Jonna and I have had a couple discussions on the fact that although we live in Mexico it is a different Mexico from much of the rest of the country. She is quick to correct me that while it is Real® Mexico, it is a Real®Tourist Mexico. And she is right. But the other day it struck me, again, just how different life is here from Real® Mexico.
The police have TRAFFIC CONES! (runs around picking up all the Mexican bloggers who just fell off their chairs). I know! It is crazy-talk but it is true! They have cans of fire also, but they actually use traffic cones to creat a road block or revision or inspection or speed trap.
WE HAVE SPEED TRAPS. Well, not really speed traps, but (ok, everyone from the rest of Mexico take a deep breath, hit of something, and brace yourselves) the transitos and state police have Radar guns (just lost the Veracruzanos), HowFastIsYourSpeed displays (just lost the Cozumeleños), and ENFORCE THE SPEED LIMIT (just lost the rest of the country). It is crazy-talk, I know, but the Solidaridad cops really want you to drive 80(kph) and make no bones about it. And they TICKET people (shit, just lost Minnesota).
We have 4 lanes of good road and it is (shhhhh) illuminated. Insanity, I know. It is absolutely insane. When you drive at night, you can See The Road. I’m still coming to grips with this one and each and every time I see the streetlights I’m amazed all over again.
We have a season. High season (many many toursits, locals are happy, money is flowing) and Low Season (no tourists, money is tight and people get desperate). This year we had a bottom-of-the-barrell season when the low season was impossibly low.
English is spoken EVERYWHERE. There are countless radio advertisements on the radio and much English music on the radio. Very little to no banda. But we also, since our radio station comes from Cozumel, have an entire day of Cuban music (Sunday). Billboards along the carretera are in English.
Supers have amazing variety of food. It used to be, before we came to Quintana Roo, that there were some staples (whole wheat flour, cheddar cheese) that you just were not going to find until you hit Costco. And even then it was iffy. Here almost all the supers carry ORGANIC food. Imported, of course. This blows my mind so badly but then I remember the Superama just north of Queretaro that had organic food and the organic coffee you can (or at least could) buy all over San Miguel de Allende.
No-one jumps on your hood and washes your windshield. I remember some particularly aggressive guys in Mazatlan and just south of Ciudad Valles, but generally, I really appreciated these guys – especially since the van has forever had a gigantic hole in our windshield water holder thingie and we rely on these guys to get our windshields clean, as, like most of Mexico, the Pemex station NEVER has windshield cleaning stuff available.
The deli folks don’t yell at you to come try this or that. In most of Mexico if you happen to stray anywhere NEAR the cheese and deli area, the deli ladies will yell out to you asking you what you want. i have NEVER left a store without something from the deli, whether I wanted it or not, when the deli ladies yell at me. And they love to give you samples and especially love to give the kids samples. You can still get this in the smaller stores (San Francisco and Super Maz) but it just never happens at the bigger stores (Mega, Chedraui, Bodega Aurrera, Soriana). I actually don’t buy deli food anymore and blame it on the lack of people yelling at me. Go figure.
We have no preferico. Neither does Cancun. Merida does and even Felipe Carrillo Puerto does, but we don’t. Maybe because of the 4 lanes each direction. That is just wrong. I’m sure this must go against some a law of nature.
No municipal market. Though, I think I caught sight of something close to that in the Colosio but I wasn’t sure. We have relied on municpal markets everywhere else for cheap, good produce, waching futbol for free, amazing homemade chorizo, cheeses, chicharones and other stuff we didn’t even know we needed. It just doesn’t feel right without one.
Incredibly high prices. Everything here is so much more expensive than the rest of the country but where we really feel it is in medical costs. I haven’t yet found a consulta for less than ($275MN (con IVA) – about $27.50USD). If someone ever gets really sick here, I’m taking them to Merida. Even though Merida is expensive (compared to other Mexican cities, it is quite a bit cheaper than Playa.
I’m sure there is more; what have you found and does any of this ring true for you?
We are headed to Valladolid for a couple days to experience the Grito from Real® Mexico. We’re staying at a hotel on the square and hope to watch the festivities from the rooftop and zocalo, depending. I’m really looking forward to rediscovering my camera. I’m hoping to drag the kids back to Dzitnup too see if it has changed much and also Ek Balam. And of course, the jail. For hammocks, what else!!???!
Oh, and if you’re still following along, 79 kilos. I ate about 3 kilos of chocolate chip cookies last night though, so I’ll probably be working all this coming week to get rid of that plus whatever is involved, calorie-wise, with Chiles en Nogada. After all, it wouldn’t be independence day without Chiles en Nogada.
I love not having the creeps climb on my car and squirt the windshield with dirty water, I also don’t miss the fire eaters. I hate watching them as I’m sure they are going to die a horrid death with their throat eaten away.
I do miss the plethora of things to buy at intersections, it really makes a long light go faster. You HAVE to try some CocoSnap at an intersection in Mérida. It’s pure coco water with a couple pieces of the cobra in the bottle, $10p so not cheap. It’s icy cold and delicious. I was complaining the other day about not finding it in Playa and was told it doesn’t keep more than a day so stores don’t stock it. I also buy my phone cards at intersections, browse the crazy hats and kites and toys… I love that part.
All the rest you mention is true, although I do think that the large cities have more of the cones and mileage signs and such. It’s rare in the smaller cities and poorer states.
Chiles en Nogada – don’t even THINK about the calories! Casa de Frida in centro had good ones, we tried them a few weeks ago. It’s their signature dish. The ones at Vip’s are what made me sick I think.
As for organic food and such in the stores, I think the high end stores all over the Republic have it now. Superama, Mega Commercial, Soriana. You won’t find it at the cheap ones or in the mercado. So, perhaps that is part of the difference. You are in an affluent area here and most of your travels have been in rural and poorer areas with less for sale.
I’m happy with that, I might buy fruit or vegetables at the mercado but I might as well buy them at the abastos as that is where they come from. I LOVE high end grocery stores with clean everything and lots of samples (even tequila) and good cheeses and tons of things to choose from. Guess it’s the gringa in me, I enjoy going to Mega. I hate going to San Francisco or Borrega Aurora and I am not really excited to go to Chedraui although I will do it, the others I won’t set foot in. Part of that is I only have to buy for 2 adults, not a family as you do. I can get the little hunk of good brie and the really nice blue or some asiago… I won’t talk about the Italian flans and profiteroles.
I’ll bet those who live in Querétaro, Morelia, Guadalajara, or México have all the same options. As they do in Mérida with the difference being that less of it is labeled in English and perhaps more in other languages.
Good post.
Test, Jonna said she wrote a very long comment last night. Before I try I’m doing a test
Great post! I agree that we do not really live in RealMexico. Good points. Did you know that if you ask at the deli counter, you can actually eat yourself full on the samples! What a great idea to go to an older city for the grito! Wish I had thought of that. But we get to see our thrice yearly fireworks show tonight! It will be interesting to see how big it is under the new Mayor.
Hi, I hope you can find Chiles en Nogada in Valladolid. We always use to eat at Maria de la Luz. Let me know if the short, gay man still works there in the restaurant.
They ALWAYS yell at me at the deli in Chedraui( The only time and place I have had that wonderful experience)
I guess you have to be there at the right time
Ooooo, “el grito” in Valladolid. What could be better! I hope you and the kids had a great time. Can’t wait for pictures!
Ya know, you’d think they’d have traffic cones in TJ…but instead they use concrete barriers and police tape (and/or real live police men). Maybe it’s just too windy here *wonders*
I love reading your blog and comparing your experiences with my own.