by

A Day Full of Treasures

I decided to split up the work due tomorrow so that I could take this afternoon and tomorrow morning off. I wanted to go to town to try a restaurant, the reviews for which I stumbled upon on Trip Advisor, and also go to the bank and the grocery store. Tomorrow is riding, of course. 🙂

I wound covering a lot of ground today! Here’s a bird’s eye view (click to embiggen).

map

I started by walking from the embaracadero to Parisina in Centro (red line at the bottom). Parisina is a chain of fabric stores. I wanted something to cover the surfaces in the office because, surprise, a plastic table cloth was unsuitable to cover a desk in a hot humid climate! I forgot just how inexpensive fabric is in Mexico and realised as I browsed that I didn’t have to get something that would to have have another purpose later because I would be paying so little.

I wound up with some super cheap cotton in colours that sort of match the bedspreads on the twin beds in the office:

IMG_0813

I love the purple flowers and that’s quite probably my favourite shade of blue. It was only $40 (3.25CAD or 2.50USD) for two metres! Aesthetics were the only reason to cover the tables. This house is like a prison, with its neutral colours and the bars on the windows, so it’s proven very difficult to make it cozy and homey. This year, I’m adding colour where I can and that is making a huge difference to how happy I am in the house.

I then crossed the street (Benito Juárez) to catch the bus to the Golden Zone. The Sábalo-Cocos ‘local’ bus passed before the ‘tourist’ bus that goes up Avenida del Mar and that was my sign that it was finally time to figure out this bus route because it’s the one that goes by the big Waldo and passes Soriana (multiple ones, I was to learn), Home Depot, and Mega. The ‘local’ buses are super uncomfortable, with hard plastic seats that are so close to the ones in front that my knees are bruised from the ride, but the cost is only $7 versus the $10 for the tourist bus.

Go back up to the map to see the ride I got taken on (blue)! It was a long one, but very educational. What really impressed me is that I knew where I was at all times and was able to correctly guess when we were about to turn onto Rafael Buelna. Now, I know that I can catch this bus at the big Ley or Waldo, or even Soriana or Mega, and take it back down to Juan Carrasco/Gutiérrez Najera if I have only a bit of shopping and don’t mind walking from the intersection to the embarcadero. But the route is way too long to make it worth taking it back from Soriana or Mega with a ton of groceries.

Once we hit Camarón Sábalo, I knew to get off in the vicinity of Panamá so I could head to Playa Gaviotas.

I’ve seen the ads for this guy a few times. I doubt his name is truly Dr. Backman, but, then again, I once knew an electrician named Yvan Laprise (literally sounds like the French for “he sells the electrical outlet”), so who knows!

IMG_0796

The restaurant didn’t open till 1:00 and it was about 12:30, so I wandered around in super touristy Mazatlán, saying “No gracias” a lot to vendors.

Being so early, I decided to check out the “Seashell Museum” (Museo de Conchas), which is really a store full of tchotchkes, with some tiny exhibits upstairs. But you HAVE to go there because of the fountain! I think I stared at it for a full 10 minutes and I’m very annoyed I only had my crappy iPhone camera to capture it!

IMG_0798

IMG_0799

That fountain is a Work of Art. I couldn’t find an inch of it that didn’t absolutely delight me. If I were ever to buy a home by the sea, I would commission an artist to build something like this with seashells for me, perhaps a bathroom counter.

Then, I wandered around in the general area looking for the restaurant, Zab Thai. The address and the claim that it is near the Seashell Museum helped me narrow things down a bit, but it was extremely hard to find. I asked a few people, but no one could be bothered to help if I wasn’t a customer. I finally had the bright idea of putting other businesses into Google so I could essentially triangulate the location I needed and found Zab Thai at the end of a very lonely looking alley:

IMG_0800

An alley that leads to a beach:

IMG_0801

IMG_0802

An alley that holds another business named “Lucky Bastard”!

IMG_0803

I went into the restaurant, which had an English menu but a server who was quite happy to serve me in Spanish. They had just opened and I was the only one there. They apparently do more takeout than eat-in business. The reviews I’d read claimed that Zab Thai is the place to go for authentic Thai in Maz.

I just ordered the chicken Pad Thai, but asked for two stars of spiciness out of three (!) and, for the first time, requested no egg. Pad Thai is something that I crave all the time, but which I haven’t had much luck finding to my taste in quite a while. I can’t articulate what it is about Pad Thai that makes it to my taste or not, I just know what I like.

