A little thing I’ve been doing since I got to Isla is giving printing services to a lovely couple who are teaching English to students in the Colonia (‘slum’). It’s just a few pages a week and helps them out a bit. I got an order from them last night, printed it this morning, and took it over to their place this afternoon.

They had friends visiting who have built a house in the Colonia part of town! Gringos can’t own land in communities along the water, so the land is held in their attorney’s name and they get a 99-year free lease that allows them to do whatever they want with the property, including selling it. They have been building a house and say they have all the services, including garbage pickup and at home deliveries of bread, water, and produce. I’ll have to go out there at some point to check out their place!

Not wanting to intrude, I had planned to just be in and out, but we all got talking and I finally got worn down enough to accept a beer. 🙂 Other topics covered included geocaching, something many people have told me I should look into, and buses in Maz. I’m really tempted to try the bus to go to my cousin tomorrow as it’s a 10th of the cost of taking a pulmonía, but I’m going to be on a tight schedule so I’ll probably save that for another day.

I’m always glad to meet other Gringos who prefer to live in Mexico than in expat communities as I get a lot of information about living here cheaply. For example, I was told that I really must try the weekend chicken lady’s offerings… 😀