Sinaloa

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Many Steps

I was a woman on a mission today! I’ve wanted to get a Dutch oven (casserole dish with tight fitting lid that goes from the stovetop to the oven) for ages and ages and ages and decided that I would get one for this year’s Yule present to myself. I wasn’t too fussy on whether I got cast iron or enameled cast iron, but I wanted something decent. Soriana has little enameled Crockpot brand Dutch ovens for about $850, so that was my starting off point. They were just too small, but at least I knew that I could get a Dutch oven in this city.

So today’s plan was to hit a Walmart, a Ley, and Mega to see what they might stock in this area. I had also checked a kitchen supply store in Juárez the other day. Part of the urgency is that I plan to cook a ham for a potluck next week!

Since I also wanted to go to the bank and Waldo’s, it made sense to go to the ‘old’ Walmart on Carretera Internacional, which would give me a chance to try out the Ley in the El Mar Plaza (as opposed to the Ley across from the Waldo’s on Ejercito Mexicano, which becomes Carretera Internacional). If neither had what I wanted, I could then either hoof it or grab a bus to go to Mega. If I struck out at Mega, I could then double back to Soriana. Here’s a map of my day:

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I had a wee bit of work to do this morning, then I headed out. I stopped at our new Isla bakery and got a big cinnamony bun as a late breakfast. Very yummy and not absurdly sweet. It’s great that we have a bakery now!

The Baja Ferry was in port:

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I did what I needed at the bank, then crossed over to Waldo’s where a contender for the world’s crankiest woman was ahead of me in line.

After that, I had quite a hike ahead of me, but it was nice to be going into an area where I’ve never walked before, although I have driven. I found this sign shortly after Waldo’s:

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It’s pleading (successfully!) with youth to not graffiti the walls.

This was my second time in as many years going to a Walmart here and the last. They really don’t carry much! The kitchenwares section was abysmal. The only thing that made the effort of going there worthwhile was that I found a new ‘ballistic’ screen cover for my iPhone for only $99. The screen cover that came with my case was really badly scratched and it took a friend with a cover by the same manufacturer to convince me that I could pop out the scratched cover without otherwise damaging the case. I can’t believe it took me so long to do this. What a difference!

Walmart is Walmart no matter where you go and there are never sufficient cashiers. So I had a chance to get a picture of this while waiting in line:

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I buy those exact same pistachios at the Co-Op in Assiniboia for about 8CAD a bag. These are about 3CAD a bag.

Ley wound up being a bust and I was pretty tired by the time I’d circled the store. Walking to Mega was out of the question, so I hoped I wouldn’t have to wait too long for a bus. Well, I got to the bus stop just as the very bus I needed was pulling up! I took that as a good sign!

I was peckish by the time I got to Mega since I’d been out of the heat for a bit so I grabbed a slice of pizza. I officially declare that I love Rin Rin pizza!

My first survey of the kitchenwares department at Mega was disappointing, just the same very low quality enameled pots I saw at Ley and Walmart. But something told me to have a closer look and I struck gold on a bottom shelf — a Gibson-brand cast iron Dutch oven in the perfect size!

Here it is in use and already covered with fingerprints! 🙂

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The best part? It was a mere $500!!!!!!!!!

Next, I decided to scope out ham. Well, this is where my day got interesting. As it turns out, you can get a whole ham here to bake or boil, like we do in Canada and the US, but for some reason, they don’t call it jamón. That’s reserved for lunchmeat. The whole ham is called pierna ahumada (literally, smoked leg). I had a chance to sample some that was cooked and it is definitely ham like we get back home. Mega wanted a whopping $500 pesos for a small one! Their prices, especially for meat, are insane, so I didn’t buy one. But now I know what to look for when I go to Ley next week.

I did a bit more shopping (and was irked that they didn’t have hummus!), then I headed out to get a taxi. Up until very recently, I would have thought that I snagged a pulmonía, but I’ve now learned that the open air taxis here that have doors are not pulmonías!

The driver took a really bizarre route to get to the embarcadero, including taking Avenida del Mar (lovely; I got to look at the ocean!), but he went out of his way and made the trip a lot longer than it needed to be. I almost felt like giving him directions! And, yes, he charged me the normal price of $60, so it’s not like he was trying to squeeze more money out of me!

