A lady advertised something on the classifieds yesterday that I absolutely had to have. More on that below. I was going to jump right on a bus to go pick it up when she said that I couldn’t come straightaway since she was on her way to Costco. So I asked if she could drop it off en route as she was coming up Calle 60. I could just meet her at a bus stop along the way so she wouldn’t have to make a detour. No could do — she wasn’t driving and her driver wouldn’t make extra stops. But she would definitely hold the item for me as it was clear I knew what I was getting into and that I really wanted it.

Today being the US Thanksgiving and my clients all being American, I knew it would be a super relaxed day. I have one client for whom it’s almost like a job-job now when I get interrupted with messages on an app called “Slack” throughout the day and I actually interact with their customers via yet another app. So not having that going on would be a nice break and so I decided that I would use the trip to Centro as an excuse to eat lunch at Pita!

I headed out around eleven after quite a downpour and decided to try the bus stop right by my house on Calle 21 since it’s no longer easy to catch a bus on Calle 60. Of course, I got to the bus stop as two buses were pulling away and so I had a bit of a wait, but it was still quite convenient. I can hear buses from my house, so next time, I will wait until I hear one and then go out as that should be perfect timing to catch the next!

I rode right to the downtown terminus and then went to an HSBC to make a withdrawal before heading for my meeting. It was raining again and the address was further than I realised so I almost changed my mind about going to Pita until I remembered that I’d still have to go back to my starting point to grab a bus home! Plus, I was meeting the lady on Calle 55, the same street as Pita, just a few blocks west.

The pickup let me see the inside of a typical house in a Mexican historical centre and as when I’ve visited others in the past, I was less than impressed by how dark and damp they are and how the doors are right at the street. I’m so glad that I got the privacy I wanted between my house and the street. Since it was raining, Centro’s streets were like rivers, not nicely draining like the streets in the parts further north. The more time I spend in Centro, the gladder I am that I chose to live where I did. The architecture of the house, though, was spectacular, with lots of pasta tile floors. I was happy with the condition of the item (brand new) and the price was more than fair (better than half off what I would have spent in the US!).

I then made a dash for Pita and enjoyed a wonderful meal of what else but a falafel sandwich?! 🙂 I really need to keep making this meal a once in several months treat because I appreciate just how special it is when I have it.

It was sunny when I came out, which was fantastic because I could pull out my sunglasses. My regular glasses broke as I went to put them at the restaurant (I’d taken them off to let the lenses dry and then the arm snapped) and I didn’t relish going home having to go home blind from either either not wearing glasses or wearing ones way too dark for the gloomy day! The sun was wonderful and finally took the chill out of the air that had been lingering all day. I was the only person I interacted with today who doesn’t appreciate this bit of a “cold snap” except in the dead of night, snuggled under a blanket!

I had a bit of room for ice cream left, so I decided to try a new-to-me gelato shop. Prices were outrageous for the portion size so I won’t be going there again. But their marzipan flavour was wonderful. I adore marzipan and haven’t had it in ages.

It started to rain again as I got to Plaza Grande (brr) so I decided it was time to head home. A suitable bus was parked at the bus stop, so I got on and it got me home in record time. Just as I got off, a veritable deluge started and I was soaked when I finally got in.

After I got into warm dry clothes, it was time to find the elusive box that holds all my spare glasses. I was starting to think that I must have left it in Chelem when the answer hit me with full giggles (the house really is absurdly huge) — the guest room! Sure enough, it was in the closet there! I made a poll on Facebook and got unanimous votes for the reddish-pink ones (third down), so that’s what I’m wearing now. 🙂

I can’t believe I forgot that I have other prescription sunglasses! I think I’ll be wearing the pink ones for a bit. Love my tortoiseshell ones, but a change-up is always nice!

So my mysterious purchase. Let me preface this by saying that one of the things that bugged me most about life at the beach was that I couldn’t have any fresh air all day as I had to run the air conditioner 24/7. I was thrilled when the room in this house that made the most sense to use as my office not only had a big window, but a whole door to outside so that I could have fresh air and natural light.

Slight hiccup with the door — no screen. I would left my front door open in Maz all the time and had the bugs to show for it. I didn’t want to do that here. So I thought that maybe I could get someone to fabricate a screen door for me in a frame that could just pop into the existing door frame, as I did not want anything damaging. If I had been in Canada or the US, the answer would have been much simpler, just buy a Magic Mesh screen door:

I’ve seen these in action a few times and knew that it would be the perfect solution for a low-traffic door. In fact, I priced supplies to make my own when I was at Parisina the other day and was less than impressed by the total cost of mesh, double-sided Velcro, and magnets.

