With all the computer problems I have had and to some degree continue to experience...I was not able to upload this post until tonight. It is a bit out of sequence and for that I apologize.
The last time I had been to Ciudad Acuna was back on July 9th http://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/2014/07/july-2014-trip-to-ciudad-acuna-coahuila.html
Decided to go on September 2nd since I knew that with the Labor Day holiday behind us, I would not run into crowds and that was definitively the case. There were no lines to cross into Mexico.
He had an audience watching him from a safe distance...
If you need new soles for your shoes after all that walking, you can get them repaired at this little mini repair shop across the street from the Micro Plaza.
If all that exercise made you hungry you can grab a torta.
Today I went shopping at Bodegas Aurrera (owned by Walmart) because they were offering very good prices on cosmetics. Pond's Oil Control press powder as well as Pond's Angel Face were selling for $20.00 Mexican pesos the equivalent of $1.60 American dollars.
I also bought two mascaras one for 18.20 and another for 24.90 Pesos or $1.46 and $2.00 USD respectively. You will NEVER purchase them for that price in the States. The reason being that many American brands have factories in Mexico.
On the road I saw this small car with two ladders on board (property of a Mexican telephone company). Just goes to show where there is a will there is a way. Imagine all the extra stuff I could take to Terlingua if I were to equip my car with these :)
Exchange rates were varied along Exchange Rate Alley. Good for American selling their dollars...but bad for Mexicans wanting to buy US dollars.
To give you an idea of what I paid for my purchases today I used an exchange rate of $12.50 pesos to one U.S. dollar since that is what I paid the last time I bought Mexican pesos.
When I got sick last December we went through all of our supply of milk as I was unable to drive to the store. While it is great to be able to drink real milk...it is nice to have powdered milk as a back-up.
Nido is the most popular brand in Mexico and I purchased it for 57.00 pesos/ $4.56 dollars. Second most popular Carnation by Nestle for 38.50 pesos/$3.08 dollars.
Went ahead and bought these for my future trip to Terlingua. The one on the left is milk that does not require refrigeration even in extreme desert conditions and a little package of Nutri Leche powdered milk. Nutri Leche was $12.30 pesos / .98 cents and the little one cost 9.00 pesos / .72 cents.
Why do you drink so much milk Belinda? I have to be self-sufficient in the desert and though I go in with another camp that actually brings and cooks the food...last year they did not attend. Since I do not know how to grill nor do I have space to bring cooking stuff...I eat cereal.
This is the first time I see Borden's milk that also does not require refrigeration being sold in Mexico. It sells for the equivalent of $1.19 USD.
The super deal of my trip was bananas selling for $3.90 pesos a kilo / .312 cents a kilo or .14 cents a pound. In case you forgot your math, one kilo = 2.2 pounds.
They finally got a new crossing rate sign as the other one was all patched up from the increases. It costs 26.00 pesos to cross back to the USA or $2.08 American dollars.
As you can see I had the bridge all to myself coming home.
Something you don't seldom see...no lines in American Customs. Only other traffic were two guys in bicycles which you can not make out on this picture. For some reason I saw a lot of people in bicycles today both in Ciudad Acuna and in Del Rio.
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
When I was in El Salvador I was so impressed with the machetes and how their owners used them so comfortably. The campesinos were required to keep them in a sheath when they came into the city, and the sheathes were highly decorated and beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI don't drink much mile, and only whole or 2% milk that is cold. I read a lot of emails about the Pacific Crest Trail (Mexico to Canada) and see that a lot of backpackers carry Nido for their cereal or whatever requires milk. I had never heard of it before.
How is a torta different from a tortilla?
Bet those machete sheaths were beautiful. Did you ever take a picture of them?
ReplyDeleteI would love to learn how to properly use a machete as well as how to sharpen one. Could really use it to cut through the brush or take out my frustrations on those darn mesquite trees :)
Nido milk is a great product and I especially like it because unopened it does not require use of my valuable ice chest space.
A torta is the equivalent of a sandwich. It is made from a bolillo and you can put whatever you like such as ham, tomato, lettuce, beans...the combinations are endless.
Nido is the favorite dried milk brand among sailors for stocking the galley on long passages too. Best tasting by far.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why it's taken so long for tetra pak (boxed UHT) milk to catch on in the States. Many years ago - I must have been a teenager - I accompanied my Mom on a business trip to Canada and shelf stable milk was in the grocery stores there way back then. Trader Joe's carries whipping cream in the tetra pak boxes which I augmented my stash of canned Nestle's media crema (actually their 'ligura') to keep in the pantry in case I run out of dairy for coffee & recipes, so I always stocked up whenever I was near a TJs.
But these days here in TX you can finally get boxed UHT milk in the "organic/natural foods" section of most grocery stores (Organic Valley & Horizon brands) and in single serve multipacks in the kid's lunch box food sections (MooMilk or True Moo brand or something like that). Very handy if you can't use up fresh fast enough before it spoils or if you want to conserve space in the fridge.
I can guarantee they won't be as cheap as in the Mexican Wal Mart though!
I did not know that about sailors and Nido. I also did not know its packaging was called tetrapak and that the milk itself was called shelf stable milk...my readers teach me something new everyday :)
DeleteI have seen some shelf stable Borden's at HEB but it was twice the price of what you would pay in Mexico.
I like the fact that it can last three to four months and that it does not take up valuable refrigerator or ice chest space.