I am leaving early in the morning Wednesday on my way to México City. Paul is staying home this time, as he still works part time and on Fridays helps out at the Luna Gallery. This Friday should be even more interesting as it is also the First Friday Art Walk, so there should be a lot of visitors to the gallery in the early evening. That ought to keep him out of trouble!

I’m heading to Mexico City as a participant in the 1st National Forum on the North American Retiree Community: Expectations & Options for Living in Mexico.  It is co-sponsored by the International Community Foundation, the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Relations (SRE) and Mexican Secretariat of Tourism (SECTUR).  Of course I will write about the forum when it’s over, but it looks like they are very interested in learning about the retiree experience in México and hearing our views and concerns. There will be 50 retirees from all areas in México attending.  The agenda shows México Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara Manzo speaking and there is a possibility that Ambassador Earl Anthony Wayne may attend some portion of the forum, too!  I really look forward to hearing what they have to say in such an intimate setting.

I’m also excited about having a visit with my son and his family.  It’s been a while since I’ve reported on the antics of granddaughter Consuelo, and I booked an extra day on my trip so we could spend it together.  She’s almost three now, if you can believe it!  Their renovation of their house in Colonia Roma is now complete and I look forward to seeing them enjoying it.

This should be a great trip, with the forum, family, and lots of exploring, too.  See you Sunday!

In México, you can have just about anything brought to your home. (In Spanish, that’s servicio a domicilio) Here’s a rundown of some of the items that we see delivered often here in Mazatlán.  Most items are delivered using small motorcycles with a box on the back.

Pharmacies – All pharmacies have home delivery

Restaurants – All sizes of restaurants deliver, from taco stands to carnitas places, roasted chicken stands, juice bars, sushi, pizza etc.

Paint – They actually act surprised at the local paint store if you take your paint with you!

Water – Water delivery in the big jugs to your home, of course!

Table & chair rental – Having a party?  They’ll bring everything you need including coolers, tableware, and even karaoke machines.

Beer – If you buy by the case, they’ll bring it to you.

Department stores - If you buy something bulky they’ll offer to deliver it.  Buying a fan, vacuum cleaner or exercise bike? No need to worry, they’ll bring it to your house.

In addition to things that you can have delivered to your home, there are lots of services and vendors that will come to you.

Dog grooming – Our dog groomer comes to our house every six weeks to keep Henry and Coco looking sharp.

Veterinarian – especially when Lucy was ill, it was wonderful to have the vet come to the house.  When it was time to put her to sleep, he took care of her at home, too.

Newspapers – Of course they deliver door to door by arrangement but there are lots of guys on trikes with a recorded announcement of the news selling papers around town, too.

Ink cartridge refills – Yes, he’ll come to your house and refill your ink cartridges!

Knife sharpening – Listen for the whistle (it sounds like a pan flute) and take your knives outside for sharpening.

Fruits and Vegetables – most neighborhoods have a truck that makes the rounds at certain times of day.

Brooms & Mops – In our area the broom and mop man has a trike with a basket on the front.  When he’s cycling you can’t see him through all the mops!

Steamed sweet potatoes and bananas – You can’t mistake the sound of the steam whistle.  In our neighborhood, he passes through on Wednesday night.

Plants & Dirt – You’ll hear him calling out “tierra” (soil) and can run out to see what he has to sell.

Teachers – Want private lessons in Spanish, or yoga, or cooking?  No problem!

Hair salon services – I know that there are stylists who are happy to come to your home.

Chair caning – The chair repair man passes down the street and will re-cane your chairs while sitting on the curb in front of your house.

Health department – They come around to check whether there is standing water that could be infested with mosquito larvae and they’ll treat any problem areas.

Gas – They’ll be happy to trade you your empty gas canister for a full one.

Doctors – Many doctors regularly make house calls at very reasonable rates.

Car washing & waxing – Your local car wash guy will set you up on a schedule, no problem.

Tacos – Having a party?  Contract with the taquiza folks and you’ll have a variety of tacos for all your guests!

An auriga taxi in Mazatlán

Here in Mazatlán we’re lucky to have truck taxis – red trucks called aurigas that have bench seats facing each other in the truck bed. When they aren’t transporting groups of happy tourists here and there they wait at Sam’s Club for people who need to get their bulky items home. That’s how we got our mattress home from the store on our second day in Mazatlán!

Disclosure:   I am being compensated for my work in creating content as a Contributor for the México Today Program.    All stories, opinions and passion for all things México shared in my blog are completely my own.

Thanksgiving Day has always been one of my favorite holidays, a day where you take note of the the things in your life you are thankful for. Since Thanksgiving Day isn’t celebrated in Mexico, we thought as part of our private celebration we’d share our Thanksgiving Day thoughts.  What are we thankful for?

• Our Readers – Thank you for your loyalty and your comments.  You keep it fresh and fun.
  
• Our City – We love it here in Mazatlán.  The community is warm and inclusive, the weather is mostly perfect, everyone smiles a lot, there are tons of cultural events, excellent restaurants, nice music, and so much more.  It’s a great fit for us.
  
• Our Family – We’re spread around the US and México but we love each other and that’s what counts.
  
• The Internet – That goes without saying.  20 MB cable internet at home with a backup 5 MB DSL connection will keep us reliably connected to everything.
  
• E-Books – Having lots of great books to read whenever we want is something we are very thankful for.
  
• New Friends – In the last year I have made a lot of new friends through the blog.  In addition to new readers, I’ve met a wonderful group through my work with Mexico Today.   I’ll meet more next week when I attend the ICF Expat Forum in Mexico City.  We met lots of new bloggers at the Latin American Blogger’s Conference in Mérida last month.  I’ve even made new friends through Twitter, Facebook, and the English Speaking Knitters in Mexico group on Ravelry.
  
• Old Friends – We are so lucky to have many new and old friends.  A couple old friends have thanked me recently for the blog, saying that they feel closer to us through it.  We like to be closer, and we are very grateful to all of you for your friendship.
  
• Our Critters – We had to put our Lucy to sleep at the end of last year, but Henry and Coco have become bonded to each other and to us.  They make us laugh every day. Our birds – and now our fish – give us a lot of pleasure, too.
  
• Each Other – Paul and I just celebrated our 14th anniversary, and I think we both would say we appreciate each other, rely on each other, and support each other as fully as two people can. And we are thankful that we found each other, one more lucky thing we are grateful for in our already lucky lives.

We hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving Day.