So when I saw a Magic Mesh kit posted yesterday for only $125, there was no question of not jumping on it!

Soon as the rain let up, I cleaned the doorframe with rubbing alcohol so that the Velcro could stick to it and then followed the instructions for installing the Magic Mesh. It was super quick, easy, and not fussy at all.

It is a bit short for my door frame, but truly was the best and cheapest solution. I do have to be careful when I open the solid door in the morning as it is magnetic, but the magnets on the Magic Mesh aren’t super strong and let go nicely. They also snap back together most satisfactorily when I pass through the door. I don’t think such a solution would hold up very long in a high traffic door, but for this one, the Magic Mesh should be fine.

It sure has been a treat of a Thursday, but, yikes, how did it get to be 4:30?! I did mean to get some work done today!

The quality of the cultural events Mexico offer freely to its residents astounds me. For instance, how about visiting a full scale replica of the Sistine Chapel that is travelling around the country? It is currently in Mérida and it is highly recommended to book a slot to visit ahead of time to avoid a long line up. There is absolutely no fee for doing so and slots book up fast!

So that’s what I did on my coffee break this morning — made a quick jaunt to Italy!

The model was built in the used car tianguis (flea market) in the southeast part of the city. It’s a shame that’s not mentioned on their website as Googling the tianguis was by far the easiest way to find directions. I just knew because I follow a few pages on Facebook that have been talking about the Sistine Chapel replica.

I headed out around 10:20 since my slot was booked for eleven and that was the perfect amount of time as it gave me plenty of leeway to drive around the vicinity of the area to find it. Well, I didn’t need that extra time as it’s impossible to miss this imposing structure!

There was a decently marked parking lot just ahead of it that I noticed at the last minute. Parking was plentiful and I knew I was in for a treat just based on how well organised everything was outside, with tons of portapotties, vending machines, security, attendants, and shade. I went to an attendant and said I had a slot booked at eleven. It was about 10:40 at that point. I was directed to “line A”, where, while I waited, I was able to watch a movie showing how the model was built.

The lines began to move one by one and before I knew it, it was my turn to go into a room to watch another movie, this one about Michelangelo being commissioned to paint the famous frescos. Wow! It was very well done, with great acting and they didn’t skimp on the sets. I learned a lot and appreciated that between the room’s good acoustics, the superb sound quality of the movie, and the slow and clear manner in which the narrator spoke using simple words, I caught at least 85% of what was being said, which I’d estimate was about 95% of the most important information. For instance, I didn’t know that to that point, Michelangelo was only a sculptor and had no experience painting, nor that the frescos were done over a period of about 30 years, with huge gaps in between.

We were then led into the chapel. No photos were allowed, but, really, why would I have wasted time taking pictures when there are so many available online?

My first impression was awe as I noticed exterior details, like cherubs on friezes missing their noses and the place actually smelling old (!). But then came disappointment as the room was quite dark and, frankly, I couldn’t see much.

That didn’t last long. Yet another programme started, with a lights being directed to particular segments of the frescos and a narrator explaining them! I didn’t catch quite as much of this as I did the movie outside (the room was echoey), but more than enough to understand that I was seeing representations of Noah and the Flood, the Book of Revelations, St. Peter, and so much more. Each replica of the frescoes (which I understand to be photos of the originals) was highly detailed and in full colour.

After the narration, the lights were turned on and we could spend a few minutes wandering around freely to admire everything. No detail was missed, from chips in the floor to holes in the curtains. I was seriously impressed and awed. To be honest, I’m not sure I feel much of a need now to fight the crowds at the real one!

We then were able to exit through the rear into what else but a gift shop!

I was able to take a picture of the chapel’s exterior from another angle when I came out:

What an incredible gift this replica is to the people of Mexico! I feel so privileged to have been able to see it.

There are so many free cultural events in Mérida, some very grandiose, some more modest. I hope that as I can lessen my work schedule, I’ll be able to fit more and more of them into my schedule. But I doubt that anything else I see or do will top having had the chance to go to Italy for an hour.

After a big work day on Saturday, I decided to give myself Sunday morning completely off. I don’t know if that’s what did the trick, but I actually managed to sleep more than 8.5 hours straight! I’ve been averaging 5.5 hours a night straight since I moved in, then falling back asleep for another 1.5 to 2 hours. Needless to say, I was feeling perkier yesterday morning than I have in a while!

