Rev 3, 5/5/05
U.S. style stores we’ve
found
Cabo San Lucas: Costco
La Paz: CCC (two locations)
and Soriana. Both of these had more U.S. brands than we’ve seen anywhere else
in Mexico, and everything I list below (except for Albacore tuna) probably does
not apply in La Paz.
Puerto Vallarta (PV): Comercial Mexicana (“ComMex” has two locations),
Gigante, Mega, Sam’s Club, and Wal Mart.
Zihuatanejo: Bodega (Wal Mart) and ComMex (we preferred the latter).
Here are some of the
U.S. style grocery items that are hard to find, expensive, or just different.
The motto here is, “If you see it, buy it!” because it might not be there the
next time you go shopping. (This is not to say we don’t also shop at the local
mercados, which are often far better and cheaper for produce and other items.)
Almond extract – I’ve since seen this, but S/V Moana couldn’t find it in Zihua for their Christmas baking.
Canned beans – If you like chili and other types of flavored canned beans, bring them with you.
Canned chicken (Kirkland) – Maria in Barra de Navidad (and Tenacatita on Saturdays during the high season) and Comercial Mexicana (ComMex; orange pelican logo) near Marina Vallarta.
Chili powder – Has limon in most of them, not the same formula as the U.S. brands.
Coffee – If you like strong coffee, bring beans from home. We restocked in Puerto Vallarta at Café Oro Verde. Filters are at all the major stores.
Coke – Is everywhere but expensive and comes by the can or bottle (no six or 12 packs). We’ve switched to the Jumex juices for our rum drinks and we drink C-Light (Kraft’s version of Crystal Light for MX), which comes in packets of great tropical flavors.
Cold cereal – Low sugar cold cereal favorites like Grape-Nuts and Chex are limited and the healthier types are often expensive.
Cream of Wheat - A favorite hot cereal of mine, which I haven’t seen.
Hot Chocolate – I have not been able to find Nestle’s/Carnation brand instant hot chocolate anywhere. They have all kinds to mix with milk, but none to mix with hot water. (La Paz has Swiss Miss.)
Paper towels – We liked the rolls with the half sheets at home, but the rolls here are sometimes so small, it’s almost the same thing.
Peanut butter – You can find their brand in tiendas, but it’s a small jar and is expensive. Sam’s in PV had creamy Peter Pan, but not crunchy.
Sugar – Powdered and brown.
Toilet paper – You adjust to what’s available, and they have more variety than we do!
This is a list of things
we’re either very glad we brought with us, or will be picking up when we return
to the States, plus misc. suggestions.
Bimini – You need something that will cover at least half the boat in shade. We like ours, which John made out of agricultural netting/sun screen, because it lets the breeze flow through it. We’re now looking for more fabric to do the foredeck.
Bug spray – Sawyer’s Permethrin (available at REI) was recommended for spraying on screen netting to keep the no-see-ums at bay for up to a week. Also bring Borax, Raid Fumigators and/or roach traps to treat inevitable roach infestations. As careful as we were about cardboard, after six months in MX we now have roaches. We will toss all paper packaging and peel the labels off cans from now on.
Cheesecloth – Soak in vinegar and wrap cheese in it to prevent mold.
Christmas lights – We sorely regret not bringing at least a couple of long strands for the boat.
Cooler – We have a soft-sided cooler that is handy for going to other people’s boats or for carrying ice back from the store.
Credit card – It’s a good idea to leave a credit card number with a trusted person to facilitate purchases via email.
Dinghy – This is a case where big is clearly better, at least for us. This is your real workhorse and we wouldn’t skimp here. We have a 10’8” Achilles with a 15HP two-stroke Evinrude and big wheels (the small sized wheels get stuck in soft sand/gravel). We like to use it for long distance exploring/hauling so we carry a couple of small gas cans in addition to the dinghy tank.
Fans – We have two and will be getting two more.
Fishing – This will be a personal thing, but if you plan to summer in the Sea of Cortez, “The Baja Catch” by Neil Kelly and Gene Kira is highly recommended. Read it for pointers on what tackle to buy. Also, the cruising boys all want spear guns for “hunting.”
Flame tamer – All three of our pressure cooker bread recipes call for using a flame tamer over the burner. We burn the bread without one.
Fuel hose for dinghy – Bring a spare or the parts to make one. This is the only thing we’ve had stolen so far. Figure out a way to lock it to the dinghy.
Garden sprayer – Ours holds 40 oz of water. Intended for insecticides, but we use ours for rinsing off our feet and anything else where only a small amount of water is needed. We even started carrying it with us in the dinghy so that we can rinse the sand and salt water off our feet when we go ashore. Or a bucket of seawater works for rinsing the sand off your feet, and a quick wipe with an old towel takes care of the salt.
