Expanding Mobility

Today our little world in La Paz got a little bit wider.

I visited Seamar this morning.  On the way I met Ken who confirmed that the boat that I had seen leaning over and aground at the Magote sand bar was indeed "Footprints", that large ferro cement hulk that Arnold and I had reported as dragging anchor shortly after we arrived in La Paz.  After our second call that the boat was dragging a man got on the VHF radio and gave me nonsense about long anchor rode scopes, "La Paz Waltz", and if it dragged another 100 yards to call him back.  La Paz or no La Paz we knew a boat dragging anchor when we saw it.  Later that boat was to threaten Pachuca when the seasonal winds changed from North to South and the catamaran "PuttyCat" had to tow my engineless boat out of harms way.  I took perverse joy at the vindication of seeing that hulk on the sand bar where it belongs.  The boat has not sunk and is no longer threatening others, but on the other hand it is ready to be pushed across the bar when the next hurricane visits and cause devastation to boats riding out the storm at the Magote anchorage.

At Seamar I purchased a sheet of insulation for my engine compartment at a disgusting price of about $100 USD.  But it is well made layered thermal and sound insulation material 1/2" thick which will give me an opportunity to replace the insulation that forms the ceiling of the engine cover, which started to give way and drop into the engine as I approached Tahiti.  In Tahiti I did an emergency fix using a tube of adhesive that mercifully held until the present day.  Now that the engine cover is upside down on the main cabin table I will be able to replace that insulation with gravity working for me instead of against me.  I have also purchased 20 stainless steel screws with bit washers to help with the bonding. 

Anyway, it was suggested that I use a spray on contact cement produced by 3M and I was told that I would find it at Home Depot, which was near WalMart.  When I returned to the apartment I told Brenda that I  was headed for WalMart and Home Depot by bus.  Brenda agreed to go with me.

While I had been at the marina Brenda had done some exploring and discovered a very nice carniceria where she purchased some fillet steak which turned out to be superb: tender, like eating cake, and very tasty.  She then visited a "mini super mercado" and found that they carried yoghurt and cheese.  So between the local stores and the nearby Bravo market we are within walking distance of most of our fresh and dry supplies.  I can state without hesitation that I have never lived in a place with such a variety of fresh food.  The fish is really fresh, probably caught the day before.  The beef is outstanding as is the pork and chicken.  And the scope of fresh - really really fresh - fruit and vegetables is amazing. 

We figured that we could catch a bus at Serdan, which is about 2 blocks away past Revolucion.  We set out and ran into Teresa, the apartment manager, who was sweeping outside of the building.  She confirmed that Serdan was the place.  We got to Serdan, which runs one way, and crossed it to catch the bus Australian style on the wrong side of the street.   A helpul lady told us to go to the other side of the street just as we saw a bus which had WalMart as one of its destinations go by.  We were forced to wait for another group of traffic to go by before crossing and saw another WalMart bus go by.  When we got to the other side we had to wait maybe 5 minutes for the next bus.

There is no bus schedule published for La Paz, and there are very very few bus stops, but know I appreciate why.  There are so many buses that you don't need a schedule.  As far as bus stops go, you can hail one anywhere and they will stop.  You can also get off anywhere you want.  As I am learning about the Mexican way, the "disorder" carries a dimension of freedom that is novel to me and refreshing.  (Another example: zoning laws are lax and you can build whatever you want how you want it and for whatever purpose.  From the order and tidiness point of view that isn't good, but from the personal freedom point of view it is great!)

We got on the no. 4 bus (no. 38 is the other one) and did a tour of the residential areas and got off at WalMart which is near the aeropuerto about 20 minutes later.  The WalMart had the "look 'n feel" of all other WalMarts and soon I was able to find a couple of shorts that actually fit me and didn't reach below my knees.  Then we purchased other targets of opportunity such as raisins and two 1-liter casks of red wine. 

While Brenda remained on a bench watching our gear while she reposed after a light lunch I hiked over to Home Depot a half a kilometer away and was unsuccessful in finding the 3M spray on contact cement but found some acceptable brush-on stuff.  We then went to the bus stop and within 5 minutes later we boarded a bus (16 pesos a ride for both of us) which dropped us off at the corner of Revolucion and  Benito Juarez, one block away from the apartment.

After a shower and a short nap I visited the boat and found that Salome had put down one coat of 2-part primer on his fiberglass work.  Tomorrow is Sunday and a day off so I decided to lay down either another coat of primer of an overcoat in order to save another day of project time.