A Day of Adventures

The presence of hot bath water has not been consistent.  When we arrived we had instructions on turning on the propane gas and lighting the hot water heater pilot.  This seemed to go well.  At first the water was very warm, then it seemed to stop working.  We discovered that the pilot light had gone out.   We relit it and the situation repeated itself.   So we called the Mexican caretaker (the gardener's father Pedro) and he took a look.   We also had a toilet that was leaking buckets of water on the floor. 

Pedro decided that the gas tank was too close to empty to keep it lit.  So, after a futile attempt to seal the toilet with silicone seal, Pedro and Dan took off in Dan's Explorer to buy more gas.   I took off to go to the hardware store that Pedro sent me to to buy a toilet gasket.  

I should mention here that I know nothing about toilets, and Pedro does not speak English, but I was proud that I found the store and managed to ask for an "empaque".   The worker there, also speaking no English, handed me a rubber circular part and since I had the vague idea that I needed something round, I was pleased, and it cost $.64.   (It turns out "empaque" means "washer" which can be anything, and of course mine was wrong.)

From there my next adventure was to a key shop to get a copy of a key to the gate for the gardener.   I only had to ask directions (in cobbled Spanish) at two different places before I found the shop.   Only one Mexican laughed at me out loud,   OK, that might have been because I asked a print shop to make a key.  

Anyway, I was feeling pretty successful at this point, so I headed to the telephone store to try to figure out why our internet isn't up, when they promised it yesterday.   Fortunately Dan called on my cell phone enroute to check my progress, because I suddenly realized that our home phone number is our account number, and I have not memorized it yet.   As I drove along, I memorized the number, to find that the phone store is not open on Saturdays.   I hope I can still remember it on Monday!   So I headed to the English-speaking Lake Chapala Society, that has free WiFi, to pick up email.   Somewhere along the way, I figured out my cell phone had died because I ran out of prepaid minutes.   Before I could finish my business at Lake Chapala Society, my laptop battery had died, and since I was outside, I had no plug.  

So I headed to the Satellite TV office to share some info that might make progress in getting a TV going.   Of course they were closed, as I expected, but I had to try.   So I made my U-turn to get out of the area, and in the process grazed a curb corner that rose about 10" above street level.    Ouch!  The first scratch on my new Fiesta.   I almost got 2500 miles on it before it happened.   Just a scratch below the passenger door, but I was NOT happy about it.   So I headed back home, stopping at the local 7-11 store for a consolation Diet Dr. Pepper on the way.  

Dan had been successful in returning with 2 tanks of gas, and had learned a few Spanish words along the way.   However, the hot water heater would still not stay lit, so the caretaker called a plumber and arranged for him to come over to work on it tomorrow between 9 and 10.   Tomorrow is Sunday.   Really?   He wants to come then?  

So, at the end of the day, the score was:

            Leaky toilet     1

            Hot water         0

            Internet            0

            TV                    0

            Gas Leak         1   (Did I mention that we smell gas now?)

            Dead phone     1, now recharged

            Dead laptop    1, now recharged

On the positive side, our landlord in Canada got my email and called tonight, assuring us that he would cover all costs and giving us some tips on how to proceed.

We finished the day with a swim and a DVD movie.

Footnote:   The plumber, Jose, came out Sunday at 2:00 on Sunday, took apart the water heater and decided he needed parts.   He tightened a connection in the gas line and tested for leaks with his Bic lighter (yes, really!)  He looked at the toilet and decided it also needed parts.  He said he would look for parts on Monday and call us.   On Monday he called to say he would have to go to Guadalajara for the parts and would call us at noon on Tuesday, and come out in the afternoon.   We heard nothing from him on Tuesday, but today (Wednesday) he called to say he would be out this morning to fix everything.   He got here at 1:00, and amazingly, he and his son managed to fix the toilet and the hot water heater and installed a garbage disposal that we had brought with us.   That required pulling the dishwasher to tap into the wiring and install an outlet and switch.  They were here for 4 hours today.   Total cost:  $135.   In the mean time, we have internet up and running, after only two calls to Spanish-speaking tech support.   Tomorrow the satellite dish people are coming out.   What fun!

(written July 9, 2012)