Frames, Glasses and Repair
About a year ago I lost my reading glasses, so I went to a nice looking shop on calle 56 just north of call 59 called Buena Vista. The people were quite pleasant. They checked my eyes and determined the prescription that I needed. I also picked frames; if you can call them that. They are actually two bows and a bridge. They were a little on the expensive side, but I like the fact that there was no material around the glass itself.
Things went very well for about six months until one of the bows broke. So I went back to Buena Vista. They told me that they don’t carry spare parts for my frames. In fact the frames that I purchased were now discontinued. After much discussion, I was politely informed that I was out of luck; they couldn’t repair them, they wouldn’t replace them and if I wanted to use my glasses I need to purchase new frames for somewhere between $100 and $200 USD. Buena Vista does not stand behind their products! I, also being very polite, said that I would go somewhere else.
Enter Jaime Góngora Robles at International Optica. I went to his shop which is also in calle 56, but just south of calle 59 across the street from the cell phone / iPod / electronic gadget mall. I explained my problem (BTW Jaime speaks excellent English). He didn’t carry my brand of frames but, if I left my glasses, he would see what he could do.
I went back that evening and there were my glasses with new metal bows. I now think I know why the frames were discontinued; the bows and bridge were plastic and didn’t hold up in the heat of Mérida. The glasses looked fantastic. So I held my breath and asked "cuánto cuesta. He smiled and said, "doscientos pesos ($15 USD)." I was shocked because Buena Vista wanted more than $100 USD for replacement frames. Needless to say, I was very pleased with the workmanship, honesty and price of my glasses repair.
Another six months later the bridge of my reading glasses also failed. Apparently the manufacturer used the same plastic on the bridge as the bows. So back to Jaime I went. He said leave them over night and he would see what he could do. I returned the next morning and, as I have now come to expect, there were my glasses with a new metal bridge piece, ready to go. How much? Cinetos viente ($9 USD) pesos. So for about $24 USD I have replaced the faulty plastic frames in their entirety; whereas new frames from Buena Vista would have been between $100 and $200 USD.
I highly recommend Jaime and International Optica for all of your lenses and frame needs. There is an eye doctor associated with International Optica, but I can’t make any comments about him – I’ve never used him.
International Optica is at calle 56 #494-A, x 59 y 61, Centro. Their phone number is (999) 928-62-95. Jaime’s e-mail is jaime0075@hotmail.com
Auto Safety Equipment
There have been numerous newspaper articles and blogs regarding the new "rules of the road" for the state of Yucatán. For the most part the new rules make sense to me and are very similar to what we are used to in the US and Canada.
But, I do question the ability of the police to enforce such a quantum change. I still see more than two on a moto. I still see city and state trucks with any number of obreros (workers) in the back. Even the SSP pickups have bench seats in the back sin cinturón de seguridad (safety belts). Neither have I seen a drop in the number of drivers talking on cell phones while driving. Change comes slowly to México.
But, as I said earlier, most of the new rules make sense to us. Once outside of Mérida it gets pretty dark on some of the roadways, so we decided to purchase safety reflectors and a safety vest for our own good and to be in compliance. To find these items, I went back to the tienda (store) where I previously purchased two safety cones. It is one of the little tiendas that we find walking around Mérida. Oh did I say that we only go to Home Depot as a last resort. I’d much rather support a local merchant.
[Warning ADD moment] We have a cochera (garage) with two no parking signs on the doors and a sidewalk cut which is painted bright yellow. This does not cause people to even hesitate when parking over the end of our 
driveway. The only way to get them to take notice and leave our driveway open was to place two very bright orange cones on either side. This makes about 90% of the folks at least think twice about parking there. You may notice from the picture that these bright orange cones have been run over several times.
[back to story] I purchased the cones at Praxair, a herramienta (tool store) near us. They are located at calle 39 #480 at the corner of calle 54. They also have a tienda at Avenida Itzáez (86-B) # 601-B x 94. They are very nice and patient people even though I drew several questioning looks as I butchered Spanish asking for the things I needed.
They had Triángulos de seguridad (warning triangles) for $72 pesos each. I purchased three because I remembered from the driver’s test that if your car is disabled on a one-way street you need to place three reflectors at 50, 100 and 150 meters behind your car {actual test question}. The reflectors have a weighted bottom and fold up for easy storage. I also purchased a chaleco de seguridad (safety vest) for $40 pesos; also a great idea on dark roads.
