Monday, May 10, 2010

Mexican Ingenuity May 2010


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!

8 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. Juan Jose didn't need a business plan!! He just saw a need and filled it. Yes, ingenuity here surprises me all the time!
    Sheila

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  3. 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!

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  4. Leah - 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.
    Sheila - 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!

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  5. I love it! Our water guys stop by daily to see if we need water. And our garrafones are 14 pesos.

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  6. Heck of a deal! We pay 21 pesos for a garaphon (20 liters I think ;-)

    Yes Ciel 20 liters (I looked)

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  7. 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. ;)

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  8. We pay 40 pesos in Puerto Vallarta! Prices are sky high here!

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