I've Moved

Given Googles indiferent customer support in dealing with the problems I have with it's new and supposedly improved beta blogger I've moved the blog to Word Press. You can find it here.

http://expatriateruminations.wordpress.com/

Test

Having read that the length of the post may be related to the problem I've been having connecting to beta blogger I am testing a shorter post to see if it makes a difference.

And to try uploading a picture I have selected the photo of this cutie who was watching the November 20 parade with her parents from the spot next to mine.

Sunday Excursion

Last Sunday Tere, her two sons Eduardo and Francisco, and I piled into the pickup, the youngster in the back, and drove to La Antigua, an enchanting small town a bit North of Veracruz.

The town is near the Bay of Antigua, the location of the landing of Hernando Cortes’ invasion force where he had his eleven ships burned so the planned conquest could not be reversed.

The town’s primary tourist attraction is the Cortes home, or I should say the ruins of his home with a small sign identifying the ruins as such. The town also has real cobble stone streets and is nestled into a tropical forest amongst really large trees. I imagine one could fly over the air and be hard pressed notice there is a town amongst the trees.

The Cortez house is lacking a roof, the walls are either crumbing or consist of a piles of rocks, and there are very large trees growing through holes in the wall that were once windows. None-the-less, the tourist buses were lined up on the adjoining street.

It was raining for about the entire trip there and back, and torrentially when we arrived, so we didn’t tour the ruins of the Cortex home. Rather we sought refuge at a table on the covered patio of a really nice restaurant, for a lunch of fried shrimp, shrimp cocktail, rice, tortillas, and chips, and to watch the pouring rain and the resultant stream flowing down the street.

Earlier Francisco had been asking to go to the beach so I pointed to the muddy stream in the street and told him “there’s the beach.” I was of course kidding; but, none-the-less, after they had finished their lunches Eduardo and Francisco went out to play in the stream, mud, and pouring rain. They spent the hour drive home shivering in their wet clothes in the back of the truck.

They are both bright, polite, nice young fellows. At one point during the drive to Antigua when I pulled over behind a parked semi truck for a bathroom break, both the boys walked over to the truck and pissed on a front tire. Thereafter I took to calling them dogs which they thought was pretty funny.

Next Sunday we’ll visit La Hoya a small community not far from Xalapa on the road to Perote.

Discount Natural Health Products - DNHP

I interrupt the usual program of photos and iconoflatulece (with thanks to Verde for coning the word) to engage in badmouthing of Discount Natural Health Products - DNHP, an internet vendor with whom I have done business a few times, in hopes that those searching the internet for Discount Natural Health Products - DNHP will happen upon my badmouthing.

I have purchased Livatone Plus from Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP for about the last year and a half. Livatone Plus contains Milk Thistle and other antioxidants that do good things good for the particularly the liver. As far as I’ve been able to determine it is available only from vendors in Australia, where I think it was developed, and Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP sells it at a favorable price.

I ordered from Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP last February and, owing to the Mexican customs and postal services, I finally received my package in May.

Last month I again ordered from Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP, and, thus, my grievance with Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP was conceived.

The web site of Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP indicates a “courier” shipping option that is quite expensive but promises a 4 days delivery. I placed an extra large order from Discount Natural Health Products - DNHP and opted for the “courier” service, which turned out to be phony.

When I placed the order with Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP, on October 18, I was informed that I would receive a package tracking number as soon as it shipped. Having not received the package, on October 30 I emailed Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP asking for a tracking number. Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP sent me a tracking number and informed me that the phony “courier” service they use could not track the package past the Sydney airport as the Mexican postal service did not provide tracking services. Mexican postal service?

<>I responded to Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP asking what the Mexican postal service had to do with delivery through their “courier” service. A question which Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP never answered.

Subsequently I emailed Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP and referred to their courier service as “phony”. Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP responded by saying that I had hurt the feelings of their staff. I promise, other than calling the courier service phony I was not the least bit abusive to anyone at Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP.

This past week Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP blocked my email address so I had to create another Yahoo address to send them a message indicating that since Discount Natural Health Products - DNHP mailed my package through the Mexican postal service, just what I had paid $100. AUS to avoid, rather than sending it by courier that they should credit my VISA account the difference between the cost of their phony courier service and the cost of mailing my package, which is what they did. Of course, given their indifferent customer service, Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP has not responded.

So a month after placing the order I had to go to the local post office to pick up my package from Discount Natural Health Products – DNHP which uses a courier service which promises on it web site door-to-door service anywhere in the world in four days.

