It's Wednesday evening of the Day of the Dead, November 2nd. Oh my, time to catch up here. We just had burgers with Mennonite cheese (a Monterrey Jack type), fried onions and fresh tomatoes for supper. Certainly no problem with the foods here. Was soooooooo
deliciosa. S'pose we will have our piece of Mexican chocolate yet tonight. When talking to Dan's daughter Harmony a few nights ago, she asked us about restaurants. Can't say that we know much about them. All we have seen in this town is Mexican type cooking (these days this includes pizza, rotisserie chicken, burgers and
antojitos -- traditional dishes), all of which of course we both love. This food is not the Tex-Mex the US thinks is Mexican. Probably other ethnic types in Córdoba. We rather thought we would go out for breakfast Sunday morns. But this past Sunday as we were eating our main meal of the day, we suddenly realized that we had forgotten to go out for that meal. We are entirely content with Carmen cooking here. We seem to be able so far to buy all foods we are hungering for.
Okay - back to Friday, 28 Oct. We did it! We took the proper bus to Walmart and again back home. So easy. Actually we got off the bus a bit early and visited the Office Depot a few blocks west of Walmart. They seem to stock about the same items & brands as NoB ("north of the border"), except all the software is in Spanish and the keyboards have different characters & layout. Then we walked into a residential area to explore. Eventually back to the main drag (which farther east moves into downtown Córdoba) and Walmart. Poked around at various things, and among other items got some Old Milwaukee N/A beer (made near Mexico City) for Carmen, at US$1 per can it's two times as expensive as Gallo (Guatemalan cheap beer). Bought our meats last, so they'd be cold on the trip home. Store is similar to the one in Mt Vernon, WA but a bit smaller and without the frozen section, with more fresh produce and tighter aisle spacing. Then walked out to bus stop, across the parking lot at the street edge. Had to wait maybe 10 minutes for the bus. Buses are many and frequent. Only about a ten minute ride between the center of Fortín and Walmart.
Saturday, 29 Oct. In the morning realtor María took us to see a nice house in the Nuevo Córdoba area south of Walmart, but for us, too near the railroad tracks. Considering that at
least a dozen freight trains pass thru here in each 24 hour period, this is a big consideration for us. Also visited a single-story house in Las Palmas, the gated development north of here. Good floor plan and quality construction (but no
jardín, garden space), but the thought of having to drive (or bus) every time one wanted for any supplies, and having to trade old-town ambiance for stark modern bedroom community surroundings, soured the deal. Also visited some houses on a street corner in an older section just north of Las Palmas, but the screeching brakes of the buses rounding the corner and the amount of work needed to fix them up to our sensibilities, made them no-gos for us. Mexico is a LOUD county to live in (vehicle traffic on main streets, music from open windows, new construction everywhere, passing street vendors, loud-speaker equipped hawkers and announcers driving by, etc), and finding a place that promises a bit of tranquility is difficult. Later, Frank came for dinner of smoked pork chops and garlicked mashed potatoes. He brought a couple beautiful flowers, anthuriums, which you will see a picture of, from their garden. Some day I will get to cook for Ania too. She returned from Acapulco Sunday.
Sunday, 30 Oct. In the morn we again walked to the Spanish-style house, hoping for another tour.
Doña Flor was not there, so we walked seven more blocks south to the two new constructions, one of which we are considering. Bumbled about in the dug up partially started construction, envisaging changes that would make the floor plan work better for us. On the way home we chanced on a woman coming out of a door in the wall of a house that had a
En Venta (For Sale) sign on it. So, we asked to see the house, which totally blew us away as it was revealed to us when the garage door was opened wide. Parking for three cars under an exquisitely designed home in an oriental style, with Chinese roof tiles, multi-split leveled, with a stream running through the home into the front yard. Three dining rooms (the largest, banquet sized) plus a sunken bar and cardroom. The back wall of the rear patio was designed to trickle water down into the stream. Four full suite bedrooms on the upper floor, jacuzzi room off an upper deck. All of the woodwork in the home came from
Xochicuahuitl trees from Oaxaca, and took three years for a carpentry team which worked out of the garage space to complete. The lady of the house, a widow, had been married to a Chinese gentleman from California, and she has filled the home with unique Chinese artifacts and one-of-a kind art, and she gaily regaled us with a description of almost every other piece, much to the dismay of the other extended family members who would have liked her to stop talking and let us leave. She needs to sell and move into a smaller place on one level. No pictures, we were too daunted by the environment into which we had stepped, almost by accident. Price, without furnishings, only MXP 6,500,000. Back to reality -- later back in our apartment, Rosset (realtor) dropped off the plans for the houses under construction for us to draw our hoped for changes on.
