10 Rules to Live By in Mexico

1. Price is always negotiable. In general no price is ever listed. The owner bases the cost of an item on how much he/she thinks it’s worth to you or how much money he thinks you have rather than the actual worth of the item.

2. Fruit is dirt cheap – so buy mangoes in bulk. While knowing it is not just a sale and tomorrow they will be the exact same price, we still can not resist buying 12 mangoes at a time because, why not?

mango

3. Eat what you are offered. You may not know what it is – or worse – you may know exactly what it is and how it was “cooked.” But you eat it anyway because you know that it would be unpardonably rude to refuse. And the person who made it probably spent significantly more on this meal in expectation of pleasing you than what they would normally for just their family.

food2

4. You can buy anything you need from your front door. If you’re out of something, no need to worry. People sell everything from homemade tortillas to garbage bags door to door.  Sooner or later someone is going to pass by in a truck, modified bicycle, pulling a cart or carrying whatever it was you needed. IMG_20130501_093133[1]

5. Stopping at a red light is optional. Yes, there are traffic lights, traffic signs and turning lanes. But if you follow them you will get nowhere slowly.

6. A motorcycle is a family vehicle. Why buy a minivan when you, your wife, your two kids and the week’s groceries all fit on a motorbike?

7. Street food is always the tastier option. Why would you ever eat at restaurant when street tacos are a tenth of the cost and twice as delicious? You have to build up an immunity to the local bacteria sometime. Might as well do it through the amazingness that are street tacos.

food collage

 8. Anything can be served in a tortilla. Beef? of course. Chicken? Naturally. Intestines? Delicious. Tongue? Please pass the salsa.

9. There are at least 47 speed bumps between you and your desired destination. Speed bumps are more prolific than potholes in Mazatlan. And if you happen to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid them, no one will bat an eye.

10. Someone is always there to help. Flat tire? Lost? In urgent need of a bathroom? There is always someone nearby more than willing to help you.

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These are just some of the things that have become standard in our lives. We are still working on things like never being on time. And sadly, we may never master such practices as matching our shirts with our purses, shoes, earrings and toenails or drinking coke with every meal.

As always, keep us in your prayers. Until next week!