Yesterday we went in to Merida with upstairs neighbours I and N. We went to Costco and Sr. B and I finally!! got ourselves a membership.
Back in Canada, we live about 3 hours from the nearest Costco so we've never bothered to get a membership. Although plenty of folks from our town will make the drive, we can't be bothered. But the Costco in Merida has some things we like and, since the store is very accessible and a membership costs less here, we decided to go ahead and get one. It's funny how having this small card that says Mexico on it makes us feel more like part of the local community.
Today, neighbour Kris and I went uptown to the tourist market. I picked up a cute little summer dress for our g'daughter. She likes those ones with the shirred elastic top. I just hope she likes the colour I chose. She's 13 and a bit fussier than she was when she was younger...lol.
In March, I bought a beautiful salad sized bowl and a matching botana sized one. There was only the one small bowl at the time but today I found another one, so I picked it up.
I noticed something interesting at the market. As soon as Kris and I told the various vendors we dealt with that we lived in Progreso, their demeanor changed just a wee bit. They became warmer, friendlier. Not that they weren`t friendly in the first place, but there was a slight shift in how they interacted with us.
I also bought myself a couple of knit dresses that are styled like a tank top at the shoulders. Washed them up and put one on. Oh my goodness! They`re the next best thing to being naked. These are going to be great when it`s beastly hot.
Speaking of which, a norte is apparently in the forecast. The breeze picked up a bit late this afternoon, its chill portending the upcoming storm. The cooler temps and rain will be a nice respite from the heat of the past few days.
Last night we had a mosquito in the bedroom that we couldn`t find and murder. I awoke to a half dozen bites on my arms. The good news is that Ì seem to have finally developed a degree of tolerance to their bites. I don`t swell and itch anywhere near as badly as I did when we first started coming down. Tonight`s breeze will help keep them at bay. Fingers crossed that one didn`t sneak into our room during the day.
I've tried to post some photos but our internet connection is too slow and the page to load pics onto won`t come up.
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label shopping. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Sunday, March 17, 2013
What We Got Here is Failure to Communicate
"You wanna go get groceries?" he asks.
Yeah, sure.
"You wanna try the new Soriana's?" he asks after we get downtown.
Um, ok. (It's across from the Bodega and we've never taken the bus there but we figure it out).
"We should stock up on some things and take a cab home," he says.
Um, I only brought 2 bags because I thought we were going to our regular store downtown and we only take two bags when we go there.
"I should get a bottle of rum," he says.
No, you can't. I only brought as much money as what an average shopping trip costs. Had I known the plan was to buy more than usual, I would have brought more money.
He looked like a little kid who had been told he couldn't have a candy bar and I felt like his mom. GAAHH!!
Yeah, sure.
"You wanna try the new Soriana's?" he asks after we get downtown.
Um, ok. (It's across from the Bodega and we've never taken the bus there but we figure it out).
"We should stock up on some things and take a cab home," he says.
Um, I only brought 2 bags because I thought we were going to our regular store downtown and we only take two bags when we go there.
"I should get a bottle of rum," he says.
No, you can't. I only brought as much money as what an average shopping trip costs. Had I known the plan was to buy more than usual, I would have brought more money.
He looked like a little kid who had been told he couldn't have a candy bar and I felt like his mom. GAAHH!!
Monday, March 11, 2013
Getting Out
Cruise ship day. Neighbour C and I went uptown to the cruise ship markets and wandered around. She was on a mission to get something for her granddaughter. I went to keep her company and to get out of the house. She found what she was looking for and I picked up a bottle of Xtabentun, my favourite sipping liquer.
The vendor must have thought I was a cruiser because he pulled out some newspaper to wrap around the bottle before putting it into the plastic bag. I told him I lived here and that just the bag was fine. En espanol. Every time I come south, I get an extra dose of motivation to continue with my studies. Being able to speak even a little bit has enhanced my experiences here.
Later this afternoon, Sr B and I walked up the road a ways to see the house that neighbours D and V have purchased. It's small but very quaint. They showed us the plans for the changes they want to make. They're keeping the footprint of the house, just making a few changes inside as well as to the yard. I think it's going to be absolutely charming when it's done.
The wind was from the south most of the day which means hot. The wind has been quite cool lately, so the heat this morning felt really good for my old, creaky joints. Just the same, the change in direction later in the day was refreshing.
The vendor must have thought I was a cruiser because he pulled out some newspaper to wrap around the bottle before putting it into the plastic bag. I told him I lived here and that just the bag was fine. En espanol. Every time I come south, I get an extra dose of motivation to continue with my studies. Being able to speak even a little bit has enhanced my experiences here.
Later this afternoon, Sr B and I walked up the road a ways to see the house that neighbours D and V have purchased. It's small but very quaint. They showed us the plans for the changes they want to make. They're keeping the footprint of the house, just making a few changes inside as well as to the yard. I think it's going to be absolutely charming when it's done.
