More Information on Club Mundet in Polanco

A month or two ago, I met a woman that belongs to Club Mundet. I told her that we had looked into joining but couldn't get past the expensive joining fee.

When I quoted her the price...she was shocked.

She told me that she had looked into the price for friends the previous summer...and the joining fee was only about $500 USD. AND she told me that at various times, Club Mundet has had specials where they waive the joining fee for expats.

I was quoted a joining fee of $17,000 pesos or approximately $1,415 USD. When I told her the monthly fee was quoted to be about $330, she said that was what she pays.

But, this new joining fee information may be something to keep in mind in the future...and to consistently check back with Club Mundet, if you are considering joining.

She said her daughters LOVE Club Mundet and that they go everyday, whether it is to swim, to play tennis, to walk, or to partake in the many kids classes!

SKY Satellite Service in Mexico

A few weeks ago, our satellite service was installed! After having some time to figure out programming...I am still utterly confused by it!

Almost all shows can be changed from Spanish to English, which is great! Apparently it depends on where the program comes from. I really should have Mike write about this, as he pays much more attention to these details.

For example, we watch a decent amount of kids' programs for Annabelle. Go Diego, Go (on Nickelodeon) comes in with the ability to change it to English. Same with Handy Manny. However, Dora the Explorer cannot be changed to English...and to top it off, she has a different voice in the Spanish versions...a much more annoying voice. And, in the US, Dora speaks both English and Spanish in each episode. In the Spanish version, she is only speaking Spanish.

I tend to tune out most of the episodes, so I don't know if we are getting any new episodes or just repeating old episodes.

With the adult programming, I pay a little more attention. For the American Idol finally the other week, it was actually on live! Same with sporting events.

However, all episodes of Blue Bloods, NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, etc are all repeats that are a few months old. And the same episode will be repeated on back to back nights.

We get HBO, but it is hard to look at the TV guide and determine which show you want to watch, without flipping to each channel, because the names of all the shows are in Spanish...and they don't always have an exact translation.

But, regardless, we have the ability to watch television in English and are enjoying a break from the movies that we brought to Mexico!

Walmart in Mexico

Thus far, I have been to three Walmart's in Mexico.

By a mile, the nicest Walmart has been in Cabo San Lucas. It was the cleanest and best stocked. And, it felt like we were back in the U.S... which is a pretty rare feeling!

The second nicest Walmart was the one I went to yesterday. I have no idea where in Mexico City it is located. I asked my playgroup friend/neighbor which colony we were in. She then asked her driver, who said a name that I had never heard before, and subsequently forgot.

However, it was pretty nice. A super Walmart with groceries...a large selection of produce and meat! They had a nice toy section, where I found some birthday gifts for Annabelle. They also had a large personal care selection...lots of shampoos, conditioners, razors, etc. You may be thinking "why is that a big deal?" Trust me, in Mexico, it is!! A large selection of anything is extremely rare.

For Annabelle's school, I need to get a 14 liter tupperware container. At Walmart, I came close, finding 12 L and 19 L containers. I bought one of each and need to email the director of Annabelle's school to find out which she would prefer I bring in.

At Soriana and Superama, the local grocery stores, I did not come anywhere close to a 14 L container.

So, if I can find out where I was yesterday, and figure out how to get back, I'll be taking Mike and Annabelle with me to Walmart again soon!

It may be time to invest in a GPS...

Grocery Shopping in Mexico...The Scarcity Model

In Polanco, the closest thing we have to a Whole Foods is a VERY small store called "The Green Corner".

We went there last Sunday and bought two packages of turkey burgers (hamburgesas de pavo). The turkey burgers were EXCELLENT!!! The two packages (4 burgers in each package) cost a total of $14 USD.

So, I walked back today, hoping to stock up on more turkey burgers. Unfortunately, The Green Corner was out of all pavo products. The store clerk told me to come back on "Lunes o Martes", as they might have some then.

Can you imagine going to a US grocery store and them being sold out of ALL turkey products?!?!

In Mexico, this happens all the time.

My new favorite drink is Vitamin Water. For some reason right now...there is NO Vitamin Water at 7-11, Superama OR the Walmart I went to yesterday!!

Mike is addicted to the blue can of Monster energy drinks. In the US, we bought them by the case at Costco. In Mexico, there are no Monster cases at Sam's Club. So, Mike is frequently looking for them at the various 7-11's, Oxxo's and Circle K's near us. The 7-11 sells out VERY quick. If my Spanish were better, I would ask them to order an extra case each month and I will buy the whole case...but, my Spanish is poor...worse than poor... so, we'll continue the seemingly daily hunt for the blue can... As well as for my coveted Ponche de Frute Vitamin Water!

It seems as though Mexico operates on the scarcity model. Supply is low and demand is high!

When I walk into the Superama on Horacio, in Polanco, there is a table filled with "US items". Snyders pretzel, various special cases of Coca-Cola products (but NEVER Cherry Coke...can't find that anywhere!), and chocolate covered pretzels. But this table is also subject to change each day. If you don't stock up on those chocolate covered pretzels, or even regular pretzels...you may never see them again.

Rachel's Thoughts on Mexico City...

