Tulum - Shopping - January 30, 2014

One of the things I love about traveling is that we get to experience things that are different than home. I thought I would share a few things we have experienced while we have been here in Tulum.
This morning we needed to pick up some things at the supermarket and  we spotted this man with a washing machine in his bicycle cart.  Lots of people use these 3-wheeled bikes – sometimes carrying large objects like this washing machine, sometimes family members, and others use them for delivery/sales. The bread guys often have those little squeaker horns they use to get your attention as they ride through the neighborhood.  Fresh fruit cups are also a popular item sold from the carts.

The Chedraui Supermarket is a huge chain here in Mexico. Many “Norte-Americanos” shop here because they have a large variety of items and are probably most similar to home. The Chedraui is like a “super” store. It carries clothes, housewares, appliances, bikes, and has a pharmacy. There are lots of things we aren’t used to seeing, as well, like the huge varieties of chilies in the produce department. Everything is sold in kilograms, so we have to use a little different mindset in that area, too!

We are used to buying our milk from a refrigerator case at home. Here, the milk is super-pasteurized, and it is not necessary to refrigerate until it is opened. It is sold in 1-liter boxes. We found that we like the taste of the semidescremada Lala brand the best. It is $16.10 pesos ($1.20 USD) per liter. So, a quick little math lesson – 3.78 liters per gallon – currency conversion is approximately 13 pesos per dollar – one gallon of milk here cost $4.68 USD – NOT CHEAP! The price is discounted to $15.30 if you buy a case at a time – still expensive.

We are used to having our eggs in the cooled dairy case at home, as well. Not here. Most are sold in bundles of 25 – 30 eggs!

One of my favorite departments is the Panaderia – the bakery! When you get here, you pick up a large pan – similar to a pizza pan, and a pair of tongs. All of the items are out. You just go around and pick what you want,  then go to a central station and your choices are priced and bagged.

Near the bakery is the cheese station. They also have hot dogs and some sausages in this area. The workers all wear hair nets and masks over their mouths, as well as plastic gloves, so they are as concerned about health and safety as we are in the U.S.

That was our adventure today! Tomorrow, diving in cenotes.