The wind was from the south most of the day which means hot. The wind has been quite cool lately, so the heat this morning felt really good for my old, creaky joints. Just the same, the change in direction later in the day was refreshing.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
A Day Out
Neighbour C and I went shopping uptown today. She was looking for a shirt to wear with a necklace she had. We went to umpteen clothing stores, finally finding one that had what she wanted. I also picked up a couple of tops.
While she was browsing, I kept feeling little stings on my legs but I didn't really think too much of it. I get these every so often and it always turns out to be nothing. Finally, I can't stand it anymore and look down. omg! Mosquitoes! A dozen or so, all buzzing around my lower legs and feasting away.
As we were paying for our purchases, C told the cashier that we should get a discount seeing as how the store had some of our blood. Not sure if her comment helped but we did get good deals on our tops.
We don't know the name of the store but we've been calling it The Mosquito Store.
Something that made us chuckle was how all the tops were "one size". It didn't seem to matter that many of the tops seemed to be made for skinny minnie's. They were all one size and the clerks all assured us that they would fit us. Some did. Some did not. And some fit but were tighter than we're used to wearing. Maybe we just need to get our sexy on.
Tonight, a bunch of us from the complex went down to the Yakunah for supper and drinks. Yakunah is a lovely little hotel that we stayed at when we first came down to look at the condo. On Saturday nights, they host Happy Hour from 6 - 7pm where drinks are 2 for 1. Two of us had pina coladas and we questioned, amongst ourselves, whether or not there was actually any liquor in them. We both had 4 and didn't feel any alcoholic effects whatsoever.
There's also music. A gentleman sings in both Spanish and English. We were told that he can't actually speak English, he just sings in English. Not sure if that's true, but it makes for a fun story. There's a dance floor for those who choose to cut the rug.
We all ordered supper and everyone's meals were great. Sr B and I both had the Cajun chicken breast. Delicious! I like spicy but it was almost too much for me. Sr B likes things spicier than I do and he thoroughly enjoyed his. For dessert, we all had brownies with ice cream. That was really good, too. I forgot to take pictures.
We had planned on taking a combi home but the few that came along didn't pick us up. The small ones were too full for our party of 6 and the big buses were off duty and just drove past us. So we walked home. It probably took us about 20-25 minutes. Had I been wearing shoes meant for walking, we could have done it much faster. But it was a beautiful evening. Warm but not hot and very little breeze. Perfect for strolling.
The only negative was Sr B not hearing, "Watch out for the dog poop!"
While she was browsing, I kept feeling little stings on my legs but I didn't really think too much of it. I get these every so often and it always turns out to be nothing. Finally, I can't stand it anymore and look down. omg! Mosquitoes! A dozen or so, all buzzing around my lower legs and feasting away.
As we were paying for our purchases, C told the cashier that we should get a discount seeing as how the store had some of our blood. Not sure if her comment helped but we did get good deals on our tops.
We don't know the name of the store but we've been calling it The Mosquito Store.
Something that made us chuckle was how all the tops were "one size". It didn't seem to matter that many of the tops seemed to be made for skinny minnie's. They were all one size and the clerks all assured us that they would fit us. Some did. Some did not. And some fit but were tighter than we're used to wearing. Maybe we just need to get our sexy on.
Tonight, a bunch of us from the complex went down to the Yakunah for supper and drinks. Yakunah is a lovely little hotel that we stayed at when we first came down to look at the condo. On Saturday nights, they host Happy Hour from 6 - 7pm where drinks are 2 for 1. Two of us had pina coladas and we questioned, amongst ourselves, whether or not there was actually any liquor in them. We both had 4 and didn't feel any alcoholic effects whatsoever.
There's also music. A gentleman sings in both Spanish and English. We were told that he can't actually speak English, he just sings in English. Not sure if that's true, but it makes for a fun story. There's a dance floor for those who choose to cut the rug.
We all ordered supper and everyone's meals were great. Sr B and I both had the Cajun chicken breast. Delicious! I like spicy but it was almost too much for me. Sr B likes things spicier than I do and he thoroughly enjoyed his. For dessert, we all had brownies with ice cream. That was really good, too. I forgot to take pictures.
We had planned on taking a combi home but the few that came along didn't pick us up. The small ones were too full for our party of 6 and the big buses were off duty and just drove past us. So we walked home. It probably took us about 20-25 minutes. Had I been wearing shoes meant for walking, we could have done it much faster. But it was a beautiful evening. Warm but not hot and very little breeze. Perfect for strolling.
The only negative was Sr B not hearing, "Watch out for the dog poop!"
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Flip Flops and Fun
This morning we went uptown to do some poking around in stores, just to see what different ones had to offer. Window shopping. One thing I noticed is that Mexicans sure do seem to love their flip flops. My goodness. It seemed as if every other store was selling them. And the selection is incredible. Everything from the same old same old to some all tarted up with rhinestones. Regular flats to heels and every colour you can imagine.
We wandered around for about an hour but didn't buy anything, though I did see a beautiful quartz domino set that I might pick up another time.
