Off the Beaten Path: Mike Mike

Sometimes it happens.  Plans fall through, transportation becomes a challenge, walking is not an option, so even if it is not your plan A for the day, you end up hanging out at Metrocentro.

If you live in San Salvador or visit San Salvador, you know about Metrocentro.  It's a mall.  It's gi-normous.  It's a bus-hub. You go there to window shop.  You go there to meet up with people.  If you are part of a delegation, you go there to run errands at the Dollar Store or Super, or you walk in circles trying to find the food court.

One day, recently, a friend and I found ourselves with plans that just could not get organized and there we were, with several hours to spend at Metrocentro.  We decided to embrace the experience, walking and walking, eating and eating, shopping and shopping.  This was hard-core, delegation-leader research:  figuring out which food courts have the best seating, which fru-fru coffee drinks are the tastiest, which places have fee wifi, and where to buy the cutest gifts for grandchildren.  We actually did learn some useful information and when we need to run to the mall with a group for food or stuff, we will actually be able to navigate without getting lost (hopefully).  One of our best finds came near the end of our Metrocentro adventure - Mike Mike.

We went in because we both love purses.  We did not NEED purses, but we saw no harm in looking.  I picked up a bag - good price, well-made, made in El Salvador.  I asked how long the store had been in business and the guy at the counter said 49 years.  I asked if everything was made in El Salvador and he said yes.  Huh, how is it that in all my Salvadoran adventures I had never learned about Mike Mike.

I bought a lunch box.  Seriously, I love this lunch box.  It is the best lunch box I have ever used.  It cost me $14.95 and I paid $6 for an adorable beach bag (perfect for a computer) as a "premio" for spending more than $10 on my first item.  The staff was super-friendly and kind, answering all my questions and allowing me to take photos.



There are Mike Mike stores located all over El Salvador.  They are on Facebook and have a web site.  The prices on the site are definitely higher than in the store, so if you are ever stuck for a day at Metrocentro...check it out!

Comments

  1. LindaNovember 8, 2014 at 3:01 PM

    Hello Linda! Warm greetings from Montreal, Canada. It was so nice that the staff allowed you to take photos! Most stores do not allow it. Great post, thank you so much for sharing.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Plant that Came from Nowhere and Grows Everywhere

Image
I am a plant person - a plant person without a garden or a yard or a farm. We have porches.  Porch Pot (©Linda Muth, 2023) It's pretty amazing to see what will grow on a porch.  I like to experiment with what might be considered garbage from things I get at the grocery store. Most Salvadoran produce is not hybrid, so saved seeds will germinate. Herbs are sold with the roots, so it sometimes works to cut off most of the herbs and stick the roots into a pot. I am currently experimenting with some little chunks of ginger that were no longer edible.  After a couple of weeks in the soil, the roots are sprouting nice little stalks and leaves. Ginger sprouting (©Linda Muth, 2023) Frequent travel makes porch gardening extra challenging. One option is to grow for a while and then give plants away.  One time, I left a bucket of basil, rosemary and other herbs with Pastor Santiago's mom, and it produced abundantly until Santiago cut off too much. (He told me he was grateful for...
Read more

The Morro Tree

Image
Cihuatán is an archeological site which lies just north of Aguilares. Amidst the Mayan ruins, which are definitely worth seeing, you will also find some of the local flora and fauna of the area. This area north of Guazapa has become cattle country, and, according to the locals, some of the wealthy cattle producers have their eye on this property. The security guards and barbed wire fences do a pretty good job of keeping cows off of the site, but nothing can keep the goats from enjoying a good run in the field. The wide variety of bird calls, the tinkling of the goat bells, and the low moos in the distance create a peaceful atmosphere in which to enjoy the ruins and have a relaxing, yet very hot, walk with friends. Surrounding the large hill which was constructed to support the main temple, there is a broad, grassy field, dotted with trees. Pablo, our driver and friend, said that during the war, there was a lot of looting of this site. People drove big trucks in to take the rocks ...
Read more

The Legend of the Priest with no Head

Image
Tales of mysterious encounters with a headless priest in the dark of night are not uncommonly told among the Salvadoran people.  After the time of the Spanish invasion, when conquerors wielding swords or carrying Bibles established their power, there emerged a legend of an imaginary priest who wanders in the streets and pathways as a lost soul. He appears to those who are out walking in the evening. He is searching for his head.  He, or perhaps his head, lets out screams into the night. Those who see him feel cold and are sometimes paralyzed with fear and cannot speak for days. The story of the Priest with no Head is well-known and frequently told in Tonacatepeque.  Some say the ghost of El Padre sin Cabeza (the headless priest) is real. Some say the story was invented by the church in order to scare indigenous people into becoming Christians. Some who study traditional, Salvadoran tales say this legend was created by enemies of the church.   A painting of ...
Read more