I decided that instead of making coffee, I would walk to Oxxo to get one of theirs with hazelnut creamer, as well as a ham and cheese croissant. I came in, heated up my sandwich and prepared some fruit, then lingered over breakfast and watched an episode of a TV show on Netflix. Having been sufficiently lazy, I decided to see if the laundromat was open as I was beyond out of clean clothes.

The laundromat was open and so loud that it was really hard to communicate that I wanted to use a machine. The gals finally figured it out and set me up. I was confused as they wouldn’t take my money and instead fed tokens into my machine. I felt so awkward that I decided to just stand there and wait for my clothes to wash rather than go home for 20 minutes or so (the laundromat is only a short block from me). Finally, their industrial dryer finished up and the place got almost quiet. One of the ladies asked me some questions and the ice finally got broken! We had a really nice chat and they asked me questions about travelling to Canada that really makes me want to finish the post I’ve been working on for ages about Canada as a travel destination.

At the end, they rung me up on a cash register and gave me a proper receipt. So at least now I know the procedure. But I’m hoping to have a washer of my own before I get so desperate again for laundry. I know it’s only $21 a load to wash only (or $65 to have it done for you), but after 20 years of mostly laundromats and hand washing, having my own washing machine isn’t a luxury I’m willing to pass on.

I came in and set out everything to dry. Dresses and tees went on hangers to hang from the racks in the laundry drying area next to the tinaco and unmentionables went on the little rack I bought at Costco. I actually prefer this to a proper clothesline since I don’t have to deal with clothespins. I can just sweep the little things into my basket to take upstairs and everything already on hangers can go straight into the closet.

The laundry was done by  noon and then I got my work done. Late afternoon, I went out to pick up a few groceries at Super Aki, grateful to have a basic supermarket only 700m from home! I’ve sadly given up on my fridge — it’s now not cold enough after freezing everything! — so I’m shopping daily and eating out until I can replace it. 🙁 At least the freezer is good! I’ve been looking at used fridges and I’m almost convinced I’ll be able to get my money back or just about even with it being problematic. I am also considering contacting the guy who sold it to me to see if we could work out a deal on a trade since he repairs fridges, but I’m not holding my breath. I’m really disappointed as it is a very nice fridge and I doubt I’ll be able to find anything as good for about that price. Anyway…

I slept pretty well again last night, but woke up after only 6.5 hours of sleep so I was glad that I managed to doze off again. It promised to be a busy Monday, so I got to work right away.

While waiting for my second coffee of the morning to be ready, I very carefully moved the painted shelves to the kitchen. They are still very tacky and so I don’t dare put anything on them, but it’s nice to have them in place. Looks good!

On my lunch break, I did the same with the cart:

I’ve officially had enough of that turquoise so I’m going to transfer the rest of the paint to a glass jar to have it on hand for touch-ups and am moving on to another colour. 🙂

I had made a mental note to go find a placemat or something to use as a food preparation surface when I remembered that I bought four flexible cutting boards recently and only have two in rotation! Not only does the orange one look great against the blue, it is the perfect width!

Late afternoon as I was finishing up work, my landlady called to give me a rooster update. You might want to empty your bladder before continuing with reading this. She informed me that while, yes, there are definitely a few roosters up the street that she told the owners to get rid of because we are living in the city and there are by-laws and the owners promised they are eating chicken as fast as they can, these roosters were not the source of my woes.

The source of my woes is that the neighbour right next to me decided to use an obnoxious rooster crow as his alarm clock and he likes the snooze button.

While, yes, I have been bothered by genuine roosters since I moved in, the most bothersome one that was waking me every morning was an alarm clock. I have to laugh!

It was then time for me to make my landlady laugh by telling her about my water shortage adventure the other night. There I was in the shower and absolutely covered in soap when the water just stopped. I should have known I as going to have problems because the water pressure hadn’t been great in the days prior, but I didn’t put two and two together. Anyway, there I was covered in soap and the only water in the house was about half a garrafón of drinking water. With drinking water being so expensive here, I sure wasn’t going to rinse off in it!

Let me pause here in my story to explain how the water system is at my house. It is a fairly common system in Mexico. City water fills a tank (tinaco) at ground level. For some people, that tank is underground (cisterna). The pressure of the city water connection pushes the water in the ground-level reservoir to a rooftop tinaco, which then supplies the house with water, gravity providing water pressure. In Mérida at least, the water is potable until it enters your ground-level reservoir. If your water system is closed and you occasionally run bleach through it, then you have potable water in the house. That’s the case here — I can clean my teeth and wash veggies with the tap water. It tastes pretty bad, though, so like most people, I buy my drinking water. If I owned the house, I’d have a filter at the kitchen tap to make the water taste better, but I don’t so I’ll stick to the jugs.

