Back to Zihua

Despite obtaining supplies on our first day here, it didn't take long to discover we didn't get enough of this or that or, more often, that we needed things we didn't think of last time. So we found ourselves back on the bus to Zihua today, this time to re-visit the "Commerciale," a large store selling everything imaginable. They make Super Walmarts look unambitious. One walks among vegetable and fruit displays, kitchen appliances, baked goods, furniture, condiments, camping equipment, breakfast cereals, hardware supplies, toiletries, cameras, toys, cell phones, car parts ... even light bulbs.

I do not digress excessively to observe that safety standards in Mexico have not captured the same level of interest as in Canada. I offer the photo below to illustrate.

In Quebec for example, these workers would be required to wear a helmet.

On the bus ride there we saw a worse example. Imagine a one-way, two lane road with the inner lane filled with parked cars. Imagine cars, trucks, buses, and vehicles of every description zipping on by. A man in a parked car would have to be cautious about opening the driver's door, right?

Now imagine a parked, compact car, with the driver's door open and passing vehicles weaving narrowly around it. Imagine a man lying on his back on the front seat with hips and legs protruding beyond the open door onto the road while he tries to repair something under the dash. I assure you this magnitude of trust in the judgment of one's fellow men was an awe-inspiring sight, especially in a country where iron bars safeguard, without exception, every last masonry opening a building may have. Whether this man's hind quarters now serve as a hood ornament I cannot say.

One of the items we sought, and obtained, was mineral water. At the Kingdom Hall a brother explained to me that the bottled water we get, despite full competence in wetness, lacks minerals that should be replaced in hot weather. When we returned I sat on the balcony and had my first glass of iced fizzy mineral water in a long while and it proved to be extraordinarily enjoyable.

Quote of the day:

          When you're riding in a time machine way far into the future, don't stick your elbow
          out the window, or it'll turn into a fossil. - Jack Handey