Taxco and a Change of Seasons

Erin and I went to bed on Saturday night planning to go to Teotihuacan the next morning, and woke up on Sunday to rain. The internet said it was also raining in Teotihuacan, and we didn’t want to get all the way there and not be able to climb the pyramids because they were wet and slippery. So we decided to go to Taxco, which is only about 1.5 hours south of here, instead. Just as Erin was stepping out of the shower, all the electricity went out. And it didn’t come back like it usually does. We continued getting ready, and bundled up well because it was cloudy, drizzly, and chilly. Our timing was really bad, and we just missed the bus to Taxco, so we had to wait another hour. But when we got there everything was fine. Taxco is known for its silver, and you can buy pretty much any kind of silver jewelry you can imagine for low prices. In the market and in the stores they weigh the piece you want and price it in grams. You have to be careful to make sure what you’re buying is really silver, which is confirmed by a little stamp on the side of every piece. Erin and I had great shopping luck, and we both came home with our pockets full of silver. Unfortunately, we also missed the bus on the way back, and had to wait another hour. Grrr. We got back to our apartment to find that we still didn’t have electricity! Francois (the landlord) said that he called the electrician and he didn’t know what was wrong (some electrician!), so we probably needed to call the electric company. Unfortunately it was Sunday, so they don’t work, and yesterday was a holiday, so they didn’t work either. Francois asked the neighbors to hook us up, and he ran extension cords all the way through the yard so we could both plug in our refrigerators. As of this morning, we still don’t have electricity, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the electric company doesn’t come until tomorrow. But we can plug in a lamp to the extension cord, and even our modem so we can still get online, just as long as our computer battery lasts. Luckily the gas and water have nothing to do with electricity, so we can still use the stove and over, flush the toilets and take hot showers. It’s not too much of an inconvenience, but when Erin and I are taking our contacts out by candle light in the bathroom, we kind of feel like we’re camping.

This weekend also appears to be marking a change of seasons as the temperature has plummeted. Lows in the single digits (Celsius) and highs barely reaching 20 (again, Celsius, where do you think I am?). Usually our apartment warms up during the day when the sun shines in, and before this weekend it had never dropped below 19 C/67 F in my bedroom. But since we haven’t had sun in a couple days, and the low overnight temperatures have been accompanied by uncharacteristically strong winds, we woke up to 15.5 C/60 F in our room this morning. That’s how cold my room in Madrid was all the time before I moved to a new house. We got some extra blankets and pushed the beds together because cuddling really helps keep us warm! We’re leaving the beds that way until further notice. We checked the weather forecast and the temps should go back up a bit in a couple of days, with lows only in the teens and highs in the mid-20s. Apparently the coldest months are January and February, so I think this weather is atypical for right now. It honestly wouldn’t be that bad if the sun came out every day because it would warm up the house a bit. The only heat in Cuernavaca is solar heat. Now I was told that this was the City of Eternal Spring, so I have a total of 4 long sleeve shirts, plus a few light jackets. I went and bought another sweater yesterday, but if anyone wants to send warm socks or sweaters, email me and I will gladly give you my address. While you’re at it you might also send some stuffing and cranberry sauce since my Thanksgiving meal may end up being a bit sparse. I guess I can always serve turkey tacos.