Tag Archives: tianguis

Oct31

What A Week!

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What A Week!

Tonight can’t be Halloween already. Of course in Mexico the celebration of Dia De Los Muertos culminates with a parade tonight and partying in cemeteries over the weekend. Here in Aguascalientes there is quite the display in El Centro along with music, dancing and food.

But I’m passing on the parade this year. I will be watching the Blue Jays-Dodgers game. And yes, I watched all 18 innings Monday night. And I sincerely hope the Blue Jays take it on home turf. It’s been quite a series.

I’m settling in for the winter. I first discovered Aguascalientes in 2019. I arrived in January for three weeks after spending a couple of months in Culiacan and San Ciro de Acosta. I intended to stay for 3 weeks but stayed for 3 months. I returned that fall determined to visit the museums I had missed the previous winter. But Covid came along and I wound up staying until September of 2020 when I was able to get back to Washington. I returned to Aguascalientes in the fall of 2021 and it has become my winter home.

My Spanish has been getting a workout here in Las Flores. I’m not pantomiming as much when I shop at the tiendita or at the tianguis. And conversations with neighbors are going well although I still feel they speak way too quickly. I understand more when they speak slowly.

Yesterday I met some of my Mexican friends at Country Break for lunch. This is a quaint little restaurant that plays country music in English, although it is part of a Mexican chain. Great hamburgers and fries. A very popular place with Mexicans.

Speaking of food, Ricardo is cooking for me again and I am absolutely delighted. Tomorrow he is bringing me prime rib of beef Mexican style and 3 types of tamales. Earlier in the week I enjoyed chiles rellenos, enchiladas suizas and lasagna. Yes, he makes a wicked lasagna!

I got together with another friend and we had breakfast at La Palapa de Charly, another favorite restaurant. Delicious omelets are served with chilaquiles and beans. And the turtles still greet you at the entrance.

I belong to a book club in Cashmere and I’m keeping up by reading books on Libby now that I’m back in Mexico. The current book is Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson. I’m almost finished it and will email my comments to Joanne to share at the meeting next week.

I’ve also watched 2 interesting movies in Spanish this week. I pass on the subtitles. It’s a great way to improve my Spanish. Friends have recommended that I watch soap operas, but I prefer movies. Occasionally I opt for The Simpsons or Dora The Explorer. But movies are more my thing.

And that’s what I’m going to do right now. I’m going to watch a movie while I eat my lunch.

Have a great weekend!

Feb6

It’s Thursday

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It’s Thursday

I started off my day as usual sipping coffee in bed and watching a movie in Spanish. The movie this morning was about hoarders. It was a nice change from the usual kidnapping, stalking and murders. Gracias Lifetime channel.

I strolled through the tianguis on my way to breakfast. Fruit, vegetables, clothes, housewares, tools; you name it and it was there this morning. But the shoppers were far fewer in number than they were before Christmas. I was surprised, as Valentines Day is coming up and that is big here.

I arrived at Chili, one of my favorite breakfast places, and ordered my usual chilaquiles, huevos revueltos and frijoles. I chatted with people at neighboring tables, always eager to practice speaking Spanish. I noticed that others were bundled in sweatshirts and jackets, while I wore my usual short sleeve t-shirt. Early morning 70s are just fine with me.

My upcoming trip to visit my friend Angie in Pachuca is now in place. Yesterday I went to the bus station. Of course the website doesn’t resemble the schedules that actually exist, so it’s always fun when it comes down to actually buying the tickets. I’m not taking my preferred ETN, but I do get to bypass Mexico City so that is a plus.

I’m listening to an audiobook on Libby as I try to stay current with my book club in East Wenatchee. I like listening to audiobooks. It’s a nice change from staring at a computer screen. And I get to color and relax at the same time. But I do miss holding an actual book in my hands.

I have a student coming later today. I’m trying to get him to speak more in English rather than just write. We’ve discussed videos we’ve watched about airplanes, helicopters and cars. His special request for today is a video about tanks. We will be comparing the Bulldog with the Spartan.

I’ve been taking photos of my neighborhood, Las Flores. When I look back at old photos, not too much has changed around here in the last six years. I’ve always maintained that living here is like stepping back in time to an era of mom-and-pop restaurants and shops. And it’s nice to see families frequenting the parks together rather than large indoor shopping malls.

And now it’s time to do some editing.

Jan16

Plans For A Crazy Day

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Plans For A Crazy Day

Today is one of those crazy days. My mind keeps wandering as I’m trying to focus on my writing. I’m working on the Epilogue now. And things haven’t exactly turned out the way I’d anticipated when I’d first started writing this book. And that’s okay. Plans don’t always work out.

Plans. My thoughts drift to the sermon the pastor gave last Sunday. It was all about plans and God’s plans for us. And I sometimes wonder about that. Why did I wind up in Aguascalientes? No ocean here. I don’t hang out with gringos. The art galleries and museums are nothing compared with those in Guadalajara. And then there’s Washington state. I keep being drawn back there. The lure of the mountains and life in the USA.

