Sunday ; Sunny and warm.
I have now been sick with a cold (or ?) for three weeks. Today I decided to rest and do nothing else, in order to give my body an opportunity to recuperate. For the past few mornings, I woke up feeling improved, and then deteriorate steadily throughout the day, making me think that perhaps trying to “push through” the illness might be the wrong thing to do, and “giving in” might be the right thing to do. It is now 8 PM, I’ve done close to nothing all day except sleep, and … it’s not working !
For supper I made “toad(s) in the hole(s)” a recipe I learned when I was eleven years old, at cub (scout) camp, cooked over an open fire. Probably the first recipe I ever learned, and definitely the first campfire cooked recipe I learned.
At bedtime I took a rapid Covid test. Negative ! I’m just “conventionally sick”.
Monday ; Sunny and warm. Still sick, coughing heavily, lots of phlegm.
This morning I decided to try taking antibiotics for a few days to see if that improves my health. My rationale being that maybe my “cold” started out as a viral infection but may now have become a bacterial respiratory infection. Fortunately we always travel with our own “mini-pharmacy” of useful medications. I took 500 mg. of Amoxicillin and intend to do that daily for three days. I hope it’s not just wishful thinking on my part but I believe that I improved throughout the day, instead of the reverse which has been the recent pattern.
Our cold water was off almost all day. I don’t understand plumbing infrastructure that permits hot water to flow, but not cold. I waited until 8 PM to send a message to the landlord asking when the cold water might be restored. He replied that he would be here in ten minutes to fix the problem. Ten minutes later we heard a loud pump turn on that we have heard before, but don’t know where it is, or where it’s pumping to. Nevertheless our cold water began to flow again in a minute or two. The pump ran for close to an hour. The landlord did not stop by our apartment to explain, so I am left puzzled by the engineering of this apartment’s plumbing systems.
Tonight we watched the last of the My French Film Festival movies. Incomprehensible !
Tuesday ; Sunny and warm.
Woke up this morning feeling about 80% healthier ! Minimal throat irritation, minimal coughing, minimal phlegm. I’m thrilled ! A second Amoxicillin today should resolve the remaining 20%, another pill tomorrow for good measure, and … hopefully that is the end of that ! ! ! Must have been a bacterial infection of the respiratory system, even if it started out as a viral infection / common cold.
So … three months so far in a third world, “developing nation” (shithole country) … three bacterial infections, one gastro-intestinal for each of us, and a respiratory infection for me. That “seals the deal” for next winter’s travel plans to Victoria, BC, CANADA.
This morning we walked to Mercado La Noria and replenished vegetables, candied dried fruit, fresh raisins, and queso fresco. Before we had lunch our apartment building’s maintenance man came in to inspect and lubricate our toilet’s malfunctioning flush valve. Late in the afternoon we took our empty water jug to be refilled, then I walked with Joanne to the local esthetician’s where I recently had a haircut, and left her there to have a pedicure. Shortly after I returned home our disinfected and refilled water jug was delivered. I walked back to the esthetician’s and walked back home with Joanne. I was feeling better, and enjoyed walking in the warm sunshine.
Wednesday ; Sunny and very warm, 82°F / 28°C at 6:15 PM.
Today was the third and last day that I intend to take Amoxicillin. I believe that it has done its job, and resolved/eliminated some manner of bacterial respiratory infection. Now … I feel like I did a couple of weeks ago. Nearing the end of a common cold viral infection ; bit of coughing, bit of phlegm, bit of sinus congestion, minimal fatigue. I’m hopeful that the end is near, and soon I will feel “normal” healthy.
Oaxaca is a large city, about the size of Winnipeg. Their city bus system is almost incomprehensible for a foreign tourist. After some research, we felt ready to try the bus system today. We left our apartment this morning at 11:30 AM and walked a couple of blocks to where we believed we could catch a bus to the two mercados ; Mercado 20 de Noviembre and Mercado Benito Juarez.
