Accommodation

by

First Morning in Mérida

I didn’t sleep well last night, but that’s normal for being in an unfamiliar place. It was surprisingly quiet except for the odd train whistle that I think I could learn to live with. My street is a little cul-de-sac (calle cerrada/closed street) so there was no traffic and my apartment is well off the street anyway. The bed was surprisingly comfy, and very much so by Mexican standards, so that wasn’t a problem. I would have liked a blanket and not just a sheet because I prefer sleeping with some weight over me, but temperature-wise, I was comfortable. I went to bed just past midnight and gave up on sleep at 8:00.

First order of business was coffee. I’d brought my French press, pre-ground beans, and milk. The only thing available in which I could boil a small amount of water was an enameled pot, so I used that, knowing the handle would get really hot! I had to wash everything I used, mug, spoon, and pot, because they had been washed with a sponge that had seen better days. The water here smells pretty bad, almost mouldy. No idea if that’s because the tinaco needs a rinse or if it’s just a city water quality issue. I don’t drink it, so I’m not too concerned. I’ll do like at home (Isla) and make sure things are dry before I use them.

Coffee made, I enjoyed it on my deck off the bedroom. What a treat this space is! I’m going to spend a lot of time out here as it has the most comfortable chairs in the house. I have some proofing work to do while I’m here and what an office this space will make!

I had scoped out the neighbourhood using Google Maps, but was pretty sure that they didn’t have the exact apartment pinned down. I was right. What I saw on Google Map is Calle 36, the next street over, which is a main thoroughfare. This is where I live:

IMGP2900

You go through that door into a charming little courtyard with a tile floor and textured walls:

IMGP2899

I forgot to grab a picture of the courtyard, sorry. 🙂 There’s just a metal staircase leading up to an apartment.

My building is behind the one you see on the street. There’s a very narrow path leading to it. Much measuring would ensue if I had to buy furniture and appliances for this place!

IMGP2898

There are three apartments in my building. I’m on the second level and the third level has the roof as a terrace.

IMGP2896

My front door is at the top of the first flight of the spiral staircase.

IMGP2897

Inside, the layout is standard. Entrance/living room/kitchenette, short hallway with a bathroom behind the kitchen, and a huge bedroom at the back with an open closet.

IMGP2901

IMGP2902

IMGP2903

IMGP2904

IMGP2905

IMGP2906

IMGP2907

The little bit of orange in the kitchen and the dark brown mouldings make the white walls and floors a lot easier to stomach than my equally bland place on Isla. I’m surprised that I could see myself living in this space long-term! The bedroom is large enough to neatly separate into the two rooms I would need, but, of course, I wouldn’t have any guest quarters. But I’d consider coming back here when I start house hunting if I do end up doing so in this neighbourhood.

First order of business after coffee was getting some groceries. Both Google and Apple swore there is a Soriana five blocks away, but they both goofed. It was twenty blocks away. While they had the correct address, 514, they had the location at being around 415.

It was a pleasant enough walk there, the crowds increasing the closer I got to the 500 block. Getting around Mérida will be easy since all the streets are numbered. Odds go in one direction, evens in the other. All streets are well marked and most buildings have addresses on them.

Soriana was very small, just a food store, but it was adequate for my most immediate needs. I was glad to be in a familiar store where I could just grab the products I know and not have to over think things since it was very busy. I still need to go out to Waldo’s (which hopefully will be where Google says it is) to get some cheap cooking things since there isn’t even a decent spatula.

I schlepped home with only just what I could carry that far. I washed a few things and put together a very nice toasted ham, cheese, and tomato sandwich as my brunch. I had passed a few small loncherias where I could have grabbed breakfast, but I wasn’t that hungry until I’d worked up an appetite and was happy to baptise the kitchen I’ll be living with for a week.

One thing I need to sort out ASAP is water. I have some empty garrafons (5 gallon jugs), so I’m hoping there is an exchange system like on Isla. I go through a garrafon a week, so I’m much better off getting one of those than buying smaller water containers. I just sent my host a text asking about that and FINALLY added the Spanish keyboard to my iPhone. Should have done that sooner! Took only two seconds. *shakes head*

Oh, here’s a text from my host. Water can be bought from the tienda right at the corner, but if I can wait till 5:30, he’ll bring me one. I am not schlepping one of those things that far and up those stairs, plus I bought a litre for today, so I can wait! 🙂

First impressions of this part of Mérida? Quiet (quite a respite from bustling Isla, to be honest), clean, neat, walkable, with friendly locals. I’m just off of the main thoroughfare for this neighbourhood, Paseo de Montejo, and that’s where I’m headed next as I meander my way to where Waldo’s is supposed to be. I’m also going to scope out a spot to grab dinner tonight!

