More Funny Spanish - Calzones!

Living in Cancun, I often find myself trying to communicate with Mexicans who speak very little English. Because I speak very little Spanish, I often have to try to guess what the Spanish equivalent of a word might be.

While shopping the other day I saw a sign that made me laugh. It also reminded me that attempting to communicate the way I do can be a tricky proposition.

The sign said simply... "Calzones (Boxers)."

Mmmm - calzones...

Funny Mexican Phone Call Blooper

I just did an interview for blogexpat.com (yay! -- I'll add a proper link when it's published). They asked me how I communicate with home & I recalled a funny story that I forgot to blog about...

Google, Google, Google! Google video chat is reliable & free. I also use Google to make local calls. It’s about 50% cheaper than Skype.

DIablo incident #11276 - poop in the park

So I took our puppy Diablo (whom I've started calling D) to the Parque de las Palapas recently. Actually we go every day, but we had a little incident recently...

Parque de las Palapas

About Me.. A Slightly Embarrassing Editing Blooper

After I started my blog, Jen suggested that I put more information in my "About" section. Readers might like to know more about me. And strangers who made a "personal" connection would be more likely to come back & read more.

More about me? I like imagination.. & cheese!

Mailing to & from Cancun

Did you ever about the efficiency of the Mexican postal service? Neither did I really (tho I'd have guessed it was run by guys like Cheech & Chong), until I moved to Cancun. Below, I'll describe my limited experiences with the Correos de Mexico...




Te Llega means "We arrived".. Not so fast, Pancho...

More Funny Spanish Language Bloopers

I've written elsewhere about the bloopers I've made while learning Spanish. But I thought I'd post a few funny Spanish bloopers that have happened to other people...


1) Fighting over a bill


Tried to say: We will pay for you (pagamos)                                
Actually said: We will fight you (pegamos)


2) Lord died for a good cause...


Tried to say: The Lord died for your sins (pecados)                     
Actually said: The Lord died for your fish (pescados)


3) I have 4 sisters...


Tried to say: I have 4 sisters and I'm the oldest (meyor)

Actually said:  I have 4 children and I am the best (mejor) 


4) Be careful what you ask for....


Tried to say: I ask (yo pido)                                                             
Actually said: I fart (yo pedo)

My Top 5 Hostel Bloopers

Not much explanation needed here. Living in a hostel means living with strangers, & living with strangers means living with bloopers!

Here's the list. Enjoy...


1) The Bedroom Break-in


One day, I hung/wrapped a plastic Hawaiian party necklace around part of the deadbolt on the inside of our door. Some time later, I went out, locking the deadbolt behind me.

When I came home, I found that I couldn't open our door. The plastic necklace had become tangled in the bolt, preventing it from sliding open. Oops. Luckily, the door opens out into the hall, meaning that the hinges are accessible from outside the room.

With the help of a neighbor, I used a butcher knife and a hammer to pop the door off its hinges & enter the room.

I removed the necklace & used it to tie a bandana around my makeshift electric tiki torch.

The best part of the story (or the worst) is this:

Though this incident occurred in the middle of the afternoon, despite being on the second floor, directly above the main office, none of the staff heard anything (apparently) or came to investigate. So much for security!

Funny Spanish Sex Bloopers

I recently posted a note about funny Spanish bloopers. I thought I'd write a separate post about funny Spanish sex bloopers, partly to keep the other post family-friendly & also because it's an easy way to generate some extra clicks. Anything with "sex" in the title (& lots of "sex  sex sex" in the body) is bound to attract attention! After all, you're here, right?

You said what?!?

The Supermarket Sausage Incident

So.. Jen & I went shopping at a supermarket (Chedraui) today & picked up some groceries. Among our discoveries was some "salchicha zwan viiena." They are very tasty, only about $5/kilogram, & may be named after a cool band...









Apparently, however, you need to be very careful when you buy this stuff. You may have noticed that I wrapped the tray in a plastic bag before I snapped the photo above.

Learning Spanish -- Funny Spanish Language Bloopers

As Jen & I learn Spanish (slowly), we have made a host of Spanish Bloopers. I'll share some of these here & update the page if (when!) they happen...

I've also heard many funny stories about other tourists. I'll relate some of those in a separate post.

Ok, here we go....