Shopping in Loreto is an adventure, usually an all day adventure.
Up until a few years ago, there was one super market in town and many small neighborhood markets. Fruits and vegetables were usually bought Sunday at the Tionges, sort of a cross between a farmers market and a flea market.
Now we have a super market and Walmart like department store. But shopping is still an adventure. Produce is what is grown in the area, tomatoes and a multitude of peppers are usually always available, Other fruits and vegetables come and go with seasons. When you shop, you buy what is available, not what's on your list.
Right now fresh strawberries are coming in, about 80 cents a pint... yum
Shopping for groceries is really pretty easy, you can usually figure out what is what without too much trouble. Shopping for hardware is another story. There are many hardware type shops, but without a Spanish vocabulary, it's a struggle. I use Google translate to find basically what I need, that works as a starting point. One day I was looking for an electrical box and some foam pipe insulation. I knew where the electric supply shop was, so.... nope they didn't have one. So off to the plumbing supply shop, nope no pipe insulation.... but I found the electric box! Then I asked where to find the pipe insulation? Of course, back at the electric supply shop! It usually takes several trips to accomplish your goals, but in the process, each day my Spanish improves.
The other thing to know is, when you see something you might want, buy it t, because when you return, it will be gone. Pretty much doesn't matter what it is. DeeDee found some wine on sale at one of the grocery stores, a decent looking Cabernet, just $60 pesos, that's about $3.50 with the exchange rate as good as it is. She bought a bottle to try, after all they had 10 case on the floor. The wine was quite good, so we went back the next day to stock up...... no mas!!
You may not find everything you want here, but there is everything you need... It's kind of like a Treasure Hunt, and it's fun
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