 

by

Landed in Mérida!

Oy, it’s been a very long day, but I’m here!

maz to mer

I made the mistake of going to bed at my usual time yesterday and so I was up at 6AM, not good when you know bedtime won’t be till 11PM your time/midnight local time.

I had 5.5 hours to kill till departure for the airport so I had a lie in, then made breakfast and finished packing and cleaning the house (I always give the floors a final pass at the last minute). My ride showed up 10 minutes early, but I was very nearly ready. Better early than late when you’re on your way to the airport!

The road out is just about all paved!!! It’s unbelievable. I heard that there is talk of paving more of the main street on Isla, too. The times, they are a changing! Needless to say, we were at the airport in record time.

Since I wasn’t sure that my luggage was under the weight limit for carry on, I elected to check in at a desk, something I haven’t done in a long time. To give me less to handle, I only had my small suitcase and my tote bag, which was full to bursting with my electronics, documents, liquids, and more. It was heavy, but I made the right call. Check-in, done in Spanish, went smoothly and I was given tags for my bags confirming they had been weighed and were to good to go. I was warned that there would be a 10-minute delay for my flight, but assured that I had plenty of time to make my connection…

I’ve spent a lot of time on the main level of the Mazatlán airport, but had never been upstairs. All there was up there was a couple of restaurants and shops, plus a Carl Jr’s hamburger stand. I was pretty sure there was nothing beyond security for food and, being a full three hours early for my flight, I’d decided to have lunch at the airport. The two restaurants were ridiculously expensive, even for an airport, and not appealing, so I caved and got a fast food cheeseburger. Should have brought my own lunch!

I then went through security and, wow, that went very quickly! I didn’t get a pat down (it helped that I remembered not to wear a bra with underwire!) and I didn’t have to take my shoes off. My liquids were packed correctly (which the lady at check-in had confirmed anyway) and I didn’t have to turn on my electronic devices. My suitcase did raise a flag and they asked for permission to open it. What was I going to say, no?! As I expected, they were curious about my stainless steel French press, but accepted my explanation without even touching it. I did get a laugh for having marked my bag of white powder as “leche con polvo” (powdered milk)!

There was just about nothing on the other side, just a jewelry stand and a small bar/cafe where I could have gotten an even more expensive lunch than on the other side. I did spend a whopping $15 on a bottle of water and also $40 for a coffee. My first thought was that was a crazy price, but it was an Americano, so espresso from fresh ground beans with hot water. It was so smooth I was able to enjoy it black. Totally worth the money!

It was a long wait. I really could have left home later, but I’d rather the wait than to be rushed. I watched an ep of the show I’m currently enjoying (Defiance) on my iPad and that helped 45 minutes go by quickly! I also finished a funny book about the career of a customs inspector in the UK, rather à propos reading for my location.

We finally boarded, 10 minutes late, but we were off very quickly. I’ve only ever before flown Air Canada, West Jet and one of the U.S. airlines. InterJet had something none of those airlines have: leg and elbow room.

It was interesting to see Maz and Isla from the air as we took off. The airport is so close that I could spot my house as we were taking off. I am not joking/exaggerating! It was a case that I had to know exactly where to look as we made our ascent, and I did!

We only had about a 1.5 hour flight, but still had a snack and beverage service. I accepted a small bag of rather yummy Frito/Dorito-style chip things with a bit of kick, but was at a loss as to what to ask for a beverage other than water. When flying in Canada, I always get ginger ale and it’s a huge treat, but I knew they wouldn’t have that in Mexico. I asked if they had a soda with lime hoping to get something like a 7-Up or Sprite. The flight attendant pondered my question for a couple of seconds and said, “7-Up?” Yup, that worked. 🙂 I only have soda on airplanes because the carbonation helps me clear my ears.

I read through my flight and we were in Mexico City in no time! It’s huge! I thought Chicagoland (where I’ve landed several times) was big, but this was civilisation as far as the eye could see! Traffic was bad! As we landed, I could see many roads were backed up.

