MattMy belly is full of turkey. I am surrounded by good friends and small splashes of wine in the bottom of the bottles. I am reflecting on the grand adventure that was Christmas in Mazatlan 2018!
I have also completely overlooked the following minor distractions:
- Postponing Christmas by a day
- Running out of gas
- Running out of water
- Sourcing cranberries
- Wondering how to make dressing
- Can turkey truly be BBQ’d?
- Santa singing Feliz Navidad at 3am
Let me explain.
Christmas in 2018 was spent at our home in Mazatlan, where we have been living since September 2018. We came here looking for a winter retreat to focus upon our blog, and enjoy the summer weather.
The adventurous part of renting a house in a different country is that you may not be sure of the processes involved in keeping the household operating. Things like water, gas, electrical, and internet all work a little differently than we are used to. These differences often require patience and a willingness to learn the new steps involved to make your house operate.
During the Christmas week, we had two friends come and visit. We also have Heather’s mom with us so it made for a large group to celebrate with on Christmas day.
And we had big plans. Big plans.
Christmas day activities included puzzling and swimming.
Christmas Dinner
Our plan was to cook a nice turkey dinner. The supermarket had the frozen turkey, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. What I could not find was the gravy packages or fresh cranberries - so we improvised and made gravy the old fashioned way and used canned cranberries (gasp!).
The best purchase was the poultry seasoning we used for the dressing. It was 90% MSG and salt - I don't think it had any sage in it at all! To add some local flavour I picked up some cubed cactus - yes you heard right, they scrape the spines off the flat discs and cube up the centre fleshy part. Makes a great cactus salad!
Heather's Mom Making the Stuffing with the MSG
Doing the dishes prior to the pinnacle event of throwing the turkey into the oven, we had no hot water. Drat - the pilot must have gone out. Once we figured out the dial and the pilot setting, everything seemed working when we relit it. And then it went out again.
That was when my slightly Baileys addled mind concluded - we have no gas!
I phoned the gas company and spoke with mechanical Mary - who only speaks Spanish at a speed that even a native Spanish speaker would have an issue understanding. As a group we all determined that it was likely I had maybe ordered some gas, and we agreed that if they arrive before 2:00 pm, then everything could still be cooked in order. If the gas didn’t arrive by 2:00 pm we would briefly panic and then come up with ‘Plan B’.
The gas did not come. Time to Institute Plan B.
We had a delicious dinner of BBQ ribs and all the trimmings supplied by Fat Fish - a wonderful place around the corner from our house!
On Boxing Day (December 26th), the day dawned as beautiful as many of the wonderful days in Mazatlan. Bright sun, and the promise of a 25-degree day (80 degrees Fahrenheit). We knew we had to cook the turkey today or throw it out. I confirmed with a human on the phone that the gas was being delivered today and should arrive around 3:00 pm.
If any of you have lived in Mexico then you know the gas arriving on time is as probable as politicians keeping their promises! We made a friendly bet among the five of us on what time the gas would actually arrive. I lost, but the gas did arrive that day - but not in time to cook the bird. Onto plan ‘C’ or ‘D’ or whatever we were on.
I have never been so happy to see a gas truck before..shame it didn't come earlier
The "Book" for the bet. Leah won - gas came at 3:51pm
We have a perfectly good BBQ, but no sense of how much propane was in the tank. Uncle Google told me to pour boiling water on the outside and feel for cold spots. If Uncle Google was right, we had about half a tank, and I assumed it was more than enough to BBQ a whole thawed turkey. What could possibly go wrong?
Bird was all trussed up, stuffed with onions and limes, and covered with oil and pepper. Using enough tinfoil to effectively communicate with aliens from numerous planets, the bird was ready to be put to the fire. We tried the lowest flame and placed the bird on the BBQ at 1:00 pm.
To make a long story short - we had a FANTASTIC turkey dinner with all the trimmings at about 5:00 pm, as it cooked faster than I had planned. Our lovely outdoor table trimmed with lights and candles seemed a little out of place in the bright sunlight - but the food and company made it all worthwhile!
Water Issues Too?
Unfortunately, our housing issues didn’t end with the gas. We had water issues and of course, this also happened on Christmas day.
The water in our house is stored on the roof, and there is a pump that brings the water from street level to the tank when the water levels drop. In our tank, the float that controls the pump on/off is malfunctioning and it occasionally fails to come on when the water level is low. This is easily fixed with a death defying climb up a ladder to the roof. I jiggle the wire going into the tank which is connected to the float and voila, the pump starts working.
What you can't see or hear in this image is the fact that the ladder attached to the wall seems to be moving a little with each step. Not sure the cement is holding it in place!
While waiting for the gas to arrive, we decided to go for a swim in the ocean. When we returned to the house, we all needed to jump thru a shower to get the sand grit off. At one point I recall a shout:
Matt - the waters gone!!
I fixed the water issue right away but it still meant two people had to wait 30 minutes with shampoo in their hair for the water to return!
Decorating for Christmas
Heather and I have never been like Buddy in the movie Elf, but we are also not the Grinch. We have never actually put a Christmas tree up in our own home, but we do enjoy the ambiance of festive decorations.
Our house in Mazatlan came with a pre-lit Christmas tree, so we figured it was an easy way to get into the festive spirit. As a group we decorated the tree with empty beer cans, some paper towel bow ties, and surprises from our Kinder Eggs we received from Santa- it was beautiful, if a little unconventional!
The bow ties really class it up!
Our neighbours have an elaborate setup like you might find in Canada. Unfortunately, the Santa Claus statue sings 'Feliz Navidad' in a very mechanical voice, triggered by the motion sensor. Their cat loves to plague Santa using its tail to trigger it to sing. I have to admit, if I never hear Feliz Navidad again it will be too soon!
We did enjoy all the other decorations around the community. Christmas cactuses, and inflatable Santa’s and Snowmen. They look a little funny in the daytime deflated and drooped over rooftops - kind of like how Heather looks after too much Tequila!
That poor deflated Snow man. Santa must have had a really rough night as he didn't make it over the balcony!
Christmas Cactus! Not the kind you eat.
Lessons Learned
Cultural traditions may be somewhat complicated to duplicate in a foreign country. Look for the local traditions and celebrate with those. Live the culture you are engaged in.
When things can go wrong they inevitably will. Resilience, creativity and a good dose of humour go a long way to overcome these obstacles. The Baileys helped somewhat as well!
Collaboration with your guests and roomies is important. You want to ensure everyone is in the loop, so if tough decisions have to be made, then everyone will feel heard and included
Celebrations should not be tied to specific days. We had a wonderful Christmas dinner in Mazatlan, who cares that it was December 26?
If you are not sure about something inane like BBQ turkey, that is what Uncle Google is for! (time per pound, gas heat, amount of gas, how to tell how full your BBQ tank is, etc)
If you are celebrating the season with partners, family, and great friends then it will always be successful. These ingredients are always the basis for a good time.
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