Chacala's Water is on Again !!!!

Well, the Chacala town water came back on about 7am Friday. (Off since Saturday night). I had turned the faucet (down at the street) off last night. I was afraid the the water might come on when I was asleep, and I didn't want running all over the place without my direct supervision.I walked out on the patio this morning, for breakfast, and I thought I could hear water running. It seemed odd. There's a house across the arroyo where the tinaco on the roof often overflows. But that's not what it was.

I started walking around listening. And I realized the sound was coming from the downstairs bathroom. There are two rooms (occasionally rented) down there, and they share a dark, ugly bath. Unlike mine, which is tiled, painted white, and has direct sunlight most of the day.Anyway, I went down and looked around. One of the bozos staying down there had left the sink faucet open. I guess it had only been running for an hour or so. But it filled the septic thing and it was running overland again. DISGUSTING.

It's clear water, but I know it was in the septic tank. I keep digging a drainage ditch to keep that mess dry, but my "husband of landlady" keeps filling it in. I guess he likes a little pond of sewer water. Good place to breed mosquitoes. And my landlady wonders why no gringos vivistors want to rent her rooms.Anyway. I filled all the water containers (tinacho, buckets, clothes washing things), and hosed down the terrace. It gets very dusty, sandy, and muddy. I have been reading Isla Gringo, who lives much closer to the ocean than I do. He is just across the road, and I am a block away. He says they get sticky salty water stuff on their floors, and maybe windows too. I'm pretty sure I just get sand from my sandals and dirt via the dusty road+speeding trucks.

And I took a long shower this morning. A long, long shower. I have the gas-powered hot water tank turned off right now. I pay for the gas here, so when other people are staying downstairs I just turn it off. It's so hot it doesn't really matter. Except that shampoo rinses out better in hot water.

I had a busy errand day. Tomorrow I am tidying up my work table so there's more room for my son's stuff. So far he will get the double bed, two tables, and half-the workbench. And a table on the patio. And a hammock. I was going to do that today, but I got sidetracked looking thru the two envelopes of "important papers" I brought down to Mexico. Medical and official papers (diplomas, birth certificate, etc). I was hoping I could toss them, but I guess that's not a good idea.

And I am going to wash clothes while I wait for the big Coke truck to deliver my Cokes in glass bottles. I know they will be here tomorrow, sometimes between about 1oam and 4pm. It;s worth the waiting around, because only way to get glass bottle of Cokes. And they are really cheap of the the truck, by the case. About 30US cents each.

The good thing about not having many pieces of clothing, is that washing my clothes doesn't take long. The bad thing is during hot weather my clothes get damp from sweat. And I want to change them all the time. I have 7 shorts, 2 long pants, nine short sleeved a button-front cotton shirts, and five cotton tee shirts that are too hot to wear most of the year. And seven cotton boxers/tee shirts to sleep in. And a fleece vest for the one or two nights a year when it seems cold: 65 or so.
I take my four sets of sheets and 5 towels to the lavenderia because they are too hard to wash by hand. It's odd. Last month the price suddenly jumped to $120 pesos ($10.80US). I asked the girl (not the boss lady) about it and she just shrugged. This time the owner weighed my stuff when I brought it, so I could paid upfront. Then I can ask someone to pick it up for me. Same number of sheets and towels as last time. Back down to 70pesos. I am thinking maybe the girl gave me a gringo price, not knowing the owner doesn't. Who knows?

There are unsolved mysteries around here everyday. This gringo price thing is interesting. I usually don't notice when I am getting a good deal. But the taxi drivers automatically give the local price from LasVaras to Chacala now. When I am walking up the taxi stand I sometimes hear them telling a new driver (the next guy in line is your driver for that trip) that I get the good price. I don't want to say what it is. I know some people don't like the two-tier pricing, but of course, I do, personally. And I like the two-tier pricing in theory too. Anyone who can afford airfare and room rent can afford a few bucks more for a taxi. That's what I think anyway.My absolutely favorite little boy around Chacala turned 4 today. His Dad asked me to take photos (and come to the party). But I am having trouble with my re-chargeable batteries and couldn't take any photos. This little boy was about a month old when I arrived here. His little face just warms my heart. Still.

When he was about 1 1/2 he was riding solo in the back of his Dad's pick-up. That's not unusual here. You have to learn the manly art of balancing in the back of a pickup speeding over bumpy, dusty roads early, I guess. I was so scared for him. But when he saw me, he just grinned. So proud of himself. "I'm a big kid now".