So now I’m set, with a fire extinguisher (sorry I don’t know where to get one of these, we brought this with us from NOB), three reflectors and a safety vest. Oh yes, don’t forget that you’re supposed to carry a copy of the Reglamento de Vialidad para el estado de Yucatán (driver’s manual) in your glove compartment. It’s only $20 pesos at the DMV.
Neighbors
One of the changes that you need to adjust to when living in México is that there are very few restrictions as to what can be built where or what businesses you can have for a vecino (neighbor). In this respect we have been very fortunate. Our house is situated between two businesses. On one side is a tiny office where 
the employee collects rents from 9 to noon, five days a week. On the other side is the computer center for Instituto de Vivienda del Estado de Yucatán (IVEY). Their mission is to provide decent housing for the poor. They work 8 to 5, five days a week. We know our vecinos and they know us; overall they have been wonderful.
But recently our peace and tranquility was shattered, albeit temporarily, when IVEY decided to add a two-story addition on the back of their building. We have a pool in the back and find the pool hard to use when there are construction workers sitting on scaffolding two stories above it. We found out that the contractor has a deadline in his contract and will be fined by the state for every day he’s late, so we hoped that the project would progress rapidly.
The jefe at IVEY, Juan Enrique Concha Garcia, has been over personally to advise us of each step and to ensure us that if anything in our casa or jardín is damaged, that they will fix or replace it. We really only had two questions for him when the construction started: (1) We verified that there would be no windows overlooking our yard and (2) that they would put a finish coat of concreta over the concrete block structure. If fact, Juan said, that they would put two finish coats over the blocks and paint it as well.
True to his word, they came over this past Wednesday to ask if they could start finishing the blocks on our side. We told them that we were going to the market, but that they could start at noon. Promptly at 12:15 the albañiles (masons) began lowering scaffolding over the wall into our 
yard. We offered that they could bring the scaffolding through our house, but they would have none of that. They quickly set up the scaffolding and began putting the initial coat of concreta on the concrete blocks. Imagine our amazement when we noticed that they had put down a tarp to collect any concreta spillage. They had to trim the tops off of our bougainvilleas to get to part of the wall, but they will recover quickly.
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On day 2 they applied the finish coat and left a helper in the yard for a couple of hours to pick up pieces of concreta splashed on the trees and bushes. |  |
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On day 3 they painted the newly applied concreta – two coats – again with the tarp in place. All-in-all, a fine job by the obreros. |  |
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Anger at Spanish speaking workers in the US
We have been asked several times by Mexicanos why Arizona (and other states now) is so angry at Spanish speaking workers in the United States. They want to know why Nortes say that the unemployment rate, the economy, personal safety and drugs are the fault of illegal (and legal) workers. We used to say "it’s complicated" or "it’s just a few people," but after much thought, that answer is flat wrong.
My belief, now after much reflection, is that people in The United States are scared. There have been successive wars without resolution. When was the last time the US won a war? The economy is a bust. The jobless rate is 4 or 5 times that of México and congress is not even willing to discuss the issue. The government is made up of a bunch of clowns; politicians that are in it for the money and glory. Care to guess how many Senators are millionaires? There’s not a single statesman in the bunch.
Just 18 bills have become law through the first half of 2011, and of those 15 named a building after someone, temporarily extended expiring laws or appointed an official to the board of the Smithsonian Institution.1 Real people can’t run for federal office. In 2008 it cost $710,000 to run for the house and $2.4 million to run for the Senate2. To raise that kind of cash you have to be in someone’s pocket, especially for a job that only pays $193,4003. The lobbyists are writing the laws that do pass and they, of course, are not looking out for “Joe Average.”
Millions of people are un or under-employed, living paycheck to paycheck with their houses in or near foreclosure. Will they be able to make the next mortgage payment? How many teachers are being laid off in their district? Will they be the next to be laid off? People need someone to blame. They already blame congress; its approval rating is in the low 20s4 but because of the cost of running for federal office, voting doesn’t create any meaningful change. So today they are blaming Latinos.
The US has always been a nation afraid of something. They have been or are currently afraid of witches, the Irish, US citizens of Japanese ancestry, communists, shoe bombers, extraterrestrials and homosexuals. These fears are being fueled by hate speech of shallow politicians and talk-show hosts looking to improve their ratings. Even the major news outlets have become part of the game. They are going for sensationalism in lieu of hard news to compete with the cable news outlets. The people of the US are scared, very scared and scared people need a target, a focus for their fears. The Latinos are being served up on a silver platter as a target for that fear.
