LOL  That is a radial tire, believe it or not.  Canadian made, It is supposed to look flat on the bottom, regardless of whether it is on or off the ground.  It did when it was new, and rode beautifully.

Radial tires are steel belted, meaning they have steel running the circumference of the tire at the tread (and radially) which keeps it from ballooning out like that.

This is what Central American roads, and heat (don’t forget the heat), do to tires down here.  They are so rough in places, they beat the crap out of your tires, that the steel wires the belts are composed of break.  All that is left holding your tire together is the rubber (balloon).  They hold air alright, but riding around on them at low speed is a steering adventure, as they have lost all uniformity, and wobble the car ridiculously as though you have 4 bent rims.

Hey, I fit right in!

Today we went to Super 99 for some gear – oil for an oil change, eggs, butter, bread, juice crystals… we’ll be making our own breakfast tomorrow.  Nobody knows how to fry an egg properly down here  – and I’ve forgotten the city map I used to have in my head.   This was our route.

What a difference driving again.  Lots of one ways, less time to think which block to turn at, avoid getting hitting other cars instead of getting hit by one, parking.  All that.  Traffic down here flows in a different manner.  The lines on the road are “a good suggestion” but if you fit, keep ‘er rollin’.  Luv it, actually, but still adjusting.

While in the store, this caught my eye.  Some things here are cheap, but cheese isn’t one of them, and that is a direct result of a free trade agreement which puts the local talent out on the street, and technically illegal.  They are half the price, but so far, I’ve never seen cheese, although I know the locals make their own.

I tried doing the oil change, but the old filter was on too tight, and all I had was my hands.  I could go buy a filter wrench, but to risk marring it up like I’ve done in the past, or piercing the case as I’ve also done (which is a helluva mess and stops you cold where you’re at), I’ll just pay someone to do it when I go for my inspection.   I have both the filter and the oil, and I’m truly tired of crawling around underneath her breaking things.

I have a brake line yet to do, I know.  That’s easy… now, but all that is left is new tires, and getting her legal.  If I can find what they call “rag” tires, the type they put on medium size commuter buses, I’ll get them and be happy about it.  They have 6-8 plys, thicker sidewalls, and are basically designed for roads down here.  They ride a little rougher, but that’s a small price to pay when you compare that to 2 or 3 ply radials, with 1 ply sidewalls.  Go look at your tires if you don’t believe me.  You’ll see.

That’s about it for today.  Twenty-nine or so (I never check anymore), sunny in the morning, clouding over in the afternoon, and quite comfortable as we wait for the late day rains.

Edit:  Here’s something interesting.  It’s the best pressure cooker design I’ve ever seen.

Made in India, the lids are slightly oval, and achieve a positive seal from the inside of a curled over lip on the base.  You turn the lid 90 degrees to the base, drop the lid in,  straighten the handle, and seal.  Thought I’d share.  They ship worldwide if you talk to one of these guys in Ontario or BC.  If you ever want to do some pressure canning, these are the guys to call, but they use them around here to do beans in 1/4 the time (saves gas, y’see).