A quick stop at the grocery store for a few things, plus some window shopping, and then it was back to the condo where we went for a quick dip in the pool before lunch.
D and V had organized a games night for tonight. Supper was potluck botanas under the palapa by the pool. The plan had been to play games there, too, but it was too breezy so we all went back up to D and V's place where Senor B and I learned how to play a dominoes game called Mexican Train. I tied for first place. Talk about beginner's luck. We would have played a tie breaker round but everyone was tired so J and I took the tie and we all called it a night.
We wandered around for about an hour but didn't buy anything, though I did see a beautiful quartz domino set that I might pick up another time.
A quick stop at the grocery store for a few things, plus some window shopping, and then it was back to the condo where we went for a quick dip in the pool before lunch.
D and V had organized a games night for tonight. Supper was potluck botanas under the palapa by the pool. The plan had been to play games there, too, but it was too breezy so we all went back up to D and V's place where Senor B and I learned how to play a dominoes game called Mexican Train. I tied for first place. Talk about beginner's luck. We would have played a tie breaker round but everyone was tired so J and I took the tie and we all called it a night.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Productive Day
This morning we went uptown to exchange our rental money (USD) to pesos so we have money for now. Senor B tried to call our bank in Canada, via MagicJack, but he didn't have a very good connection so nothing got accomplished. Based on info we've been given about some banking glitches and procedures, we're (naively, perhaps?) confident that our situation is temporary. We're optimistic that everything will work out.
Then we went to pay our taxes at the big green building, whose name I don't remember, at the main square. I think it's called the Municipal Building, but I'm not certain. We can see that there are different things housed within its colourful walls but the only ones we can identify are the tax office and a school.
I've found that a good ice-breaker is to say, "Lo siento. Mi espanol no es bueno." "I'm sorry. My Spanish isn't good." It always makes people smile. Maybe I'm saying it all wrong and it amuses them? Anyways, they're always very helpful and patient. So I said this to the lady at the tax office as I produced the cedula catastral, the legal document needed to pay taxes. She smiles and says, "No problem," as she takes the papers. She does her calculations, writes the fee on a sticky note and hands it all back to me. Then it's over to the cashier to make payment.
I believe taxes have to be paid by the end of Feb to avoid penalty. I have no idea if we incurred a penalty or not. We paid 263.63 pesos/$20.41CDN. Twenty bucks! For the year! If we got penalized, well, we're sure not gonna complain.
Then we walked around downtown a bit. Senor B wanted to get himself a tank top. Our friend, Dave, who came down with us in Nov, said they're much cooler to wear than a t-shirt. Senor B and I have known each other for 26 years and I've never seen him wear a tank top. He's really been stepping out of his comfort zone as he's getting older. These shirts are colloquially known as wife-beaters but, lest I use a term that isn't in favour, I Googled and learned that they're also called A-shirts, the A standing for Athletic. Ummm...Senor B and athletic in the same sentence? Ummm...sure. Why not? LOL.
A quick stop at the market to pick up a few veggies and then it was back to the condo.
On our way out this morning, we had planned on going to Bodega to get groceries, as well. At the front gate we met up with D, who lives on the upper floor. He had errands to run this afternoon and offered to take us to the store so we took him up on that.
I've read, on other blogs, that you can call it a good day if you get 2 things accomplished. We got 5. I think we may have set a record. *grin*
Then we went to pay our taxes at the big green building, whose name I don't remember, at the main square. I think it's called the Municipal Building, but I'm not certain. We can see that there are different things housed within its colourful walls but the only ones we can identify are the tax office and a school.
I've found that a good ice-breaker is to say, "Lo siento. Mi espanol no es bueno." "I'm sorry. My Spanish isn't good." It always makes people smile. Maybe I'm saying it all wrong and it amuses them? Anyways, they're always very helpful and patient. So I said this to the lady at the tax office as I produced the cedula catastral, the legal document needed to pay taxes. She smiles and says, "No problem," as she takes the papers. She does her calculations, writes the fee on a sticky note and hands it all back to me. Then it's over to the cashier to make payment.
I believe taxes have to be paid by the end of Feb to avoid penalty. I have no idea if we incurred a penalty or not. We paid 263.63 pesos/$20.41CDN. Twenty bucks! For the year! If we got penalized, well, we're sure not gonna complain.
Then we walked around downtown a bit. Senor B wanted to get himself a tank top. Our friend, Dave, who came down with us in Nov, said they're much cooler to wear than a t-shirt. Senor B and I have known each other for 26 years and I've never seen him wear a tank top. He's really been stepping out of his comfort zone as he's getting older. These shirts are colloquially known as wife-beaters but, lest I use a term that isn't in favour, I Googled and learned that they're also called A-shirts, the A standing for Athletic. Ummm...Senor B and athletic in the same sentence? Ummm...sure. Why not? LOL.
A quick stop at the market to pick up a few veggies and then it was back to the condo.
On our way out this morning, we had planned on going to Bodega to get groceries, as well. At the front gate we met up with D, who lives on the upper floor. He had errands to run this afternoon and offered to take us to the store so we took him up on that.
