cash ran out
Cash ran out. Completely. Been 5 days already πΌ Left with 39 pesos in coins, which I keep like collectibles. Right now I have every variety of Mexican coin there is, and I want the same with coins from other countries.
The only way to pay for food is contactless payment via phone (Samsung Pay, NFC). Correction β I thought it was the only way. I used it once back in Coatzacoalcos at a store called Farmacia Guadalajara, where besides paying for groceries I paid about 25-30% commission, because the card is from some obscure bank. Probably double commission (or the service itself just makes money off it).
Saturday evening I decided to walk around town and look for stores where I could buy food using the same method, spent 3 hours on it. No luck. On Sunday I found a Farmacia Guadalajara in MΓ©rida β the exact same store as in Coatzacoalcos. It worked. Tapping my phone to the register via NFC, I bought a bottle of cold juice and a chocolate bar from the shelf, which turned into chocolate paste after 10 minutes of 37-degree heat. The whole thing cost 22 pesos, I spent 28.5 pesos β that's the difference including the overcharge when paying this way.
While boiling rice I bought on Saturday with my last pesos just before check-in, I remembered how friends advised me to try ordering food online, like we have in Russia β Delivery Club, Yandex Delivery, Samokat, etc. (at the end of this post you'll find links with promo codes for similar services, for those who need discounts and so on). At first I didn't take their info seriously, because I didn't plan on eating pizza and burgers, I never even used that stuff in Russia β no reason to. But while cooking the rice I thought β "Maybe they have grocery delivery here?"
And yes, such delivery exists here. It's called "Uber Eats". I put groceries in the cart, pressed "pay" and the payment didn't go through for some reason. What's the deal? The deal is, if you use this service in Mexico, you have to use a Mexican card. So my card from some mythical bank doesn't work. Annoying. Especially considering this app is painfully slow β loooads forever. Doesn't matter whether you launch it through a browser or on a smartphone.
"Uber Eats" didn't work. Is this company the only one? Obviously it shouldn't be, despite the relative scarcity of mobile apps in this country. I started looking for other apps and found one that suited me best. Basically, it almost completely copies "Uber Eats", same stores, same logic, only the design differs (and not by much). It's called "Cornershop".
This app is probably a middleman between you and "Uber Eats", it jacks up the delivery fee, which with Uber costs you 39 pesos if the order is under 500 pesos (if over, delivery is free), while with "Cornershop" delivery is 59 pesos and becomes free only if you order over 1000 pesos. But that doesn't matter, the main thing is the app worked and I got my food after all.
We're alive! π The food problem is solved, that makes me really happy. Basically, nothing now stops me from paying for plane tickets, accommodation (AirBNB, as I understand, is still loyal β they've proven it many times with their support), mobile service, and I hope this app is international enough and will work well not only in Mexico but in other countries too. At least in capitals.
Right now my shelf is full of the food I usually eat, and until the end of the week I can forget what stores are and calmly focus on more interesting and useful things. Never liked shopping, in any form, incredibly exhausting.
So it's good when services like Uber Eats and Cornershop exist! From now on, let not Mohammed go to the mountain (that is, to the food), but the food go to Mohammed π Time to evolve!
Continuing the journey...
And I already have a guess where I'll end up soon.
Where exactly β still a secret.
Arthur O'Harra.
π₯πππ°ππππ
And now, as promised, I'm posting links with promo codes for companies everyone's already heard of. Posting for those of you who haven't installed them yet and are thinking about starting to use these services. Might be useful for someone in terms of savings, because starting with a service always comes with bonuses if you use promo codes. I myself periodically look for promo codes when installing new apps, so let me just leave this here. So, here we go.
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"VKUSVILL"
The service I'll personally install first thing when I return to Russia β "VkusVill Delivery". It's a healthy food store I like visiting more than others. When I get back I'll install the app and start ordering food online β enough of Mohammed wasting his time. π»
vkusvill.prfl.me/artorius.oharra/cdea05dc5b87
π Promo code: VV_E298
β 200 rubles discount on purchases from 1000 rubles (valid for first order, stacks with store promotions).
πππ
"GROW FOOD" (Moscow and St. Petersburg)
Grow Food β a service for producing and delivering properly balanced daily nutrition.
growfood.prfl.me/artorius.oharra/04c7878525ed
π Promo code: PGP376
β
10% discount on Grow Food meal plans for 2, 6, and 12 days with promo code;
β
Anti-crisis Basic plan for 590β½/day.
πππ
"MY FOOD"
My Food β a ready-made meal delivery service for every day: classic home cooking or menus from different countries.
Cities: Yaroslavl, Vladimir, Tver, Tula, Saint Petersburg, Ryazan, Rostov-on-Don, Nizhny Novgorod, Moscow, Krasnodar, Kaluga, Yekaterinburg, Chelyabinsk.
m-food.prfl.me/artorius.oharra/ba50cc71a912
π Promo code: umf4e8
β 10% discount for all clients on Classic and Travel programs for 6, 12, 20, or 24 days.
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"AZBUKA VKUSA" (Moscow and St. Petersburg)
Products from this store come directly from farmers and small family enterprises, and only then reach the client's table. You can order a custom-designed cake.
azbukavkusa.prfl.me/artorius.oharra/55f4df5b17c7
π Promo code: 9001988152713497
β 5% discount on any order from 2,500 β½ in the "Azbuka Vkusa" online store.
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"DELIKATESKA" (Moscow)
Delikateska β an online grocery store selling food products, including premium-quality delicacies at favorable prices. Caviar, fish, and seafood have been the store's main focus for 15 years.
delikateska.prfl.me/artorius.oharra/8f0735513a13
π Promo code: 5JB3300
β
500 β½ discount on orders from 3000 β½ for the first purchase;
β
300 β½ discount on orders from 1500 β½ for the first purchase via the app.
(* discounts stack with other bonuses on the site and in the app).
π₯πππ°ππππ
#OnTheRoad #MexicoTravel #AroundTheWorldTrip #RoundTheWorld #Merida #Yucatan #PromoCode