So we still need to give them 21,500 pesos in cash. The problem is that I'm only able to take out 6,000 pesos at a time with the limits on my ATM card. So it's meant a few trips into town this week to go to the bank.
Yesterday, on our trip into town, one of our errands was to pick up the couch cushions that were ready.
Only problem was, how to get them home? Ruth said that we could just take them on the ATV, but I didn't think that was going to be easy. She said it would be the Mexican way, and she's totally right. Every day, we see ATV's or motorcycles loaded with something that we wouldn't think possible, so a couple of cushions should be easy.
Ruth sat on one, and held onto the other in between us!
No problem!
Really pleased with the end result.
It's exactly what we were looking for. The only problem, it was quite expensive. We chose expensive material and foam, but we both agreed on the color so we went for it. Both cushions together cost a total of 3,850 pesos ($293 CAD, $212 USD). But, still cheaper than buying a new couch!
I mentioned the other day that I was replacing the light fixtures in the whole house. Well, two of the four fixtures in the kitchen didn't have bulbs in them when we arrived. I put a bulb in, and the light came on right away. Great! But... there was no way to turn it off! The other one was the same thing. None of the switches would turn those lights off.
Mexican electricity can be funny. There are standards that are similar to standards in Canada and the U.S., however the inspection process for houses is lax (or non existent!) Anyhow, I decided to do some digging to see if I could figure out how to get a working switch to that light.
It turns out there was no hot wire going to the switch at all.
And on top of that, the light had been wired direct, not even using the wire coming from the switch!
And, all of the wiring in the house is stranded automotive wire, rather than solid. At least it's fairly strong 12 gauge wire. Apparently they do this because with the narrow conduit that they feed through the concrete for the wires, stranded wire is more flexible and easier to get through the conduit.
And, the colors of the wire mean nothing. Normally, red is the hot wire, black is secondary hot, and white is neutral. Oh, and green is ground, but there is no ground wire at all in these boxes. Anyhow, they obviously grabbed whatever color wire was available because the colors mean nothing.
It took me a while, but I finally figured it out and the light now turns on and off at the switch.
The job today is to figure out the one above the sink which has the same problem. It's funny because the problem has obviously existed since they built the house in 2016-2017. But because nobody has ever lived here on a regular basis, nobody has ever cared. And obviously the guy who did the electric didn't care either!
And, as I'm writing this, we received a message from the carpenter. Apparently he got sick and the furniture will not be delivered today. They promise it will be this week though! Such is life in Mexico.
This afternoon, we are going into the big city of Toluca to go to our friend Paco's 70th birthday party!
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Check out Remitly World .. it works so well in Mexico to transfer money Dailey ! Wise is another way to transfer money and then you don’t have to count on an atm - fees are better and rate is great!
ReplyDeleteYes, we have a Wise account, and it works great for once a month ATM cash withdrawals. But once you get over the "free" limit, there is a fee for doing it that way. And yes, we use Wise to transfer money when the recipient here is able to accept it that way. We do use Wise to transfer for our rent, and we paid for the cushions that way. But the bank that the furniture guy uses was not set up to be able to accept transfers from Wise. I don't like Remitly because they don't use market exchange rates.
DeleteFor currency transfers, most Canadian banks offer “Global Money transfer” on their apps. Up to 70 countries depending on your bank. All you need is the info on the person/business checking account.
ReplyDeleteSince you now have in-house internet … for lighting without switch, I suggest a smart light bulb which you control with voice commands (Alexa/Google) or thru the brand’s app. J-R😎
Except the Canadian bank exchange rates for those "global money transfers" are ridiculously inflated. They tell you there are no or low fees, but they make up for it with the exchange rates. And yes, one of those light sockets will end up with a smart bulb.
DeleteVery nice cushions! We had to do something similar when we picked up similar cushions we'd ordered made in Florida for our motorhome. We only had bicycles, so that was quite the challenge! It may have taken two trips, but the place wasn't too far from the RV park. It's amazing what you can haul with a little ingenuity!
ReplyDeleteThat's amazing about the lights. Sure am glad Kevin knows about electricity (so does Barry). Could be pretty dangerous making those changes otherwise.
We are really happy with the cushions and we are now thinking twice about getting the larger couch and chair done. It is pricey but it really does look nice. Lol, it is amazing what you can do with a little ingenuity! It would have been funny to have seen what you both looked like carrying the cushions on your bicycles!
DeleteI'm sure I must have a photo somewhere...if I manage to dig it up, I'll post it in a Facebook comment. We had a full-size couch plus a dinette done, so eight large cushions, I think, so it must have taken two trips! I'm sure the Winter Garden locals had never seen such a sight. You do see things like that in Mexico, as you say, but not so much in Florida!
DeleteAnd, my memory stinks! I updated on your Facebook page....
DeleteLol, no worries about the memory, we have our age to blame for that! Thanks for adding the picture, we think it is great that you still did that even with two cushions!
DeleteFurniture looks great. The wiring is like opening a can of worms. Tract houses in Mexico are wired properly. The local yokel electrician will always have a back asswards wiring setup.
ReplyDeleteThanks Chris! We think it looks great too, now we can't wait to see what the rest of the furniture will look like once we get it delivered and all set up.
DeleteAgreed about the electricity here, it is definitely like opening a can of worms. The electrical work done in the casita must have been done by local yokel because it really is messed up, lol!