I've read, on other blogs, that you can call it a good day if you get 2 things accomplished. We got 5. I think we may have set a record. *grin*
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Cultural Adjustments
We finally rolled into Progreso last night at about 7:30pm after being on the go for 36 hours. Senor B worked on Thursday and we left shortly after he got home. It's a 3 hour drive to the airport, overnight flight to our connecting city, layover, flight to Cancun, bus ride to Merida and half hour taxi to Progreso. We were beat when we got to the condo and the general lack of sleep (cuz, really...who can sleep on a plane?) made us a little testy towards each other.
On our first flight, we flew with a crew that we'd flown with in November. It made us remark, "You know you're a frequent flyer when..." *grin*
My Spanish lessons paid off during our taxi ride when I was able to direct the driver to our place. It was pretty cool to be able to do that. I have a long way to go before I can say I'm even close to being proficient but being able to communicate, even in a limited capacity, makes me feel a lot less helpless.
We went uptown this morning to go to the bank and get a few groceries. Banking didn't go so well. The bank we usually go to wouldn't process our transaction. We both tried our debit cards without any luck. So we went across the street to another bank. Same thing. The only thing we can think of is that we forgot to let our bank know we were coming and they were denying the transaction. But we haven't always let them know and haven't had any problems before so we're confused. Senor B sent our bank an email so we'll see if it gets straightened out. Fortunately, we had some cash on us so we were still able to get some groceries.
Since we're not renting a vehicle we can't do a big shop like we did in the past. We picked up enough for the day plus a few other items that won't be needed each trip. Things like mayo, butter, olives. We'll have to make more frequent and smaller trips than we're used to. It's just one of those little adjustments to be made when living in another culture. And, hey, it's not like we have a whole lot of anything else to do...lol.
When we had an air-conditioned car, we would run errands whenever the mood hit. Now that we don't have that luxury, we decided that running errands earlier than 11am would be a smart thing. We were gone 2 hours and were about roasted when we got back. Another cultural adjustment to make.
There are 3 little corner stores near us so we can always go there to pick up a few things, too.
Temp today was 35C so that meant a trip to the pool in the afternoon. It was great seeing old friends and meeting some new ones.
On our first flight, we flew with a crew that we'd flown with in November. It made us remark, "You know you're a frequent flyer when..." *grin*
My Spanish lessons paid off during our taxi ride when I was able to direct the driver to our place. It was pretty cool to be able to do that. I have a long way to go before I can say I'm even close to being proficient but being able to communicate, even in a limited capacity, makes me feel a lot less helpless.
We went uptown this morning to go to the bank and get a few groceries. Banking didn't go so well. The bank we usually go to wouldn't process our transaction. We both tried our debit cards without any luck. So we went across the street to another bank. Same thing. The only thing we can think of is that we forgot to let our bank know we were coming and they were denying the transaction. But we haven't always let them know and haven't had any problems before so we're confused. Senor B sent our bank an email so we'll see if it gets straightened out. Fortunately, we had some cash on us so we were still able to get some groceries.
Since we're not renting a vehicle we can't do a big shop like we did in the past. We picked up enough for the day plus a few other items that won't be needed each trip. Things like mayo, butter, olives. We'll have to make more frequent and smaller trips than we're used to. It's just one of those little adjustments to be made when living in another culture. And, hey, it's not like we have a whole lot of anything else to do...lol.
When we had an air-conditioned car, we would run errands whenever the mood hit. Now that we don't have that luxury, we decided that running errands earlier than 11am would be a smart thing. We were gone 2 hours and were about roasted when we got back. Another cultural adjustment to make.
There are 3 little corner stores near us so we can always go there to pick up a few things, too.
Temp today was 35C so that meant a trip to the pool in the afternoon. It was great seeing old friends and meeting some new ones.
Friday, November 25, 2011
Lather, Rinse, Repeat
Another uneventful day. Not having a vehicle means we don't get out much. Means I don't spend much, either...lol.
Neighbour Liz had to go uptown this morning and invited me along. I bought some hooks for hanging the rug when I finally finish sewing it. I also picked up a ceramic floor decoration...a couple of lizards on a rock. We went to the grocery store and I picked up a few things we needed. I'm trying not to buy too much at this point because we're leaving soon. But we needed bread and garbage bags. And Coke. Always need Coke. I keep those guys in business. Truly...lol.
Pool time in the afternoon. Spanish course and laundry in the evening.
It was 8 years ago, today, that my dad went to wherever it is that awesome fathers go when they pass. RIP, Dad.
Neighbour Liz had to go uptown this morning and invited me along. I bought some hooks for hanging the rug when I finally finish sewing it. I also picked up a ceramic floor decoration...a couple of lizards on a rock. We went to the grocery store and I picked up a few things we needed. I'm trying not to buy too much at this point because we're leaving soon. But we needed bread and garbage bags. And Coke. Always need Coke. I keep those guys in business. Truly...lol.