Yes. Life in the USA. I grew up hearing about how we were so lucky to be living in Canada. Such a great country. The way things are going right now, I don’t think it’s such a great country. Despite the political divide, I prefer my life in the USA. The big drawback to me is that my kids still live in Canada and don’t want to visit me in Washington or Mexico.

Back to plans. My TV has been doing weird things like freezing and no volume and no nothing today. So there goes that plan of watching a movie in Spanish in an attempt to improve my skills in that language. But I have been doing some texting in Spanish today so that helps.

Speaking of today, I had planned on going to the tianguis on my street today. But it’s almost 2:30 and I’ve missed it once again. Oh well, there’s always next week. And I really should take some pics.

Pics. I’m slowly but surely organizing all the pics I scanned when I was in Winnipeg last summer. My son has promised to send me a link so that I can share a few thousand with him.

My son. The other night I missed a video call from my daughter in Kelowna as I was doing a course online at that time. When I called her back, to my surprise my son and his girlfriend were there visiting from Winnipeg. My kids don’t exactly keep me updated on their travels. But it was so great to do a video call and see them all together. Only wish I could’ve been there with them.

Of course that was another long ago plan that never happened. My kids and I all living in the same city and seeing each other all the time. That was the way I grew up. But someone up above had a different plan for me.

Back to my plan for today. Back to my Epilogue. And I’m listening to The Rolling Stones in the background.

What’s your plan for today? And how is it working out for you?

Feb20

It’s The Last Week

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It’s The Last Week

Spring has arrived in Aguascalientes. Temperatures are back up in the low 80s. The rain has been replaced by warm sunshine. Different flowers and trees are blossoming. And it feels strange to leave here at this time of year. I usually leave in April. But Covid threw all that out of whack so I came to Mexico earlier this year and have to leave earlier. Friends in Washington tell me they still have snow, so I’m not too anxious to head up there anytime soon.

So what am I doing this last week in Aguascalientes? Definitely spending time with friends. That’s the part I hate about leaving. All the goodbyes. But there is always next winter to look forward to. Las Flores has become home and I’ve told Raul I want my room on Begonias back again.

Yesterday I took one last walk to Las Americas. I picked up a few things at Farmicia Guadalajara and at one of my favorite bakeries, La Flor. As I made my way home down the familiar side streets, I realized just how much I love this neighborhood.

And then last night I walked around Expoplaza. I will miss the people, the music, the bars and restaurants, the street stands………there’s nothing like this up north. There was even a concert going on, complete with fireworks.

I will do my usual Sunday internet church this morning with Sage Hills in Wenatchee. This afternoon I’m meeting a friend in the Jardin de San Marcos. I will miss this park. Not only is it a beautiful park, but there’s always a lot of different things going on such as zumba and salsa in addition to all the vendors displaying their wares in stands or on the sidewalk.

I also plan on taking last walks along Carranza, Nieto and in Centro. And of course I will spend time in the park near my house. I will stroll through the tianguis on Las Laureles one last time. I will also visit my favorite restaurants for one last gordita, enchilada, chaskas, burger, jamaica, horchata and Negro Modelo. Will also find some churros.

I will need some clean clothes when I start traveling. So I will say goodbye to Fatima at the lavenderia, who always does a fabulous job with my clothes. Near the lavenderia is Paulina, my hair stylist, so that will be another goodbye.

PACKING! You think by now I’d be used to it with all the traveling I do. It’s always a hassle. It doesn’t matter how organized I try to be.

And somewhere I need to find time for writing and Duolingo.

It’s the last week and it’s going to be a busy one.

Jun4

EVERYTHING IS OPEN

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EVERYTHING IS OPEN

I went to bed on May 31st and woke up to an entirely new world the next morning that suspiciously resembled life before COVID-19.

Although people are still wearing masks and practicing physical distancing, most of the smaller shops that have been closed for months have now reopened. Restaurants are also now open for dining in.

A friend came in from Zacatecas and we went to Terraza Italiana for coffee. In the photo below you will note the physical distancing I observed.The tianguis In Las Flores was in full swing this morning. Much more than just food was available for purchase. Physical distancing was not at all evident.My feelings are quite mixed about this reopening. I would have preferred a more gradual reopening in stages. By the same token I enjoyed sipping freshly brewed coffee in a cafe rather than the instant Nescafé which has been my norm for several weeks now. It’s also nice to see the streets filled with activity once again.

But thousands of new cases of COVID-19 are being confirmed every day. This virus is here to stay. On the one hand we need to protect ourselves but on the other hand we need to build up immunities.

I have no faith in the statistics they provide us with, especially here in Mexico where testing is practically non-existent.

I’m beginning to question the idea that travel is more dangerous than staying at home and I look forward to the borders opening up again so I can go home to Leavenworth.

Quarantine has done its job of slowing the spread. But quarantine does not prevent COVID-19.

The fact of the matter is that life simply cannot go back to the state it was in prior to COVID-19. The economy has been crushed. The fragility of our mental health is evident in the catastrophic increase in suicide rates. And now the anger and frustration of being confined is showing up in the forms of protests and race riots.

Enough of man’s inhumanity to man. There is a new reality now and society needs to adapt. And the sooner the better.