Markets

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Sunday Afternoon in Mazatlán

I went from having a reasonable queue of work from Client A this weekend and into the new week to having an “OMG, must type and not stop till I’m done, holy cow!” type of queue when my, “Definitely not going to have anything for you this weekend,” Client B pulled his, “Can you do about 50 billion hours of work for me by (impossible deadline),” stunt. Since I’m taking next weekend off, I agreed to take the assignment, but negotiated a more manageable deadline.

Everything was going well until this morning when I realised that there was a major issue with the second part of a project due for Client A that meant I could not proceed at all with it. Because it’s ultimately a government contract, there could be no answers till tomorrow, a business day. So that meant that I’d be scrambling tomorrow to do that project and should therefore start Client B’s project so that I wouldn’t be scrambling with it on Tuesday.

By noon, I had already done three hours of work finishing the first part of Client A’s project that I could finish and I’d done nearly three hours of work for Client B, enough to determine that this was a very rare easy file from him that I could easily complete between Tuesday and Wednesday morning.

Dale and I had made plans to meet downtown for one last beer today at 2:00, so I found myself going from, “Need to make this super quick!” to “Hey, don’t have to go back to work after!” Woohoo!

I left a little earlier than I needed to so I could run two errands before meeting Dale. I got to the panga and had only a 100 to pay for my 8-peso fare. Contessa had offered to loan me a 20, but I figured the panaga folks would have change or, worst case, I could run into the City Deli for a water. I asked the lady at the panga booth if she had change for a 100 and she said yes, but only because I asked her so nicely in her language and then winked at me as she pulled open a drawer with heaps of change in it. Hee!

The first errand in town was picking up some avocados and red onions. Avocados were easy, but I had to go to about six merchants before I found non-rotten red onions!

Then, I needed a jewelery repair shop because the chain on my pendant broke a couple of days ago. For some reason, I actually noticed and remembered that there was a jewelery repair kiosk on the exterior perimeter of the Mercado. I walked around until I found him on the side across from Waldo’s, towards Leandro Valle.

The man greeted me in perfect English, so I didn’t bother to look for the correct Spanish words. I pulled out the pendant, spread it out, pointed out where a link had broken, and asked if he could fix it. He confirmed that it was silver, then said, and I quote, “Absolutely! Take five minutes! 40 pesos!”

It indeed toook about five minutes and he showed me the link, explaining the discolouration was because of the welding process and that the colour would even out over time, none of which was an issue.

He dug and dug for 10 pesos in change from my 50-peso note and I told him to not worry about the change. I was so grateful that the repair had been done so quickly and well, knowing that I would have had no idea where to have a repair like this done back home and that it would have cost me a fortune. He was so grateful for an extra what amounts to 80 cents for me that I think both our days were made.

I then went across the street and Dale arrived a couple of minutes later. We headed down to Olas Altas as I unloaded about my work day.

I hadn’t planned to have lunch because I thought Dale was having a dinner out with friends this evening, but I wound up only having more than some crackers, cheese, and fruit at 11:00. So when Dale said she was hungry and was only doing drinks with her friends later, I suggested we go to the Copa de leche restaurant for a proper meal.

There, I ordered the enchiladas mole like last time and Dale shocked me by ordering the beef tacos. Beers were two for one and so we had two each. The food was just as good as last time (although I didn’t have any sesame seeds this time and had to ask for extra tortillas for the sauce). Dale loved the mole sauce and one of her tacos, loaded with extra grilled onions, materialized on my plate…

We drank our first beers really fast and so hit the pair of them hit us pretty hard. Dale was in hysterics watching me try to figure out the tab, something I usually do effortlessly for us. We were stuffed with good food and just about rolled out of there. We were rather giggly walking back to the Mercado. 🙂

There, we stopped in at Panamá’s so I could get some sandwiches for tonight and a croissant for the morning. Dale didn’t have any change, so I made her pick out something for her breakfast as my treat. The cashier had no trouble understanding me when I said that I wanted two bags, but the fact that I wanted two sandwiches and a pastry in one bag and one pastry in the other made her scratch her head a little.