We still have not figured out how to decipher the myriad of information painted on the right hand front window of each bus. Couldn’t identify the route colour or number, so … the first bus that came by, I asked the driver in Spanish if that bus goes to the mercados. SI ! OK, we got on the bus, I followed our progress on the i-Phone’s map app, and … we got off the bus at the mercados. Easy, peasy … I guess !
We wandered around in the vicinity of the two mercados, to five stores Joanne had researched online and selected to visit. By then it was time for a late lunch, and we were tired. We went into the Mercado 20 de Noviembre to the restaurant Joanne had selected. Lunch was pretty darn good. I had a chicken thigh and mole coloradito over rice, Joanne had beef ribs and vegetables in mole amarillo. After lunch we bought some gifts, and two more moles to add to our collection of moles to try and/or take home. We left that mercado and walked towards Mercado Artesanias stopping at Banco Azteco to recarga (top-up) my Movistar cell phone plan. We wandered around and through Mercado Artesanias until we were tired, then headed for the nearby intersection where we believed we needed to catch the bus to return home.
At the intersection we could find no indication of a bus stop. Fifty feet away, a bus stopped, people got off, people got on. I walked over and asked the driver if that bus went to our neighbourhood, barrio de La Noria. SI ! OK, we got on the bus, I followed our progress on the i-Phone’s map app, and … we got off the bus about two blocks from home. Easy, peasy … I guess !
We arrived back home late in the afternoon. I napped briefly, getting up just in time to catch the Panaderia Integral panadero as he stopped at our corner. MMMMM … fresh pan simple (SEEMplay) / bread, molletes (moyEHtays) / muffins, and pan dulce (DOOLsay) / pastries.
As Joanne was preparing supper, which incorporated one of the moles we bought, imagine her surprise when she opened the bag of mole powder only to discover … it wasn’t mole powder, it was mole paste ! SHIT ! We can’t take that home with us ! We checked our six bags of mole and … two, maybe three of them are in paste form, not powder form. It’s impossible to tell because of how tightly the bags are packaged, and some of the vendors are not specifying paste or powder on their labels.
Thursday ; Sunny and hot, 90° F / 32° C at 5:30 PM.
Today was a “day off”, a lazy day following a day of activity. We’re old, our stamina isn’t what it used to be. Especially when ill.
This morning we took a bag of dirty laundry to the lavanderia, then walked to Mercado de La Noria to replenish fresh vegetables. We can’t buy much at one time because our apartment’s fridge is small, and fruits and vegetables here quickly become compost. They’re sold at peak freshness and must be consumed quickly or they simply over ripen and rot !
When I comment that our fridge is small, it inspires me to comment … as is everything home related here in Mexico. The apartment is small. The rooms are small. The fridge and stove are small. The kitchen counter space is minimal. The kitchen sink is small. Water heaters are tiny (by Canadian standards) ! ! ! It really makes us aware of how “large” everything is in Canada, and spoiled by that we are. Middle class families of five live here in considerably less space than our two bedroom two bathroom seniors’ condo suite back home in Canada. Taxis here are … Chevrolet Sparks, a small car that back home in Canada would be considered suitable as a vehicle for a college student … maybe.
Friday ; Sunny and hot, 86° F / 30° C when we returned home from Chedraui at 4:30 PM.
After lunch we walked to Chedraui and did our weekly grocery shopping. And withdrew cash from an ATM. At 6:30 PM we walked to the lavanderia and picked up our laundered clothing. HEY … some days are filled with a adventure … and some aren’t !
Saturday ; Sunny and hot.
Well ! I have now been sick for four weeks. And I hardly know what to say about that anymore. On a daily basis I “yo-yo”, feeling better, feeling worse, rinse and repeat, many cycles per day ! ! ! ! ! Cold, virus, bacteria, covid … ? ! ? ! ? ! Lots of coughing, lots of phlegm, plugged sinuses, endless nose blowing … relief … recur … and on and on. And now … finally … inevitably … Joanne has the same, albeit not as bad … yet !
I think I would like to stop commenting on it. If I get better, great. If not, well … death doesn’t seem imminent ! I’ll ride it out until we’re home in two months, then see our family physician.
DSK
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