PV Blog 2 — Rube Mistakes and Tourist Tales

I packed in two phases. One was in advance, being efficient, thinking of what to take, medicines, counting vitamins, etc. Important stuff. The second run-through, the last minute, toothbrushes, toiletries, etc. Somewhere between those two (think of it as two separate legos without a bridge-conection) I slipped the threads a bit, but not to worry – there is always Costco, I said. So imagine my surprise when I found that, for example, I had four inhalers and no underwear. The first packing inhabited an entirely different crevice in my brain than the second. They didn’t overlap, and unpacking luggage. Fortunately, no one died for lack of underwear, medicines, or several other items, most of which have now been replaced/rebought/done without.

Our market across the street – no resemblance to City Market, or an organized-by-the-Chamber-of-Commerce thing – is intriguing to us. On the first day, we walked by, trying not to look like obvious intruders. Second day, we peeked and stared openly. On the third day, Lew went over to explore. On the fourth day, Sunday, they were closed.

Late Monday afternoon, Lew decided to go on a walkabout to Wallymart, having now discovered the things we must have to be comfortable – some pillows for the hard chairs, door stops, etc. Not to be outdone as a good caretaker of the air B&B, I went outside to sweep the crisp leaves settling around the front area, and the accompanying dirt, into the street, hoping that was how they did things here. As I stepped out one foot, broom in hand, the door slammed shut behind me with a solid THUNK!

I told you we had bars on all the windows, right? Pretty secure place, right? Yep. You guessed it – the keys, my phone, and the watch were all nestled on the tabletop inside, the broom and I standing in shock outside the resolutely locked door. It mocked me with attitude. I checked – no way around, or over, windows have secure bars, even though I tried to fit my arm through – no go.

Lew, I thought, will be home soon. Nowhere to sit, I stood. A neighbor lady wished me a good afternoon when she walked by, smiling. I continued to stand. Watched the local folks drive by, come and go from their houses. Thought about the different styles of homes, listened in on conversations I didn’t understand. They are really very friendly here. I meditated, visited with a local grey and curious cat, watched dogs wander. I thought of each person I knew and sent them some thoughts. I send Lew a LOT of thoughts, too.

The neighbor lady came back down the sidewalk, this time to wish me a good night. The sun sets here with a bang, like it was a stage-set drawn on canvas and suddenly brought down. Twilight became dusk became dark, whoosh. I watched people at the market play with dogs. I peeked down the block looking for Lew, who surely would be walking in any moment – no Lew. I stood in the light, then switched to standing in the dark so that I wasn’t so obvious. Then switched again. Time slowed.

I meditated again, somewhat more focused now, and decided that Lew had been in an accident, and probably, even possibly, was injured and in some hospital somewhere, and they had no way of finding me. I had stranger-neighbors, no phone, no hope. I could reach no one. Maybe I could sleep on the concrete by the door. I thought about fear, trying to decide whether that was the feeling I was in or if it was something else. How would I get into the house and collect my things before I went to the hospital? Cars rumbled down the cobblestoned street of Mar Caribe.

I had been entertaining myself listening to a couple of folks at the closed market, but since my glasses were in the house, supervising my phone, I couldn’t tell much beyond the rhythm of their voices. They had the cadence of Spanish, with an occasional outburst of what might be English – couldn’t tell.

When my fear of sleeping on the doorstop was greater than my fear of trying to talk to people I didn’t know, and feeling tongue-tied from nervous Spanish, I walked across the street and asked if anyone spoke English and, by chance, had a WhatsApp on their phone. A lady from California, of course, with her Mexican husband, who has lived here for 20 years, whipped out her phone and dialed Lew for me.

I tried not to shout. He was nearly home, hauling the results of his evening’s shopping – two big bags of about 40 pounds each, and had not yet been hit by a car or had another accident. Lew, of course, just laughed. At me.

I’m pretty sure I’ll never go out without a phone in my pocket again.

Breakfast in the market

We wanted to try the many undiscovered delights of the mysterious marketplace and walked over. There must be 30 separate shops, all looking and smelling marvelous. One outside vendor has an enormous, open, unsecured 3-ft-diameter vat of boiling oil that smells great, though it’s impossible to know what’s been cooking in the uncovered hazard. Maybe it was fingers.

Our breakfast included watching someone take a pinch of dough, place it in what seemed like a wooden flower press, wrap it with a cover, close the press, and flip it once on each side. Out comes a single tortilla! Omelets of all kinds, with fresh-squeezed juices. This is the first of many we will have to try. To watch four or five different shops all open up to the day, and the people who come here sit in the middle of the action as it happens, all surrounded by flags and piñatas. I marvel at this place so full of life.

We played bus. I already told you the bus stops in our neighborhood have no consistent demarcations; the streets aren’t labeled, nor are the buses consistently numbered, usually, so we ventured out to learn the system and find our way. ChatGPT says to find a clump of people and stand with them; it’s probably a bus stop. We hope to attend a conference where some friends are speaking here in PV, so we decided to locate the hotel and check the route in advance.

What might have been a short ride became most of the afternoon, but we succeeded! Yea for us – that we made it both to our destination and back, in only about 6 hours. And walked over 3 miles doing it. The Westin is lovely, in case you are here, with a beautiful sandy beach, and lots of pools of all kinds. I recommend it.

Photo here of the Westin landscaped area, vs one of Mar Caribe? I think they win, but I am liking my little area more as time goes on.

Thanks for accompanying us on our trip.