Then, Dale went, “Oh!” which told me she had almost forgotten something. As it turns out, she had gone to the fabric store before meeting me looking for Velcro. It had taken 10 minutes to get the clerks to even pay attention to her and then saying Velcro and pantomiming got her nothing but disdain from the young girl at the notions counter.

So she had me go in and I pulled up a picture of Velcro on my phone. The girl haughtily said that they had some in black and white. I checked with Dale and then asked for white. Then, Dale put her fingers apart to show how much she wanted. The gal shook her head and showed us the metre stick. It a minute of her just shaking her head before I exasperatedly told her that I might not speak Spanish well, but I understand it and what was the problem? Dale needed to buy a whole metre. Geeze, Louise! That wasn’t so hard, was it?!

But it wasn’t over. The gal cut the amount and then handed Dale a ticket, telling me that we had to go to the till and then come back to pick up. We got to the till and Dale handed over a 50. The cashier would not take it and kept saying, “No, no. Five. Five.” I finally clued in and said that neither one of us had change. Okay, fine, Dale gets her 45 pesos in change. She had balked at buying a whole metre but I had told her it would be cheap and I was right!

It still wasn’t over. We went back to the notions counter and the girl looked at us like we were nuts and pointed vaguely in the direction of the till. I have to say that she clearly told me, “Regresa aquĂ­” (come back here), so nothing was lost in translation!

We went back there to the till and I looked around until I saw a sign that, while I couldn’t translate perfectly, suspected meant merchandise pickup, which is exactly what it was.

Whew! This was my second unpleasant encounter with a merchant in nearly five months here. I usually think I’m doing well if I only have a couple a week back home!

And then, it was time to go since Dale had to get back to not just the Golden Zone, but really far up there, past where she lives even, to meet friends. She thanked me several times for being her buddy this winter and I said the same to her. It would have taken so much longer to figure out this place without her.

She pulls out first thing Tuesday and if the fates allow, she’ll pull into Haven sometime this summer. We both refused to say goodbye, just, “See you later!”

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Lunch at the Water’s Edge

Dale emailed me late this morning wondering if I had time to meet her at the Mercado for lunch and shopping. I decided that I had room in the schedule and agreed!

We met in front of Waldo’s. It’s a convenient place to wait because there is a little nook by the stairs that doesn’t see much traffic. She arrived a couple of minutes after me wondering if I wanted to grab lunch first.

Contessa had told me about a lunch special at the Water’s Edge restaurant near Plazuela Machado so I suggested we go there and see if the menu was available on Sundays. Dale was game and we wound and wended our way there. I really am getting very comfortable navigating some parts of Maz!

Thankfully, the restaurant was open. They do the special Tuesdays to Sundays (closed Mondays). You get a choice of several different meals with bread and beer, pop, or limonda for 100 pesos, or you can pay an extra 20 pesos to get wine or sangria. The restaurant is owned by Canadians and the menu is not at all Mexican.

Water's Edge restaurant

Water’s Edge restaurant

The courtyard was bright and cheery.

The courtyard was bright and cheery.

I liked the wire artwork on the walls.

I liked the wire artwork on the walls.

Since it was overcast, we ate out in the open.

Since it was overcast, we ate out in the open.

Every option looked good, but I zeroed in on the Asian salad with Napa cabbage, grilled chicken, fried wontons, mango, and a sesame-ginger dressing simply because this was the choice with the most flavours I haven’t eaten since I arrived in Mexico. The salad wound up being a healthier and lighter version of the Applebee’s Asian chicken salad and really, really tasty!

Yummy salad.

Yummy salad.

An absolutely unnecessary plate of bread.

An absolutely unnecessary plate of bread.

Dale, who was still vegetarian when I met her, is really expanding her horizons and surprised me by ordering the seared tuna sandwich on ciabbata, with a garlicky mayonnaise, something a bit spicy, and avocado, with a salad on the side instead of soup. She was a little daunted when she saw what the tuna looked like (I’d warned her; cooked on the outside, just about raw in the middle), but she bravely dug in and was immediately very clear in her opinion, “Oh, YUM!” She had me try a bite and it was indeed very good, a little smoky and spicy.