On this side, I made the mistake of thinking my bags weren’t too heavy, but by the time I was halfway home, I was seriously thinking of stashing one and coming back for it later. Luckily, I ran into reader Michael, who bundled the heavier bag onto his bike and dropped it off at my place for me. Thank you again!

I got in and put together a semblance of a beef stew, something I’ve never done. This is an in between picture, with the onions and beef nearly cooked, but the veggies just starting. I added green beans near the end.

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I didn’t have anything to make a rich brown gravy or any turnips for flavour, but the test taste was satisfactory! I love how the beef is sold here, in very thin strips, so you don’t get these huge chunks that roil around in your mouth. I found the hamburger was outrageously priced at Mega, but was very happy with how much I got for the $60 pesos I paid for this ‘sirloin’ (as per my translating app).

My favourite thing at Mega is the bread, it’s just better than that at the Soriana and Ley bakeries. I really do try to watch my bread consumption, but I always come home from Mega with a load of pumpernickel and a loaf of raisin bread! I also picked up some buns (bolillos) today to mop up the gravy from my stew!

It was a very, very, very, very full day. But I’m glad I did all that walking since I’ll be typing all weekend!

Also, any day here that ends with me wiped, but still eager to cook is a magical one!  I joked a lot about not planning to cook this winter but, surprise, eating out tons got old pretty fast! I’ll be glad to have stew to get me through the next couple of days, but I did promise Patti that I’d stop by for an enchilada brunch tomorrow or Sunday!

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A Rare Four Cruise Ship Day in Mazatlán

rhere were four cruise ships in harbour today, a very rare event! My friend Grant lives along the route between the docks and the Plazuela Machado and reports that it’s “raining Gringos” today! Too funny. There are apparently 10,000 extra people in town. Maz is a fairly large city, almost half a million people spread out over its metro area, but these 10,000 folks are concentrated in Centro and the Golden Zone. It’s probably rather crowded on the other side!

Since this was such a big deal, I made sure to take my camera on my walk this afternoon and so was able to note of a few things along the way.

One of my neighbours has a patch on his house that looks rather like a rat. Someone else seemed to think so and chalked in a tail!

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This was quite a shock the other day. We’re right at the end of my street and the grove there was clearcut to make room for a house site!

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I visited the upstairs flat in this house recently.

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You go up those terra cotta stairs to a really lovely landing and the little balcony is off the bedroom. Brand new construction, one bedroom, bathroom, and a small kitchen/dining/living room combo (I think the covered landing is meant to be the living room proper). Not to my taste and way more than I’d want to pay, but I have to say that I loved the view from up there. I’ve been seeing a number of properties lately since friends of mine are shopping for friends of theirs and I get to come along as the translator!

I saw one house that I would have considered for next year, if I was coming back next year and knew I could get internet there. It’s not a ‘Gringo’ house at all, very Mexican with a bit of an odd layout, bright blue tiled floors, orange walls, and no glass in the windows, with a porch overlooking the harbour. I saw another place where the living room and kitchen are open to the outdoors and only the bedrooms and bathrooms are properly closed off. Not sure how I feel about that for long-term living, but it’s been neat seeing the variety of houses available for rent.

Coming to the embarcadero, I saw the first two of the four ships.

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And the other two as I rounded the corner to head back towards Calle Principal.

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The Titanik was also in dock. 🙂

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Crown Princess.

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Norwegian Jewel.

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I love looking up at the mountain that is right smack in the middle of Isla. It looks like any mountain back home until…

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I see the cacti.

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This building has been under construction since last year! It’s been interesting to see how construction is done here. The buildings are made of brick walls, which are then rendered by hand with cement.

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I love this grove of vines near the rear of the El Velero restaurant. They are thick enough to seem like a building!

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Miguel’s has updated some of its signage.

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They have a pizza oven now, but the pizza business is not going well. Folks find the pizza too expensive.

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This is the house being built on the lot at the end of my street that was vacant last year. You can see the brick that’s behind the cement. It will be cut out for the windows. Friends of mine and I are wondering why such tiny windows when there is such a view from that vantage point…

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I love the tropical vibe at the back of my house, and if I wish there was just one window back there.

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And I still can’t believe this lush backyard with palm trees is part of the place I call home!