Meet My Spanish Teachers/English Students

From left to right, Naomi, Eduardo, and Rosio who are coming to my apartment Saturday afternoons for help in learning English and to help me learn Spanish.

Eduardo is Tere's son and Naomi and Rosio her sisters who are living here while attending school.

All three are delightful young folks.

Google Competes With Microsoft

Google, which owns Blogger, the software I use to post here, recently required users to "upgrade" to Beta.Blogger. The problem is that Beta.Blogger wasn't ready for release, as there have been almost nothing but problems since the upgrade.

I guess I shouldn't complain, since the software and hosting are free, but it has been a bit irritating.

Due to the problems my posting may be a bit sporatic until the problems are resolved.

USA Taxpayer Funded Terror In Columbia

This is the Latin American government that receives more USA government aid than any other, and which hosts Latin America's largest USA military force to assist in its efforts to suppress popular uprisings. USA government officials tell us our troops are in Columbia as a part of "war on drugs" and that the insurgents there a communists.

Columbia is but the latest chapter of the USA government's nefarious deeds in Latin America since President Monroe essentially declared that Latin America belongs to the USA.

Those interested in earlier chapters of USA complicity in death squads, coups, and suppressions of popular movements should visit the National Security Archive website hosted at George Washington University in D. C.

Colombian Government Shaken By Lawmakers' Paramilitary Ties

Investigation Leads to Arrest of Current, Former Officials

By Juan Forero

Washington Post Foreign Service

Saturday, November 18, 2006; Page A17

BOGOTA, Colombia, Nov. 17 -- The government of President Álvaro Uribe is being shaken by its most serious political crisis yet, as details emerge about members of Congress who collaborated with right-wing death squads to spread terror and exert political control across Colombia's Caribbean coast.

Two senators, Álvaro García and Jairo Merlano, are in custody, as is a congressman, Eric Morris, and a former congresswoman, Muriel Benito. Four local officials have been arrested, and a warrant has been issued for a former governor, Salvador Arana. All are from the state of Sucre, where the attorney general's office has been exhuming bodies from mass graves -- victims of a paramilitary campaign to erode civilian support for Marxist rebels in Colombia's long conflict.

The investigation, which has revealed how lawmakers and paramilitary commanders rigged elections and planned assassinations, has shaken Colombia's Congress to its core. One powerful senator from Cesar state, Álvaro Araujo, has warned that if he is targeted in the investigation, it would taint relatives of his in the government and, ultimately, the president, whom he has strongly supported.

The arrests and disclosures about the investigation, which is focusing on at least five more members of Congress, come weeks after prosecutors leaked a report revealing how paramilitary fighters have killed hundreds of people, trafficked cocaine to the United States and sacked government institutions while negotiating a disarmament with Uribe's government.

Fox News Weds O. J.

I wonder what the troglodytes who rely on the Faux News Network for their news think of Murdoch publishing and promoting O. J.'s book.

Finally I Have Home Internet Service

I reported in mid-October that I had arranged for internet service trough the local cable company, MegaCable. I was told when I subscribed that the service would be installed within ten to fifteen days. I’m still waiting, almost a month later, and most recently was told the service would be installed on the 21st of this month. Given that I have three times previously been given specific dates and times when service would be installed and wasn’t, I’m not now holding my breath. The installers have not once called me to tell me that they wouldn’t show up when promised.

Most recently the service was to have been installed last Saturday, during which I waited all day in the apartment. The installers showed up Sunday, when I was in Puebla. Since I wasn’t home when they showed up on Sunday I now must wait until the 21st. The fellow with whom I spoke on Monday told me the installers didn’t make it on Saturday because of the weather.

Today (Tues. 11/14) I sent an email to MegaCable management politely telling them what lousy installation service they have. Today I also viewed my bill on-line and discovered a charge for my non existent internet service. So for the second time in two days I walked to the office to straighten out the mistake. I must say that everyone I’ve dealt with in the office has been very nice, efficient, and very patient with my often inadequate Spanish. In fact, when the fellow in the office who told me the installer would be here last Saturday overheard my discussion with a clerk, who is quite familiar with the tardy installation situation, about the internet charge he went to the phone and called the installation department.

The positive aspect to all of this is that I am getting lots of exercise walking back and forth to the cable office, which involves climbing and descending hills in both directions.