By the time I’d deplaned, I only had about an hour until my next flight was supposed to board, so my first priority was to find my new gate. It wasn’t on the boards, so I asked at an Interjet information kiosk and was told to come back at 7:00, about 45 minutes later. So I went off in search of food and found a rather uninspiring food court with Subways, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Wings, and a few other stands. I picked Sbarro’s, which I think is a U.S. pizza chain (I only know the name from the movie The Terminal), just because pizza sounded good and their pizza looked decent enough, even if a slice with toppings was $72! I went with just plain cheese for $51 and had to grudgingly admit that it was pretty good, especially for airport pizza. 🙂 I then popped into a 7-Eleven to buy a litre bottle of water so I wouldn’t have to worry about finding some when I got to Mérida. That would give me enough to get me through the morning, including making coffee. $11. Even Mexico airports gouge you on everything!

It was 7:00 by that point, so I went back to the information kiosk, where I was told to come back at 7:30. What? That’s when we were supposed to leave! They said a word I did not recognise. I know “delayed” as “con retrazo” (very close to the French “en retard). They used a word that started with d and it took me a second to process that this is what they were saying. Delayed?! OMG. I asked how long and they said about 30 minutes.

Thirty minutes was fine. I’d told my host I would be there between 10:00 and 11:00 and a half-hour delay put me at the apartment around 10:15, 10:30. Absolutely no reason to panic. I still had no idea where my gate was going to be and found a seat within sight of the information desk. Minutes after I sat down, a man in a bright orange security vest came up to me and said “You’re going to Mérida?” I replied in the affirmative and he told me to go to gate three and that we’d be boarding around 7:45. Talk about service!

This was my first time traveling through a country where I can barely understand the language when spoken and I’m glad I made it through as well as I did. There were some English announcements, but the accent was so strong it wasn’t really not much clearer than the Spanish.

Our plane finally arrived and the passengers on it deplaned in record time. I was one of the last ones to be allowed to board. Air Canada will board rows such and such, then such and such and Interjet has a similar zone system. I understood this on my first leg of the trip, but couldn’t find my zone on my ticket. This time around, I had plenty of time to locate it way at the bottom. Zone one, since I was in row six. Great, I’d be one of the first to deplane!

We boarded with great efficiency and were taking off in no time at all. I was very impressed! It was another very short journey, just enough time for a snack and a few chapters of a book before Mérida was sprawled below me.

I’d texted my “greeter” in MC and hadn’t received a reply, so I decided to call him before getting in a taxi. Always risky. I don’t do well on the phone at all. I thought we agreed that he would be waiting for me when I arrived, but had a feeling I’d be left waiting on a curb…

Like Maz’s airport, Mérida’s airport has official taxis with set rates. I’d been told it would be $200 to go to my apartment, but they insisted on $270. Fiiiine.

I knew I wasn’t in the proverbial Kansas anymore when my taxi driver actually buckled up… and didn’t drive like a maniac… and obeyed all red lights and stop signs. What I could see of Mérida was very clean and tidy, with clear road signs. All a sharp contrast to Mazatlán. I told the driver this and we started chatting. He says that April and May are the worst months here weather-wise.

He found the apartment without any trouble and I knew I was at the right place because a) the street had a sign that matched the street name I’d been given; b) the building had a number that matched the address I’d been given; and c) the building looked like the picture from the Airbnb site. 🙂

So there I was on the curb. The door into the apartment complex was locked. I was a bit earlier than I thought I’d be, the journey from the airport having been super quick, so I figured the guy was going to be along shortly. But after a good 20 minutes, I was beyond ready to be settled for the night (and grateful to be in a neighbourhood that felt safe!) and used the last 4% of my battery on the phone to try my “greeter” again. Augh, he’d been inside one of the apartments the whole time waiting for me to call!

He rushed out to show me to my place, in the back of the complex and up… a spiral staircase. Be still my beating heart! The only way I would be more excited about my apartment was if it also had a turret. I’ve always dreamed of living somewhere with a spiral staircase!

The apartment is large and seems clean. I got a whirlwind tour and discovered that I have a balcony! What a bonus! I am a tad disappointed by the kitchen, though. I don’t even have a decent pot in which to boil water tomorrow. So I have some shopping to do. I’m going to be here for eight days and it’ll totally be worth it to get some cheap things to be comfortable. Just from tonight, I know I need:

– a pot and a frying pan;
– a new sponge for the kitchen;
– wash cloths for the bathroom (I knew I should have packed some — even my hotel in Durango didn’t have any);
– trash bags (although shopping should will take care of that);
– toilet paper

No big deal at all. It’ll give me a chance to figure out where I’ll be buying home goods when I move to this neighbourhood! 🙂

I had a shower and then crashed in bed with my computer, where I am writing this post. I am very grateful that the bed is super comfortable, a huge improvement over my bed on Isla, even with a topper!

