We rode around Zitacuaro, a good-sized city of 50,000 or so looking for a laundromat, and we found them, but they were all closed because it was Sunday. So we asked for a place to clean by hand and were referred to the public “lavadero,” the place where the poor folks with no water in their houses go to clean.

Usually when we look for something we ask directions, go a little ways, ask again, and so on. We never completely understand the answer. When we got close, a kind, portly man named Luis walked us right over to the lavadero. It was sheltered from the strong sun with a wooden roof held up by concrete posts, nestled in the side of a hill. Spring water was piped directly from the side of the hill. The center compartment is a big basin for the fresh water. On each side is a work area made out of cement, with rough pebbles lining the bottom. The basin is slanted in and has a drain. We took the fresh water from the basin with our cooking pan and soaked our clothes and used laundry detergent and scrubbed against the rough surface until our clothes seemed cleaner. It was a LOT easier than washing in a hotel sink, like we usually do. But we could have used quite a lot of professional instruction!

As we washed we talked with Luis, who invited us to camp at his in-laws’ home. As it was late in the afternoon, and since getting to know people and their lifestyle is our first objective, we happily accepted. More in my next post :-)