1http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0611/58076.html
2http://www.opensecrets.org/bigpicture/stats.php
3 http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/congresspay.htm
Palm (or other large árbole) Removal
We had two large (6 meter) Washingtonian Palms (Washingtonia robusta ,Mexican Fan Palm or Mexican Washingtonia). You know the ones with the barbs on the branches. The leaves don’t fall off of their own accord like all other palms and the palms are just too tall for us to keep them trimmed. So we decided to have them removed and replaced with something more manageable.
So I called my trusted vivero (Vivero Ucu) and asked Alex who to use. He recommended Santos Camus (99 99 65 54 66). Santos came by the next day and gave us an estimate. We felt that the price was quite fair for the work and so we quickly agreed. He said that he would be able to finish the job in a single day. We discussed date and time. He said that he would be back Monday at 8:00 to remove the two palms.
I no longer panic when it gets to be 9:00 and no Santos. True to his word (allowing for Mexican time) Santos arrives at 9:15 with a pickup truck and two helpers. They began by setting up scaffolding. Yes, you read right, they had regular metal scaffolding.
They began by trimming off all of the branches. The helper and Santos were up the scaffolding going at the branches with machetes. The helper’s helper was on the ground separating the fronds from the branches and bundling them. These guys have obviously worked together for some time. Each had a job and went about it with great efficiency.
Once the branches were all removed they pulled out another unexpected tool from their toolbox – a chain saw! Like lumberjacks of the north, they began removing sections of the trunk, letting them fall to the ground with a mighty "thump."
At this point they ran into the only real issue of the day – their pickup truck was full and they hadn’t loaded the pieces of trunk yet. Not to worry, Santos gets on his cell phone (every Mexicano must be issued one of these at birth) and calls an amigo with a dump truck. They took a break from the palm cutting to cross-load the basura from the pickup to the dump truck and went back to work on the palms.
Some of the trunk pieces were too heavy for the helper’s helper so they had to be cut in half so that he could carry them to the street. After everything was removed, Santos asked to borrow our rake. All three of them set about cleaning up the mess that they made. They did a respectable job of cleaning.
I assumed that there would be a slight increase in price because he had to hire a dump truck, but he wouldn’t hear of it. I paid him, thanked him and asked for his phone number in case any of our friends needed to have trees or palms removed. In our opinion he did an excellent job for a fair price.
Gettin’ buggy….
The rains finally came…cool, refreshing and cleansing. The canopies on the trees seem fuller, the grass less crunchy and our garden area is just happier. However, the rain did not come alone; it arrived with all manner of bugs. Those pesky mosquitoes are back along with some serious looking ants. Tuesday morning we saw swarms of the flying ants above the trees on the Paseo…people were stopping on the streets staring in disbelief. No photo of the swarm, but this is what you will be seeing around town for the next few days.
They are HUGE!!
Get out your bug sprays, skeeter zappers and whatever else you use in defense of the pests. They walk/fly among us…at least until the cooler weather comes in the fall. Such is life in the tropics!
Our Favorite Vivero
We recently made a trip to our favorite vivero (nursery). We needed some new plant material to replace the two giant palms that we had removed (another blog coming soon).
There are numerous viveros in the metropolitan Mérida area. Some have good, healthy plants, others not so good. Some charge based upon their assumption of your ability to pay, others are more honest.
We use Vivero Ucu. (Click the preceding link for the phone number and e-mail address.) The owner’s name is Alex. He’s German-born, but lived most of his life in Ciudad de México. He speaks five or six languages, so there will seldom be a language barrier. And the best part, he’s extremely knowledgeable about the plants he has – how much sun they can stand, watering, fertilizing, how big they will get, growth rates, everything. If he doesn’t have the exact plant you are looking for, he has a pool of other viveros from which to draw for the exact plant you want.
All of his plants have the prices listed on them so everyone pays the same price at Vivero Ucu. For larger plantas (plants) and árboles (trees) he will deliver and plant them for a very small fee. He also carries el césped (sod) and la tierra (soil).
He is located about 1 kilometer beyond Caucel on Highway 281, well before Ucu. Highway 281 is Avenida Jacinto Canek or Calle 59A in Merida. The vivero is on the right side of the road as you are travelling west. If I remember my kilometer markers correctly, he is about 17 km from the heart of Mérida.
Cafeinosense
There’s a wonderful new place to eat in Centro Merida. It’s called Cafeinosense and it’s located on Calle 60 between Calle 55 y 57. It’s about 1/2 block south of Santa Lucia Parque on the same side of the street.
