Work has been in an unexpected lull this week so after finishing up a small project this morning, I decided I might as well go to town for exercise and a change of scenery. Including the bit here on Isla to the embarcadero and back, it wound up being an 8KM walk:

I decided to head to the Mercado first to get an agua fresca. I don’t think it’s a good thing that I’ve found a reliable source of something with pink guava flavour… But at least there is real fruit in there so I’m getting some fiber with all that sugar!

While coming down the giant Leandro Valle hill, I finally remembered to take a picture of this lovely passive-aggressive sign:

It says, “We will puncture your tires for free!” Basically, we’ll slash your tires if you park here and block our entrance. I couldn’t believe what I was reading the first time I saw it and so the first time I spotted someone coming out of the parking lot, I actually asked if my understanding was correct! I phrased it along the lines of “Are you having problems with people parking here?” I learned the verb ponchar in this context in Mérida as I would frequently pass a building with a sign right above tire spikes that an entrance was not for cars and that their tires would be punctured.

From the Mercado, I meandered my way down to Olas Altas and crossed over to take the Malecón. I had had a brilliant idea on route. My riding friend Joan had suggested that I try the roasted chickens at a place I pass frequently on Gutíerrez-Nájera, but never on my home. So I decided I would walk the Malécón to Gutíerrez-Nájera and then stop at the chicken place to get a chicken for a late lunch, with leftovers for dinner.

I’m not sure if I’ve ever taken a picture of her before, but she seems to embody my spirit. I really love this statue.

Notice that one of these condo owners put a giant roller shade/awning outside his south-facing window?

I was surprised that no pulmonía drivers flagged me down as I walked, enjoying the sunshine and warmer wind than we had yesterday (brr!). I perused the wares of a few vendors without being harassed. It was a really lovely walk.

There are two chicken places on Gutíerrez-Nájera and the one I wanted was the second one in this direction, just before the Red Cross (Cruz Roja) building. The advertised deal is two roasted chickens for $120. I asked the price for one and it was $65. The lady confused me a little by quoting the price as “six-five,” though. Her chickens are roasted in a cage that goes around a heating element. She selected one at random, chopped it up for me, and bagged it up with a giant pile of tortillas and some hot sauce. It smelled wonderful!

It was then a short distance to the embarcadero. The captain saw me coming up to the ticket booth and waved to let me know he’d seen me and would wait. One etiquette thing I have learned is that if you board the lancha after everyone else, you need to greet everyone by saying buenos días, buenas tardes, or buenas noches, depending on the time of day. I’ll be honest and admit that I always feel silly doing it, but I always get a reply back from at least a couple of people on the lancha and more than a couple of smiles. It was another very long and choppy ride back across the channel.

On this side, I remembered to take a picture of the City Deli’s new paint job. Wow! It makes it look so fresh! The inside has gotten a bit of a spruce up, too, with better produce, coolers with more beverage options (I can get a cold Electrolit now), and even a freezer with some frozen foods (I think I saw fries). I don’t think they carry beer anymore, though. I know there was a problem with their liquor license and maybe they’ve decided not bother with alcohol anymore. Anyway, I can get beer much closer to home!

I came in and tried the chicken. I disagree that it is better than the weekend chicken lady here on Isla, but I’ve gotten good at timing when to get the best chickens from her to avoid the not sufficiently marinated and possibly not cooked enough ones. The Maz ones would be a lot more consistent since they are commercially prepared. I found the chicken a bit salty and dry in parts, but still very good. I pay $55 for half of a scrawny chicken here and I paid $65 for a decent sized full chicken from the Maz lady, so just for that, it’ll be worth making the trip over the next time I want chicken, and I’ll probably get two. Needless to say, I have way more leftovers than I expected. But, hey, I got all those tortillas, so I’ll go get a can of salsa verde Saturday to make enchiladas.

Not tomorrow? No, tomorrow I am going to get my revenge…