We again visited the
Parque Central in the eve. This time we have a few pictures of the fun activities for the children. We were extra tired so did not stay late. Did of course have our cone and paleta on the way home.
Monday, 31 Oct. Realtor María took us to visit another house in Nueva Córdoba. If it had been near here we would probably have scooped it up. It is well away from the railroad line and the same distance from the
autopista (limited access highway that goes to Veracruz from here), in a former farming area bounded by two
arroyos with flowing streams. The new house, painted Carmen's favorite shade of peachy orange, sits at the front edge of an old rancho. It was built for the parents/grandparents of the family which still has their various family homes here, and has all the features we're looking for, except the fencing around the yard would have to be adapted to keep cats inside. Another strange thing, in comparison to everything else we've looked at, is the fact big windows look out in all directions, with no privacy behind high walls as we've come to appreciate, in a way. We know not why, but the intended occupants never moved in. We met two of the brothers who live here and run the various family businesses. A bit behind the house was a barn affair which is now being used for a snack food repackaging plant. Big play field between. On down from there there is a gated community, Residencial Rancho San Longinos, the family is developing, on the former cane fields between the creeks. The only entrance to this development would have been past this luscious small house that seemed to be built just for us, a perfect house in a green area. But, one must drive thru many narrow city streets, up and down steep hills and over the railroad tracks to get there. Felt a bit claustrophobic until right at the rancho. On the way today, María suddenly discovered she was driving on fumes. She turned around and backtracked to a Pemex gas station. Luckily got there in time. This added a bit of excitement to the day. Sure did love that house.
Tuesday, 01 Nov. Frank and Ania asked us to go to their houses at Coscomatepec to the north, but we had already made an appointment with Alonso to see a house in Nueva Córdoba. What a house! Well worth considering. We rather got lost in it, but are certain we could learn to find our way around it eventually. Price was good for what it had. Property is totally enclosed with high walls. Across the street is a huge place much bigger than all the neighboring homes.
Front lawn about 33'x33', a covered (open on one side to the big yard) garage area behind an automatic door which would park 10 to 12 Smart cars. The kitchen was huge, but the cupboards need work. The living and dining room area was maybe 36'x12'. Three bedrooms, two with full with baths. One half bath. A separate spa room had a huge jacuzzi with two sinks, counter, toilet and shower. Also a room that could be a TV room, sitting room or office space. The maid's quarters, with full bath, are upstairs, the only structure up there, plus a huge expanse of flat concrete roof.
The area behind the main house is a 24' deep tiled patio, with a huge cistern underneath. More than we hoped to pay (asking US$135,000), and in need of some electrical work and some rusted door/window gratings that needed beefing up. Probably could stand a full coat of waterproofing on the roof. And what an expense furnishing it, as our few possession would get lost in the space. But it is in a really nice quiet medium income neighborhood, only four blocks from the main road at Walmart. Tempting. Too much lawn, but we've have already designed the garden area there to get rid of lawn. Carmen also drew a sketch of the total layout. She showed it to Alonso and he laughed. Guess her architecture skills did not impress him. Always good to have a laugh for the day. Glad we could help him with that. Oh, the stuff dreams are made of.