UPDATE: Five minutes after I wrote the above I received a call from a fellow at MegaCable who informed me an installer will be here tomorrow (Wed. 11/15) morning at 9:00.

FURTHER UPDATE: It’s a good thing I didn’t hold my breath as I received a call Wed. morning informing me the installation will be Thursday morning between 9:00 and 10:00. At least they called me this time. Tomorrow will be one month and a day since I contracted for service.

FURTHER UPDATE: Of course no installer showed up at the indicated time. So at 11:00 I called the installation department number and explained that six times now I have been given a specific day and time when the installation was to occur and six times no one has shown. The fellow I spoke to initially told me installation was scheduled for Nov. 21. I politely but firmly corrected him and after I explained all of the above to him he indicated that someone would be here in an hour.

When no installer showed up in an hour and a half I called again and was firmer. Within a half hour an installer showed up and within 30 minutes the installation was completed.

I finally have internet service.

Fig Sphinx

One of the nice folks at the internet café I patronize and I were discussing the caterpillar in the photo I posted a few days ago so we did decided to try to identify it.

We came upon this website which identifies the caterpillar as a Fig Sphinx.

http://www.silkmoths.bizland.com/pficus.htm

Here is a bit of information and a couple of photos I pirated from the website.

DISTRIBUTION:
The Fig sphinx, Pachylia ficus (Wing span: 4 3/4 - 5 1/2 inches (12 - 14 cm)) flies from Uruguay north through Central America, Mexico, and the West Indies to Florida, southern Texas, and southern Arizona. It occasionally strays as far north as Indiana and Pennsylvania.

EGGS, LARVAE, PUPAE:
Females feed and lay eggs on fig leaves, especially Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea). Ficus carica, Ficus microcarpa, Ficus religiosa, Ficus pumila, Ficus gamelleira, Ficus prinoides, Ficus pumila and Artocarpus integrifolia are also listed as hosts.
Larvae pupate in cocoons spun amongst leaf litter.
There are several color morphs.

Trip To Puebla

Sunday I drove with Tere, the woman from whose store I buy produce, for about two and a half hours to a huge market near the city of Puebla. Tere wanted to check the prices at the market to see if it would make economic sense for here to buy a pickup truck to drive to the market to buy produce for here store. She discovered prices about 40% less than she pays at the market in Xalapa.

I was amazed at how rapidly the terrain and climate changed as we climbed the mountains to Perote, which is the first town one comes to when entering a broad, semi-arid plateau. When we left Xalapa it was raining fairly forcibly; at around Las Vigas, not far from Xalap, we entered dense clouds; climbing further the sun began to shine through the clouds; and when we emerged onto the plateau the sky was blue. Between Las Vigas and Perote the mountains are covered with Pine, Cedar, and other trees of which I am unfamiliar. At Perote the trees thinned and cactus began appearing. A bit further along the trees were completely gone from the mountains and vast irrigated corn fields of sandy volcanic soils spread across the plateau, and the roadside vegetation was withered, quite unlike the green that predominates the Xalapa side of the mountains.

Tere bought two large bags of onions, 4 boxes of tomatoes, a large bag of chile peppers, and some hibiscus flowers, from which a sweet drink, popular hereabouts and in Merida, is concocted and I went for the truck.

I backed out of the parking space, facing the wrong way at the end of a one way street and turned to head for the bounty. A private security guard thought I had driven the wrong way all along the one way street and waved me over. I realized he was not a real policeman and politely explained to him that I had not driven the wrong way down the street but was merely backing out of a parking space. He certainly overplayed his hand when he told me that the infraction carried a $300 pesos fine. I politely told him I wasn’t paying him anything, asked him todo bien, shook his hand, wished him a nice day, and went on my way to load vegetables.

During the return trip we stopped at a roadside chicken restaurant where they roasted probably 50 chickens at a time on long wooden spits over wood fires. The chicken was very good and bill was even better. We paid $100 pesos for two Negra Modelos, two soda pops, half a chicken, rice, shredded cabbage, salsa and tortillas.

More Museo Photos

Part of an alter






























This toy is carved completely from stone.
















As are the children and the swing in this piece.














As I indicated the grounds are meticulously groomed.















I think this is a pretty wild piece.

Museo Antropologia

I’ve been settled in Xalapa going on three and a half months but it was today I visited one of the city’s foremost attractions, it’s Museo Antropologia and its outstanding collection of artifacts from the pre-Hispanic, Mesoamerican civilizations of, primarily, what are now the states of Veracruz and Tabasco.

