Monday, February 26, 2007

I’m beginning to look like Phyllis Diller, what with not having had my hair cut for two months, so I decided to go into town today and have that taken care of. I had other things to do as well, and thought I would get all my other business done first. I boarded the bus in San Carlos, rode past Ley, and asked the lady beside me whether she knew how to find a store called Soriana. I was looking for a gooseneck reading lamp, and figured Soriana would be the place to look. She agreed. She told me I had to catch a different bus to get there, and she would show me where. We rode right downtown, to the stop by the Mercado where I would be getting off anyway to go buy some sandals, and she told me to catch the Soriana bus across the street. This appears to be the central bus stop. It’s also where I catch the bus to come back to San Carlos. So I walked across the street, caught the bus to Soriana, which is out in the suburbs, sort of. I could see a big McDonald’s sign in the distance. Unfortunately, it was a wasted trip. The Soriana in Guaymas is nothing like the one in Hermosillo, where I have shopped before. I bought some dish detergent to justify going there, went across the street, and caught a bus back downtown. I found the Mexican flag I had been looking for – three of them, actually, as I had to buy it at a fabric store and they are laid three across the width of the fabric. I could start a little flag store.

Then I walked to the Mercado, to the little shop where I had seen some sandals I liked. The lady in the shop (which is smaller than most bathrooms, by the way) spoke a little English, which was helpful. It turns out I wear size 5 shoes here, which makes me feel ever so dainty. While I tried on some sandals, she scurried around, finding more of them. I finally said “You’re giving me too many choices. If you had just given me one pair, I’d have bought them. Now I have to decide. Oh, dear. This could take some time.” I finally settled on one pair and bought them. My Birkenstocks have chosen this time to fall apart, and I don’t want to ruin them by wearing them any longer with soles that are threatening to come off. I’ll have them resoled when I get back up north. Meanwhile, I have a pretty little pair of size 5s. Heh.

I revisited the stall where I bought my big cazuela the other day, bought two little tiny ones for serving salsa, hit the veggie stall for chiles, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro. Then I went back outside and decided I was hungry, thirsty, and too tired to go looking for a hairdresser. I caught the bus home, and on the way it occurred to me that there’s a salon in a little mini-mall right here in San Carlos. I think I’ll just cycle up there tomorrow.

I promised to tell the story of Totonaka. When I rode into town with my class on Friday, Maria sat next to me. I asked her what Totonaka meant. She said it referred to a group of people who were more or less contemporaries of the Aztecs, but lived south of them. They (the Totonaka) were apparently short people with big heads. Totonaka was also Maria's pet name for her husband (now deceased). Thirty years ago, when they started their business here in San Carlos, they were trying to think of a name for the park. One day Maria's husband came home and said "I've decided on a name, but it's a surprise." When the park opened, he brought Maria over and showed her the sign. She says the place is full of memories.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great work.

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