Shopping .......... Part 2

 
  In the last blog we went shopping at the tianguis, now we'll go around town and out of town. There are many little shops throughout the town. Some sell just hand made tortillas, there's a few roasted chicken shops, many food vendors, most  specializing in different things. There are fresh fried potato chips, it's done right there in the street with large vats of oil, also fresh churros. Mmmmmm my favorite. And a lot of fresh fruit which will be cut up for you and put in a cup, it's best sprinkled with a little ground chilies.Coconut milk, that you can drink right from the coconut then have them cut it up for you to eat the meat. Soups and cheeses are very popular in this area. But I digress from shopping!
   There is a new store called Merza. It's somewhat similar to grocery stores in the States. I get my packaged food there. Milk, baking goods, bread, tortillas, that kind of stuff. Then there's two check-out lanes and you can see your purchases and what it costs on a monitor. Very nice in the beginning when I didn't know numbers. I'm much better now.
   The stores are open all the way across the whole front, no doors. The owners sweep and wash the sidewalk and street in front of their stores in the morning.

 

 

Above is the right and left side of the store, on the left you can see the check-out lanes and on the right the customer service counter.

 

   Looking down the street from Merzas.........................

  

   I shop here for bird seed, some cooking utensils. It has a lot of different things. Mops, flower pots, wash tubs, honey, leather belts, horse gear.............................

   I go to the Super Mercado for meat and sometimes veggies. It's like an indoor farmers market. People come daily to buy what they need. If you're not there early you may not get what you want.The cuts of meat are called, and probably cut, differently that in the States. Thank goodness for my friend Christine, she's one one my main angels. She's from the States ( the only other one besides myself ) and has lived here for eight years. I find the meat down here tougher but could be I just don't know what to ask for.They cut it right from the carcass.

The fruit and vegetable stands look like they came right off  a post card. Everything is displayed so attractively.

  I can't get kitty litter here in town so about once a month I drive to Ajijic, a little over an hour away to Walmart. Always stopping to eat after we're done. There are a lot of foreign residents there so you will find more people that speak English. I've met people from Sweden, a lot from Canada and even a lady from Israel. I just read an article that said there are more people immigrating from the States to Mexico than from Mexico to the States. At Walmart I get most of my animal supplies, wine  :-) , bagels, English muffins, things I didn't see here in town. Thee is a store in Ajijic that sell all imported things from the States. But it cost twice as much. Ajijic also has a tianguis, on Wednesdays. It is much bigger than the one here and has a lot more things. We'll go again! It's also an artsy town, many little shops with things to buy!!!!

 

                      Walmart parking lot looking at the mountains which are very green now.

 

Hammocks and baskets in Ajijic

 

                                                              Hand made rugs

 

                                                           A nice little restaurant

 

Plantings along the street

                          Now it's time to eat. This is lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico

 

                                                        My favorite....seafood cocktail

   Now for the best and most fun shopping..........Tonala. Just outside Guadalajara. Here you can get wonderful hand crafted wares. I bought my bedroom sets here, dining set, and my light fixtures. But it's a hard drive to get there. I won't drive in Guadalajara. It's a maze of highways and more cars than you would think possible.And the drivers are daring. So I'm dependent on someone that will drive me. And that is getting hard to find.



                                                                          Tonala

 

       
                                                       Loading my furniture in the truck.

 

 

There are still a lot of interesting shopping to explore.

 

Things that are different here, some things that come to mind, are you when you buy eggs they are fresh and sitting out, as are most things. you pick out how many you want and pay for them by weight.

All fruits and vegetables, the same way. If you want just a couple of stalks of celery instead of the whole bunch, that's what you buy.

Another thing, even though it isn't shopping, but I get my nails done here in town. She does a nice job and it's about 1/4 the cost.

 

 

 

Until next time......................... adios!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shopping......................................

