Mazatlan

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Counting Down

Tomorrow’s the day that I start saying, “My last –day.” I have one Friday night left before I head home, so the one-week countdown is on! I can’t believe the winter is basically over. And unlike a lot of other winters, I don’t have that feeling of dread that it just slipped through my fingers. It’s not just the fact that I know I’m coming back that makes departure something I’m looking forward to rather than dreading, but the fact that I lived so much in my months here.

I had a huge amount of work to do for today and set my finish time for 6:45 so I could go get hot dogs and not have to work again after. That meant pretty much working through the day with only short breaks.

Around 4:00, I went for a quick walk to check on the truck and found it on blocks with all four wheels off. I kicked myself for forgetting my camera, so I made a note to bring it with me when I went out for dinner.

Somehow, I managed to finish work a whole 15 minutes ahead of schedule! It’ll be more of the same till Wednesday, but being done for tonight was an amazing feeling, like a huge weight lifted off my shoulders.

I took off, with the plan being to hit the truck for pictures first, but something told me to check the hot dog stand and it was closed. What?! I want a sit down dinner at Miguel’s my last night here, so that means no more hot dogs till next fall. I’m sure my body is happy about that. 🙂

Most Friday nights, I have exact change for the hot dog lady, but tonight I left with a 50. So, being famished and rather set on meal I didn’t cook myself, I decided to get a hamburger and fries instead.

That restaurant is just past the workshop, where there were signs of life.

She looks rather forlorn, doesn't she?

She looks rather forlorn, doesn’t she?

Hey, there's a wheel back on. Or maybe it was on when I came by at 4:00?

Hey, there’s a wheel back on. Or maybe it was on when I came by at 4:00?

At the restaurant, I placed a to-go order and said I would be back in about 10 minutes. No sense waiting around, might as well go for a walk!

The little place I discovered that knows how to make French fries!

The little place I discovered that knows how to make French fries!

I love how brightly coloured everything is in Mexico.

I love how brightly coloured everything is in Mexico.

I knew from the last time I ordered a burger that a quick loop by the panga and elementary school would be just about the right amount of time.

The elementary school.

The elementary school.

There was a school related shindig going on at the playground near the school, with lots of music and people enjoying elote (sweet corn on the cob with mayo and chile powder), ceviche, fried tacos, and more.

It was overcast and drizzly all day, but finally starting to clear up and the air felt so fresh and sweet. There were lots of people out and about. Everyone is so friendly and the folks I see most often know they can chat with me, so I got asked about where I was headed on the way out and what I was having for supper on the way in when I had my bag of food. There’s an intellectually challenged man who plays a guitar on a balcony right in front of the restaurant and he always grunts to get my attention as I walk past him, plays me a few notes, blows me a kiss, and then waves. I always applaud and wave back. It’s our little routine.

There are lovely trees in bloom this week:

What a pretty tree!

What a pretty tree!

I love those pink flowers.

I love those pink flowers.

My burger was being wrapped up as I arrived. My $10 in change was given as such, ten 1-peso coins!

The mechanic was at the shop when I walked by and he told me to come look at some parts he pulled. He was very apologetic in that he really needs to recommend a completely new brake job, rotors, pads, calipers, etc., so the price really is going to be $4,000. He had hoped to surprise me with a lower bill. I assured him that I’m fine with the price and to do what needs to be done. I reiterated that I’ve had major break work done on a Ford and can recognize that he’s not lying to me.

He says he should be done tomorrow (!) and that he’s expecting me late Sunday morning with the balance of the money. So I’ll head out super early Sunday, get a pastry and coffee at Panamá’s for a treat, and be back in time to get some, I mean, lots of work done.

He also gave me a heads up that there is a lot of rust in the undercarriage and that I should look into have it washed and undercoated soon as I get out off the coast. I’ll have to look into how much that will cost.

I got in and my supper was thankfully still hot.

Yum!

Yum!

For some reason, they omitted the cheese and jalapeños tonight! I added my own cheese and was shocked to discover that I rather missed the peppers! But don’t get me wrong, it was still an awesome sandwich and I have to confess I wasn’t too disappointed about the hot dogs. 🙂 I also finished off my bottle of sweet relish!

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The Mecánico

I went back to the shop this afternoon to see how things were going. My truck was not being worked on as the mechanic was in town picking up the filter and the oil. It seems that he works late in the day, but gets things done when he does.