My sister-in-law Rachel came to visit last weekend. We thought we would start asking our visitors to write a blog entry at the end of their visit. So, here are Rachel's thoughts...

I'm looking out the window somewhere between Dallas and Indianapolis as I write this entry. The point where the light pollution meets the starry sky has captured my interest. I just left Mexico City after visiting Mike, Jill, Annie, and Molly. It was my first trip abroad and the first time I'd had them all to myself for years.

I was nervous about going through customs, but it was easier than navigating through airport security. The travel was quick and painless.

Mexico City was as I had imagined. When I first left the airport, I was a bit shocked by some of the poverty around me. It was similar to the less fortunate areas of Miami or even downtown Middletown, Ohio.

As we entered Polanco, however, I felt instantly at home. I had found Miami, minus the water.

Polanco was filled with complexes with ornate walls and gates, cafes spilling onto the sidewalks, and people walking everywhere. The temperature hovered in the upper 90s for my trip, but even with no climate control system it was comfortable to be inside or out.

We walked all over the city (or at least it felt like it). I loved all the exercise because it made up for all the excellent food! Villa Maria comes highly recommended even by this vegetarian. I had Queso fresco de san juan del rio. It was a block of soft cheese drizzled with verde salsa and covered in fresh cilantro. It came with soft corn tortillas, and I haven't stopped thinking about it since I came home. Another favorite was Yogurtland. Very glad there isn't one in Dayton, OH!

My first day, I met Jill and Annie at the house and Jill showed my around until Mike got home. Annie was a bit shy for the first hour, but we were best friends for the rest of the weekend.

Jill and I had made plans to go to the zoo Friday afternoon, but we spent the morning walking around the city while Annie was in school. We went to the Soumaya Museum and did a quick walk through. We saw everything, but didn't gaze longinly at the pieces on display. Just my style. After some research, it turns out the sculptures that looked like Dali were Dali. Maybe I know more about art than I would have supposed.

The zoo had a good layout and a good variety of animals, but it was hot and we were all tired so we cut it short. They had all the usual animals, but I got to see my first wolf and some Mexican rabbits. They had raccoons on display, which was odd. Here, the only raccoons in zoos are digging through the trash cans.

Mexico City was a perfect vacation spot for a relaxing weekend. Grab a cerveza, take a walk, and enjoy everything the senses can absorb (especially the tastes).

Thank you so much Mike, Jill, Annie, and Molly! I can't wait to come visit you again.

Renting a Car in Cabo San Lucas

After scheduling our trip to Los Cabos, which is what everyone in Mexico calls Cabo, we debated whether or not to rent a car for the long weekend.

In the end, we decided that with a toddler, renting a car was in our best interest.

Since our hotel room had a kitchen, we knew we would be going to the grocery store...and cab rides, then dealing with a car seat at the destination is just not a fun experience.

So, we booked through National and got a small Nissan Tida. It was nice because there seemed to be a lot less rental car fees in Cabo than we normally see in the U.S.

We ended up getting the GPS for an extra $10 USD/day. Big mistake. The GPS was worthless and unnecessary, as it is very easy to find all of the hotels, restaurants, grocery stores, beaches, etc.

In the end, the rental car cost around $100 USD for the long weekend. Well worth the money, for us at least!

Especially when you consider that our hotel had a shuttle to and from the airport for $50 USD each way. Then, for another $10 USD they would take you to the grocery store. And, for another $15 each way they would take you to and from downtown Cabo San Lucas.

So, when considering renting a car or not...rent the car! The freedom it gives you while be well worth it!

Cabo Pulmo Marine Park

While in Los Cabos, we decided to drive about two hours to Cabo Pulmo Marine Park. It is a national park in Mexico that is completely undeveloped. It is one of three living reefs in North America.

The best part about Cabo Pulmo is that it is a gorgeous beach with no one around! There were a few other people sharing the beach with us last Saturday afternoon. But, the beach is so large that everyone had plenty of space to snorkel, walk, play and lounge without getting near anyone else.

In the U.S., this beach would have been PACKED. In Mexico, it is completely deserted.

Part of the reason it may be deserted is that the road to get to Cabo Pulmo is unpaved. The last 5-10 kilometers were VERY bumpy and rough. Most of the other cars we saw on the road and parked at Cabo Pulmo were SUV's. Our little Nissan Tida (probably the equivalent to a Toyota Corolla) was not meant to drive on this road! But, we made it!

Parking and admission to Cabo Pulmo was free! There was one restaurant, with bathrooms! There were a few guys renting out snorkel equipment and boat rides. Aside from that, the beach was peddler free! No one trying to sell you trinkets and other unwanted items!

We were gone a little over six hours, staying at the beach about two hours - which was Annabelle's max. She was not happy with the beach and waves to begin with, having gotten salt water and sand in her mouth the day before. So, she stayed attached to my hip (or leg) the entire time. Despite the bumpy road, she fell asleep not five minutes into the drive back to Cabo San Lucas! A successful trip to the beach!

If you ever go to Cabo, rent a car and drive to Cabo Pulmo! Make sure to take Highway 1 to get there though! Don't let your GPS try and take you down East Cape Road - it's another unpaved, sand road that takes a LOT longer to navigate than Highway 1!