The house and shopping trip

Here are some pictures of our house!  It is really beautiful.  It has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and living room.

Our trip towards the center of the city was very interesting!  Evi (Monica's mom), Sandra (Monica's sister), Reed and I caught a taxi about 2 blocks from our house on the main street called Avenue Universidad.  The way people drive around here is amazing!  The people driving cars pass each other and busses by going into oncoming traffic, cut in front of other cars (no one stops for cars coming out of side streets unless that car forces its way in), park on the road to shop and don't stay in the lines (if it's a two lane road).  The taxi driver amazed me with his ability to navigate with all that was going on!

We got out at Plaza Cuernavaca (a small mall) to get Reed a cell phone (Sandra went on in the taxi to catch the bus back to Mexico City).  At the entrance to the mall there was a hired guard who had a very large rifle slung over his shoulder.  This is very typical around here, I have noticed many medium or large stores with heavily armed guards in front of them.

After the mall, we headed to Office Depot (yes, and they have a Wal Mart too, imagine that! :o.) on the bus which only costs 45 cents per person.  Instead of having a few big busses like Trimet, they have many little busses that all go to the same place, hence the traffic and the need for cars to dart around them.  There are a few marked bus stops but if someone flags down the driver, he will stop anywhere.  On our trip on the bus from Office Depot to home, a man selling scented spray hopped on and tried to sell the driver a can (he actually sprayed some on the drivers arm while he was driving) then quickly hopped off again when the driver said "no".  Later, two clowns got on the bus to entertain the passengers and after about 5 minutes got off.  No one on the bus seemed to pay too much attention.

The next day, Evi and I walked with Reed to the bus stop so that she could catch the bus for her first day at school.  Then, we walked up the road and back.  Evi showed me the many shops and universities along the street and explained them to me.  Of course, she speaks only Spanish so I did my best to understand and ask questions.  There are many separate little shops where people sell food (restaurants or family stands), vegetables and fruit, coffee, household items, meat, pharmaceutical items, parts for cars and sundries.  Really, anything we need is within walking distance!

After returning to the house, I did laundry in the basins on the back patio.  There is a medium sized sink next to a sink with a built in washboard.  Doing laundry this way was a first!  Evi came out and showed me how to REALLY squeeze the water out and hang the clothes up for the shortest drying time.  They have a clothesline made of yellow rope tied criss-cross from wall to wall and instead of using clothespins, they spread the twines of the rope apart and put a corner of the clothing in between.  It works great!

More later...