Sunday ; Sunny and hot.
By design, we had a slow day. Mid-afternoon our Belgian neighbour Helena popped her head into our open door to say hello. We invited her in to visit for awhile. We chatted for a couple of hours. Travel, politics … <ahem> … America !
As the sun set, and the air cooled, at 5:30 PM we left to go downtown. Almost … not quite all the way downtown. Joanne has been wanting, ever since we got here, to have marquesitas. We shared a marquesita, about … <thinking> … fifteen years ago, on Isla Mujeres (Island of Women) off the coast of Cancun. Marquesitas are a “local” specialty, found only on the Yucatan peninsula northern and eastern coastlines. They are always prepared and served by “mobile” vendors, using food carts, the kind we would call a “hot dog cart” in Canada. They are a kind of burrito dulce (sweet) variation / fusion between a French crepe, a waffle cone, and … a banana split ? A bit hard to describe.
Joanne had done online “marquesita” research and identified two vendors that were of interest to her, on Avenida 10 between Calle 38 and Calle 34. Wonderful ! I wanted to buy Jamaican jerk chicken take-out at Avenida 10 at Calle 30. Vamos !
We got off the bus on Avenida 30 and Calle 34. We wandered around, slowly meandering towards Avenida 10. When we arrived at Avenida 10 it appeared as if Avenida 5, a block away, was still a pedestrian shopping mall, extending all the way from downtown. We wandered down to Avenida 5, sure enough, it was still a pedestrian shopping mall.
We wandered down to Calle 38. This part of the Avenido Cinco “tourist area” was different than downtown. It was much quieter, cleaner, upscale. Lots of obviously wealthy tourists, mostly gringos, dogs that were on leashes. As opposed to the unleashed “street dog” neighbourhood our apartment is in. Upscale condo buildings. Upscale restaurants and shops, clothing, jewellery, no souvenir trinket shops. HMPH … the high rent district.
Walking back to Avenida 10 and Calle 38 looking for the first marquesita vendor … there were three marquesita carts on that street corner. Two men operators and one woman. The men had no customers. The woman was surrounded by customers. HMMM ! We walked down Avenida 10 from Calle 38 back to Calle 34, to see the second marquesita vendor Joanne had researched. HMMM … another three marquesita carts on that corner, two men and a woman. No customers by the men, the woman’s cart surrounded by customers. HMMM … easy decision !
OMIGAWD ! That was the best hundred pesos I ever have, or ever will spend ! ! ! HA HA HA ! I had a Nutella, Creminos ( Mexican chocolates that we are very familiar with), and strawberry adorned marquesita. Joanne had a Nutella, Creminos, and banana adorned marquesita. Hundred pesos, Canadian eight bucks apiece !
I can’t describe it ! Watch my following two videos. It’s two videos because I stopped filming when I thought the vendor was finished making my marquesita. But … NOOOOO … she was only finished the inside, I had to turn my phone camera on again as she finished doing the outside.
This is marquesita video part 1 of 2. I am unable to load part 2 due to size restrictions. Photo below is finished product.
Well … THAT was supper. I could not / did not want to eat anything more. Joanne thought we might as well buy the Jamaican jerk chicken since we were already near the restaurant, and bring it home for tomorrow’s supper. Great idea ! We walked down to Ferron’s Jerk Chicken, bought half a chicken and a tub of coleslaw para llevar / to go, and headed back to Avenida Trente to catch a bus back home.
About a block from home we witnessed a terrible accident. There was a man standing on a rickety scaffold doing some cement repair work on the second storey front of his house. In the dark. With three other guys “helping”. Two guys with their thumbs up their asses, and a third one “stabilizing” the scaffolding as the three of them all spoke rapid fire Spanish to and over one another, none of the three paying attention to their buddy on the scaffolding. The scaffolding was rocking and shaking as the man on the scaffolding was applying and smoothing cement / mortar / stucco with a trowel. And of course … eventually the board he was standing on slipped off the scaffolding … as we walked by.