Later this afternoon we walked to the park and viewed the town's
ofrenda, or offering, set up in front of city hall. A display of favorite things of the honored dead, on the traditional seven-stepped structure, like an altar. Here will be breads, sweets, fruits, cooked dishes, packages of smokes, preferred libations and the like, with each level decorated with green boughs, flowers, aromatic herbs and yellow and purple ornamentations. Leading up to the structure is a winding path lit with candles, strewn with marigold petals and an elaborate symbolic "painting" created in colored sawdust, similar to the traditions Dan witnessed in Antigua Guatemala at Easter times. We learned that the entire central park in Cosco is traditionally so decorated and hope that Frank & Ania have gotten a chance to see it there.
Now here we are today, Wednesday, 02 Nov. Someone near by is playing an electronic piano. Earlier was drums. Actually the drums are practiced every day for a couple hours. Rather enjoyable actually. Last eve we got a call from realtor Rosset to say that we could meet today with the architect that is building the two houses, one of which we are considering. We had talked about the plans, but had not actually put our thoughts on the drawings they had given us. So we stayed up last night 'til nearly midnight, with Dan getting everything drawn that we hoped for. Today Rosset picked us up and drove us there, where we met the two architects, husband and wife, at the site. Turns out Sylvia & Memo are friends of Frank & Ania, and it was Sylvia who drew out the plans Frank is demonstrably using now. They seemed to understood our reasoning and desires for the changes we had sketched, including the addition of a bedroom and bathroom on the lower level. When all was said and done, it was decided that they would check to see if the next lot down was available, because this house had progressed far enough that some walls would have to be torn out and remodeled. We shall see how much the cost difference will be. We did not actually add much cost wise, just some things done differently. It is a very small house, though only about 200sf smaller than our present home. However, the garden area here is rather microscopic, but enough. With this property we could keep the Anacortes house for a few years to see how things go. Then sell one or the other. Sound crazy?
After a very lengthy time at the new house property, Rosset (and 13 year old daughter Emilia) started to drive us back home, and when she had only traveled a couple blocks we heard a clicking sound and soon discovered a wire embedded in a tire. Worried about a flat, she drove on a ways and then found a roadside tire repair shop (open sided well-used shed with some shade-tree mechanics working on some tires, using all hand tools). This on what seemed like a country road south of Fortín. All was repaired for US$2.75. Two nails in the tire. As today is the Day of the Dead, a family holiday, we had planned to walk down to the old city burial grounds to see what was happening. Rosset offered to take us there, as it was quite close to where the tire shop was located, and then we would walk home.
She dropped us off at the large cemetery (
panteon) where thousands of people were honoring their dead relatives with fresh flowers, and some with song. Grave sites of departed are treasured and important in Hispanic culture. This is particularly true during this annual holiday, celebrated November 1 and 2. Traditionally, the Day of the Dead is a time when the deceased return to visit loved ones. Hispanics not only clean and decorate the grave with flowers, but will bring food and drink to celebrate the dead. One group gathered around a grave with a harp, and other string instruments. Carmen says her heart melted just hearing and seeing this. Certainly made us think on our loved ones, both dead and alive. Masses of flowers. You could not possibly picture such a site without being there. The flowers are yellow double marigolds which represent earth, white babies breath representing heaven, and purple celosia representing mourning. Marigold petals are spread on the earth wherever one honors their family members who have passed on, even in front of homes on the town streets. Quite a marvelous event to be part of. We do put flowers on graves on Memorial Day, but nothing such as this. One tombstone gave us pause, with thoughts of our mothers now gone. It reads... "Thanks for sharing your life with us: your smile, your kisses, your council and fine examples as a woman; as an exemplary mother and dearest grandmother & great-grandmother. You will always live in our hearts - your children."
We walked the approximately 30 blocks home in the scalding sun, appreciating the shade of trees, enjoying the 3-4 inch long lizards scampering across the sidewalk and up the walls. Along this walk there were hundreds of families heading for the panteon, their arms loaded with flowers. Many people selling refreshments and foods out their front gates. Dan is now reading "Lost Horizon". I finished it last week. Great read.
We added up our food purchases and are indeed spending a wee bit less than $5.00 a week for groceries. Plus $1.65 a week for drinking water.
