Kitchen and water

Drinking water

Do not drink the tap water. Nowhere in Mexico is tap water meant for drinking — that is normal here and it is not a fault with the house. Use it for showering, washing and cleaning; for drinking, for coffee, for ice and for brushing your teeth, use bottled water or a garrafón, the big refillable jug you will see in every home around here.

Ask us how the water works at this house — where the garrafón lives, and how a refill is arranged — and we will tell you.
When it is running low, message us rather than leaving it for the next guest.
Drink more than you think you need. Between the altitude and the sun, it adds up faster than it does at home.

Using the kitchen

Ask us what the kitchen is equipped with before you plan a week of cooking — we would rather answer that now than have you find out with the shopping already done.

Have a look through the cupboards and the drawers when you arrive and tell us if something you need is missing.
If something in the kitchen is not obvious, message us instead of forcing it. It is quicker for everyone.
Wash the dishes as you go and keep food in closed containers or in the fridge. Leaving things out overnight is how ants find a kitchen.
Please do not pour cooking oil or fat down the sink.
If something breaks, just tell us. It happens, we would far rather know than find out at the next clean.

Groceries, and paying in cash

There is no shop at the door here, so the first grocery run is worth planning rather than improvising.

Ask us where to shop and we will tell you the nearest options — one for a proper weekly shop, one for the small things you forgot.
Do the big shop on your first afternoon if you can, in daylight. It saves a night drive on your first evening.
Carry cash. We have not checked which places around the lake take cards, so assume the small ones may not and ask before you order.
Take out cash while you are in a larger town rather than counting on finding an ATM nearby at night.
Small notes are much more useful here than large ones.