BOOM ! The guy fell about ten feet, landing on his back, on a five gallon pail of cement ! <wince> We don’t know how badly he was hurt, but … it looked bad !
We were back home at 8 PM.
Monday ; Sunny and hot. HMPH ! No water from 8 PM last night until 11 AM this morning ! Thanks to a careless error made by landlady !
Joanne wanted a haircut this morning. We walked over to Avenida Trente, then south to the place where I got a haircut a week ago. Closed ! On Mondays … forever … who knows ? ! There was a hairdresser across the street, so … vamos ! Using the i-Phone’s translator app, and my willingness to try to speak Spanish, I “coached” the hairdresser, interpreting Joanne’s instructions / desires. At one point the hairdresser seemed quite reluctant to follow my “coaching”. I used the translator to tell her … “if it’s bad … the husband is to blame”. She gave me a big thumbs up, said “SI !”, and happily continued. HA HA HA ! The haircut is really very good. <whispering> Better than the last one she got … back home at Dugald Estates.
We returned home after the haircut to have some of last night’s Jamaican jerk chicken for lunch. It too was really very good. Our Belgian neighbour Helena stopped by to visit for awhile. As did Socks the cat. See photo below, taken at 5:30 PM.
This afternoon I bought season tickets to Rainbow Stage, the outdoor summer music theatre venue in Winnipeg’s Kildonan Park. Today was the first day that this summer’s season tickets were available for sale, by phone (or in person) only. I appreciate an organization like Rainbow Stage that makes it quick and easy to buy season tickets by phone. Their box office staff are efficient.
At 6:30 PM we went out to replenish bolillos y pan dulce / buns and pastries at the panaderia, then refilled our water jug on the way back to our apartment. We finished the Jamaican jerk chicken for supper, then watched last week’s episode of Amazing Race. I worked on backing up my laptop, but had difficulty backing up to the two USB drive memory sticks I brought. I use a portable hard drive at home to do backups.
Our hot water flow was off from late afternoon until … later than now … 10 PM. The landlady has ignored multiple messages from me, both via BOOKING.COM and via direct text message to her office and cell phone numbers. I have just sent a message to BOOKING.COM’s customer service dept. advising them that I think it’s time for a refund of our remaining time here, and we’ll move somewhere else where the service will be better !
Tuesday ; Sunny and hot.
WELL ! When I awoke this morning at 7 AM … there was no water flowing from our hot water faucets ! AGAIN ! STILL ! WHATEVER !
I had received a response overnight from BOOKING.COM’s customer service dept. Their response was along the lines of … “in accordance with your request, we will advise your property manager to fix the problem NOW or refund your money NOW !” Livid that we still had no hot water, I replied to them along the lines of … “**** that ! I want out of here NOW !”
Around 9 AM, the usual time for our landlady’s young female office assistant & room cleaner to arrive here at the apartment building (she has a tiny office downstairs) I received a message from her. “Received communication from BOOKING.COM. EXTREMELY SORRY ! AGAIN ! (as she was yesterday) Will you accept immediate move to “better” room, on main floor, with air conditioning ?”
“Better” room ? Main floor ? Air conditioning ? ! ?
Yes … of course ! However … I will NOT accept additional charges ! ! !
Before we moved our Belgian neighbour Helena dropped by for a visit, and presented us with a gift. She had purchased some Rambutans, Mexican hairy lychee fruits, and gave us some, teaching us how to peel, and eat them. They’re very good. Thank you, Helena.
We moved from Gaviota to Flamingo around noon. We went to Willy’s to buy a few items, then picked up our washed laundry across the street at the Cuban lady’s lavanderia. We had lunch. I napped.
Throughout the afternoon a “plumber / electrician” (?) was working outside our kitchen window doing some manner of repairs to the wall mounted water heater that seemed to be the cause / source of the ongoing hot water issues upstairs at Gaviota. He seemed to be doing more electrical work than plumbing.
