Having slept a full night without feeling like I had a throat full of glass, today was the first day I woke up without a sore throat. And I finally figured out where my hives were coming from – it’s not alcohol! It’s from heat intolerance. Being a scientist (by education), I decided to perform a controlled experiment on myself. And under the disapproving eye of my mom (don’t worry, it was her bad eye and I was willing to make the sacrifice), I drank wine and the hives didn’t get worse. I also turned the condo into an icebox so by my totally sound science experiment, heat was causing the hives.
So naturally, I needed to make sure and mom needed to get some sketching done. Donning our best “beer-drinking” clothes (loose fitting dresses and flats), off to the downtown Plaza we went. Man, I love Mexico. And when I see the gigantic flag, I get even more excited to be here.
No downtown trip is complete without a visit to Baja Brewing (totally touristy but I love their beers) and a stop at Karina’s store. The beer was there, as usual, but Karina’s store was closed again. ¡Que lastíma! We did talk with a waiter at the Italian restaurant next door who said he saw Karina recently but the store has been closed for 3 days in a row. I messaged her on Instagram because I want to see her and buy some souvenirs!
Speaking of souvenirs, you would not believe how hard it is to find stuffed llama animals in Mexico. I get that llamas are a Peruvian thing but Mexico is close enough. Also, it’s pronounced ‘Yama’ in case you’re just as clueless as I was. The whole double-L thing. You’re probably wondering why I’d be searching for stuffed llama dolls; well it all starts with a Valentine’s Day card I hid for my mom earlier this year. And the card had 2 llamas on the front with the words “I llama you mucho.” And now, my bff Vanna and I throw it into our text messages. So I was on the hunt for a llama to send to Vanna and her daughter Little Miss Sunshine (LMS). Every store I stopped in had stuffed unicorns, giraffes, lions, dinosaurs (come on!) and creepy looking dogs. But no yamas. One store owner called his associate and asked if she had yamas because he couldn’t find them. “No, sorry” he tells me. “That’s OK, I’ll keep looking” I tell him (in very confident Spanish I might add).
At this point, I’m stopping in random stores wondering why it’s so hard to find a llama stuffed animal but also wondering why I care so much to find one – guess it’s just my nature to find the coolest gifts to give. As I’m walking, this other store owner stops me on the street and she says something in really fast Spanish. I’m all “no entiendo” (I don’t understand) but she’s pointing up the street. The man is running towards me with 2 yamas! At least they were the closest things to llamas I could find so I grabbed both and paid the full tourist price. But the memory of yama hunting, and finding a cool gift for my favorite girls is priceless. Guess I llama them mucho.
Mom got her sketch in and we picked out some new matching bracelets. With my brujería ways, I put an anti-Covid protection spell on them. And now mom and I have another set of matching bracelets to keep Frida company.
Tomorrow we’re going on a roadtrip. I won’t give any spoilers so check back later to see where we ended up and what crazy adventures the Señora Loca and the Señorita Loca get into – apparently family in Mexico and the US have already branded us with this badge of honor. ¡Vivir mi vida!
There She Goes... 