Pool time in the afternoon. Spanish course and laundry in the evening.
It was 8 years ago, today, that my dad went to wherever it is that awesome fathers go when they pass. RIP, Dad.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Colour Me Happy
The mirror I was having made was supposed to be ready today. Neighbour Liz was taking me in to Merida to pick it up. We decided to get an early start on the day and beat the heat. We arrived at the furniture place about 11am and the guy told us the mirror wouldn't be ready until 3pm. Liz didn't want to drive back to Progreso and then back to Merida so we decided to go shopping. Again. Rough life, eh?
I hadn't yet been to Alta Brisa so we went there to check things out. It's like pretty much any other mall NOB. Lots of NOB retailers and the typical bright and shiny look of modernity. (That's actually a word! I googled it to be sure). Soriana's, which is similar to Walmart in that it has a little bit of everything, is one of their anchor stores and Liz hadn't been there before, either. They have products that her other regular stores don't, so she was excited to find new things. We still had lots of time to kill until 3pm, so we decided to go down to Centro and then come back to Soriana's. We didn't want to leave stuff in the hot truck all afternoon.
Liz doesn't like driving in Centro, so we got a cab. Cost was about 60 pesos. I didn't time the drive but I'm sure it was a good 20 minutes. We had the cab drop us off at a market that Liz said was good. I have no idea what the name of it is and I wouldn't be able to find it again. I picked up a rug/tapestry/woven thing to hang on the wall. Then we went for lunch at a great little restaurant, the name of which I didn't get.
Cabbed it back to Soriana's and picked up a few groceries and some things we needed for the condo. Then on to the furniture store where the mirror was ready. We didn't get back home until about 6:00. Not bad for wondering how we were going to kill 4 hours, eh? lol.
Roberto, the fish guy with the Jay Leno jaw, comes by the complex on weekends. He came today and Senor B picked up some sea bass and shrimp. I'm not a fish fan but I do like the sea bass. That's what we cooked up for supper and it was delicious.
The "colour me happy" part of the day? This evening there was a knock on our door and a friendly "Buenas tardes." It was a relative of the owner of the condo above us. Remember the leak in the bathroom ceiling? She and her young son had come to take a look at it. Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, it's been dry for the past couple days so there was nothing to see. But...! I had taken a picture of it to document its progress. I showed it to them and the lady had an "Oh my goodness!" kind of reaction. She didn't speak any English but her son, who told me he was in grade 5, did. She makes a phone call and the young man and I chat a bit. We both taught each other a new word...ceiling and mancha. Through her son, the lady tells me that they'll have a plumber come out within the week.
I've read enough posts on other blogs to know that it may, or may not, happen. I really want to believe that they'll take care of the problem. I hope the fact that they even came to look at it bodes well for its repair.
As they were leaving, the boy apologized for his bad English. Is he kidding? I told him that his English is much better than my Spanish. And it is. I'm doing well with my lessons but he's been studying English longer than I've been studying Spanish. Anyways, I imagine he'll be pretty excited to tell his teacher that he got to use his English in a real life situation with someone who didn't speak much Spanish.
I hadn't yet been to Alta Brisa so we went there to check things out. It's like pretty much any other mall NOB. Lots of NOB retailers and the typical bright and shiny look of modernity. (That's actually a word! I googled it to be sure). Soriana's, which is similar to Walmart in that it has a little bit of everything, is one of their anchor stores and Liz hadn't been there before, either. They have products that her other regular stores don't, so she was excited to find new things. We still had lots of time to kill until 3pm, so we decided to go down to Centro and then come back to Soriana's. We didn't want to leave stuff in the hot truck all afternoon.
Liz doesn't like driving in Centro, so we got a cab. Cost was about 60 pesos. I didn't time the drive but I'm sure it was a good 20 minutes. We had the cab drop us off at a market that Liz said was good. I have no idea what the name of it is and I wouldn't be able to find it again. I picked up a rug/tapestry/woven thing to hang on the wall. Then we went for lunch at a great little restaurant, the name of which I didn't get.
Cabbed it back to Soriana's and picked up a few groceries and some things we needed for the condo. Then on to the furniture store where the mirror was ready. We didn't get back home until about 6:00. Not bad for wondering how we were going to kill 4 hours, eh? lol.
Roberto, the fish guy with the Jay Leno jaw, comes by the complex on weekends. He came today and Senor B picked up some sea bass and shrimp. I'm not a fish fan but I do like the sea bass. That's what we cooked up for supper and it was delicious.
The "colour me happy" part of the day? This evening there was a knock on our door and a friendly "Buenas tardes." It was a relative of the owner of the condo above us. Remember the leak in the bathroom ceiling? She and her young son had come to take a look at it. Of course, Murphy's Law being what it is, it's been dry for the past couple days so there was nothing to see. But...! I had taken a picture of it to document its progress. I showed it to them and the lady had an "Oh my goodness!" kind of reaction. She didn't speak any English but her son, who told me he was in grade 5, did. She makes a phone call and the young man and I chat a bit. We both taught each other a new word...ceiling and mancha. Through her son, the lady tells me that they'll have a plumber come out within the week.