I was told I needed to come back around five to confirm that deposit for the brake work so that the mechanic could go get parts for that. So how things work at this little shop is that they only do one thing at a time and they have you pay half up front so they can get parts. I’m absolutely fine with this since I’ve gotten some testimonials about the shop.

As for the tailgate, the handle was fine, but there was a broken rod inside, not something I could have fixed myself! There are TONS of tailgates lying around since they are removed for the pickup truck taxis and he got the part from one of those.

I was also told that the total for the brakes should be actually closer to $4,000, not $4,500! That’s a 40CAD difference that means a lot in Mexico as it would cover the hotel and a nice dinner with a beer in San Carlos!

The fellow I’ve been dealing with called the mechanic to confirm that I really do want the complete brake job done and put me on the phone with him for a verbal confirmation. The reception was really bad and we settled on my returning to the shop in about a half hour to speak with him rather than returning at five.

Before I left, I had a laugh. The fellow said that he Google Saskatchewan last night. “It’s 4,000KM from Mazatlán to the US/SK border. How much further do you have to beyond that?!”
“Only 75KM.”
“I take it 75KM from the US border is safer in Canada than in Mexico?”
“Most of its parts. And most Canadians live within 150KM of the US border.”
“Oh, right. Just north enough to be Canadian, but not so north where it’s very cold.”

“Just north enough to be Canadian…” LOL!!!

So I returned in half an hour and the mechanic was yet another person who speaks way better English than I do Spanish who opts to deal with me in Spanish. So FINE. I speak Spanish! ¡No poquito, mucho! 🙂

The mechanic wanted at least $1,000 to go get parts in Maz, ideally, $2,000. I had no problem giving him the $2,000 and told him that the soonest I can get to the bank for the balance is Sunday morning (that’s actually the soonest I can get there without throwing my work schedule into chaos!). That’s fine and work likely won’t be done till Monday anyway. I told him that if he needs more money for parts before then, I have another $1,000 or so and his helper knows where to find me.

(Croft, he remembers the really tall guy with white hair and the ancient Honda! 😀 )

I said that I need my truck back by the 23rd at the absolute latest (a week from now) and they say that won’t be a problem. I’m hoping it’s sooner as I want to start packing it, but the 23rd is fine.

I’m really glad I went with my gut instinct and had the truck checked before I left! I’ll be able to leave with peace of mind that everything is good with it.

The guys on my Ranger forum think that the brake issue could explain my increasingly worse gas mileage and that I might be pleasantly surprised when I get going. When I get to the States and am able to get receipts with my fuel purchases, I’ll crunch some numbers.

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Mecánicos, Tacos y Zapatos

I helped some friends move yesterday, which meant I had to work longer on Sunday and postpone a trip to town. I decided to make the trip today. I didn’t ‘need’ to go, but rather wanted a change of scenery and one last beer and meal off the Malecón.

I did some work this morning until noonish, then took off for town. En route, I stopped at a mechanic Contessa recommended and whose work Croft was pleased with. There’s no building, just a pit in the ground!

There’s no way I’m doing a 4,000KM trip without having my truck looked at. I know at the very least that Moya needs an oil change and to have her brakes checked.

The mechanic wasn’t there, but the other guy working said he could get all my info. Between my Spanish, pointing, and pantomiming abilities he understood that I want the oil change and brake examination as well as to figure out why my windshield wipers aren’t squirting, repair my tailgate handle,  give me a quote for repairing the AC, and that I need the truck for the 23rd. He said I can bring my truck by around 9:30 tomorrow morning and they will take a look at it and come up with a price for everything.  I told him I would write everything down and that he could put the prices on my list. This way, there shouldn’t be any confusion.

There are tons of Ford Rangers just like mine (similar vintage, too!) both on Isla and in Maz, so I know that parts will be abundant, another reason why it makes sense to have the work done here, never mind that labour will be much cheaper than in the US or Canada! I have a figure in mind of what I’d be able to pay to get everything done, but I’ll be surprised if I have them touch the AC.

Then, it was off to town, the plan being to get in a long walk before eating.

Here’s the exact route that I took. It’s just over 6KM (3 3/4mi).

My exact route, minus the slight backtracking for gelato. :)

My exact route, minus the slight backtracking for gelato. 🙂

By the time I neared the Fishermen’s Monument (B) I was, as usual parched, never mind famished, so I asked for pulp in my grapefruit juice. Pulp=pulpa; octopus=pulpo, another pair of words not to mix up!

I sipped my juice as I ambled down the Malecón. It wasn’t particularly busy, but there were a few people on the beach and a handful of vendors.