Generator – We purchased a Honda 1000 portable generator here in MX as a backup to our solar panels and we love it. Now we wish we’d brought more DVDs with us!
Guidebook(s) – For planning side trips to the interior. We recommend The People’s Guide to Mexico to get the flavor of Mexico, and at least one of the traditional where to go/what to see travel books to accompany it. Also, I highly recommend picking up the local cruiser’s services guides/maps whenever available. (La Paz: Marina de La Paz, Puerto Vallarta: Vallarta Yacht Club, Zihuatanejo: Rick’s Bar.)
Hiking misc. – We prefer to wear fanny packs rather than back packs when hiking in hot climates because they’re cooler. We also like to carry a lot of water, so when we were at REI we bought the liter sized wide mouth Nalgene bottles and something called a “sip sack” to clip them on to our fanny pack belts. All the purpose made fanny packs with water bottles that we saw had bottles that were too small for us.
Hypalon fabric – And the two part glue or rubber cement to go with it for dinghy patches. (Caution: get whatever patch material is recommended for your type of dinghy.)
Insulated cups – Great for keeping hot drinks hot and cold drinks cool. Something with a spill proof lid is great for the dinghy.
Laundry misc. – The soap in MX is highly scented so if you use unscented, bring a good supply and a method of providing it to the lavanderia (e.g., small Nalgene bottles or zip-loc bags). I was advised to bring quarters for the self-serve machines, but so far this only applied in Cabo San Lucas and Marina Palmira. The rest of the machines use tokens, or you will be using the drop off lavanderias. For the latter, I thought Rita on Overheated’s idea of attaching laminated boat cards to her laundry bags was a good one. Also, you pay by the kilo (ranging from 8-15 pesos) so you might want to use a thin hand towel after showering rather than a full sized Turkish bath sheet.
Lycra suit – We bought ours in preparation for summer in the Sea (to prevent jellyfish stings) from Katty’s in La Paz for 400 pesos each.
Map of Mexico – For inland travel and to facilitate “the big picture.” AAA is supposed to have a very good one of MX and Central America and another for Baja. We like ours from www.itmb.com because it’s waterproof and is easy to read.
Mexican boat flag – If you plan to spend more than one season.
Milk – We use non-fat for cereal. You can usually
find “Light” (2%) UHT milk, but I wish I’d brought more powdered non-fat. We
especially like the kind you can order from www.bobsredmill.com in Oregon.
Misc. spares – The usual things you always hear about: zincs, fan belts, fuel/oil filters, blue tape, sanding discs, oil, etc.
Passports – We only had a year and a half left on ours and should have renewed them before leaving.
PFDs – We bought new Mustang “Air Force” PFDs (Model #MD3032 with integrated harness) at Sail Expo in 2003 to replace our 12-year-old SOSpenders. Mine is so heavy that it gives me a neck ache when I have to wear it for extended periods of time (like on long passages). I would look for something lighter next time.
Phone card – Our Costco MCI phone card is charging .36/minute to call the U.S. You can get Ladatel phone cards here for 100 pesos that will give you 25 minutes to the U.S. If you decide to use your U.S. cards, be sure to get the correct access numbers to use from Mexico and load up on the minutes. Not all of them are rechargeable from MX.
Salt mill – Salt gets stuck in the shaker because of the humidity (even with rice in it), so we’re going to try grinding sea salt. [The one we bought on amazon.com works great!]
Satellite radio service – After awhile we found we missed an occasional news fix, NPR, baseball, or just some outside form of entertainment. Cruisers had both XM and Sirius with good results as far south as Acapulco. We were able to purchase a Delphi Roady 2 radio at Yee’s in La Paz, and signed up for XM service online. It would have been cheaper to buy the unit in the U.S., and we later added a more powerful antenna package.
Screens – We didn’t run into no-see-ums until we came back north and stopped at San Blas. Now (April, 2005) they and small flies, locally known a “bo-bo’s,” are a regular feature of life as we cruise the Sea of Cortez. We will be buying more no-see-um netting in the U.S. Also, be sure to have a cockpit enclosure or at least a companionway hatch screen solution thought out in advance, especially if you plan to summer in the Sea where bees and wasps can be a problem.
Solar cockpit/stanchion/anchor lights – The more we see these, the more we like them.
Spanish dictionary – You’ll want a comprehensive dictionary (our current one is insufficient) and a good pocket dictionary to carry with you. We don’t find phrase books particularly useful if you already know some basic Spanish.