   Going shopping is quite diffrent where I am than in the States. My weekly shopping is done at the tianguis. Its like a flea market, farmers market, open air grocery store, clothing store, almost anything you'd need. It's every Monday about 10 AM till about 3 PM. The people that sell there travel from town to town. Each town has it's own day, some of the vendors are the same and some are different.  The pictures aren't the best. I didn't want to go right up and take pictures so I tried to be discreet (sneaky).
             Let's go to the tianguis....................................

 It's set up on the street for about three blocks or so. Actually it's on my street just a little ways down after the bend in the street.

                                                                             
        









Rain or shine it comes. Tarps protect you from rain or sun.
                                                                                                                           

                                                                    

 

                                                  There is a variety of fresh foods.

 

 

This woman is there every week preparing and slicing cactus pads. I get a bag and freeze them. They are very tasty and healthy. I put them in soups, scrambled eggs, stir fry, even smoothies.

 

    


           This gentleman takes the
        thorns off for her.
                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shoes? You want shoes?  There are many tables with shoes, all kinds of shoes.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                          

 

This table sells snacky stuff........nuts, dried fruits, candy,

 

 

 

Artificial flowers

 

 

Everything is displayed neatly.

 

 

Cheap jewelry. Yes, there are some things from China.

 

 

Belts, purses.

 

 

These people offer fresh made cheeses, different pickled things suchas pig skin, onions, carrots. And the best chorizo, which hangs on a rack above the tabe. Sorry didn't get a picture of that. This table is a weekly stop for me.

 

 

 

Next to the cheese table is some fresh fruits and vegetales, this is a weekly stop for me too.

 

 

The pick-up truck in the middle is there almost every week. He has a load of different fruits each time he comes. One week may be papaya, then watermelon, cantaloupe. He always lets you have a sample.

 

 

Household supplies.

 

 

Kitchen appliances.

 

 

Big girl panties.

 

 

Big boy panties.

 

 

Sexy dresses.

 

 

Blouses.

 

 

 

 

 

 

These fancy dresses are for children. I've seen them toddler size.

 

 

 

There are many more vendors. Electronics, CD's. DVD's, computer repair, key maker, plants, hats. umbrellas, so much more than I've shown. Multiple tables of almost every thing. And plenty of fresh cooked food, in case shopping gives you an appitite, Oh yes, pizza too, several different vendors to choose from. It's common to put catsup on top your pizza or other different sauces to add if you want.

 

 

 

There's plenty more shopping to come.

 

 

To be continued.....................................

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tale of the Tats

   So many people have asked me about my tattoos that I thought I would tell the tale of the tats................................................. 


   I can't say when I first started thinking about my first tattoo, early 1990's maybe. First I wanted to make sure that I really wanted a piece of art that stayed with me forever. After I crossed that bridge then I had to decide where on my body I wanted it . Someplace that I could see, since I was doing it for myself and wanted to enjoy it. But I was just starting my dog show judging career and didn't want to mar someone's first impression of me, just in case they had negative feelings about tattoos. So it needed it to be in a spot that I could conceal. OK, now a location was determined. Inside my wrist and long sleeves would cover it. Next, what did I want? After much thought I decided on a tribal type lizard. Small, inside my wrist. Cool! These decisions took years. I wanted to make sure I was sure.

   Next decision............... who to do it. As I drove to work I would look for shops. There was a tiny little shop that caught my eye, I stopped in to meet the person. It was a woman named Samantha. We talked about what I wanted and she would have a drawing ready in a day or two and could do it then. I was so excited. A few days later, with a couple of friends for support, I went back, kind of nervous of the unknown, Well........ the drawing was not tribal but I loved it. And it was not small. It was bigger than what I originally wanted  and the tail would wrap over my wrist a little.The heck with the tribal, this was the one for me! It was a generic lizard with vivid colors, there was the moon and the stars. It was really nice.

  

 

    Everyone always asks "Doesn't it hurt?". Some. It's not horrible. When it started to hurt she would move to another area even before I could say "ouch!". It took an hour or two, I think. I really don't remember. I hear tattoos are addictive but I was happy with my one!