When the meal arrived, it was alarmingly red:

IMG_0804

(I can’t believe I’m still traumatized by that ketchupy Pad Thai I had on Jarvis Street in Toronto 15 years ago! :D)

I took a tentative bite and almost fell out of my seat. This Pad Thai was perfect. The flavours were just right and I think the red might have come from Sriracha, with the spice level being just right for me. When it was a bit too much, I nibbled on some of the cabbage. I do have to say the chicken was a bit bland, but that’s just being nitpicky. I can’t believe I found this meal in Mexico. I’m pretty sure this Pad Thai is the third best I’ve ever had, after the ones at Siam or Bangkok Palace in Ottawa, Ontario, and the one at the Starfire in Skagway, Alaska! Pad Thai with chicken or pork was just $95! I think with shrimp or a mix was $115. Either price is a bargain for such a great Pad Thai. I find it interesting that two of the best I’ve ever had have been in such tourist trappy-type destinations.

Then, it was time to go to the bank (red route at the top). On the way, I passed this place that has never been open before and so I’ve never noticed it:

IMG_0805

That’s a drive-thru beer pickup place, folks. And I thought ‘Muricans are ridiculous (and terrifying) for having drive-thru liquor stores…

I cut across the McDonald’s parking lot and came across this RV from France!

IMG_0806

IMG_0807

I actually waited a few minutes, hoping to catch the drivers, but gave up.

The walk-in ATM at Scotiabank was down, but, thankfully, their drive-thru one worked. My landlady is going to be so happy to get her December rent early. I don’t think I paid December rent till the 15th or even 20th last year (which I had told her on the day I moved in and she was okay with).

Look at what Soriana had: LEMONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IMG_0810

But check out the price compared to the little round limes:

IMG_0811

The Persian limes that look like green lemons were $14 a kilo, still a much better deal. That picture was worse than the one above. I have no idea how people take lovely pictures with their iPhones…

I decided to take a chance and buy some meat (went with hamburger) and saw this in the freezer. I don’t think I’ve ever seen rabbit sold at the grocery store before!

IMG_0812

One of the things on my list was chocolate almond milk for a recipe, but they didn’t have any on the shelf, which surprised me since the little Ley has it and Soriana had every iteration of the plain. A store clerk tapped me on the shoulder, had me turn around, pointed to a pallet in the centre of the aisle, and told me they were having a two-for-one sale on almond milk, one plain bundled with one chocolate!!! $44 for two containers was a steal! I started stocking almond milk last summer for cereal and am glad it’s so inexpensive, even here in Mexico, since I’ll be able to use it to make fruit smoothies!

From Soriana, I took a taxi (green) back to the embaradero. I decided to walk home on this side, sorely underestimating how heavy my shopping was (thanks to the beer I bought in town, which I’ve never done, because I knew the City Deli would be closed, and the almond milk). But there was a ton of traffic (possible funeral procession), so I actually wound up getting home faster than I would have in a taxi, even with all my rest stops!

It’s been a rich, full day!

by

Jajaja

I decided to go to town for a walk and lunch today. I took the village lancha and, while waiting for it, witnessed a man making ‘horns’ behind his wife’s head as someone else took a picture of them. Witnesses to this burst out laughing and she called out, “What did he do?!” which just made us laugh harder.

There was a huge cruise ship in port today:

IMG_0791

On the Maz side, I walked down Emilio Barragán nearly all the way to the embarcadero for the beach lancha, turning at the entrance to the cruise ship docks to follow the blue line to Centro. It was rather funny to see all the pulmonías spilling out of the docks!

I got to the big intersection that for some reason doesn’t have a tope or any incentive to get the cross traffic to stop, no matter how much tourist traffic there is there. A few police officers were guiding people and one came up to me. We had this conversation in English:

Cop: What are you looking for?
Me: Nothing. I’m heading to Machado. I live here.
Cop (taking a moment to process that): You live here and don’t need help?
Me: Not at all.
Cop: Thank God!

I guess the tourists have been keeping the police busy!

At the Plazuela…

IMG_0794

…I headed straight to Beach Burger, where I was greeted with a hug and cheek kiss from the server, who wanted to know how long I’d been back in Maz and was I still living on Isla and was there at a lot of snow at my house in Canada? I hadn’t even sat down yet! I should make a note that I only went to Beach Burger perhaps four or five times last year, at the absolute most! Perhaps he remembers me because I speak Spanish with him?