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Visiting Mazatlán’s Tianguis de la Juárez (Flea Market)

After hearing about the ‘Juárez flea market’ through readers Michael and Rochelle and seeing some pictures on Contessa’s blog, I was intrigued. I didn’t have much to go on, besides Michael giving me a very rough idea of the location. Googling Mercado Juárez didn’t give me much other than super old information. But cobbling together a bunch of clues, I finally found the right combination of words (tianguis and Juárez) to get a jackpot of information on the Spanish-language sites.

From these sites, I learned that this market is where the locals shop to get much better deals than at the Mercado Pino-Suárez in Centro and that the market is located in a colonia (neighbourhood) in Maz that is almost a self-contained city. Sunday mornings, folks sell all manner of used goods and this is the most exciting time to go.

Now, to get there…

A lot of the buses that go by the embarcadero have the name Juárez written on them. So this morning, I decided to flag one down and ask if they went to the tianguis de la Juárez. Yup! It was a rather short ride and I knew I was there when the bus slowed to a crawl as it went through the heart of this open-air market. No street closures in Mexico! I hopped off, picked up a giant guava agua fresca (just $10!), and spent quite a bit of time just walking up and down the streets, orientating myself.

This was ‘my’ Mexico, with air smelling of cilantro and grilled meat and laundry detergent, with a whiff of exhaust. Listen carefully and you could hear under the music bartering, cleavers chopping meat and coconuts, vehicles going over topes, and the swish of brooms. It was crowded and busy, but not in the least overwhelming, not the way it would have been at this time last year.

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Everything was for sale and I had fun poking through hardware and kitchen supply shops, as well as looking at clothing. So many sandals!

After exploring the roadside stands, I discovered the flea market part of the market, where there were a lot of clothes for sale!

This was my favourite part of the experience, reminding me a bit of going through the mercado in Durango. Just a warren of stalls with little rhyme or reason to the layout and lots of treasures to be found.

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And treasure I did find! I have been looking for something since last year and which I cannot believe has been so elusive, a lime press. And just like that, I found myself facing an assortment of them! I had a choice of metal or plastic for the same price, but with the metal being aluminum, I preferred to go with the plastic. The seller admitted that he preferred the plastic ones since they have little poky bits that do a better job of fully squeezing the lime. So sold! Oh, and just $25, not negotiable.

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I was trying to decide which taco stand to grab lunch from when I noticed the pizza quite a few people were eating. It looked rather like New York style, so I changed my lunch plans and grabbed a slice for something ridiculous like $24 (prices were definitely lower in this part of Maz than in Centro!) to assuage my curiosity. Well, it wound up being the best pizza I’ve had since Idaho Falls! The cheese and sauce were spot on, the dough not quite chewy enough. But dang! I’ll be spoiled for pizza if I got anywhere else in Maz, methinks!

Just as I was finishing up and found myself wishing for a nieve vendor, what did I spot?! She had most of the usual flavours and I went with prune. $15, same price as I pay in Centro, got me nearly three times as much, and in a cone! It was almost too much, but nieve is so light and refreshing that it goes down easily.

I’d managed to fill almost two hours and I was ready to go, so I decided to take a bus back, not having any heavy shopping to carry. I figured I could grab any bus that would go back to more familiar parts of Maz and make my way back to the embarcadero from wherever I landed. Since I had come from nearly Centro on one one-way street, it stood to reason that I had to catch a bus going in the opposite direction. And when the first bus was Cocos-Juárez, I figured, great, I’ll end up pretty near to the embarcadero.

Well, all was going well for quite a bit. I had no idea where I was and the route was terrible, going over 50 billion topes, but then we turned onto Gabriel Leyva, which becomes Emilio Barragán and I figured I was nearly home… Then we turned off of Gabriel Leyva and went very deep into a residential neighbourhood and even traversed some muddy streets I wouldn’t have taken in anything else than a four-wheel drive before the bus stopped and the driver told me I was at the end of the line. I had taken the bus going in the wrong direction. OOPS!

