DOES THE BIG BLACK SUBURBAN BELONG TO THE CARTELS?

DOES THE BIG BLACK SUBURBAN BELONG TO THE CARTELS?

One of the best aspects of travel are the customs, beliefs, practices and routines that you encounter that are different than at home. Some of the interesting (at least to me) differences that I have found this year in Mazatlan include:

• Our condo address is 5320 Avenida del Pulpo (Octopus Street). Today, I was going to look at a different condo for next year and the address was 5317 Avenida del Pulpo. Of course, this would appear to be the lovely building across the street. Well, I was wrong. I met the agent and he said that there were two 5317s on this street and his condo was a block further south. Two identical addresses on the same street? Only in Mexico! Apparently, he said his unit was the “official” 5317, whatever that meant. To add further confusion to the issue, the house next door to us is 449! Go figure. Obviously, street addresses are not an exact science in Mazatlan

• At home, we often found that freshly bought fruit and vegetables only last four or five days in the fridge. The little cucumbers we buy usually get soft and mushy within five days and tomatoes start to mold very quickly. In Mexico, fruit and vegetables last almost two weeks in the fridge without spoiling! It’s amazing! I am assuming the produce we receive in Canada is either picked too soon, not shipped adequately in cool containers or we just get a lot of “old” produce that doesn’t have a long expiry date. Whatever the reason, we don’t have to throw out any spoiled fruit or veggies at all. No emergency smoothies for us!

• At home, if you pass a Chinese kiosk in a Food Court in a mall they will often offer you a small sample of one of the dishes on a toothpick. In Mazatlan, if you play your cards correctly, you can go to the Chinese kiosk and be offered a sample of seven or eight different dishes before you place your order. In fact, with all the samples that you have consumed, you can actually just order a small bowl of rice and have enjoyed a tasty Chinese lunch! I confess I have never done that, but it is a tempting economical option. 

• We occasionally go to the casino here in Mazatlan. While we never break the bank, sometimes it feels like we have dented it. If you buy a 200 peso credit (about $15) on your player’s card you might be awarded 4000 points on the actual machine. Then if you place a 100 point bet you are really only betting about 35 cents Canadian. Depending on the kind of machine you play you often can win four or five thousand points and feel like a millionaire. The other day I won 100,000 points and when my excitement subsided, I think I might have made 20 dollars. It’s not the amount of money you win, but it’s the thrill of the chase! Cheaper than going to a movie back home for two hours of entertainment!

• During my daily morning walk around the neighbourhood, I often encounter some interesting sights. One of my favourites conjures up dark undertones of mystery. About two blocks from us I regularly pass by a residence that has a big black Suburban SUV, with tinted windows, parked in front of the black metal garage door. Sitting on a chair beside the gate is a uniformed guard with a large automatic weapon across his lap! Whether he is the bodyguard for a government official, a member of the cartels, or possibly a very successful taco salesman I don’t know. I just try to amble casually past and avoid any eye contact or conversation. I wonder?

Like Yogi Berra used to say, “You can observe a lot by just watching!”