At 6 PM we went out for an exercise walk. I peeked at his repair work. OMG ! Rather than remove the electrical access hatch on the side of the water heater to gain access to the electrical connections inside, he … <sputter> … had used pliers to cut the wires about a foot outside the access hatch, did some repairs which included installing a new wall mounted switch, and I think he rewired to the breaker panel, then … <sputter> … twisted the new wiring together with the original wiring sticking about a foot outside of the access hatch, then sloppily wrapped electrical tape around his “connection”.
<blink blink > Welcome to Mexico, I guess !
Wednesday ; Cloudy and warm. Joanne thinks that the ideal weather has finally arrived. <shrug> I prefer it a bit warmer than this. And … I’m a sun junkie.
We had a lazy day. Partially because Joanne slept poorly. The bed in this room is uncomfortable. BUT … we’re on the main floor, we have air conditioning, and … <trumpets heralding> … we have hot water coming out of our shower ! WOO-HOO !
Our upstairs neighbour Helene (I misunderstood her name to be Helena) visited with us for awhile this morning. HEY … we’re “bum buddies”. HA HA HA … she has Crohn’s Disease. Well … not the fact that she has the disease is funny, just that we both have inflammatory bowel disease. In the Crohn’s / Colitis world in Canada, that makes us “bum buddies”. “Maybe you’d have had to have been there” as they say in the joke world !
Around 5 PM we went out for an exercise walk, and to search for someplace for Joanne to have a pedicure. We walked a long way south along Avenida Trente and did not find anyplace that was suitable. Oh, well … since we’re passing this fine panaderia … HA HA HA ! Eventually we found a nice esthetician / manicure / pedicure shop only two blocks from our apartment, on Avenida Quince (15). The esthetician (nombre Irene Diaz de Salmeron) gave Joanne an appointment for noon on Friday. Pedicure will cost MXN$200 / CA$16.
At 7 PM Joanne prepared guacamole to accompany our take out chicken dinner (she makes excellent guacamole, especially when she has access to such excellent fresh avocados) then we went out to Avenida 30 again, this time to buy supper at El Pechugon, Pollos Rosticerias, a local chain of pollo asado (barbecued chicken) take out restaurants. The Mexico version of Swiss Chalet in Canada. HA HA HA !
Their name roughly translates as “The Busty Rotisserie Chickens”. And indeed they are ! <whispering> Not like those scrawny things that seem the size of Cornish Game Hens, served by Swiss Chalet nowadays. HA HA HA !
Every weekday El Pechugon has a different special. Each day’s special is an entire rotisserie barbecued chicken with a different assortment of “side dishes”. We ordered the Especial del Miércoles / Wednesday special which included, in addition to a whole chicken ;
<blink> a package of trente y seis tortillas maíz / 36 corn tortillas ! I wonder how many people they expect one chicken to feed ? !
two huge roasted jalapeño peppers. I sampled a small taste. It was good ! But … Señor Colon doesn’t tolerate peppers. HA HA HA ! Likewise he doesn’t tolerate tortillas maíz.
Two large baggies of seasoned Mexican style rice, what would be called Spanish rice in Canada.
Two small baggies of a hot sauce. I sampled a small taste. It was good. I put some sparingly on my rice. Wish Señor Colon good luck with that ! HA HA HA !
A large baggie of small roasted potatoes. We saved them, and one of the bags of rice, for another meal. Or two !
We don’t know whether the hot sauce is meant to be drizzled over the chicken, the potatoes, the rice, or for the tortillas to be dipped in … or it doesn’t matter / anything goes / Vive Mexico ?
¿Cuánto cuesta el especial del miércoles ,you might wonder ? MXN$205 / CA$16.40.
Thursday ; Cloudy, very warm, humid. Maybe ! Probably ! Who knows ? I didn’t get out much today !
I was reaaalllyyy sick today ! Similar symptoms to Joanne’s illness of a week and a half ago. I woke up with a headache and mild nausea. By the time I was ready to shower, I was experiencing diarrhea and light-headedness. By noon … I was vomiting … and trying not to pass out. At that point, if I believed in a God, I would have been praying for him to take me … NOW, please !