The meal came with okay bread, good butter, and our beers (choice of Corona (yuck) or Pacifico), all for 120 pesos each with the tip. Thanks for the recommendation, Contessa!

We then went to the Mercado. Last time I was there and bought my blouse, I stopped in at the little boutique I like and met a Gringa who told me that the best deal in the shop is some dresses with smocked bodices that are made on site. They are cut to the customer’s preferred length and the cut material is used to make straps. She said, “I always get two or three, so I get them for 330 pesos each.”

Ever since I first laid eyes on Leslie Mann’s smocked bodice dress in Knocked Up, I have wanted one.

dress

I have been dreaming of this dress for EIGHT YEARS.

Now that I have a body shape to wear a dress like that and a source for one, I had to explore this option further! So Dale’s and my first stop at the Mercado was the dress shop!

I went through all the smocked dresses and gasped when I found one in not only the weight of fabric but also colour that I wanted. The clerk greeted me warmly and told me I could have the dress for 300 pesos!!! SOLD. The seamstress put the dress against me and I told her I wanted it a little shorter than the dress I was wearing, with one-inch straps. I was asked to pay and come back in about 30 minutes.

Dale and I wandered around, picking up what we needed. While I know that Dale genuinely wants my company, she definitely relies on me for translation and monetary help when she’s shopping in situations like these where the total price isn’t rung up on a screen that she can watch and she has to ask for things and give quantities. I got a nice red pepper for my pasta dinner tonight and found some gorgeous avocados for a couple of breakfasts.

When we got back to the dress shop, the seamstress was finishing up. I examined the stitching, gave my approval, and the dress was bagged up for me.

Dream dress AT LAST!!!

Dream dress AT LAST!!!

The seamstress didn’t seem super busy, so next time I go to the Mercado I will bring a pattern I found for the style of headscarf I prefer and see if she would be willing to make me some if I provide the fabric. Fabric is super cheap in Mexico, so I’m hoping I could get a half dozen or so new scarves. Anyway, I’ll see what she says.

I really needed to get back to work, so that was it for me. Dale and I made tentative plans to meet later this week because I need coffee. I’ll either go to her and try out a restaurant in the Golden Zone that was recommended to me, or I’ll trust her with my coffee order and she’ll meet me in Centro.

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Monday Lunch Date

Dale confirmed this morning our tentative plans to meet at the Mercado today for lunch. I’d been up early working and was eager for a break, so I took off around 10:00 to do some shopping before meeting her at noon.

My first stop was the clothing aisle in the Mercado, where I wanted to buy a peasant blouse in dark purple or rose. I found a shop that looked promising and had lower prices than the one where I bought my dresses.

I thought that the clerk was very good. I said I wanted a blouse and didn’t know how to say peasant style, so I showed a dress with a bodice in that style and she understood. We then went through colours and she dug deep to find exactly what I wanted. I didn’t feel pressured.

I love the detailing at the sleeves and down the front, but not the boxy shape. I'll see if I can find someone who can nip in the waist a little.

I love the detailing at the sleeves and down the front, but not the boxy shape. I’ll see if I can find someone who can nip in the waist a little.

I was able to knock 60 pesos off the quoted price and got it for 290 pesos.

It’s been so long since I’ve bought nice new clothes that the prices never cease to amaze me, but, really, $24 for a nice top is nothing!

Then, I did an amble around the area, just to see what was open on a late Monday morning before ending up at Waldo’s to get a few things on my list. Dale was coming into Waldo’s as I was coming out; good timing!

She did her shopping, then we went back to the Mercado for a bit before going upstairs for lunch. Unfortunately, my enchiladas today, while tasty, were nowhere near as yummy as they were last time. Dang! But we still came out of there stuffed for 90 pesos, including the tip, for both of us!