Looking north to the Golden Zone

Looking north to the Golden Zone

Looking south towards Olas Altas

Looking south towards Olas Altas

Looking north to the Golden Zone again.

Looking north to the Golden Zone again.

For lunch, I had my heart set on tacos from Copa de Leche. They’re pretty pricy since they’re at a sit down restaurant, but soooo good. They have tender beef, grilled onions, and avocado; very simple, nourishing, and healthy!

carne asada tacos

carne asada tacos

I think of Copa de leche as being a ‘Gringo’ restaurant because it’s on Olas Altas and I really don’t see many Mexicans eating at those restaurants, but my entire service, including an oral bill, was in Spanish with zero attempt at speaking to me in English, plus the prices and food are more Mexican than touristified. However it can or cannot be defined, I really like Copa de leche and their low to the ground loungey chairs that aren’t comfortable for eating but wonderful for relaxing with a cold Tecate! The bill was $95 and I added $10 for a tip. My server actually thanked me for the tip, which I don’t think was particularly generous since his service wasn’t great! I’m glad he was pleased.

BTW, here are the steps to learning to eat Mexican sauces like the one in the above picture:

1) Innocence: Add sauce to your food without thinking, take a bite, lose three quarters of your taste buds.

2) Fear: Avoid all sauce.

3) Exploration: Realising that Mexican food is sometimes bland without sauce, start tasting sauce. But you put it on the tip of your tongue and burn it and remained convinced that spicy sauce is not for you.

4) Knowledge: You get smarter and add sauce to a small bit of food so that the heat can be diffused rather than tasting it directly. A bit or two of saucy food is enough.

5) Love: You know all sauce is delicious and embrace the fact that all sauce is also intent on killing your taste buds. Add a little to your meal, take a bite or two, and add more if needed.

Next stop was the little Panamá’s by the Plazuela Machado (the original location, I believe). A vendor rattled off info about a bunch of pastries after I hemmed and hawed for a bit. She highly recommended some stuffed with cheese, but had me at the apple-stuffed thing dusted with coffee and cinnamon and sprinkled with black chocolate, which will be breakfast tomorrow. While I was there, I used their bathroom. I will confess to frequently buying a pastry just so I can do that. 🙂

Then, it was a tiny detour to the gelato place. One of my new phrases this winter is ‘¿Puedo probar ___? (may I please try) and I used it to sample their ‘Snickers’ flavour, which was sooooo good; vanilla ice cream with caramel, peanuts, and chocolate. I got a small scoop in a cup.

Waldo’s and the Mercado were next by way of the bank. My priority at the Mercado was footwear!

The ‘dressy’ sandals I bought in Kingsville, TX, ahead of my last ‘trip to Mexico’ have served me incredibly well, but I’ve worn them clear through with all the walking this winter and by the time I got to the Mercado today, my heels were sore and I admitted it was time to let them go.

When I got here in November, I saw some pretty slip on leather sandals that I really liked at the Mercado and that would be good for light walking days, but I was quoted 400 pesos, a much higher price than I could afford at the time.

I went back to the same vendor today and said that I’m an American size eight (which is five in Mexico), wanted them dark, and without anything between my toes. The lady read my mind and pulled out these:

so pretty!

so pretty!

She showed me a few other models, but there was no point. I was smitten. 🙂 I asked her how much… Now, remember this was the exact same vendor who quoted me 400 pesos in November. Today, she started at $250.

I looked at her and said, “What’s your best price?”

She laughed, “$230 is the absolute best I can do. And only because I’ve seen you spend a lot of money on dresses and other clothes from other vendors this winter and you speak to us in Spanish.” (Not sure why buying from other vendors was relevant — maybe because it meant I might be a repeat customer?)

So deal done!

They are super comfy, with a thick foam sole and leather upper. I know the sole will wear out before the upper and I’m willing to bet it’ll be cheaper to have them resoled this time next year than to buy another pair. But for 18.80CAD, if I get only a single season out of them, I will have gotten my money’s worth!

As my friend Dale used to say, another great day in Maz!

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Quantifying Linguistic Progress

One of my goals for this winter was to improve my Spanish and gain more fluency. I really didn’t know what that meant because I had no idea what level I was starting at. After four months or so, I was able to use Berlitz’s linguistic proficiency level scale to not only figure out where I started, but also to quantify my progress.