Their food is authentic Yucateca and Mediterranean. In my opinion the food is excellent and the prices very reasonable! We have tried several different dishes and all have been outstanding! They do have a liquor license but, alas, the beer is from cans. They have a web site if you want to check out the specials before you go. Cafeinosense
They are open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner. Their hours are from 7:00 to 24:00 Sunday to Wednesday and 7:00 to 1:00 Friday and Saturday.
They are a welcome addition to the many fine places to eat in Merida.
Sunday in Merida…
It’s Sunday…a day of rest and relaxation. However in our little corner of the world it means getting up relatively early so we can ride the biciRuta ( a bike route through the city on major streets closed to vehicular traffic) , enjoy coffee and conversation, then whatever winds your clock. Speaking of clocks…today was special. Today we sprang/sprung ahead…stupid daylight savings!! So thinking I was getting us up a wee bit earlier than the norm meant a super relaxing morning consisting of a leisurely breakfast after walking the dog, a bike ride along the usual route with a stop for coffee where we discuss the woes of the world and how to fix them, returning home for a nice dip in the pool and then….well, whatever. No, today we lost an hour! So, everything we normally do in slow motion we had to kick into overdrive. Yes we still did the ride, enjoyed coffee and conversation and even the pool…but something was wrong!! It wasn’t done in the normal leisurely fashion! Oh well..shit happens.
Later we did enjoy visiting the AANY fair with all the beautiful art work for sale. When we left we realized how hungry we were….seemed strange for 11:30 in the am. But wait…it’s actually 12:30, no wonder! After some discussion of “what would you like”..”no…what would you like” it was decided that beer and botanas sounded really yummy! Who knew that we would visit the exact “scene of the crime” from one year ago? Those of you who joined us will remember my daughter Melissa visiting us last April! If not here are a few shots (jajaja) to remind you:
Yepper…we went back to Henequen’s for what turned out to be an all day “happy hour” or “hora felilz”…..2 X 1 beers!! Oh boy! They had a promotion featuring Sol or Superior so after two hours of wonderful botanas and eight (8) beers the bill came to a whopping 120 pesos…before tip. For those of you NOB that is roughly $10.00 (ten us dollars).
The music was terrible but the service and food were wonderful. A simply great way to spend a hot Sunday afternoon.
Now…if you will excuse me I think it is time for a siesta!!
Spanish Word Games
Preguntas:
1. Un día nacen un pollo y un caballo. Después tres años, ¿quién es más grande?
2. ¿Cuál es el animal que siempre llega al último?
3. ¿Cuál es el animal que es dos veces animal?
4. ¿Qué es algo y nada a la vez?
5. En México cuando tú lanzar una moneda al aire y elegir uno de los lados. ¿Qué es sus opciones?
Respuestas:
1. El pollo, porque después de tres años el caballo tiene tres años, pero el pollo tiene tres años y pico.
2. El delfín.
3. El gato, porque es gato y araña.
4. El pez.
5. Águila o sol.
Explicaciones:
1. For the answer to this question look to the word pico. We all know that the beak of a pollo is called el pico, but what other definitions are there for pico? In my dictionary (way down the list) it shows "y pico" as: and a little or and a bit. So after three years the pollo would be three years and a little bit making it older than the horse.
2. Why would the dolphin always arrive last? Again, look to alternative definitions of delfín. Thinking back to French history what did they call the prince that was to assume the throne?, Dauphin or heir apparent. The heir apparent would always be the last to arrive.
3. Why would the cat be two animals? Look to the verb arañar – to scratch. Now conjugate the verb to the present indicative form for it. You get the verb araña which means it scratches. So when you say a cat scratches you could be calling it a spider.
4. How is a fish something and nothing at the same time? Look to the verb nadir, to swim. Now conjugate the verb to the present indicative form for it. You get the verb nada, which we took to mean nothing. But, it can also mean it swims. So the sentence could read what is something and swims too? So the answer fish would make sense.
5. In Mexico the phrase “águila o sol” meaning “eagle or sun” is the equivalent of the English phrase “heads or tails”. There has traditionally been an eagle on one side of the Mexican coins for many, many years. At various times the opposite side of the coin has carried the ancient symbol of a phrygian cap which is a soft, red, conical cap with the top pulled forward that represents freedom and the pursuit of liberty in old sculptures, caricatures, and paintings. The phrygian cap has been imprinted on certain Mexican coins through the late 19th century into the mid 20th century and it is usually depicted with a bunch of rays emanating from behind it. Thus it can easily be mistaken for a caricature of the sun. Excerpt from México Bob at http://mexicobob.blogspot.com/2009/01/aguila-o-sol.html
