random memory

We took a trip to Mexico in 2000. Just Sam and I, along with my mom and dad, but no kids.

Originally we planned on going to Ecuador, where Sam served his LDS mission for two years, but we were flying on stand-by, and the flight filled up. We opted Mexico instead. Since we were planning the Ecuador thing, we packed all of our *needs* for a ten day stay in a back-pack, so we would be free to hop around, and see as much of the Country as we could pack in, in such a short stay. That is how we like to travel, no set itinerary.

It was hard to get everything into a back-pack though. And we had to wash clothes out in the sink with shampoo towards the end of the trip.

So here we were in Mexico, and not the normal Mazatlan or Acapulco. We like the little towns that aren't as well known. Along with the anonymity of the small towns, comes the lack of amenities. We found ourselves staying in 1/2 star hotels.

One of our better hotels had a running water shower. My parents stayed next to us. The rooms were clean, and had wooden slats instead of windows to let the cool(?) night air in. The next morning I woke up, and turned the shower on. The shower faucet was marked with what looked like permanent marker on the tile, a giant letter "C." I turned it all the way on, the opposite direction of the marked "C" for "cold", which should have been "A" for "arctic." The water was frigid! I waited, thinking that maybe everyone in the little complex had used up the supply.....waited, still nothing. We were anxious to get going, so I finally resigned myself to the fact that I was going to have to shower in that cold water.

Showering in cold water does nothing more that allow you the bragging right of "Hey, I showered this morning." Because we all know that all cold water does to that tropical humidity grease, is solidify it where it sits. Much like putting fried bacon in the fridge. Not to mention the instant headache you get, when your scalp tries to escape the cold water by shrinking and embedding itself into your skull. So I did the best I could (and in record time!) and got dressed and ready.

We met in my mom and dad's room.

My mom was humming, and putting her makeup on, hair washed and pulled up in a ponytail. "Hey, mom, how'd you like the cold shower?"
"Mine was hot."
What?
Come to find out, in Mexico, "C" is NOT for cold. It is for CALIENTE, spanish for "hot."

I took that cold shower for NADA. (Spanish for "nothing") Estupido!

So I notice this morning, in our new shower, the kind and wise folks at Moen solved the whole language barrier/good hot shower thing.
No "C's".
Just a nice snowflake or sun icon.

I think everyone can get that. And hot showers for all!