I spent most of the day lying in bed, burping, farting, experiencing cramps and diarrhea, fighting nausea, and trying to resist the urge to vomit more. It became apparent to me by noon that this was not just another “regular / routine” flare-up of Ulcerative Colitis. This was … gastro-intestinal bacterial infection AKA food poisoning AKA traveller’s diarrhea AKA Montezuma’s revenge.
In the afternoon I reluctantly choked down a few small spoonfuls of rice so that I could take a Ciprofloxacin tablet, the antibiotic medication prescribed for us decades ago by a “travel physician” for just this kind of “traveller’s illness”. Some people never leave home without their AmEx card. We never leave home without half a dozen Cipro tablets !
My 33 years of fighting Ulcerative Colitis flare-ups have made me pretty stubborn about trying NOT to succumb to illness any more than absolutely necessary. So … when Joanne decided to walk to Willy’s to buy me some drinkable yogurt, I tagged along. In hindsight … that was a mistake. But … I shuffled along behind her, for half a block, then sat on the curb while she went inside to buy milk and drinkable yogurt. As I sat there I wondered how I was going to find the strength to walk half a block back home. THEN … <sputter> … just as she came out of the store …. it began to rain. How ****ing wonderful ! Story of my life ! ! !
I am typing this at 7:30 PM and … it’s time to end. The toilet is calling my name … again !
Friday ; Mix of sun and clouds, hot, humid.
Well … much like Joanne two weeks ago, I’m still sick, but not as much as yesterday, so … heading in the right direction.
Just before noon Joanne went out to her pedicure appointment at a nearby esthetician. Joanne said the esthetician was friendly and “chatty”, requiring Joanne to put the i-Phone’s translator to good use. While explaining to the esthetician that we have visited Mexico many times in the past, while travelling by RV, Joanne was unable to find a translation for “RV” or “camper” that the esthetician understood. Finally Joanne found a term that the esthetician understood ; “motorhome”, which in Spanish is … “motorhome”. HA HA HA !
At 5 PM Joanne was going out to refill our water jug. I wanted to try going out for a slow walk to the water machine. I made it there and back without problem. Yes, yes … getting better.
We decided to firm up our invitation to our Belgian neighbour Helene to join us for a dinner outing before we leave Playa del Carmen in a few days. Joanne had chosen for us to have dinner at Roco’s Cafeteria where we have been a couple of times to have milkshakes. Their dinner offerings are “light”, and somewhat French, like crepes and quiches. As I limp back to good health, I can probably handle something like a mushroom and cheese crepe or quiche.
Shortly after 7 PM Helene came downstairs, we visited for awhile, then walked over to Roco’s Cafeteria where we all had savoury crepes for supper. I don’t know about Helene’s or Joanne’s, but mine was distinctly … mediocre. Maybe because I’ve been ill ? Or maybe because I’m eating a French specialty … in Mexico ? HMMM … I wonder … how good are the tacos in Paris ? HA HA HA !
After a leisurely dinner we returned to our apartment where Helene visited with us until midnight.
Saturday ; Sunny, hot, humid.
I woke up this morning feeling just fine. But … I wasn’t ! That must have been just morning optimism. Or wishful thinking. In any case, I’m better than yesterday, but still a bit ill.
Accordingly, we had another slow, lazy day. Around noon we went out for a light duty exercise walk. I didn’t get very far, maybe a few blocks, when the heat and sunlight, and neighbourhood odours gave me a headache and began to nauseate me.
We went out again around 5:30, to a nearby aborrote to buy some eggs. Four of them. Yes, yes, here one can buy individual eggs in the small neighbourhood stores. Three pesos apiece. Doce (dosay … 12) pesos for four eggs, slightly less than a Canadian dollar.
Joanne prepared a simple but tasty dinner for us. Her culinary creativity in the kitchen is quite impressive. After supper we watched Wednesday’s episode of Amazing Race.
DSK
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