I think I will be happy here for the next eight days. Let’s see what the morning brings.

I apologise for any typos in this post. I’m starting to see double. 🙂

by

I Did Something Really Stupid – and I Blame RVing For It

I’ve been having trouble with my fridge and especially freezer lately, thankfully after I got through all the meat and stuff in it (including all the ham from Christmas I wasn’t able to foist on other people). My landlady, her husband, and TWO handymen showed upwithin a couple of hours of my asking for help. The guys were going to look at it, she was going to translate if necessary (nope, yay!), and I wasn’t to worry, if there was a real issue, they’d pay for an emergency service call from a fridge repair professional OR a new used fridge right this very afternoon.

So to recap, my landlady responded very appropriately to a fridge emergency.

But I didn’t have a fridge emergency.

I did have a fridge with a magnetic seal that is weakening a little and which was not helped by my having something in the door that was keeping it from shutting properly. My landlord said that if the seal had been stronger, the thing in the door wouldn’t have been as much of an issue, but, ultimately, I’m an idiot who didn’t realise she wasn’t shutting her fridge door properly. Erm, he didn’t call me an idiot. That’s your blogger adding editorial flavour.

And I’m also an idiot who didn’t know that the fridge and freezer communicate. The fridge door not being properly sealed meant that all the cold air from the freezer was getting sucked out too.

I blame RVing because I’ve had a fridge with a door that latches shut for almost eight years now. This would never have happened with my Norcold!

We all had a good laugh and I said I was glad that I was stupid and that there was no massive repair bill in sight. Landlord said he is replacing the seal, though, because even with nothing in the door, it still needs an extra push to really seal tightly. So it was totally worth having him, two repair people, and a translator rush over to my house. Totally.

Post Edited To Add: This post is even funnier if you look at the title of the one before it!

by

Standards

Having toured a bunch of rental places in the last weeks, I’m getting a sense of the difference between ‘Gringo’ and Mexican standards when it comes to housing, if only here on Isla and in Maz (based on what friends have told me about house hunting on that side of the channel). One thing we Gringos expect is running hot water throughout the house. I’ve learned over the last year that hot water isn’t common in the average Isla/Maz residence and if a house has it, it’s just at the shower, with an on-demand heater installed right into the shower head (regadera electrica).

My house was built with an attempt to provide the Gringo standard of running hot water throughout the house, but the person who did the plumbing screwed up royally (my landlady’s judgement, not mine, although, knowing more than a thing or two about plumbing, I agree!). The house has an ancient propane water heater that is nearly as temperamental as my water heater at home. It’s a joke between my landlady and me that I have a water heater curse. But not only is the water heater unreliable, so is the water pressure in the hot water lines. Right now, I have zero water coming out of the hot side in the shower.

Because running water, never mind running hot water, has been something of a luxury most of my adult life, having spent so many winters in housing where keeping water running wasn’t an option, I’m very tolerant of my situation. The woman who was in the little suite last year wasn’t and so they installed a regadera electrica for her that runs off the cold water line, which has plenty of pressure.

Early last week, I brought up the subject of the no hot shower thing in my suite and my landlady said that she would have a regadera electrica installed for me ASAP because it was time to stop fighting the decrepit hot water heater and badly plumbed hot water line.

As an interim solution, I have the key to the little suite so I can have a warm shower there. Warm rather than hot since you can only set the shower head to the lower setting. This is something Wandering Mike discovered after blowing a breaker and which I completely forgot. So there I was in the shower last night when the lights went out and the water got freezing very quickly! You should have heard me laughing as I fumbled around in the dark to get myself presentable enough for the quick dash back to my suite!

Oh, and guess where the breaker is for the little suite? In my kitchen. That’s another thing I have to get used to here in Mexico. There are apparently no electrical building codes!

Maybe it’s because I’m used to living in places that don’t meet Gringo standards or because I am aware that clean running water and a flush toilet are something only a small percentage of the world has, but I just can’t get upset about the situation. My landlady is doing what she can and has given me a solution. And, of course, the longer I have to use the little suite for a shower, the longer I’m guaranteed not to have a tenant in it! Having Mike here was, of course, not an issue, but what if I end up with a horrible person like I did last year, even if only for a week or two?! Really, this is for the best!

by

What a Week!