 

        I had a life event in 2004 and had thought about a tattoo to commemorate it. It took untill 2009 to go ahead with my plan.The person I lived with was dead set against it.You pick your battles and I wasn't ready to battle about this YET! By 2009 I was ready.  I couldn't find Samantha so it was research time again. I went to a few places but they weren't helpful with giving me any input to what I might want. I went on the computer and checked feed back on some artists, then settled for one near the zoo, where I worked. I went and talked to him but he didn't have any ideas, but did have a resource library that I could use. I knew I wanted a pair of lions. Posed how? I didn't want frothing, savage looking beasts. I didn't want a copy of the actual lions, I was afraid he wouldn't capture what I saw in them. I decided on two head studies, male and female. They would represent the two lions I knew.

 

 

 

 

   While I was there I wanted my lizard freshened up. He suggested adding some things to it since it was kind of plain. I really hadn't thought about doing that, so I told him to do what he thought would look nice. He drew some clouds and flowers. It looked nice so I had it done.

 

 

 

 

In 2011 my life became my own. Free! I just had to get an ink representing that big life change. So I went back to the person that did the lions. I already knew what I wanted and where. Butterflies stand for freedom to me and I think Monarchs are so beautiful. Also orange is one of my favorite colors. Perfect! Monarch butterflies over my shoulder. I wanted them to look like they were in flight. My sister and best friend came with me. I think they were both interested in the process. It took a couple of hours and again not much pain. It's beautiful and I love it.

 

 

 

Early in 2012 I made a decision to move to Mexico, a big life change. Now I wanted something for that event in my life. What could I have that would represent all that this meant to me? When I was a young child, I had a plaster kit and I could mold  little Mexican figurines. My favorite was a sleeping Mexican. My mother told me the man was sleeping because in Mexico people took a nap after lunch. (I've been here for several months and haven't seen this man sleeping anywhere!) It's always been my favorite symbol and  I still have those figures that I made so many years ago. Boy, little did I know where my life was headed. But that wasn't what I wanted for my tattoo. I wasn't sure it was really a Mexican thing or something dreamed up by a white man.

 

 

The house, I was temoprarily staying in while in Mexico, had a picture on the mantel that represented the town I'm living in. It's simple, had clean lines and I felt this was what I wanted.

 

 

 

In the meantime I made a new friend back in the States that had a couple of tattoos. She loved the work of her artist. So on July 31 I went to see Michele for this new milestone marker. But where to put it? I like to be able to see them, they are done for my pleasure. I'm not fond of having one on my upper arm, but that was the empty space. We raised it a little so it goes over my shoulder some. I was very pleased with her work and the location of my new tattoo.

 

 

I must admit I was getting addicted to tattoos. I went back August 2 to have chili peppers on my foot. They have no particular meaning. Let me tell ya folks -- if this would have been my first one, there never would have been a second one. OUCH! Very painful. Apparently the foot is a very sensitiveplace for a tattoo.

 

 

Michele had been looking at my other tattoos and suggested she coud make the lions look less cartoon-ish,

 

 

 

  and could spice up the lizard. The neck of the generic lizard always bothered me, it was just a little too long. She shortened the neck, added a tree frog and had the lizard catching a bug. Perfect!

 

 

I'm done, unless I have another major life event. Well, sort of done ..................... my friend put up a picture on Facebook, a tarantula tattoo that I fell in love with. I'm a tarantula fan from way back. My first one lived for 23 years. I just had to have that tattoo. Where the heck am I going to put it? I have no prime real estate on my body left for it. Where there's a will, there's a way! So when I returned to the States Michele did yet another ink for me. We wedged it close to the butterflies. It looks great.

 

 

 

The drawing was turned around and repositioned. Now I can easily see it.

 

                   I'm done now.                    

 

Unless........................

 

 

 

 

 

 

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