The term Mesoamerican refers not only to a geographic region which includes parts of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador; but refers also to Precolumbian peoples who lived in discrete regional communities, but who shared cultural and religious beliefs and practices, a common 260 day calendar, cultivation of maize, a ball game, architecture that included pyramids and plazas, and cultural and commercial interactions.


The museum’s collection is organized based upon regional communities and epochs referred to as Preclassic, Early Classic, Middle Classic, and Late Classic. The Preclassic period is further subdivided into the Early, Middle, and Late Preclassic periods. The admittance fee is $40. pesos and hand held recorders describing the exhibits, in English and Spanish, may be rented for an additional $20. pesos. I opted to practice my Spanish by reading the descriptions.

The collection opens at the entrance with a carved stone Cabeza Colosal (Colossal Head), which evokes thoughts of the stone carvings of Easter Island, and closes with intricate ceramic sculptures of entire human forms. The collection documents the development of artistic techniques from stone carving to the use of ceramics, creation of jewelry, tools, and weapons and development of pigments used in detailed wall murals and in ceramics.

The museum building cascades, level-to-level, as it descends the slope upon which it is constructed. Flanking the museum building is a cascading patio which, as you can see in the photo lends a perspective to the nature of the building. Each display room opens into a atrium room, containing displays, which in turn opens to the cascading patio. The museum building, adjoining patio, and sprawling, meticulously landscaped grounds provide a stunningly beautiful setting for the magnificent display of well preserved artifacts. If you visit Xalapa you must spend a few hours touring the museum.

I will post more pictures in the next day or two. MegaCable staff has informed me that me internet service will be installed tomorrow, but I'm not holding my breath. I was told it would be 10 - 15 days and it has now been almost a month. Last Friday I was told it would be installed last Monday. I am patiently waiting.

A Very Sweet Movie

If you’re in the mood for a really sweet (with its traditional meaning) movie and you haven’t already seen it, check out Fly Away with Anna Paquin, Jeff Daniels, and Dana Delaney.

George Allen Departs

George Allen, who shares a contrived, phony grits political persona with George Bush, despite their patrician upbringings, will no longer be a Senator come January. Though I say good riddance, as the guy is a real prick, I must say that Allen did the right thing in conceding rather than calling for a recount.

I know that over blown rhetoric is the norm of the election season but Allen, in his concession speech, really over blew the over blown in pronouncing Senator John Warner as the “greatest” Virginian “ever”. Greater than Jefferson, Madison, Washington, or even Lee? Allen apparently paid as close attention in his history classes as did Bush. And the guy was once governor of Virginia. Sheesh.

Though I think that in recent years the republicans and democrats have really been just different wings of the same party, as they are beholden to the same benefactors, I am thrilled that the democrats have gained both houses of congress. I am thrilled, as a stake has been driven through the heart of the Tom Delay, Karl Rove, republican party orchestrated ‘K’ street/Grover Norquist/radical Chrisitian/neo-fascist combine.

Can we please also drive a stake through the hearts of the clichés “seismic shift”, “tectonic shift”, and “sea change”, propagated by TV’s vacuous talking hairdos? And not just in relation to the election results but in all other applications except as applied to the physical phenomena to which they actually refer.

Meanwhile, James Webb, in explaining why he “came to the democratic party” during his victory speech, talked about his desire to promote “economic fairness” and “social justice”. Both of which once were, and once again should be, fundamental principles of the democratic party. Such principles were abandoned by weak kneed democrats, which at the time constituted the majority of federal democrats (call them DLC democrats), in the face of the so called Reagan Revolution” when most federal democrats did their best to position themselves as being republican lite. Hurray for James Webb.

Another Great Encounter

I’ve been settled in Xalapa going on three and a half months but it was only today that I visited one of the city’s foremost attractions, it’s Museo Antropologia and its outstanding collection of artifacts from the pre-Hispanic, Mesoamerican civilizations of, primarily, what are now the states of Veracruz and Tabasco. I will be posting photos and commentary as soon as I upload the pictures and organize the commentary.

As I was walking to the museum a woman stopped me on the sidewalk and asked that I be careful not to step on this beautiful monster caterpillar, which was more than a couple inches long. Though the photo doesn’t indicate such, the caterpillar’s sides are actually light blue.

The woman and I ended up talking for about 20 minutes. I told here I would post a photo of the creature on my internet diary, so she asked for the address, which, of course, I gave her.