We did a bit more shopping after and I finally found an apron in the style I’ve been looking for, which I was able to bargain down to a mere 70 pesos, so I snatched it up. I’ll have to see if I can find a seamstress to put a few darts it as it is definitely made for a stereotypically corpulent abuela, but the price was too good to not grab it!

Pinafore-style apron, a bit shorter than what I would have liked. The colour scheme is acceptable and I love the pockets in the front. It is *huge* though! :)

Pinafore-style apron, a bit shorter than what I would have liked, but I’ve never seen in person an apron in this style in any length. I bought my last one on Etsy! The colour scheme is acceptable and I love the large pockets in the front. It is *huge* though! 🙂

I was initially quoted six dollars in English and I asked in Spanish for a price in pesos. That wound up being 75 (15 pesos less than the USD price). I countered with 60 pesos and the lady said the best she could do was 70. Shop in the currency of the country you’re in, folks! 🙂

Dale then wanted to show me a new bar she’s discovered that has photographs of old Maz along the walls. It’s called Edgar’s and the beer was cheap. Two Tecates were just 37 pesos!

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The sign made me laugh “Ladies welcome (GentlemAn also)”

We looked at a bit more clothes after as Dale was looking for a blouse and I was looking for a skirt, but we struck out. We parted ways at the corner of Leandro Valle and Aquiles Serdán, where she got on a bus and I headed off towards the panga.

En route, I stopped in at Ley to see if they had my favourite yoghurt in stock. They had one, yay! There was another flavour there that made me curious as there was an ingredient I wasn’t sure about. I asked a lady next to me if ‘pasas son uvas secas’ (literally ‘pasas are dried grapes’) and she looked at me for a moment looking rather bemused before smiling and saying yes. I will try the raisin one the next time I see it!

I can’t believe it’s quarter to four already as I have work to do unless I want to be working by 6:00 again tomorrow. But I have to say that the break in routine was really welcome!

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Not So Big Spender

I got an email from Dale this morning asking me to meet her at the Mercado noonish. I hadn’t planned to go out, but I had time, so why not?! She had also invited Janet, so Janet and I met up at the police station here on Isla and made our way to Waldo’s together, where we met up with Dale, who had taken the bus for the first time.

I was down to my last 150 pesos (putting 8 aside for the panga ride tomorrow or Wednesday to hit the bank), so you would think I just went for the conversation. Ha ha ha. I love Mexico.

We hit Waldo’s and a craft store for Dale first, then went upstairs above the Mercado to find a restaurant where Janet could eat. She’s normally vegan, but will sometimes have cheese. I found a restaurant that would make her a cheese quesadilla, so that’s where we went. The menu was small, very ‘Mexican’, and the most expensive thing on it was 50 pesos…

I had literally the best enchiladas of my life, for 30 pesos, plus 6 pesos for a bottle of water (forgot to bring my own), plus a small tip.

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The sauce was light and zippy, but not actually spicy. It was very flavourful. The chicken filling was moist and a dollop of crema brought everything together. I now have a go-to spot for lunch in that part of town!

Next, I went to go to Panamá’s where I spent a whopping 30 pesos on a ham, cheese, and jalapeño sandwich for tonight, a savoury cheese and jalapeño bun thing for lunch tomorrow, and an almond croissant for breakfast.

So I’ve now spent 70 pesos, covered four meals, and have 72 pesos left (remember, I spent 8 pesos to get to Maz!). We stopped at an ice cream stand for gelato, leaving me with 52 pesos.

We walked around the area for a bit, then split up with Dale because I needed to get home. Janet asked to stop in at Ley. I wasn’t going to get anything, but my favourite yoghurt was on mega sale and they had one left of my preferred flavor, so I snagged it. After the tip for the bagging lady, I had 22 pesos left.

And then, I took the panga home, leaving me with a whole 14 pesos.

Gas one way to Assiniboia from home costs roughly 150 pesos…

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Like a Pack Mule

My cousin and I said our goodbyes at Rico’s at about 9:30 because they needed to be in a taxi for the airport by about 10:00. I crossed the street and walked about a block to a dedicated bus stop where two older Gringas were waiting. It was really nice to see that demographic taking the bus!

