The Sounds of Mexico

I just now heard the knife sharpener's whistle from somewhere down the street. It's a distinctive sound--2 tones descend one quick step at a time, the third step is held, then a "whew" jumping back up to the first tone. There are several men in the area who sharpen knives and support their familes doing so. They charge $1 per knive or scissors. They walk all over town carrying over their shoulder a fine stone wheel cranked by hand, that is fastened to a very small stool-looking device. The sharpener kneels astride the stool, turns the crank for the grinding wheel and works away on the edge of your knife. Some of the sharpeners are better than others; I wish I knew who the good ones were.

The other distinctive sound heard all over Mexico is the propane truck. There is no natural gas in Mexico, that I'm aware of, so everyone uses propane tanks. In the village, but not so much out here in the 'burbs, each gas company has a different "calling" card. One sounds like "Charge" being played by a very loud bugle. Another is a recorded voice screaming, "Esta GAAAAAAASSSSSS". Can you imagine driving a truck all day long, up and down the same streets over and over, with a screaming bullhorn attached to the roof? I'd be crazy the first hour driving a gas truck. The trucks are either filled with propane bottles which are swapped with one that is empty, or a large tank of gas from which they fill the tank sitting beside each house, or in some cases, a tank that sits on the roof. Imagine the traffic holdups when the driver stops in the middle of a narrow street, has to get his ladder out and haul the gas hose up on the roof. Fortunately, Mexicans and retired gringos are fairly patient in this regard. (I'm sure at some point I will write about impatient Mexican drivers I have encountered) Although the gas trucks are usually very loud so people have time to erupt from their houses and flag down the truck, the ones I appreciate the most have a quiet sort of "tinkle". But if I needed gas and couldn't hear the "tinkle" truck as he went by, I'd buy from the truck that had the loudest "calling" card.

Here in Chula Vista, I phone the gas man when I need a delivery. He's usually here within an hour. His name is Jose (of course), is my age, cute and polite. And for good measure his gas is the cheapest.

One more sound that most of you would abhor is the rooster next door. He crows day or night--maybe he's blind. Where I lived before there were chickens down the street and horses/cows a couple of blocks away. Just the sound of the guy herding his cows from the field by my house to his house to milk them was such a distinct difference from the sounds in my US neighborhood. I found the animal sounds quite peaceful somehow. So I was overjoyed when the neighbor got his rooster. I'm more comfortable now that the rooster and the dogs in the area make noise all the time. Weird, eh!

No matter where I've lived at Lakeside I can hear church bells at different times of the day. Usually at 30 minutes before each mass the bell tolls 3 times then maybe 20 rings then 3 distinct rings; then fifteen minutes before mass the bell tolls twice, 20 rings then 2 distinct rings. And finally, just before mass the bell tolls once then multiple times then one time again. When someone dies, day or night, the bell tolls very rapidly for about 5 minutes. There are other signals given out by the bells, but I haven't mastered them yet.