Only Two Months of Coffee at Two Per Day

There's a certain madness that takes place inside a Costco warehouse. Ordinary people suddenly feel like they've become purchasing agents for a large international conglomerate. The 'go-big-or-go-home' mentality prevails.  Go ahead, throw this on top of the pile in the oversized cart too. 

   

I sure hope I like the Costco private-label brand of these particular Keurig coffee pods. I've never tried one. So I guess it was prudent to buy a 120 ct box, right?  I did hear the Kirkland brand K-cups are packed by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters®.

Sizing is Not a Science

This morning we drove to our closest Costco warehouse. I enjoy driving from some of the highest ground in New Westminster down Cariboo Road and over Highway 1 to Burnaby. Jay bought some new pants there last week. Many of his comfortable pants are now size 34" waist. However, the ones he got the other day, slide right off him. He didn't try buying the 32" ones.

We notice that sizes sold in North America are often a lot larger than the printed size. Similarly, we see the opposite when buying clothes in Asia. 

   

Whereas a large t-shirt may fit me here, I have had to buy XXL in some spots. Most all garments are made in places such as Bangladesh but their sizing depends on the country creating the orders.  I got this shirt in Dubai a few months ago.  It fits like a glove!  I'm fat but I am not an elephant!

At the Foot of Cariboo Road

It was a much nicer morning than afternoon.  We'd not been to Costco since getting back in Canada.  Our nearest warehouse is in Burnaby not far from the Lougheed area and only about 5 km from the apartment.  Interestingly, today I plugged my phone into Kimchi and Google directed me on a slightly different route than I would've taken.  

There was a lot of fresh snow on the mountains.

We didn't buy a great deal but found that the packaged nuts were cheaper than on Amazon.  So, Jay picked up hazelnuts, brazil nuts, and walnuts.  We got a few other times such as juice and apples.  We didn't buy any Peruvian pomegranates at CA$ 4.00 each but did marvel briefly at their size. 

There's nothing like a Costco to remind one that he or she is but a mere speck in a giant retail landscape.  This is one of the smaller warehouses but there's so much on offer.

Quite Purple!

The weather for most of the day was unpleasant. Around 4:00 pm it cleared up a bit but that was short-lived.

      

I might not have taken any photos today had it not been for the UPS guy. He delivered Jay's new suitcase and carry-on. We bought unseen from the COSTCO website. The two peices have the Samsonite name on their sides but they feel as cheap as any department store luggage.

The Immense Parking Lot was Full

I should have pictures of the storm. We'd known it was coming and were warned. It ended up being an explosive low-pressure system off the Pacific that set records but, luckily, it bypassed us directly. 

Before things started really blowing in the afternoon, we drove to Surrey. We were very near to the location where we were sworn in as Canadians. That part of Surrey is called Newton. Until today, we'd only visited the closest COSTCO warehouse. Today's was around 10 KM from our place. Another is about the same distance too. Our closest warehouse is a few kilometers closer.

   

It was huge and immensely busy for a Monday morning. It must be people try to avoid the weekend crowds by visiting on Mondays. Now we know enough to avoid Mondays too. We bought just several food items for this was a scouting mission.

Membership Thru Next Summer

I researched the new Microsoft PC hardware and was not impressed. It seems as though they've gone the same route as Apple; namely, quality builds with a 40% price premium over the specs of the provided hardware. I guess that extra cash must go into the "magical" qualities as both marketing teams now promise buyers this with their products. 

Beginning a month ago, I started looking for a new laptop to replace our ageing ASUS.  We needed a new Windows PC for the road but not too much of one.  I was looking for another one that would be easy to stuff into my backpack.    

I noted the HP Pavilion Aero 13 had a perfect combination of good specs at a reasonable price.  Unfortunately, the model is not offered through the online HP store in Canada.  Their US store cannot ship here either.  In fact, the model I desired is sold through just one reseller in the entire country!

 

I had somehow managed a few decades in BC without a COSTCO membership, but I bought one online last night.  We ventured to the closest warehouse to get our cards this morning.  It was almost worth the 5.5-kilometer drive and money just to hike around inside the location.  Far too many folks visit on Sunday mornings, I must report.

Got one!  Our new PC shipped with Win10 on the SSD but as soon as the installation process got hold of our wifi name and password, it offered to load Windows 11 instead.  So, there was zero wait or additional hassle setting up the new machine this afternoon.  It's completely white, so this computer will ensure that we frequently wash our hands, even when COVID-19 is no longer a concern.

Perhaps I'll include a few photos tomorrow and a comparison shot of our old and new travel PCs.

Our Buildings' Barbeque

Last year we were away for our strata's summer BBQ. We're celebrating our 20th summer in this building but I don't much remember these events in our initial years. The building posters said today's was the 22nd annual!