This is what passes for a bus stop bench in Mexico. I was just glad to have a bench!

This is what passes for a bus stop bench in Mexico. I was just glad to have a bench!

The bus was crowded, but I still managed to score a window seat. It was quite a long drive south because there was more traffic. We eventually left the MalecĂłn and started zigzagging through streets until I wasn’t quite certain exactly where I was. I figured that most of the bus would empty at the Mercado and waited for a huge crowd to stand up to get off, a plan that worked perfectly as that put me right at an entrance to the Mercado.

I hadn’t had breakfast and was starting to feel faint, so I made a beeline for a bakery and got a pastry stuffed with pineapple to tide me over until I could find a proper brunch. I love the pastries here in that even the sweet ones aren’t super sweet. I paid with a centavo coin for the first time!

My blood sugar stabilized, I headed to Waldo’s to get a few things and then I decided to go explore the restaurants above the Mercado. One thing I love about Mexico is that you can get ‘non-breakfast food’ for breakfast, especially at places that don’t cater to Gringos (I could have bought freshly grilled beef and onion tacos from a cart on the walk to the MalecĂłn this morning!). Rico’s had surprisingly decent prices for breakfast, but it was all stuff like eggs, waffles, and bagels, none of which are my first choice for breakfast.

Most of the upstairs restaurants had similar menus. One lady waved me into her place and when I saw the number of Mexicans eating there, it seemed like a fine choice. She offered me a plate of fried shrimp, fries, beans, rice, and tortillas for 70 pesos. It wasn’t a special oh wow meal (although I do have to say that the shrimp were awesome, not being too heavily breaded and well seasoned), but it was hearty, savoury, not expensive, and way more than I could eat (the tortilla stack was bigger than one I get to last me three or four days!).

It’s funny how one of my biggest fears about coming to Mexico was that I would be afraid to eat at restaurants like these that would very likely fail a health inspection back home and now that I’m here, I don’t even think twice about eating at such a place!

Sated, I headed downstairs to load up on fruits and veggies. I never get everything from one vendor. I don’t know why, everybody seems to have the same stuff for the same price and quality!

I walked around a bit looking for a cheese vendor I was told about, but failed, so I exited on Leandro Valle and headed to the Ley. There, I loaded up on dairy products, bacon, and a few other things that were on sale (including a two for one deal on baked tostadas). I’m going to Soriana with Dale next week, so I only got what I needed to get me through the weekend.

One important thing I picked up was powdered milk, which is what I use for my coffee. I bought some in the States and must have gotten a bad batch because it absolutely refused to turn creamy with the addition of hot water, which is another thing that made my coffee situation so bad here. A bag that would have cost me about 12CAD was on sale for only 33 pesos! This stuff was Carnation brand and was perfect in my Rico’s coffee!

Back outside, I balanced my load as best as I could and debated taking Zaragoza or Leandro Valle to get to the embarcadero. The latter is hilly and the former had more chances of my being tempted by a pulmonĂ­a, so I obviously picked the harder option, grateful that this was the first time I’ve come out of Ley to a complete lack of pulmonĂ­as!

By the time I got to the panga, I was pretty tired, but my work wasn’t done. The dock was quite low, but the water level high, so it was a huge step into the boat. I was wearing capris, so the guys weren’t eager to help me with my bags (I tend to get help if I’m in a skirt or dress, amusingly enough).

When I got back to Isla, I popped into the City Deli to pick up an eight-pack of beer and that was my absolute limit as to what I could carry! And it was a bit much; I was really eager to get home. I ran into Dale partway, so I had an excuse to take a short break. Yes, I could have taken a pulmonĂ­a on this side, but I need the exercise!

I can’t believe I’ve been in Mazatlán just shy of two months and am already so comfortable making my way around the city. The last step will be figuring out the buses that go to Walmart and Soriana, something Dale is looking forward to trying.