I've read enough posts on other blogs to know that it may, or may not, happen. I really want to believe that they'll take care of the problem. I hope the fact that they even came to look at it bodes well for its repair.
As they were leaving, the boy apologized for his bad English. Is he kidding? I told him that his English is much better than my Spanish. And it is. I'm doing well with my lessons but he's been studying English longer than I've been studying Spanish. Anyways, I imagine he'll be pretty excited to tell his teacher that he got to use his English in a real life situation with someone who didn't speak much Spanish.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Our Day Without Power
Well, the power outage wasn't as long as originally planned. It went out at 8am instead of 7 and came back on around 3:30pm instead of 4. I didn't see the guys working but one of the condo residents was telling us how the guys climb up the pole with a rope or strap around them. He was also telling us that they have the holes for the poles dug. Big, deep holes with no covers over them. Big enough for a small child to fall in. Lord, I hope that doesn't happen.
I slept in this morning so the power was already off by the time I got up. I had cereal for breakfast but there was only about half a cup of milk left. I thought it would be ok, but it wasn't. Cereal with only enough milk to make it wet doesn't taste too great. Milk is typically sold in tetra packs and I didn't want to open another one and risk it going bad. The fridge stayed cold enough that I could have opened one. Oh well.
Señor B and I enjoyed the sun on the front balcony for a while and then decided to head uptown. Remember my post about the San Francisco store involving the ticket guy who had to chase us down and how we figured it was run similar to Costco? We decided to go to that store.
We remembered to get our ticket before entering the lot. Señor B waited in the car while I walked a block over to get some cash from the bank. The guard checks your receipt and ticket when you leave the parking lot. We were supposed to get the ticket stamped by the cashier. But she never asked for the ticket. After the guard was satisfied that we knew what to do next time, he let us go. Truly, those poor guards must get tired of us foreigners messing with the system.
Señor B suggested going to the malecon for lunch but, because of the power outage, I wanted to finish up the taco salad from last night. So we had lunch at home instead.
Our neighbour, Bindi, replaced her sliding shower doors with a thick piece of glass and we loved it so much we decided to do the same. The tracks are so hard to keep clean. While she was uptown earlier, she went to the store and told the guy to come see us. He said 3:00, so we waited. The gate is usually closed so we watched for him but we never saw him. When we saw Bindi later, we told her and she was surprised. She said the dad knew to call from outside the fence but if it was the son, he may not have known to do that. Hopefully he comes tomorrow.
While we waited, we sat on the front balcony again. That sun sure feels nice. Everything in moderation, however, so we had to come in before we burned to a crisp. Señor B had a siesta and I worked on the lesson book for the correspondence Spanish class I enrolled in. We waited until 6:00 for Glass Guy and then went to the malecón for supper.
What an ordeal that is. They're redoing the malecón and it's very difficult to get around there, at the moment. Most of the streets here are one-ways so it can get very confusing. We finally made it to Flamingos where we both enjoyed the Yucatecan chicken. It's my favourite dish and I like Flamingos' the best. A beer and a Kahlua along with the delicious meal cost us 195 pesos, so probably around $15 - $16. For the both of us. Not $15 each. Back home, that would cost about $45. It's unbelievable how inexpensive it is to eat out. While we were out, we also stopped at a liquor store to replenish the rum.
There were a lot of carpenter ants in the condo tonight. Usually we only see 2 or 3 but I killed a dozen tonight. Wow. Talk about hard bodies. Those suckers are tough. You have to step on them really hard to kill them. They're coming in through the door so I sprayed a line of Raid on the floor along the doorway. Does that stuff ever stink. Ick! I'm heading to bed right away so I don't have to breathe too much in.
I guess tomorrow's project will be to do a thorough check for any nests.
I slept in this morning so the power was already off by the time I got up. I had cereal for breakfast but there was only about half a cup of milk left. I thought it would be ok, but it wasn't. Cereal with only enough milk to make it wet doesn't taste too great. Milk is typically sold in tetra packs and I didn't want to open another one and risk it going bad. The fridge stayed cold enough that I could have opened one. Oh well.
Señor B and I enjoyed the sun on the front balcony for a while and then decided to head uptown. Remember my post about the San Francisco store involving the ticket guy who had to chase us down and how we figured it was run similar to Costco? We decided to go to that store.
We remembered to get our ticket before entering the lot. Señor B waited in the car while I walked a block over to get some cash from the bank. The guard checks your receipt and ticket when you leave the parking lot. We were supposed to get the ticket stamped by the cashier. But she never asked for the ticket. After the guard was satisfied that we knew what to do next time, he let us go. Truly, those poor guards must get tired of us foreigners messing with the system.
Señor B suggested going to the malecon for lunch but, because of the power outage, I wanted to finish up the taco salad from last night. So we had lunch at home instead.