Today was the first cold day in weeks. I haven't had on long pants for ever-so-long but this evening it was too cold for shorts.

Every item except the watermelon is on the bad-food list. I started with a large sausage and hamburger with copious snack food. Later, I ate at least three of the Costco, hydrogenated-palm-oil cookies too. I won't see these items again for a year if we're in town!

Food Favourites

Because we are home, we ran to the Supermarket today for weekly shopping. This must be a bumper crop for mangoes this year, or there are new, Mexican suppliers for our supermarket chain. They've been so cheap we have brought home a flat for each of the last six weeks. They are my most favourite fruit right ahead of local cherries and Okanagan tree fruit.


I'm glad we were home for tonight's strata BBQ. Every year our strata throws one during the summer months. It is a nice time to meet up with some of the folks who live in our building. Surprisingly, there are some people who come and go at different times whom we only see during these gatherings.

Also, it is special as it's a free pass to eat all the sort of food we never buy for ourselves. I make it into a competition as to how many hamburgers, bratwurst, and chicken I can stuff into my face. I also want a ton of over-mayonnaised potato salad and handfuls of chips and those Costco cookies with enough trans fats to kill a horse. Yipee! We were here for this evening's event. I can't believe I ate ...

Always in August

I ate too much.


It is just that we don't do our own barbecues and are probably one of the few without a grill on the balcony. So, when our strata (condo) association has its summer BBQ, I always scoff down way too much food. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and chicken; I really didn't need all three types of meat. Lots of the fixin's come from Costco but people also bring potluck. With the variety of neighbours, we end up with things such as Jay's biryani added to the traditional picnic mix.




We have had two cloudy days since April but this afternoon we had a few sprinkles. It's hard to plan summer events in advance. This was the 19th annual event yet we have only lived here 17 summers. It's a good time to see some of the folks we won't meet until the next one. Then of course there are the folks from the other tower; they're often complete strangers until an event like this.

Lay of the (Shopping) Land - Day 20

Yesterday afternoon we went up to the Galerias to see the final Hobbit movie. We were happy at the price of $6.10 to see a brand new, 3D flick.


After checking on the website, we discovered that although the cinemas are comparable, the prices at the Galerias are a bit more than other locations. So, today, we took the TUNEL bus to see if we could find the Macro Plaza (mall). The more we find our way around the area, the happier I am that we are here for the whole winter. Only once, years ago, did we pass the Costco on a bus and that was by accident. Now, we have actually discovered that getting to all points at the north side of town, including the cruise ship terminal is much easier and quicker via TUNEL buses. That will be our preferred way to travel to movies and the largest supermarkets during the rest of our stay in Puerto Vallarta. The bus route going through the tunnels is only one block from the apartment.


Macro Plaza includes the newer Walmart as well as the latest Cinamex. Its Walmart is enormous and has a much better layout than the one by the port. We went in to check and ended up doing some grocery shopping again! There will probably be no reason for us to visit the port area, unless we have a few more visitors this winter coming in by cruise ship.

Shopping Local - Day 11

We have only been to one of the two Walmart Supercentres in Puerto Vallarta. We have neither Sam's Club nor Costco memberships, so we cannot go to either of those. There are several, huge Mexican supermarket chains here, and we found the Mega to be ... well mega. Yet, when it comes to shopping for fruits and vegetables, I think we are going to walk a few blocks to the the municipal market near our apartment.


I'm pretty sure Sundays are going to be our vegetable-shopping days at the Emiliano Zapata Municipal Market.


Living in the tropics isn't all about beaches for us. We are used to eating a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. We have spent a lot of time at these latitudes. Puerto Vallarta is almost exactly as far north from the equator as Hawaii is. We can find some favourite things here which haven't been picked far-too early and shipped to northern climes.

This morning, we spent less than a quarter of what we would have paid at home. It's like the fun of the small window of our Okanagan fruit season, but year round! I most probably never tasted a fresh papaya until after I graduated from college.

In a Barn

When leaving the door open as a kid, my father would ask me if I were brought up in a barn. You've got to admit that's a rather a weird question considering he knew very well where I was being raised.


We stopped by The Bulk Barn when visitng the Queensborough Walmart today. I don't know why I am so fascinated with the place. It primarily sells the type of foodstuffs which can be sold from store bins. You know, they carry things like nuts, rices and pasta, candy, and baking goods. The prices are probably competitive although not cheap. It is fun to go inside. Maybe I'm intrigued because I think the franchises demonstrate an interesting business model.

We often find their flyer in our local newspaper. There's frequently a coupon for $3 off when purchases total at least ten dollars. I always feel that without controls, I would be inclined to spend hundreds of dollars there. This place has a sort of Costco effect on me.