Let’s see if I can recap the last week… I ended up taking a lot more work than I had planned for the week because it was from a good client I’ve been saying no to a lot lately and then I had a bunch of social engagements!

Tuesday started with my landlady’s mother and the handyman coming over to work on my lack of hot water and water pressure issues. She said that they guy who did the plumbing for the house completely messed it up and they really need to start over. They lifted up the tinaco (rooftop water tank) and that helped a bit with the pressure issue. But hot water will continue to be hit or miss until they can upgrade me from the crappy ancient water heater to an on-demand one that will be installed in my shower. While they were there, I asked if they could lift up my clothesline since it had gotten slack and my sheets were almost touching the ground. Not a problem and they put it up almost too high, knowing that after a few loads, it’ll get slack again and come back down a bit. So many of my friends here with Mexican landlords complain about how slow things are to get done, but I have no problems and am thoroughly spoiled!

Shortly after they left, Wandering Mike arrived. I settled him into his suite and then went back to typing because we were going out to dinner at Miguel’s with Contessa and Colin at Miguel’s around 6PM. I didn’t know what I wanted, so I opted for both a chorreada and a shrimp burrito, and I tried their limonada for the first time. It was, of course, a good meal. We’re lucky to have Miguel’s!

Wednesday started off badly. I was really over scheduled with work and the internet kept going down in the first hour of my day (6AM to 7AM). I couldn’t even get data on my phone to send and receive emails, and even if I could have, I had too much transcription to do to spend the day sitting in my truck waiting on emails! Thankfully, the issue resolved itself and I was able to work the rest of the day without any more problems. I had two Skype calls, one to a client and one to my mother. It’s nice that the internet here is good enough that I can video Skype!

Part of the reason that work was so overwhelming that day was that I was meeting a bunch of friends on the beach for a late lunch, including L&N, whom I hadn’t seen since I arrived. I got there around 2:00 and was back home by 4:00. It was a coconut shrimp and coco (chilled green coconut with the top lopped off so you can drink the water inside) kind of day! I don’t really like the restaurant we met at, El Velero, but this was the best meal I ever had there.

I paid for my lunch with having to type until past 9PM. I did something like a 13-hour actual day of work (plus the break). I can’t believe that used to be a normal work day for me.

Thursday started off fun. I didn’t have a proofing shift, so I went to town with Mike to get a cake at Panamá’s for Christmas dinner. We took a pulmonía from the embarcadero (a real treat!), got the cake, and came right back. It was just over an hour door-to-door to run the errand. I then had to do a small job and then I got to work preparing an appetizer for happy hour at Contessa’s (guacamole).

Mike and I headed over to the RV park around 4:00 and met up with Chris and Juan. Happy hour is meant to be just that, but it always runs late and there’s enough food for it to be a meal!

I got a late start on Friday and headed down to the City Deli to pick up some crema (sour cream) for one of the dishes I was making for dinner as well as beer.

Most of the day involved cooking. I put together scalloped potatoes in Contessa’s crockpot liner and then brought it over to her place to cook all day. Then, I came back and got a ham cooking for the meat eaters at dinner. Even though it was a small ham, it was way too much and I have a pile of leftovers to fill the freezer with, and this is after giving away as much as I could!

Dinner was great, with everyone bringing a dish or two. We all ate our fill and there was tons left! We sat around till about 9:00 gabbing and having drinks and coffee.

Saturday was pretty much a write-off. I was up shockingly late, nearly 11!!! I was just exhausted and stayed in. I wouldn’t have gone out at all, but Contessa organized a blogger convention thing for 5:00. So I headed out around 4:30 for a long walk around the Isla and then met up with the gang at Lety’s restaurant on the beach. Service was slow and the other blogger joining us was super late showing up, so we would have been better off going to dinner in town. But I had a wonderful meal even if some of the others didn’t feel that way. Their shrimp quesadillas never disappoint and, this time, they came with a side of really good guacamole! I also treated myself to a piña colada!

Sunday was chilly. I was working yet again, so I only took a break midafternoon for a beach walk. There was an impromptu happy hour in the late afternoon and then Mike and I went to Miguel’s for dinner, where I had their steak platter (orden de carne asada) for the first time. Very good and surprisingly inexpensive!

Which brings us to today. Mike left early to catch the Baja Ferry and I finished up a small job this morning. I’ll be heading out to ride soon and then I’m going into town.

WHEW. I’m all social engagemented out and don’t plan to do anything for New Years! But it was a fun week and it was nice to spend time with everyone.