Our neighbour, Bindi, replaced her sliding shower doors with a thick piece of glass and we loved it so much we decided to do the same. The tracks are so hard to keep clean. While she was uptown earlier, she went to the store and told the guy to come see us. He said 3:00, so we waited. The gate is usually closed so we watched for him but we never saw him. When we saw Bindi later, we told her and she was surprised. She said the dad knew to call from outside the fence but if it was the son, he may not have known to do that. Hopefully he comes tomorrow.
While we waited, we sat on the front balcony again. That sun sure feels nice. Everything in moderation, however, so we had to come in before we burned to a crisp. Señor B had a siesta and I worked on the lesson book for the correspondence Spanish class I enrolled in. We waited until 6:00 for Glass Guy and then went to the malecón for supper.
What an ordeal that is. They're redoing the malecón and it's very difficult to get around there, at the moment. Most of the streets here are one-ways so it can get very confusing. We finally made it to Flamingos where we both enjoyed the Yucatecan chicken. It's my favourite dish and I like Flamingos' the best. A beer and a Kahlua along with the delicious meal cost us 195 pesos, so probably around $15 - $16. For the both of us. Not $15 each. Back home, that would cost about $45. It's unbelievable how inexpensive it is to eat out. While we were out, we also stopped at a liquor store to replenish the rum.
There were a lot of carpenter ants in the condo tonight. Usually we only see 2 or 3 but I killed a dozen tonight. Wow. Talk about hard bodies. Those suckers are tough. You have to step on them really hard to kill them. They're coming in through the door so I sprayed a line of Raid on the floor along the doorway. Does that stuff ever stink. Ick! I'm heading to bed right away so I don't have to breathe too much in.
I guess tomorrow's project will be to do a thorough check for any nests.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Girls Day Out
Today I spent the afternoon shopping in Mérida with our neighbour, L. Señor B isn't very mobile so we haven't gone out much other than to do the necessities. I was starting to get bored so it was really nice to get out of the house and to hang out with another female.
We went to Costco and Walmart for a few groceries and to look for some household items. I found a couple of comforters for the other bedroom. Too bad the girls didn't get to enjoy them. I also picked up a few kitchen items I needed.
There's a gentleman who sells furniture and pottery from a roadside stand and I picked up a beautiful Televera mirror for the bathroom. It's oval and the frame is painted with a sunflower design. I got it for 600 pesos. That might sound like a lot for a mirror but it really isn't. Everything is done by hand...the frame, the painting and the glazing.
Then we went to Rustico, a wonderful store that sells handmade wooden furniture in what I consider Méxican style. It's rustic, as the store's name implies, and is the style I've chosen to decorate the condo. For this trip to México, I decided to get furniture for our bedroom so I picked up 2 nightstands, a triple dresser, a king size headboard and 2 lamps. I also got 2 lamps for the living room. Total cost was 7600 pesos. It's handmade and solid wood. I have no idea what it would cost back home but I know it would be a whole lot more than what I paid. They'll even deliver and said they'd bring it tomorrow morning. We'll see.
It was HOT today. The thermometer in L's truck said it was 39C. The last time I lived through 39C was about 12 years, or so, ago...the year of El Niño. L and I about melted but the Méxicans didn't seem to be even breaking a sweat! Today is the first time since we arrived here that we had to use the AC in the condo. The good news is that the repairs that were done to them are holding up. No more leaking.
This morning I went back to see the doc about my foot. It was still a bit swollen but she was more concerned about the skin on the back. She told me to see a dermatologist when I get home. Yeah, like that's going to happen. I'm not sure if she knows how hard it is to see any kind of a specialist in Canada. For my non-Canadian readers, we can't get in to see a specialist without a referral from our regular doc. Maybe it works that way in most other countries? Anyways, I'm pretty sure my doc will take a look at my leg and tell me I don't need to see a dermatologist.
Doctora Castillo didn't take my BP this time nor did she check out the swelling in my foot. I asked her if I would be ok to fly home next week and she said no problem. Something I've noticed...if I sit too long, my foot swells. As long as I'm up and about, the swelling is reduced. By the time I got home from Mérida, my foot was back to normal size. Guess I'll have to make sure I get up every now and again throughout our flight home.
We went to Costco and Walmart for a few groceries and to look for some household items. I found a couple of comforters for the other bedroom. Too bad the girls didn't get to enjoy them. I also picked up a few kitchen items I needed.
There's a gentleman who sells furniture and pottery from a roadside stand and I picked up a beautiful Televera mirror for the bathroom. It's oval and the frame is painted with a sunflower design. I got it for 600 pesos. That might sound like a lot for a mirror but it really isn't. Everything is done by hand...the frame, the painting and the glazing.
Then we went to Rustico, a wonderful store that sells handmade wooden furniture in what I consider Méxican style. It's rustic, as the store's name implies, and is the style I've chosen to decorate the condo. For this trip to México, I decided to get furniture for our bedroom so I picked up 2 nightstands, a triple dresser, a king size headboard and 2 lamps. I also got 2 lamps for the living room. Total cost was 7600 pesos. It's handmade and solid wood. I have no idea what it would cost back home but I know it would be a whole lot more than what I paid. They'll even deliver and said they'd bring it tomorrow morning. We'll see.
