Mexican Mysteries

Everything in life has an "arc" to it - i.e., a building up phase, a plateau, and then an inevitable decline. I think my 4 year (so far) Mexican sojourn arc has reached the decline phase. In fact, I don't think there was a plateau of enjoyment to cruise along for any significant phase. I have determined that everything in Mexico is about (expensive and laborious) building up, only to watch deterioration and decline immediately set in before your very eyes.

My essentially brand new "bonded leather" Boal sofa (which took 4 months and tons of pleading to even get delivered) which is less than 1.5 years old, and that we have only USED for a total of 5 months is cracking and peeling. It looks like it has leprosy!



We have no idea what happened or what is causing this. It's never in direct sunlight. Could it be the humidity during the portion of the year that we're not here? We had been assured that this sofa covering would stand up to the climate far better than other upholstery choices. I checked the warranty...one year. Great. I e-mailed Boal, the Mexican manufacturer, but doubt I will hear anything.

We may have better luck with Home Depot. John bought and installed two new ceiling fans from there a year ago. The one in the living room is now squealing like a cat caught in a fan belt. Does nothing last?

We are still stuck with the same moronic pool guy - who overchlorinates the pool water to the extent it would qualify as toxic; it equally destroys bathing suits and human skin. We have resorted to hiding the chlorine on him so he can't keep adding it. That was a week ago and the chlorine still tests as sky high. I expect to get skin damage from the sun down here, but NOT from the pool water.

I have had 3 plumbing incidents - one kitchen and two bathroom. The faucets and pipes here are just crap and spring leaks with no provocation. For some reason we have very little water pressure in the shower this year, so I am suffering from "low flow" hair that is never completely rinsed clean.

And then there is the mystery as to why our kitchen cabinets got repainted since April 2011 when we were last here. The white knobs on the cupboards are now covered in blue paint, which was not the case previously. Mexicans do not do any kind of proactive maintenance, and they don't do anything without being directed to and then paid for the work...which leaves us wondering - what went on in our kitchen over the last 8 months that it had to be repainted?? Guess we'll never know.

At least the (Canadian) guy we bought our car from has committed to fixing a spreading rust problem at his own expense (like the sofa, the car even has leprosy). We saw a small area of rust on it when we bought it and part of the deal was getting that totally fixed. The fix was apparently done during the summer of 2010 but, one year later, it is back and has spread like cancer.

Mexico is a country where gringos have to decide what they can afford - meaning what are you prepared to Fix Or Repair Daily. My stamina for this is circling the drain down which we are constantly pouring money.

Todo bien. (It's all good).