Friday, September 02, 2011

beached on the internet



“There are still things I would like to do, but I want to be on the road by 6 AM to get back to Melaque.”


I was telling a friend my well-laid plans about leaving the highlands in the early morning to get back to Manzanillo to pick up mail and buy parts for the Escape.


”Steve, you know none of that is going to happen.  This is Mexico,” said she.


Smugness and hubris are always paid in cold coin.  In this case, through the instrument of the laundress.  When I stopped by the laundry on Wednesday evening at 8 to pick up clean sheets and towels for the condominium, I was told, with great sorrow and ceremony, that the laundry would not be ready until Thursday morning.


And that is why I was on the road to Melaque at 11, instead of 6.  I could have fit in a trip to Costco by driving to Morelia and catching the toll roads all the way to the beach.


But I decided to see a bit more of the village country around Lake Pátzcuaro by driving around the east end of the lake and up through Zacapu.  I now have a long list of places to revisit when I return.


I made rather good time – as drivers can on the toll roads.  The posted limit is the equivalent to 66 to 70 miles per hour.  I was doing 80.  And I was passed by about three-quarters of the cars.  It is almost like Germany in Mexico.


Of course, I did not get to Manzanillo in time to do any of my chores.  And it was just as well.  When I got back to the duplex I discovered my modem had taken French leave.  Or, more accurately, it had crossed over to the other side.  Probably, another storm victim.


With the assistance of my land lady, I arranged to pick up a new one in Manzanillo this morning.  And a fruitful day it was.  A new modem.  A stack of mail (even though my magazines have now gone missing for four months).  $150 worth of good food (including a package of cherries).  And a new antenna for the Escape.


The only thing I could not get today was a bracket for the Escape’s battery.  But it is supposed to arrive on Tuesday.  All things in time.


Not bad for my first day back at the coast.


My modem is up and running.  But I think I will take a break from writing for the weekend.  I want to sort through my notes and photographs for the past two months to see if there are some tidbits I have left unserved.


And we can then resume our sojourn on Mexico’s coast.  It has been a busy two months.

27 comments:

Babsofsanmiguel said...

Glad you're home safe and sound.  Chill for a while now.........well chill might not be the right word.
I got word today from two people that my blog is "blocked".  Gotta get the computer guru over here to see what the heck is going on.  It's a site called www.rpcblogrolling.com  It covers the screen and doesn't let me to the blog.
Bummer.........

Steve Cotton said...

I plan to sit down and relax over the weekend.  I just realized how busy I have been for the past two months.

jennifer rose said...

You've been running around like a meth-fueled ferret for the past two months. You need to plan your next trip to our part of Mexico with no plan in mind other than just living like those of us who live here do. That's the only way you'll really experience the real culture.

Steve Cotton said...

After two years of feeling culture-starved, it was inevitable that I would gorge.

Barb said...

Most everyone else is taking the long weekend off. You may as well, too. Looking forward to future installations.

LeslieLimon said...

So glad you made it home safe and sound!!!  A package of cherries is the perfect welcome home present! :)  

Steve Cotton said...

I am eating them as I type.

Felipe Zapata said...

Must have gotten it unblocked because I have no problem with it.

Felipe Zapata said...

Meth-fueled ferret. I really like that. And it alliterates, one of my favorite things. And it's probably true to boot.

Felipe Zapata said...

I'm a bit puzzled by the storm-tossed modem. Don't you unplug that stuff when you leave town?

Paty said...

Reread your first line of this post--Freudian slip, me wonders?

So glad you took the Zacapu route from Patzcuaro.  I left there a week ago Thurs. for Chapala and took that route.  It was such a wonderfully beautiful drive I was hoping you would go home that way.  One of the reasons my heart resides in Michoacan is the beauty of the countryside.

Steve Cotton said...

What is worse, I thought I had fixed that little mistake.  Freudian, indeed.

I will miss my little excursions around the lake.

Steve Cotton said...

In this case, I simply forgot.

Felipe Zapata said...

It's a good route if you are not in a hurry to get back to Melaque. If you are in a hurry, it's quicker to go straight up through Morelia to the autopista and hang a left. I've timed it both ways.

Steve Cotton said...

Fortunately, time was not a great factor.  If I had left at 6, I would not have taken that route in the dark.  Leaving later gave me plenty to see, but I wanted to stop and see everything.  Maybe next time.

Babsofsanmiguel said...

A meth fueled ferret - what a great desciption..........

Babsofsanmiguel said...

Just got the darn thing unhacked and just wrote about it.  Enjoy your peaceful weekend.

Steve Cotton said...

Ah, yes.  Labor Day.  An excuse to skip an additional day.  But I have already started gathering material.

Steve Cotton said...

And it will give me time to catch up on reading two months of blogs.

Felipe Zapata said...

Labor Day is a holiday above the border, not down here. Monday is just another day for us.

Steve Cotton said...

For blog purposes, I am treating it as a holiday.  But I suspect I will scratch out something.

tancho said...

Are you missing the cool evenings and temperate days yet?

Steve Cotton said...

Not yet.  But the rains have cooled things down. 

NWexican said...

Well if you are missing the cool and RAIN you may be able to get your old job back.. It appears that the "kid" you trained has already decided to leave..

Steve Cotton said...

No return for me.   

NWexican said...

Your automobile thinks otherwise.

Steve Cotton said...

I doubt it would make the trip north.