Rich and Strange Aeons

Part 1 because there might be an evening part 2, who knows.

I slept much better than last night, in fact better than I've slept in a while.

The hot water magically recovered from whatever problems it had, and delivered a full shower of actually hot water.

And, finally, I checked out the *other* bodega, and yes, it actually sells food! Produce, raw meat, dried beans, cooking oil, vinegar, salad dressing, peanuts, plain yogurt... also stuff like bar soap. It's nothing like a full supermarket: the bread is lame, the only frozen berries are strawberries, all the 'ham' is at least part turkey... but it's a huge step up from Oxxo. I can survive the rest of the 15 days.

I also checked out the big Mercado. I did find multiple raw chicken stalls, apparently preparing seasoned pieces. I did not see signs of refrigeration. At least one beef stall, not open yet. As the reviews said, no fish. Multiple produce; I felt okay for now, but did get a hand of small red bananas. There's a panaderia by the entrance, but it only has a few kinds of lame bread and lots of donuts; I miss the actually good rolls at Soriana Hiper in Coyoacan (Amercian-football shaped loaves of whole wheat, garlic, or onion bread.) I did get a torta (sandwich) cubana from one stall, $3 for a fairly large meat-filled and tasty thing that I ate only half of, though I guess I could go finish it off. Though now I'm wondering about the tomato slices in it and water purity... oh well.

I also noticed there are even more tiny convenience stores right around me than I'd realized. Not much that I'd want, but shelf-stable lactose-free milk is an option. Also water, though I haven't noticed 10-11 liter bottles; 20 is painfully heavy, and smaller is too small.

Surrounding the bodega and the mercado, and even inside one wall of the mercado, is, of course, more clothes. It's like I'm actually in a clothing district which just happens to be next to the historic district.