Now, before anyone has a heart attack, I was not ‘in the middle of nowhere.’ It was a busy neighbourhood, with kids playing outside and tons of buses and taxis going by. I’ve been stranded in bad parts of Chicago, New York, and Baltimore, so let me tell you to get any thoughts of my being ‘in trouble’ out of your heads. I knew exactly how to get to the embarcadero and had the option of waiting 20 minutes for the driver to finish his break and take me back out to Gabriel Leyva, flagging down a taxi, or walking.

It was a gorgeous day, I had spent yesterday cooped up because of a rain storm, and this was a vibrant neighbourhood with lots to see. I decided to start walking and if I got tired or didn’t feel safe, I’d flag down a pulmonía. I ended up walking the whole way, nearly 6KM total! What a happy OOPS!

I was hoping today would be an adventure and I’d say I succeeded at making it one!

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Playing Hooky

I had a day of transcription to do, but by the time I got halfway through my work it was 1PM and I just had to get away from my computer screen, even if it meant have to come back home to the unfinished job.

Pad Thai was what I was in the mood for, so I decided to head up to the Golden Zone, then walk to the bank and Soriana. Getting to the Golden Zone felt like an eternity! I waited for ages on this side for a lancha, then I waited for eons on the other side for a bus. I waited so long that I considered getting into a pulmonía even if that would have meant a $100 trip to the GZ instead of just a $10 one!

Let’s just say that this was the perfect day for me to have given into my curiosity and bought a big fluffy doughnut with cinnamon sugar from the lady at the embarcadero because I would have passed out from hunger by the time I got to the restaurant! I thought I didn’t like doughnuts. As it turns out, I don’t like Canadian doughnuts. Mexican doughnuts are great. 🙂 And cheap! It was only something like $2!

A photo posted by Rae Crothers (@travelingrae) on

So the bus finally arrived and it was incredibly crowded, standing room only for me… until a gentleman got up and told me to take his seat! Chivalry isn’t dead in Mexico!  I was very grateful since it’s been incredibly humid the last few days and my knee is  being really bad, so I appreciated a rest between all that walking I would end up doing.

Like last time, there was no one at the restaurant, even though I arrived quite a bit later. I had the pork in my Pad Thai this time and it wasn’t any better than the chicken in terms of the meat being a bit bland. But that’s being nitpicky again because the Pad Thai was again worth the very long journey to get to it! Two stars didn’t even make my eyes water this time. Either I’m getting used to spice or the chef skimped! It’s such a shame the restaurant is tucked away out of sight. Hopefully, word of mouth will be enough to keep it running a long time.

Next stop was the bank. I make a withdrawal up to my daily limit each time I go by one of the two Scotiabank branches that are part of my normal routes so that I have a reserve of cash on hand since neither one is particularly convenient to go to in a rush. I always convert my big bills to smaller ones and have yet to encounter any reluctance on a teller’s part. I’m really glad I opened up the account because I am saving a bundle on withdrawal fees!

Right next to Scotiabank is Office Depot and I spent a blissful half hour in there getting a few things I need to do my taxes and close the books for the year, including separators with the month written on them. They are in English, which I guess makes sense even for Mexico since the months are so close in both languages, as well as French, with just January being the odd duck out in Spanish (enero versus January/janvier). I just love poking through office supply stores. 🙂

Then, I got a few things at Soriana. I was hoping to find Swiffer refills, even though I knew that was likely wishful thinking. I have to wash my floors a lot here because so much sand gets in and the only mops I could find last year were the string kind that just basically push the dirt around. So I came armed with my Swiffer. The refills are pricey (I go through up to four sheets to do the whole house), but the wet sheets both clean the floor and trap the dirt, doing a much better job than a broom and mop, so they’re well worth the money. A lady asked if she could help me and I just said, “Swiffer…” and she said they didn’t have any, but she could suggest something else. She handed me a reusable microfiber cloth that promises to do the same thing as the Swiffer sheets (and which are meant to clip onto a Swiffer-type mop head), only you have to dip the cloth in water and wring it out. More work, but more economical. At something like $30, it’ll be worth trying it!

