First Washday and the Cozumel Glow

...not a new washing powder.

Since my washing machine is now in its nice new housing and working I have told the guys am looking for ward to my first washday with this trusty machine. It’s a fairly new machine but has a long history and has “seen plenty of action” in its short lifespan.

The machine was new when we bought the house and had been rarely used. The previous owner offered to sell me it, but thinking I didn’t want to be hassled with domestic chores on a holiday paradise island, I refused. Shelater sold it to my (excellent) realtor. I changed my mind when I found the realtor wasn’t actually using it and my esposo decided he would like to have one available to wash his dive suit. So my realtor and I traded it back.

My builder at that time transported it from my realtors house, a mile or two away, to my place in his trusty tricyclo.


A tricycle is an adult three wheeled bike, they are very common here and very similar to the little three wheeler Raleigh bikes my friends and I would race around on as kids in UK in the 50’. They easily carry more weight than my rented ford fiesta ever could and are used to transport people, building materials, furnishings… mother-in-laws ... in fact there is very little they don’t transport on these vintage looking marvels.

But back to the washing machine.
We put it in a corner where it was well protected and it made it through Emily in one piece. We then decided we wanted the space for our dive equipment drying area and so tried to sell it.

One day while in Chedraui, I saw a local lady eyeing a new machine and so approached her and mentioned I was selling a similar, almost new machine for half the price. She was overjoyed and came straight round to my house and offered to buy it there and then. She would go back home and return with the money at the weekend. That weekend she still didn’t have the cash but offered to pay at the end of the month. In her exuberance she also invited me to their Sunday lunch. I declined as my Spanish was very lacking at that time (still is for that matter unless you’re talking building talk). Am not sure whether my refusal offended her though, as she never did return.

So machine stayed put, and went through the unexpected, three day, heavy duty, hurricane Wilma, during which time it spend a good few days of its short life up to its knees in water.

After Wilma we pretty much gave it up for dead, the engine buzzed but did little else. The gas dryer still worked well though as it was high above the Wilma water level so I gave it one last chance and sent it to the repair shop. Three men almost killed themselves trying to move it to the truck to take it for repair … like mattresses here, this thing is damned heavy. They gave me an estimate of $100 for total repair and clean … it seemed a fair price so we went ahead. When it returned it was cleaned and worked a treat … it just lacked the proper plumbing.

Anyhoo, to return to the washday.
I have all my clothes in and am about to start the wash when the power goes off. One might think that this is a common occurrence on Cozumel but surprisingly, its not. Hurricanes aside, we actually have more power outages/cuts in Virginia than we do on here Cozumel. An hour or so later the power returns and I go out to make a second start on my wash.

As I am checking all the parts prior to the wash I notice the hot water intake is still open. My builder mentioned this would be a problem but I am expert and not dissuaded by this. I find a plastic cap in my mini bodega closet and it fits over the hot intake perfectly. (You never throw anything away on Cozumel.) It would probably be better improved by some cinta de plomero (plumbers tape) but its ok for now.

Soon my first wash is happily humming around in the robust machine. The charming little girl I usually deal with “down the laundrette” has sadly lost a customer, but I am feeling triumphant. What would be a normal washday event at home its feels like a major achievement here.

The Cozumel Glow
So often simple things back home are great accomplishments here. like finding the right tiles for my path and pool, finding cranberry juice in Chedraui, finding a cheap hard drive (yeh …try that ... or anything computer orientated here!), getting paint of a certain color, the right lights for my new palapa. All this would be so simple back home in the land of infinite choices, but here it feels like a climb to the top of Everest (Ok …maybe a bit over-the-top here!). The Cozumel Glow is the feeling of satisfaction one gets when these things are achieved and is rarely experienced back home for such small endeavors.

While the washing is churning around, I keep my window open so as to hear any changes in tone and run out to check on each occasion it changes pitch. It is a bit noisy on the spin so I will maybe try to get a piece of insulation carpet to quieten it, otherwise, for all its past history, it seems to be in fine working order.

Unfortunately the last spin cycle seems to go on indefinitely. After what seems like an eternity of noisy disruption to this otherwise calm and peaceful Sunday, I eventually give up waiting and shut the thing off manually. It’s still been a successful venture. I do have nice clean laundry, spun to almost dry but I suspect I may also have a mechanical problem to be investigated later.

I have a second load but the stillness and quiet of this particular Sunday is almost magical. It’s a bright sunny day so I hang the previous load out on the line. Still glowing from my first washday success I retreat to the sun deck to enjoy the peace, the breezes and an ice-cold beer.

Washday blues … not likely!