Hamaca Part Dos

Our friend Kathe came over yesterday for a visit and asked to see the hammock we had bought downtown. She looked at it and pronounced it to be “OK” but looking in her eyes, I could tell what she really thought of it! She told us that she could take us to where they made the real thing if we wanted a much better version. We said yes and we made a date for her to pick us up this morning. We asked Paul and Elsbeth, our Swiss neighbors, if they wanted to join us and of course they did.

The place where they make the quality hammocks is the local prison! Kathe arrived at 10:30 and we all piled into her truck and headed out. Kathe told us we could not take our cameras in but that she had a very small camera and would try to get a photo for us all to share. Kathe’s fluent Spanish got us through the main gate of the Centro De Readaptacion Social and then through the door into the prison itself! We went into a small room where one of the prison workers started bringing in hammocks. We opened up several of them and Kathe’s critical eye gave them a “yes” or a “no”. We eventually picked out a very nice double size while Paul and Elsbeth did the same. Kathe had told us the price would likely be around $500 pesos after her negotiations but the prices have gone up since her last visit and the best she could do was $650 pesos. The difference in quality was immediately obvious as soon as we looked at the double weave on these. They are much heavier and much better made. It will look great in my Pergola.

We paid our money and exited the prison under the watchful eyes of many guards. I told Paul and Elsbeth that they could tell their friends in Switzerland that they had been in a Mexican Prison! We all agreed that it was not a place we would want to spend any involuntary time in!

On the way home Kathe took us to a pottery shop where Norma was able to replace the serving platter that got broken when we hit the tope the other day. Norma is happy and I am now forgiven! Here are the photos Kathe took after telling the guard she needed examples of the colors offered.