It was HOT today. The thermometer in L's truck said it was 39C. The last time I lived through 39C was about 12 years, or so, ago...the year of El Niño. L and I about melted but the Méxicans didn't seem to be even breaking a sweat! Today is the first time since we arrived here that we had to use the AC in the condo. The good news is that the repairs that were done to them are holding up. No more leaking.
This morning I went back to see the doc about my foot. It was still a bit swollen but she was more concerned about the skin on the back. She told me to see a dermatologist when I get home. Yeah, like that's going to happen. I'm not sure if she knows how hard it is to see any kind of a specialist in Canada. For my non-Canadian readers, we can't get in to see a specialist without a referral from our regular doc. Maybe it works that way in most other countries? Anyways, I'm pretty sure my doc will take a look at my leg and tell me I don't need to see a dermatologist.
Doctora Castillo didn't take my BP this time nor did she check out the swelling in my foot. I asked her if I would be ok to fly home next week and she said no problem. Something I've noticed...if I sit too long, my foot swells. As long as I'm up and about, the swelling is reduced. By the time I got home from Mérida, my foot was back to normal size. Guess I'll have to make sure I get up every now and again throughout our flight home.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Pool Day
This morning the girls and I went shopping in downtown Progreso. There is a huge market place where you can buy just about anything. They have everything from fruits and vegetables to a shoe repair place. The girls would really like to go to a market where the wares are produced by the vendors but I have no idea where to find such a market.
We spent about 3 hours shopping at the market as well as going to some of the local stores. YD found a cute little party dress that looked great on her except it was too long in the body for her. It would have been a difficult alteration so she had to put it back.
Señor B stayed at the condo to wait for the guy who was supposed to come at 11am and do some more work so we took a cab back to the condo. When we got back, Señor B told us he'd received an email saying the guy wasn't coming until 5pm. It's annoying when people don't come when they say they will but at least we got an email letting us know. We did appreciate that. It allowed us to go hang out at the pool all afternoon.
It was really hot today. Someone said it was about 86F. No idea what that is in Celcius but I know it's hot. The girls sure enjoyed the floaty pool mattresses I bought for them today. We talked to Eldest Daughter today and she told us the windchill back home was -22C. She didn't feel too sorry for us when we told her we were so hot we felt like melting...lol.
The girls had planned on going to what I call the tourist beach, this afternoon. The beach close to the condo is ungroomed and, apparently, not good enough for them. The "tourist beach" is up near the pier and is groomed up all pretty for the folks who come in on the cruise ships. 'Course, when I was 20-something, I probably would have preferred the groomed beach, too. The plan had been that Señor B would drop them off and they would walk back, since we had to be at the house for the repair guy. It's probably about a 30 minute walk. But we were so hot when we got back from shopping that they decided to do the beach another time.
I've been getting bug bites all over my lower legs and I look like I've got some horrible skin disease. Nobody else is getting bitten, though. Tonight, I realized that I'm the only one drinking Coke. Wonder if it changes my blood chemistry and makes my blood tastier. Even if that's the case, I'm not giving up my Coke. I just need to remember to bug spray my legs whenever I go out in the evening.
We spent about 3 hours shopping at the market as well as going to some of the local stores. YD found a cute little party dress that looked great on her except it was too long in the body for her. It would have been a difficult alteration so she had to put it back.
Señor B stayed at the condo to wait for the guy who was supposed to come at 11am and do some more work so we took a cab back to the condo. When we got back, Señor B told us he'd received an email saying the guy wasn't coming until 5pm. It's annoying when people don't come when they say they will but at least we got an email letting us know. We did appreciate that. It allowed us to go hang out at the pool all afternoon.
It was really hot today. Someone said it was about 86F. No idea what that is in Celcius but I know it's hot. The girls sure enjoyed the floaty pool mattresses I bought for them today. We talked to Eldest Daughter today and she told us the windchill back home was -22C. She didn't feel too sorry for us when we told her we were so hot we felt like melting...lol.
The girls had planned on going to what I call the tourist beach, this afternoon. The beach close to the condo is ungroomed and, apparently, not good enough for them. The "tourist beach" is up near the pier and is groomed up all pretty for the folks who come in on the cruise ships. 'Course, when I was 20-something, I probably would have preferred the groomed beach, too. The plan had been that Señor B would drop them off and they would walk back, since we had to be at the house for the repair guy. It's probably about a 30 minute walk. But we were so hot when we got back from shopping that they decided to do the beach another time.
I've been getting bug bites all over my lower legs and I look like I've got some horrible skin disease. Nobody else is getting bitten, though. Tonight, I realized that I'm the only one drinking Coke. Wonder if it changes my blood chemistry and makes my blood tastier. Even if that's the case, I'm not giving up my Coke. I just need to remember to bug spray my legs whenever I go out in the evening.
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