I ordered a Tecate and their Wipe Out burger, asking for no fries. He winked and said, “Okay, lots of fries.” I said, “No, I don’t need them!” and he laughed and offered to bring me a salad instead. Great! And then I had to refuse the chips and salsa!

The salad was made with hearts of romaine, not iceberg (!!!), and had a really nice dressing. It might not look like much, but I would have that as a main with some croutons and cheese, it was that yummy. The burger was great, too, and it had tons of Montreal steak spice, which I love. The price has gone up to $90, but it’s still very good value.

IMG_0795

An email came in while I was eating and it was an urgent message from a member of my proofing team asking me to please look over a short document. Thankfully, it was something I could do properly from my phone, so I fired off a response. My colleague replied, “Thanks! Must be nice to be off work before 4:00!”

I answered, “I start at 8:00 your time.”

To which she replied, “Oh! That’s 6:00 a.m. for you!!! I’m not even up then! Wow. I’d be off before 4:00, too!”

I really love my schedule, by the way. It’s not painful at all!

I stopped for a gelato after my lunch and then slowly meandered my way back to the embarcadero since I didn’t have any shopping to do.

I love how something so mundane as taking a walk and having lunch is blog worthy in my Mexican life!

by

Value

I had a very arduous proofreading shift today, pretty much eight non-stop hours of reading investment material. My eyes were burning by the time 2PM came around. I headed right to the beach for a beer, even knowing that I’d be paying $30 (with the tip) for a beer I had in the fridge and which was bought for half that.

But home doesn’t have:

-live music

-cute servers and lifeguards

-empanada vendors (met her last year; she sells pie crusts folded in half and filled with fruit compote, a lovely treat that goes well with beer!)

-those special rays of sunlight that bounce over the water

-waves and surf

-children laughing as they play in the sand and water

-the spectacle of dogs playing fetch

-and much more

I get a lot more value out of the $30 I spend on the beach for beer than I do the $15 I spend at the store for beer to drink at home.

by

Off to the Dentist

Whew, I had a busy weekend! Not sure what happened there with work, but I believe it was my very occasional clients requesting my services on top of all my regulars sending me stuff that threw my schedule into chaos. I was really glad to be able to take today off, but, unfortunately, I had to cancel riding because I really needed to go see a dentist and the one I chose was only available this morning or else I would have had to wait till late next week. With the tooth hurting and knowing that I would likely have to have a consultation first, then come back for the filling at a later date, I didn’t want to wait that extra week.

After much research and many testimonials, I decided to go to Doctora Susana Pedrero de la Cruz in Centro. I was warned by many people to only use her for a cleaning and basic fillings because there have been major issues with more advanced work that she has done.

My appointment was at 10:30 and I left home around 9:40 to arrive at about 10:20. I had no trouble finding her office, which is basically behind the cathedral and one block over. She was very prompt and spoke excellent English. Her office is tiny, spotless, and her equipment is modern.

After looking at my tooth, she put forth the suggestion of a crown, but I nixed that and said I just want a filling. So she will do that for me next Friday. I’ve had this tooth fixed so many times that at this point that my expectations are very low for how long the fix will last, but it will at least bide me some time and the work is super cheap. The cost was $350 today for a cleaning and exam and it will be $500 next week for the filling. Pesos!

The cleaning was the best I have ever had done. She used baking soda to ‘sandblast’ (her words) my teeth and I came out of there with them noticeably a shade lighter than when I came in!

I made an appointment for next Friday for the filling and then headed out. It wasn’t even 11:00 yet. I went to Panamá’s for a snack, then went to wait for the bus to take me to the Golden Zone to get coffee beans at Rico’s. It’s so rare that I get on at the Mercado and rather a treat to get such a long ride! For the first time, I misjudged my disembarking request and actually missed Rico’s by a full block. I usually end up getting off a block early, so I really got my money’s worth out of my bus fare today!

I actually got service in Spanish at Rico’s today. They were out of Veracruz and it was suggested I might like Chiapas, another dark blend. I was confident I would, so I got a pound of whole beans. I can’t wait to use my new grinder on them!

From Rico’s, I headed back down to Rafael Buelna, checking out restaurant menus and finally deciding to just go to Taco Loco. I got across half of Camarón Sábalo, but was stuck on the median when the menu guy for Taco Loco saw me and waved his menu at me. I’ve never seen them try to wave down Gringos before, so I was surprised, and I think he was even more surprised when I nodded enthusiastically. He jumped onto the street and held off the traffic so I could get across! And they say chivalry is dead!