Stamps – U.S. first class, additional postage (post card stamps), and maybe even a few $1 stamps. Also, something with which to weigh mail. Local VHF nets typically include a “Mail” category in which people returning to the States will carry flat mail back with them for posting. Cheaper and faster than mailing direct from MX.
Sun shower – We love our four gallon one made by Stearns and will buy a second one as a backup in case this one ever fails (it’s that important).
Swimming noodles – We like using these for snorkeling for added visibility. Several people have commented on ours and they are only $2-3 in the States.
Wind scoop – We love our Down-the-Hatch. We’ve also seen cool ones by Swiss Tech and North Sails. Anything that will move air through the boat.
Zinc oxide – For sun sensitive skin and lips. I found Dermatone at REI.
These are the “not sure
it’s really important, but wish I’d brought just in case” things on my list:
Acidophilus capsules – To introduce “good” bacteria into your system for fighting the “bad” stuff you might encounter in your eating adventures here.
Beach umbrella – We left ours in storage, and then searched high and low until we found one to buy here (at a premium price).
Gatorade – Powdered to reduce bulk, for a quick rehydrator.
Salt Away – Available from West Marine for wiping the salt off the boat without using a lot of fresh water. This received a higher rating from Practical Sailor than Salt Terminator (the brand Downwind Marine carries).
Saltwater soap – Head and Shoulders shampoo lathers well in salt water, but would be nice to have other choices. See www.nznature.co.nz for a saltwater bar soap/shampoo that I will be trying soon.
Water filters (one micron) – We use an under the sink filter in addition to the hose filter, but neglected to bring something stronger than the type that just filters out sediments, chlorine, etc.
Barra de Navidad: We must be the only cruisers who
think that the French Baker is over-rated. If you want to pay U.S. prices for
croissants and gourmet breads, he’s for you. We prefer the local pan dulces and
rolls.
Chamela (Punta Perula): Taco place by main square (on left hand side of street, weekends only). Fresh empanadas from the small panadaria, if you’re lucky enough to walk by when it’s open.
La Cruz: La Cava des Martinez (up Delfin, left on Camarone) for tortilla soup and MX sampler plate. Jorge’s Tacos in the Street (up Delfin, left on Coral, right on Huachinango; weekends only). Del Barrio tortillaria for tostadas, chips, and flour tortillas. We didn’t try the Black Forest, but it got high marks from other cruisers.
La Paz: Rancho Viejo for Arrachera (a half order will feed two) and Papas. Fish tacos at Super Tacos de Baja California Sur (Hermanos Gonzalez) across from Mas on Degollado. The fruit flavors (like mango sorbet) at Polka Dot Tree ice cream on the malecon are the best (skip the chocolate and vanilla).
Melaque (San Patricio): Hamburger place near the main square. Sunday night at the main square for street food. Pan dulces and rolls at the panaderia a block up from the church.
Puerto Vallarta: Mauricio’s on the road to Ixtapa for shrimp (from Nuevo take PV bus, get off at stop after Go-Karts and Pemex, cross busy highway, right at light, walk ½ mile; open 11-7, closed Mondays; Cuchi Cuchi and one other – “Love?” - are the only shrimp dishes that come unpeeled; this was one of the best meals we’ve had in MX; a must!). Ernesto’s in PV for tortilla soup (though El Faro in Jarataderas is supposed to be as good). Fajita Republic in Nuevo Vallarta (pricey but good and nice setting). Gelato place in the mall at Paradise Village Resort.
Zihuatanejo: Santa Prisca for pozole soup and good entertainment (Thursdays only, go with a small group, mid to late afternoon - a must!). Sunday night at the basketball court plaza for great street food. Gelato place across from the basketball court. Los Braseros for al pastor (the Gringa quesadilla). Any’s for tamales (also a good place to get a free calendar for the new year in January). Carnitas place (with big cartoon drawing of smiling pig in a vat) in the Mercado Municipal for tacos. Amado’s palapa on Las Gatas beach, if you need a “beach day.” Share their sampler platter with one or two other couples. Pan dulces from La Boquita (“ojo de buey” and empanadas con leche/crema, when you can find the latter, are my favorites; the ones at ComMex are a close second).
A word about guava: be careful when ordering anything with this ingredient. We’ve had a guava empanada (pan dulce), a paleta (ice cream fruit bar), and a sorbet, and they were all chock full of the nasty, hard, little guava seeds, making these things very unpleasant to eat.
Please see http://svnakia.blogspot.com
for an idea of where we’ve been and what we’ve done in Mexico, or to contact me
with questions, comments, updates, corrections, or additions regarding this
list!