Tuesday I spent some time cleaning out the camper and getting old unused items removed. Keith and Yudi were still here waiting to get their van back. We spent part of the morning over at the Autozone getting him a new battery and discussing with the mechanic the need to get the vent lines all hooked up. He had to have his water pump replaced and the mechanic unbolted his entire font of the van to get to it. Since he had done all of that, he was planning on replacing the pulleys and tensioner, the belt, and the thermostat as well. The whole process is a bit unnerving given the mechanic’s shop is a dirt lot next to a road with the office being the detached cargo bay of an old delivery truck.
Jaime had a front-loader scheduled to come out to do the road on Tuesday, but the guy called and said he would be there Thursday. Jaime’s son had soccer practice and I was invited to ride along so we could stop at one of the few round pyramids in the area and then get some Pulque. The pyramid is in the middle of a farmer’s field and there are tons and tons of broken pottery pieces strewn along the freshly plowed rows. The pyramid itself is fenced off and remains a study location for the local archaelogy community. It predates the Aztecs in the area, and of course, most of the good stones from this and some other pyramids in the area can be found at the local church.
Pulque is a regional beverage made from the fermentation of the agave plants in the area. It contains proteins and probiotics that are good for gut health. It is found almost everywhere in this region and locals sell it in bottles or in this case, a historic location that had been fermenting it for several generations. They were out of the natural flavor, but pulque is often blended with local fruits to give different flavors. They had the guava flavor and the proprietor scooped two liters from a 55 gallon plastic trash bin and poured it into our cups. I guess they brew it and add more ingredients every night and let it continue to ferment. The taste is light and somewhat fruity with a hint of carbonation and the texture is like a thin shake or fruit smoothie. Apparently the proteins found in the drink are the same as those in milk.
We made it back to the soccer field to pick up his son and then headed back to the camp. I walked into town to retrieve my laundry that I had dropped off on Monday. I took Zuzu on the trip and she seems to like the extra walks. Maggie has healed up mostly and goes on the morning and evening walks with a little coaxing. Her partial blindness probably does not help much, but I have found a route that only had a few barking dogs behind fences and amounts to about 3/4 of a mile.
Wednesday was kathy’s flight and I hung out with Jaime and Keith for a while. We chopped some weeds in his yard around the area he was getting leveled. The front loader guy decided to show up Wednesday, so I moved Howie out of the way and we watched as he graded the area to a bit more of a flattened landscape. Jaime had some guys installing his new garage door and we watched them for a while. The door is a bit heavier than what we get it the states and the gearing mechanism alone must have weighed 300 lbs. All was installed into the concrete pillars and the guide channels were welded into place.
We headed down a bit early with Keith since his van was supposedly done. He and Yumi had packed their stuff in the car and she moved back in to their home in the van. She told me that several years ago they had sold their house and everything and moved into the van they had built and started traveling. She said they were down to the van and one small storage unit. Everything seemed good with the van repairs except a couple of clips that we found needed to be attached and they were on their way. We headed to the airport to collect my bride.
The flight and everything worked out well and Kathy had two large bags of American items along with her backpack. We managed to get that into the truck as it began raining and after a bit of work we got everything put away. It is a good thing I cleared out the pantry and shelves as we are fully stocked again. It rained all night and I teased Jaime that he must have an ability to coordinate with his land being leveled, garage door being completed, and then a good moderate rain all night to seal it all down.
On Thursday Kathy and I walked to the town to go to the local market. We bought a few fresh veggies and avocados from the vendors, then stopped by the laundromat to get our comforter and sheets and then picked up a couple of rotisserie chickens for meals and for the spoiled pups. We had arranged to take Jaime and his family to dinner (as it was Jaime’s birthday) and we ended up at this great seafood restaurant. It was a 4 course meal starting with a veracruz style shrimp soup and bread followed by oyster Rockefeller. We shared some breaded shrimp (complete with heads on and beady little eyes staring at you) and then some fried plantains and a sweet shrimp and cheese dessert. Jaime and Monica invited us back to their house where we celebrated Jaime with a few beers and a flan cake
I spent a total of 11 nights at Jaime and Monica’s place and made some great friends. We look forward to hosting them sometime if they end up in our neck of the American woods.