I had my usual, of course, the al pastor tacos. I was going to order four (a reasonable portion), but was brought chips, so I only got two, plus a limonada. The cook must have remembered me as not being afraid of a little heat because the tacos she sent me were spicy even before I added their salsas! Looks like I graduated to ‘real’ tacos. Dang they were hot (especially with my unknowingly adding super hot salsa to already super hot food), but soooo good.

After lunch, I continued on my walk and decided to get my groceries at Mega since I needed hummus. Surprise, they not only had hummus, but a bunch of other Lebanese things, including pita and labneh (strained yoghurt)! Wow! Guess who is having a Middle Eastern spread for dinner tonight?

I got a taxi to take me to the embarcadero (still no luck getting a pulmonía) and a truck on this side because I had way too much stuff to carry.

There was a small job waiting for me when I got in, so I did that, then I headed off to see Contessa, who arrived yesterday. She had some anti-itch stuff for me that, so far, is working great. I can’t believe how bad the bugs are this year and it’s been driving me to distraction!

It was a lovely day off and, so far, the week ahead doesn’t look too bad. We shall see how long the lull lasts. 🙂

 

by

My First Gorditas

After a very long work day, of which I will have two more in a row, but which was broken up by a brief wade in the ocean, I set off to find dinner. I headed ‘downtown’ and I had no sooner turned onto Calle Principal when I heard “Señora! Señora!” I know the world doesn’t revolve around me, but there was no else around, so I turned around and who do I see? Patricia, the owner of Patty’s defunct restaurant that I miss so much!

As it turns out, she had to close the restaurant because the rent was too high. 🙁 BUT she’s back in business with a smaller menu cooking right out of her house! Her hours aren’t as convenient in that she’s closed when I get off work at 2:00, but she is open for an early lunch on my days off and she’s open for an early dinner, too. Plus, she does things I actually eat for breakfast, like enchiladas. No burgers and fries, though.

Needless to say, my plans to troll the stands downtown for dinner were cancelled and I followed her into the front room of her house (cement bunker, essentially), where she had a few tables set up and two customers were eating. I asked her what a ‘gordita’ is and she explained that it’s a small fat tortilla topped with meat, lettuce, onion, tomato, beans, cheese, and crema, and served with caldo. Did I know what caldo is? I said yes, it’s soup juice (broth) and she burst out laughing. I agreed to have two of those and made myself comfortable watching the soap that was playing on TV! I saw a commercial for the Sin Fronteras TelCel plan and that confirmed that it includes Canada even if I can’t find any confirmation on the website yet. This is very exciting news. More on this when I have something to link to.

In between her managing the kitchen (I believe her daughter does the actual cooking or at least assembly of the food) and lighting mosquito coils, we caught up a bit. The gentleman customer left and the lady customer who was left, and who was eating a gordita (I took mental notes on her technique), suddenly opened up and started chatting with me, too. I’ll be honest and admit that I was mentally beat and wasn’t really up for company tonight or fighting another language, but this was too wonderful an opportunity to pass up to get my foot in the door of the real Mexico. I’m glad I made the effort!

My food eventually came out. I was passed a bowl of salsa and told ‘picante.’ I smiled and added a generous amount to my food. Then, I did like the lady had done, pouring the hot caldo over my gorditas, and dug in with my fingers. Dang it was messy, but so good! Last year, I rather ‘got bored’ with Mexican food because it’s basically all the same ingredients in different combinations, but I completely missed the fact that the variations and true flavour are mostly in the sauces. I told Patricia how my tastebuds have changed and I can handle the spice now, so I’m not as afraid to try new things. She said that she doesn’t like things too spicy either, but with just enough to add flavour. I think I can trust her food not to kill me, then. 😀

The gorditas were just $14 each! All her prices are very low, so, as she said, I should come and eat at her house every day. We’ll see. 🙂

For those favouring a more traditional breakfast, she does eggs as you like them with all manner of sides, like ham or chorizo, with ‘coffee’ (instant) or orange juice for just $40. She buys her food fresh every day. And she has wifi! Look for her on Calle Principal just past where the road curves towards ‘downtown’ after the basketball court. She has fluorescent green handwritten cardboard signs with her menu right by the road. That should have been my clue that she was still around!