The Best Wifi in Mazatlan is at Domino’s Pizza

Hello. Welcome to Daily(ish) for Tuesday. That's not today. It's Friday, 01/01/2016. I keep signing on my podcast 2000 '15.

It's warm outside. I won't trouble you with the details and the specifics of the of the temperatures. It's it's actually cooler today than it has been, but I know you won't feel any sympathy for me because it's I know looking at the temperature back home, at least where I am from, and it's substantially warmer here by a magnitude of, like, 40 degrees Celsius swing. So, no sympathy, I know, from the listeners elsewhere in the world unless you're also in a warm climate, in which case, here's to you, And we can, celebrate together, but, we won't bug everybody else who's not. Happy New Year, of course, and, it's 2016.

Kinda feels the same as 2015 so far, but, it's only a day in, so we'll see. Definitely weird to be in a different location. Christmas and New Year's, all of that, the sort of normal stuff of life, like celebration stuff of life. It definitely feels weird to be not at home, not in cold weather, not in snow. Not that I'm complaining, but it does kind of make it difficult to figure out how or get in the mood of celebrating a holiday like Christmas and even New Year's too where normally you're sort of bundling up, heading out maybe to a party with some friends or doing stuff with our kids that we normally would do at home and and you just have none of your usual sort of groundings and traditions that you normally have.

So I mean, you set up new ones obviously in temporary traditions and things like that, but it's, yeah, it's just different. So and, apparently, finding motivation to do things is is just as hard in a beautiful place, when everyone around you is on vacation as it is at home. Who knew? It could be that the issues that I have maybe follow me wherever I go. I don't know.

Changing locations and surroundings doesn't necessarily solve any of my personal struggles or problems. I could certainly take take more, like, Instagram selfies here to make it look like I'm successful that, you know, I'm sitting on the beach making millions, posed next to some insanely beautiful house or something that somebody owns and make it look like I'm, successful even though I'm actually here only because my parents decided to fly us down for a special occasion, and we've tagged on a little bit longer. But so, yeah. It's it's fun though. It's the the problems, the struggles obviously follow me wherever I go because they're me.

And that'll be it's not I don't do the New Year's Eve or New Year's goals or New Year's resolutions things really. I'm more of the cynic who recognizes that I'll just drop them in a little while anyways. As fun as it is to maybe think that I'll do something different this year, I know, the pessimist in me anyways thinks, nope. So small moderate changes, you know, even just being a little more active down here, which is much easier to do here, find anyways. I'm not a I I don't do a great job of being active in in the cold other than perhaps shoveling snow, but definitely easier to, you know, go for a walk on the beach or swim in the pool or whatever and feeling a bit more active.

And but by the same token, you also kind of drink and eat more things. Although, you know, yeah, we all eat or I eat anyways healthily at home at holiday time. So I certainly miss having reliable Internet and a dedicated space to record podcasts. And even now as I was writing the notes and now recording this episode, you know, I'm never really sure if somebody's gonna walk into the room and having headphones on while I do it, it always makes it interesting to realize after the fact that somebody's walked into a room or is about to, you know, scare me by whispering in my ear or in the microphone. Yesterday for New Year's Eve, we as a family, we went near to nearby beach town called Stone Island.

Vendors there are selling all sorts of crafts and trinkets, and you order food from a rustic sort of restaurant where you reserve a table for the day and sitting at a beach that kinda goes on forever and and just kind of being lazy gluttons of sorts. And but with our group of 16 with eight adults, eight kids, you know, it can be hard sometimes to get everyone to agree on something to do and but it was definitely a good time. Everyone had a great time and got to do different activities and and stuff in the water and things like that. And and driving back, it's kind of like as a family, you realize after the fact, you know, it's the memories of things that you get to do, the the little things that are maybe feel frustrating at first or whatever, but you have a a fun adventure in the midst of it. And and driving back, were got to ride in the back of a truck taxi on the beach all the way back for about, you know, fifteen, twenty minutes along the beach kind of thing along the ocean.

And and then the driver got stuck as we he was trying to turn around to go back, but, you know, everyone's laughing and having a good time with it even though it feels a bit like, you know, something could go wrong or you're you're maybe frustrated that you're not as warm or whatever. I don't know. I was having fun. But overall, the the Mazatlan people here are beautiful people who are very welcoming to foreigners. They have a, you know, strong dependency on tourism, so there's sort of a a bit of a need to keep the the tourists happy, I suppose.

And but definitely the undercurrent of the culture even when, you know, when I meet people, interact with folks in a grocery store or Domino's Pizza even the other day or whatever is very very friendly, very understanding with dummies like me who know very little Spanish. It's not something that's taught in Canadian school. I know in The US, I think it's it's taught similar to the way French is taught in Canadian schools, but we don't have it as a default option or whatever. So each time I come in, I'm always wishing I could have the discipline to learn Spanish a little better. Circling back to where I started, I think I'm trying to get my head out of vacation mode now that the holidays, the official holidays are over anyways, New Year's Day and stuff is happening today and just kinda relaxing.

There's apparently some sort of taco party down by the pool today for supper, which will be fun. But trying to get my head out of vacation mode and thinking about mode and, you know, the fact that it's Friday and bills and invoicing and all that kind of stuff and, when everybody, literally everybody around me is, like, in vacation mode. And so and there's when some one couple or family or whatever that is staying here leaves, someone else comes to take their place likely, and they're also just heading into vacation mode. So I can't complain, you know, doing a bit of emailing and and invoicing work or whatever by the pool isn't that hard and isn't that difficult. Updating websites and refreshing stuff on, you know, intermittent really slow Wi Fi is kind of frustrating.

The best Wi Fi actually in Mazatlan that I found so far, little traveler tip, is actually in the Domino's Pizza down in, near Juarez. So take that into into account if you're planning to come to Mazatlan. I think the problem is me though, obviously, trying to get the stuff done I need to get done in the time that I have and, taking opportunities to, help out with getting kids ready for the pool and all that kind stuff and get work done so that I can get to the pool and and have, you know, happy hour in the hot tub or something. Who knows? Definitely, you know, take advantage of the things I can't do at home normally and, and try and, you know, obviously keep clients happy and and things like that while I'm doing it.

And, but creating some adventures and fun with the kids and our family while we're here. So I think I'll sign off for now. Nobody interrupted me that I know of in the recording of this podcast, And, thank you for listening. Thanks for supporting me on Patreon, patreon.com/ichris, but you already know that if you're listening right now. And, we'll see you again.

Thanks for listening. Have a great day. Bye.