So there I was that night without water fumbling around my yard looking for the switches that would turn on the exterior lights where my ground-level tinaco is located. When I did that, I was able to get to the tinaco, open the lid, and see that the tinaco was full. Okay, so I had water (I did have a momentary flash of concern that the water company had failed to process my payment last month!). The roof-level tinaco is so far away that I figured that it would need help to fill. Ah, yes, I found a pump! But there was no switch or button to turn the pump on.

I pondered this for a moment and like in a TV show, I had a flashback to a moment some weeks ago when I tried a switch on a wall in front of the washing machine room and it caused a racket I couldn’t identify. Flipped that switch, went back to the tinaco, and it was already almost a full quarter empty! I let the pump run until I stopped noticing a change in the water level, about two-thirds empty, turned off the pump, and went back to the shower. Success — I had water, albeit super cold! The next day, the ground-level tinaco was full again.

And that’s how I learned that once I get a washing machine, I should get in the habit of turning on the tinaco pump when I got to the laundry room. In the meantime, I made a note to do so every few weeks! By the way, the tinacos do not over fill because they have a float in them, like a toilet tank, that stops water inflow when a a certain level is reached.

After we hung up, I quickly finished my work so I could start on dinner. While that was in process, I decided that the cart didn’t feel nearly as tacky as did the shelving unit (likely because it is made of a more porous material). So I took a chance and set it up! It felt great to get out of the way that huge table that wasn’t doing much for me and instead start to get a sense of how the room will be when it is fully kitted out.

I still don’t know what I’m going to do with the middle and bottom shelves as I’m not married to the idea of using them for putting other small appliances. Time will tell. 🙂

Even with a pretty bare larder, I put together a super nice dinner. I softened an onion, then cooked it and pasta in homemade chicken broth, adding near the end good butter, the juice of one lemon, cracked black pepper, and sweet frozen peas (the La Huerta brand of peas is so good it should have them listed as a controlled substance). It was a shame I didn’t have any Parmesan to finish off the dish, but it came out very nicely for what I was working with.

I’ve been here three weeks now and can’t believe how quickly I took to the house. I can imagine things will only improve as I start to bring in the bits I’m missing to fully settle in a routine!

The Mexican postal system Correos de Mexico is terrible. It is slow and unreliable. I once mailed my best friend a letter from Mazatlán and it never arrived. So when she told me that she mailed me a letter to Mérida on October 5th, let’s just say that I wasn’t holding my breath about ever seeing it.

A month and 10 days later, I went out to look for mail, something I do almost daily because 9 times out of 10, mail ends up wedged into a door grill or slipped under a garage door instead of in my mailbox. But today, there was something in my mailbox:

I teared up as I clutched the precious gift to my chest. I could not believe that it had reached me!

(I was amused by the purple stamp on it, “remember that November 12 is mail carriers day,” when the letter arrived four days after it!)

As always, Bast’s letter had a funny sticker on the flap, this one related to the sticker that she put on the letter that took just 10 days to reach me in Bulgaria:

Now, I’m feeling motivated to find a post office here and to try again to send her a letter. My limited experience so far with Correos de Mexico really gives me a sense of what it would have been like to send mail in ancient times!

It’s been a pretty good day. I had my best night of sleep here so far, which meant I got a bit of a late start. But I still met all my deadlines and work wouldn’t stop pouring in. I remain eternally grateful for that. Cashflow this month is tough, but I think that things really will be better starting in December.

Late afternoon, a couple came by to pick up all the moving boxes I had stored in the maid’s room. In a less humid climate, I would have broken them up and stored them for use in a few years, but they would have likely been mouldy, smelly, and possibly even too damp to use by that point. Better to let someone else use them while they are still in good shape. So now, what to do with that room? Hmm…

After, I paused to make a really nice dinner that included the packet of butter chicken sauce my hosts in Chelem brought back for me. What a treat! I had to go back to work after, but it was nice to stop to make a full dinner and then eat on my pretty china.

I hope I’m going to start catching up on sleep as I’m too exhausted in the evenings to go enjoy all the wonderful free stuff going on in Mérida, like movies, concerts, and dance shows. I have to keep telling myself that things are likely not going to slow down until January, but that after that, I’ll still have 21 months (at least) left to enjoy all that Mérida has to offer. I just need to get over this last hump — and remember that I’m here a year earlier than I thought I would be after spending 10 months in Europe. Of course, things are going to be tight. At least, business is very good and my house is very comfortable! So really, I have no complaints. 🙂