For about two weeks I have been sitting on my mountain, venturing down in the morning, working on the wall till early afternoon, sit again on the top for a while, then after another afternoon of tire-pounding enjoy my elevated abode till the sandman would come (each day earlier…).
After a while one gets into a routine and the strange becomes so familiar that it doesn’t even occur how unusual it once was. Take for example the food situation. Or before we even get there, water!
As we all know, water is life. Since we’re in the dry season, it is even more important to have water at the camp, being for washing stuff, showering, not to mention to drink. Potable water is delivered to the hotel every day in 20 liter (5 gallon) garrafónes, for 16 pesos. Great. All I need to do is carry it up in a backpack on the steep incline. As for non-potable water, Stef brings me a garrafón of it every time he comes around. For this I set up a blue 200-liter drum (called beautifully tambo here) with a hose siphoning water from it down the hill to my shower. An office clip serves as a kink-guard, or faucet.
I never thought it would be so simple to live without refrigeration. The closest thing to a fridge I have is an old cooler, which during the day is more like a warmer. So all the perishables must be eaten immediately, and the rest made up with whatever won’t decompose in a few days.
So I started out by eating lots of peanuts, apples, chili peppers and other similar things that would not go bad right away. I also got a good number of canned beans and tuna. Soon, however, I realized that all it needs is some good planing, and I could enjoy cheese, cream, chorrizo, bacon, etc. if I had Stef bring me small quantities and eat them on that day.
Cooking is one aspect that has turned out way better than I’d ever expected. Using my Trangia alcohol-burning camping stove. (Is it still advertisement if you're sharing a good experience? I think not!) It’s very compact and light-weight, but the amazing thing I found out, was that if I rely only on it for my cooking needs, I don't need more than half a liter of alcohol in a week. And the delicious creations it has produced. I’m pretty sure I could even make Chilaquiles here. Stef has brought me a gas-stove, but I still haven’t set it up. I don’t think I will. The photos are of Black Beans with Bacon Onions and Chili Peppers, Huevos a la Méxicana (eggs with tomatoes, onions, and chili peppers), Fried Veggie-Burrito, and Tuna Stir-Fry with Roasted Peanuts, Chili Peppers and Tangerines. And yes, the presentation is usually the same: from a chalice, eaten with chopsticks, or rolled into a burrito. My favorite type of cultural appropriation.
Trusting in my body to know best what it needs, I followed my innermost desires of food. At fist this was mostly fruits, nuts (and coffee!), but later, as work picked up in pace, this changed to eggs, tuna, cheese, and meats. And beans… I seem to be eating them every day, and I can’t get enough of them. Evidently, it’s the proteins I need most, and what better source is there than my beloved Spirulina?
Bringing my cultivator down from Mexico City was a given, especially after seeing my algae grow faster than ever in this warm climate, when I brought it down with me two years ago. However, this time the whole operation seemed to be under a dark star: First it was my thermometer that broke on the way to Mazunte. Then, it took me longer than expected to carve out enough space from the mountain where my cultivator could fit. Carrying up the water in the garrafónes was just an additional challenge. But now that everything is ready, my solar pump stopped working.
Another challenge was the eye-balling of the salinity: since the ocean is right here, I decided to try out the sea-mix method to get the right salinity, and diluted a unit (a garrafón, what else?) of sea water with two of fresh water. Without a hydrometer to check the salinity, a thermometer to check the temperature, or even pH strips to check the acidity, all I can do is hope that everything has the right proportion. But this is a resilient little alga, from what I've seen, so I have no doubt it will grow fast. When it comes for me to leave this place, there may actually be some Spirulina to harvest.
Unfortunately, I am not that well taken care of on the electric front. The solar-system I mentioned in an earlier post had to be returned to its rightful owner, so we’re back to no power. Not that I needed a lot… My headlamp provides sufficient light, but it would be nice to charge my batteries: my phone, my mp3 player and my speaker to have a bit of music while I work. Since my computer’s battery died a long time ago, I would still need to plug in to write posts. However, the wifi signal from the hotel is strong enough to catch it from the property. (What irony!) Now Stef has brought over a battery, which still needs to be hooked up to the connection device. But the idea of hauling the thing up-and-down every time it needs to be charged is absurd. I’d rather carry six garrafónes up the hill every day. Or I just go down to have a beer (or two) at the hotel every other night. I just found out, since I’m considered “local,” at least by the chef and his wife the receptionist, I only pay 20 pesos for one.