Our Buildings' Annual BBQ

Traditions are nice. Traditions involving food are great!

Our annual strata (condo) barbecue took place this evening. We like the chance to see some of the folks who live here. Even though we live so closely, our paths may not cross with a few of these folks until next summer.

An equally important reason for loving this event is that I get to eat foods which are not so healthy. Burgers are rare for me nowadays and the Smokies generally off limits. I haven't eaten a Dorito since last August, I'm sure. Oh, and then there are those artery-choking, trans-fat-filled, Costco cookies that I love.

Costco Cookies to Die for

Today started as a rather ordinary Saturday. Well not quite, today marked the 30th day with no trace of rain. That might not be close to records in all places, but it's quite a special thing 'round here. We didn't do shopping yesterday afternoon as has been the norm during recent weeks. So, we went to the Superstore in the morning and went directly to the Langley Farm Market up on Canada Way on the way home.

Oh yeah. There was something else special: It was our strata council's 17th-annual resident barbecue this evening. That made the day all the more special as it is carte blanche for eating otherwise banned food. Like at any good BBQ, I ate a hamburger, hot dog, and bratwurst. There was 1-2-3. That's not to mention the potato chips, Doritos, and super-mayo-ie potato salad. That was 4-5-6. Most of the other things were healthy, for example the chili, condiments, and fruit. But oh, the cookies may have been from Costco and each contained at least one gallon of trans-fats. You know the type I mean. They're about 6-inches in diameter. There were three kinds; so, of course, I ate three. It's all okay as I'm now smiling. May as well go that way, I guess.

I Want to Make a Right Turn

Could it be the recent time spent at the beach in San Juan del Sur, Nicargaua? Or maybe it's the fact the weather here today is more typical of a rainy February. For whatever reason, I am finding myself dreaming of continued escape through the means of a little Internet research.


Click to open this Google Street View location on Mexican Highway 200.

If you follow this blog at all, you may be familiar with my recent infatuation with Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Coconut trees just seem agreeable to me. Of course I've nothing against a Douglas fir. To me the future will have to include spending summers and autumns in British Columbia but winters and springs somewhere more tropical.

Puerto Vallarta offers familiar amenities like a Costco and a Walmart Supercenter. I do think it has successfully managed to retain its small town feel though. It also offers abundant lifestyle opportunities. Yet, I really long for rustic rather than luxury. The real estate market in Puerto Vallarta has not yet come to terms with the realities of the current economy. The properties we could afford there are not cute and authentic, but simply down-market. So, I have figured we must explore the area south of there during an upcoming vacation.

I've become a little fascinated with the town of La Manzanilla, Mexico from today's research.

Bucerias

It's perfect time for a Margaretta by the poolside. It is happy hour after all. Of course happy hour is between 3:00 and 6:00 at the hotel. A Corona is only about 80 cents at present too. Perhaps there's one of those waiting in the refrigerator.



Today, we got up at a reasonable time. After breakfast by the pool, we decided to strike out for points beyond. Banderas Bay is very large. Later this week we'll go south, but today, we went north to Bucerias. It was a little quieter than in town. It must have been like what Puerto Vallarta used to be like. In order to get there we had to pass by the big developments in the Marina and Nuevo Vallarta. Those are the places that accept week-long package deals in mega hotels. I am sure some of the folks there never leave their all-inclusive environment. How yucky!

I loved coming back into the Old Town and better yet, the Romantic Zone. I like the buildings backed up against the mountains. I'd never want a flashy condo far away on the beach. Give me a tiny one-room apartment in a little building preferably on the south side of the river. Here it's easy to eat the food that actual Mexicans do and take the buses they board. It's great there's a Walmart Costco and Home Depot here, but I'd rather not have to see them on a daily basis.

A Netbook and a Movie

After a good sleep in a very comfortable bed we awoke to a cool and cloudy day. Shopping would prove a major part of it. I had mentioned I wanted to replace my recently inoperative laptop with a new Acer Aspire One netbook. I would have bought one in Canada except for the fact they only ship with bilingual keyboards here. The tiny form factor uses a smaller than average keyboard as it is; I surely didn't need one with extra keys.

In order to get to this home we had driven 20 miles on mostly paved roads from Ellensburg. For shopping, Yakima is 30 miles the other direction. This meant we weren't exactly in the middle of nowhere.

After visiting a number of box-box retailers, we went to the biggest. It was COSTCO which had boxes and boxes of my little netbooks for $299 each. I was pleased. As the day was young, we went to the movie theatre. We saw Slumdog Millionaire (2008) at the 3:30 pm matinee. Of course, it was dark after. On the drive back, it was snowing a little too. Later in the evening, dinner was great!