I also treated myself to some new bedsheets, another attempt to bring a little colour into the house. A ‘full’ mattress in the U.S./Canada is ‘matrimonial’ in Mexico. Just an FYI. 🙂

By the time I got out, the sky had gone from grey to absolutely leaden. It’ll probably pour tonight. It was a pretty fast taxi ride to the embarcadero (taking yet another route I’ve never taken before, so I saw new things), a bit of a wait at the lancha, and then a short taxi ride home on this side, with the driver knowing exactly where to take me. He took some other passengers, too, and one asked what the heck we were doing stopping where we did. He was surprised that it was my house. Must have thought I live in the trailer park or the hotel, I guess… He hopped out and helped me with my bags. Gentlemen aren’t in short supply in this country!

Gah, I’d better get back to work. But I think I have the next three days off!

Going to the Dentist in Canada vs. Going to the Dentist in Mexico

I had a dentist appointment at 11:30 this morning, so I left quite early to give me time to hunt down chia seeds at the mercado. I decided to start with a lady who sells nuts and dried fruit and whom I could pretty find blindfolded from the entrance by Tony’s on Leandro Valle. She had chia seeds… That was a little quicker than I’d expected, I still had an hour to kill, and I couldn’t eat. Dang!

I wandered around the mercado a bit and found the dividing line between the tourist and the local sections. The tourist section is horrible, with the vendors being incredibly aggressive and unpleasant. There are a few things I’d like to buy that I know I’ll get the best prices on at the mercado, but the vendors really turn me off. You can’t just browse and take in all the sights and colours. Very disheartening and I wish there was a tourist bureau I could vent to… My friend Janet made similar comments to me during our Monday ride. She said she felt “assaulted” and I don’t think she’s exaggerating at all!

But the local part of the mercado is wonderful to wander around in! That’s pretty much anything that involves food. I had a leisurely stroll through the butcher and fish shops, realising that, really, I could buy meat and fish there if I came with a bag full of ice for the trip home. I’d definitely get better selection than at the supermarkets. I found the coffee roasting place a few people have mentioned, ogled the cheeses, and made a mental note of what fruits and veggies I wanted to pick up after my appointment.

Around 11:00, I decided to go sit in the dentist’s air conditioned waiting area and read. She had a few English magazines, so they were fun to browse through. She’s punctual, so I went in at almost bang on 11:30.

So going to the dentist in Canada:

Dentist: MY GOD. YOUR TEETH! Why don’t you go to the dentist more often?!

Me: I can’t afford it.

Dentist (tutting): Can’t afford it. *snorts* It’s all a matter of priorities. *gets to work*

Me: It hurts…

Dentist: Stop whining. It doesn’t hurt. *finishes* That’ll be an arm, a leg, and half a hand.

Going to the dentist in Mexico:

Dentist: MY GOD. YOUR TEETH! What is wrong with your country that dentists care so much more about profit than making sure everyone can afford dental care???!!!

Me: I wish I knew. 🙁

Dentist: This is going to cost you 800 pesos total (66CAD). Can you afford that?

Me: Yes! Thank you!

Dentist (gets to work): Does this hurt?

Me: Yes…

Dentist: We’ll wait another minute. *waits* How about now?

Me: Can’t feel a thing!

Dentist: All done. Are you okay?

Me: Yup! *happily hands over the agreed upon payment*

My tooth badly needs a crown, but I’m not willing to commit to that kind of work at this time. My plan is to get settled in Mérida next year/early 2017 and then find a dentist and orthodontist I could form a long-term relationship with and get my dental issues fixed, something I have to say I rather regret not doing before I hit the road in ’08, when my dental plan would have covered a good chunk of orthodontic work. But it was time to go and I went.

The dentist said I couldn’t eat for an hour and a half and I was ravenous by this point. So decided that I would get an agua fresca, which is rather filling, as a compromise. But first, I picked up some fruits and veggies. The vendor held up the mango I’d chosen and told me it was $29 and did I still want it? I replied yes and that I knew they’re out of season. She gave me a thumbs up at that and bagged everything up for me. Expensive mango, but I was in the mood and I never hesitate to buy fruit as a treat! I also got a really big jicama, which was less than $10.

Then, I picked an agua fresca vendor who had guava! I discovered guava last year and I cannot turn down an opportunity to have a treat made from it! The agua fresca was huge, with tiny pieces of guava in it, for just $17. Like most Mexican sweets, it was just sweet enough, and very refreshing!

Now, I have to get some work done even though I am really not in the mood to do so. Let’s see if I can finish in time to get my Friday night hot dogs!