I started shakily in functional level 2. “At the functional level, you have a basic command of the language needed in a limited range of simple, routine, and familiar tasks and situations.” This is evident from the fact that I was able to negotiate the apartment, deal with TelCel, and do basic business interactions immediately upon arriving, but had a difficult time when going ‘off script.’

I am now hovering between intermediate levels three and four.  This is reflected in the fact that I can now following simple conversations and discuss more complex topics, but am still struggling with verb tenses, vocabulary deficiencies, and understanding idle conversation.

Yesterday, I got chicken for the first time in weeks, if not months, and for the last time this winter (there’s nothing wrong with it, I just got bored!). I got there late and the line up was long. All the chatter made me realise oral comprehension really needs to be my focus for next winter.

I have  good comprehension in one-to-one situations, but put me in a middle of a crowd and I only catch the odd word or phrase. I also rarely understand two Mexicans talking to each other. I know that watching simple Spanish programming with Spanish subtitles this summer will go a long way to helping me hit the ground running on this issue next year. It would unlock a lot of mysteries of Mexican social mores to be able to sit on a bench and eavesdrop on conversations!

But I do get some of what I hear and what I understood yesterday at the chicken stand was further evidence of the progress I’ve made. After the vendor took money from a little girl, I clearly understood, “Tell your mother she owes me five pesos” from a few rapidly fired words.

And guess what I was able to do? As soon as the vendor had a moment to breathe, I asked her if the price had changed for a half chicken and she said, “Yes, to 55 pesos.” I know for a fact that when I got to Mexico in November, I wouldn’t have been able to understand her comment to the little girl in any way that would relate to me, much less be able to formulate a related question and be able to understand the response!

I helped some friends move today and they hired two Mexican movers. I warned the guys that I understand Spanish in case they wanted to say anything negative about my friends or the move or whatever, all of which I didn’t want to hear. They said a few things to me in Spanish as we did 50 billion trips down a very, very, very, very long flight of stairs (I got my exercise today!), but mostly stuck to quite good English for my friends’ benefit.

Later, at the new house, the two movers and I flopped down for a break while my friends settled things with their landlord. The guys started chatting with me in Spanish and the conversation was really quite in depth, almost to the level of what I would share with my riding guide. Once again, their English, like my landlady’s, is excellent, much better than my Spanish, and they chose to speak to me in Spanish. That tells me I’m not bumbling along with the language as badly as I think I am!

(They find the dogs and roosters as annoying as I do, by the way. I’m glad to know that!)

Finally, there’s another thing I’ve been able to do this winter, simple translations, like I did from my riding guide to my riding buddies. I’m also doing simple Spanish transcription when I have extra time. I’m not getting paid for this, but it’s experience for which I’m getting good feedback. So who knows, I might be able to add Spanish proficiency to my resume in a year or two!

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Enchilaprovisation

I think it’s on record that I’m one of those annoying cooks so comfortable in the kitchen that she doesn’t need recipes or special equipment to make a satisfying meal from rather disparate ingredients. I’ve been cooking for so long that I don’t even remember learning to cook.

I’m trying to use up the odd bits and pieces that friends left me before departing for northern climes. One of the things was a small tin of green enchilada sauce. I needed a quick dinner tonight, have had green enchiladas on the brain for a while, and had the follow bits to use up in addition to the sauce:

-chicken, rice, and tortillas from lunch;

-two tortillas in the freezer that were about to go off;

-a small hunk of Chihuahua cheese;

-a spoonful of crema.

Even if I trusted my oven, I don’t have any ovenware here, so I made dinner in my cast iron skillet, layering tortillas and a chicken and rice mixture, then drenching the whole thing in green sauce, reserving a little. I reduced the heat, popped a lid on the pan, and let the whole thing simmer until the sauce reduced and the bottom tortilla went from soggy to crispy.

Then, I flipped the whole thing over, cut the heat, added more sauce, and put shredded cheese over top, replacing the lid to melt the cheese with the residual heat from the pan.

I plated half of the dish and served it with half of the crema.

Dang this was good! The green sauce is quite spicy, but very flavourful, and the cream and cheese cut through the heat. It will be even better tomorrow once all the flavours have melded together.

It’s really not pretty to look at, but here tis:

IMGP1117

I’ve been really curious about this sauce, but wasn’t willing to spend the few pesos to try it because I’m stupid that way (and was worried that it would be too spicy). But now I know I will be adding it to my pantry next winter. I may even bring a tin or two of it home!

Next, I have to try the red sauce by the same brand, of which I also have a tin.

I’d like to add to the mothers out there that I had a small head of broccoli as an appetizer. 😉