Sunday, November 21, 2010 – Our first full day in San Pedro

Sunday, November 21, 2010 – Our first full day in San Pedro:

This morning we try to assess the situation. We can’t bring ourselves to use the coffee maker, so Gerald washed a tea kettle and put coffee in it and we will try to strain the grounds out.  It’s not real successful, so we just pretty much chew our coffee.  We can’t sit out on the deck because someone is cleaning or something upstairs and water is pouring down on our deck.

They change the water filter in the laundry closet (The washer/dryer is outside in the hallway in a closet.)  Anyway, I hope changing the filter helps. This stuff almost looks like river water.

Today we are going shopping for stuff and I start to make a list. We passed a couple pretty good sized stores yesterday on the way here, so I’m hoping I can get a coffee pot, shower curtain and either new pillows or metal pillow covers. We’ll see. It’s Sunday and I don’t know if the stores will be open very long. Plus, I don’t want to spend a million dollars.

So off we went.  Investigating as we go. Like Placencia, it’s poor and simple, just packed in a lot tighter. However, as bad as we thought the roads were in Placencia getting down to Sunset Pointe, they were smooth compared to the ones here. I really feel sorry for large breasted women riding the golf carts here! The only relief is when you finally get to the cobblestone road in the main downtown area – and even that has dips in the streets that intersect.  It’s not all bad really, because if they didn’t have it, idiot foreigners would be going as fast as they could on the carts running people down!

There seems to be a large Lebanese population here. They own several of the grocery and hardware stores. We actually ended up renting a golf cart from one of the companies. The hardware store that looks like a Home Depot (Do It Center) is closed today, so we end up going through several of the other hardware stores. The cheapest coffee pot we see is $25 for a 4 cup pot. I get a white shower curtain (one you can wash and bleach) and a few kitchen items (a cutting board, peeler, scrapers, brushes).

There is a city center and it looks like they have music and the locals and tourists gather for food and entertainment. 

We end up down around the middle of town and my hips and back are killing me.  Gerald is hungry and so we stop to get a bite to eat at The Bakery.  We call Rob to make arrangements to get a golf cart. This town is way bigger than Placencia and we are too old and not in good enough shape to walk this every day. (Plus there is no TuttiFrutti for motivation!) They pick us up at The Bakery and take us to their office, which is way south, to do the paperwork. They give us the cart that the kid came and picked us up with. We take off…sort of, and before we are 10 feet I already have whiplash. It’s either go fast, or stop.  No in between.  And you have to have an in between with these roads. We jerk down the street like a 15 year old trying to learn how to drive a stick. And I can’t take it anymore so I finally tell Gerald to just take it back and get a different one if this one is not right (and before I need medical attention), so we “turn around” and get another one. And it is better!

After we get that straightened out, we go get gas and drive around a little, pick up a hitchhiker and drop him off downtown.  We stop at a local grocery store and buy some food and more water. They are really nice and laugh at all the stuff we buy! (thank goodness we have the cart) But we really get some good tortilla chips and homemade salsa.

We head back and unload. Then try to decide what to do for dinner. We are going to go explore some more tomorrow, so we want to keep it simple.  Unfortunately, there are apparently no restaurants this side of the bridge that are open – except for Reef Village, which we ate there last night.  We have to get a monthly pass from the Town Council tomorrow because it’s cheaper to do that rather than pay $5 each time we cross the bridge.  Plus, we don’t want to cross the bridge tonight again and use up the last of our round trip ticket.  

We end up going across to the other grocery store to get some Cheese Wiz, and decide to have chips, salsa and quesadillas.  As I’m in the store buying the cheese, I look out the window and there is Gerald, taking a toke off a HOOKAH PIPE one of the workers had lit!!!! We were wondering how come they always had a pan of coals burning in the front of the store, and apparently it’s because he takes a piece or two of the red hot coals and lays them on the tobacco to keep it lit! I thought I would die! So I picked up my jaw from the floor, and went outside and asked what in the world he was doing! =)  He said it was apple flavored tobacco…whatever! He said he was driven to smoke cause he misses The Girls! =)  We are lost without our extended family!

Back to the condo to fix dinner.  It was really yummy! The chips and fresh salsa were the best!

I also heard from the lady I rented the condo from.  She is being very accommodating with allowing me to purchase the shower curtain, sheets, pillows, kitchen utensils, etc. and will reimburse me. (not sure about coffee pot yet)  You can’t undo what’s already done, but I’m sure it’s difficult to be a long distance landlord and not know what is going on. At least she is trying … I think the pictures helped! Also, the water looks better, but we just can't bring ourselves to drink it. Showers and laundry will be our limits.

Till tomorrow’s adventure at Captain Morgan’s!

(REMINDER – November 18 – Monkey River and November 20 – Moving Day blogs have been updated so be sure to check them out again!)