A few months ago
our neighborhood water company moved!
El Centro de Llenado (the filling plant), as it is called,
decided to relocate about a mile away.
So what, some of you might say.
Well, if you don't have a car,
like most of my neighbors, and
you're unable to lug a full 19 liter garafón
of water a few blocks or miles to your house —
watcha gonna do?
Some women elect to drag a little wiggly
shopping cart and hump it along the
cobblestones and dirt roads,
but for some of us there is
the new service of. . .
Carlitos Adrian and Juan José!
BTW, Carlitos Adrian is 4.
I caught up with them the other day to get on their list.
Now when I hear the squawk of a bicycle horn,
I grab the empty garafónes and run for the gate.
Within a couple of hours they are back with
my full bottles.
Cost of the water? 8 pesos/garafón (about 80 cents).
Cost of the service? 2 pesos/garafón (about 20 cents).
Having Carlitos be my own personal water guy?
PRICELESS!
We have a personal water guy that makes his rounds in the neighborhood. It's only a few blocks for us to walk, but in the heat it can seem a lot further. Plus I like to support the service they provide.
ReplyDeleteJuan Jose didn't need a business plan!! He just saw a need and filled it. Yes, ingenuity here surprises me all the time!
ReplyDeleteSheila
Truly, Mexican ingenuity and enterprise at work! What a great price too! We have trucks that come by, but no matter how you get your water, it is 23 pesos per garafon!
ReplyDeleteLeah - that's how I feel too. I have a car and can easily fetch water for myself, but I want to support Juan José and his entrepreneurship.
ReplyDeleteSheila - lol! Yeah no need for a business plan, huh? Exactly, Henry J. Kaiser said the same thing. . .find a need and fill it. Worked for him!
Isla - Yeah, we have trucks too. I printed a copy of the photo for Carlitos, he was pretty impressed with himself. So cute!
I love it! Our water guys stop by daily to see if we need water. And our garrafones are 14 pesos.
ReplyDeleteHeck of a deal! We pay 21 pesos for a garaphon (20 liters I think ;-)
ReplyDeleteYes Ciel 20 liters (I looked)
How cool. Here we have the trucks that come around but my water guy is my hubby and he just goes to the tienda next door. ;)
ReplyDeleteWe pay 40 pesos in Puerto Vallarta! Prices are sky high here!
ReplyDelete