillas, and I met Dale on the way home so I was able to give her the almond milk (the look on her face made me glad I thought to do that for her).

I came home and made wraps from my lovely warm fresh tortillas, Philly cream cheese, wonderful tomatoes, and some ham. Yum!