It was another of those great completely unexpected experiences.

Incurious George, Rumsfeld, and Gates

Bush, in his press conference today, declared the so called “war on terror” as “amongst the most consequential” wars “in our history”. I suspect that any non-ideological historian would judge the revolutionary, civil, and WWII wars as far more consequential. Of course we all know that Incurious George didn’t pay attention in his history classes, so really has no idea of the subject.

The day after the election Rumsfeld is at long last going, only a week after Bush insisted that Rumsfeld would stay for the remaining two years of his administration. When asked during his press conference today why he lied to reporters last week in insisting that Rumsfeld would stay Bush explained that he didn’t want to “inject” the issue into the election. He then went on to say that he thinks it sends the wrong signal to our troops to inject major military decisions into politics.

Isn’t that exactly what he did? Last week he could have just declined to answer, but by insisting that Rumsfeld would stay he was throwing some red meat to the whako caucus of the republican party. Bush may now be having second thoughts about believing everything Rove tells him.

As a Reagan administration intelligence official, Rumsfeld’s replacement, Bob Gates, worked in driving the Soviets from Afghanistan by arming, funding, and otherwise supporting the Islamic Jihad and al Queda. I guess we now get to see if he an now deal with the blowback from his earlier work.

Introducing Gates today, Bush once again propagated the big lie that radical Islamists wish to “destroy our way of life.”

Meanwhile, in his swan song Rumsfeld once again told us dumb ass masses that we just don’t understand, saying that the “first war of the twenty first century” is “little understood.” Thus again demonstrating the hubris of the administration neofascists, as well as their civilian cheerleaders, that took the nation to the pointless war in Iraq.

OK. I admit it. I’ve been watching CNN.

I Wish I Lived In Texas, Temporarily Anyway

Until a couple of days ago I have never had the slightest thought that I would like to live in Texas. After listening to and interview with Kinky Friedman, though, I wish I lived in Texas so I could vote for him.

Friedman was on the Dave Letterman show the other evening. He indicated that the word politician derives from poly, meaning more than one, and tic, a blood sucking parasite. He also indicated that if elected he will work to decriminalize the use of marijuana so that non-violent offenders could be released from prison to make room for politicians and pedophiles.

VFW - Hijacked? It Sure Seems So

The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) is apparently more interested in promoting a right wing ideology than in advocating for veterans. The organization has endorsed Peter Roskam in an Illinois congressional election against Tammy Duckworth. Roskam has never served in the military while Duckworth, a major in the reserves, lost both legs in Iaq.

The VFW apparently has been hijacked by ideologues, just has been the Grange, Farm Bureau and other national organizations. Such national organizations, conceived to advocate for specific constituencies, have expanded their membership though provision of cheap insurance and other incentives (the VFW uses bars with cheap booze) and many have subsequently been hijacked in efforts engineered by professional political operatives.

The VFW membership should be ashamed.

Dia del Muertos Alters

Here are a few more photos of Dia del Muertos alters that were erected by various communities in El Parque Juarez.

The alter at let is representative o the pre-Hispanic alters composed by the indigenous people o the region.
















The alters are often tiered and this tiered alter you can see all of the elements usually included in the alters, food, candles, produce, water or other liquid, incense (in the small container on the floor in front of the alter), and tissue paper.











Growers and purveyors of Marigolds must do really well this time of year.

Dia del Muertos

This is pan de Dia del Muertos (Day of the Dead), or bread for the Day of the Dead, which is observed on November 2 this year. My friends at the best internet café I’ve eve patronized presented me with the bread Tuesday as I was leaving from my daily visit.

Dia del Muertos, I am told, is one of the, if not the, most important days in Mexico. The day is observed through the erection of alters in homes, churches, and elsewhere upon which are placed bread, food, flowers, drinks and other offerings to the dead. A path of flowers is often laid leading to the alter and incense burned to guide the spirits of the dead to the alter placed in their honor. The day is also observed with celebrations in cemeteries which include music and food.


The modern observance of the Dia del Muertos combines the pre-Hispanic tradition of honoring the dead through erection of alters and the provision of offerings with Christian symbols, most notably the cross. Alters typically contain elements intended to represent earth, wind, fire, and water, so contain crops, containers of water and other beverages, candles, and colorful tissue paper that moves in the breeze.

The alters and the offering placed therein are often tailored to a particular person. Alters dedicated to deceased children, for instance, may be festooned with offerings of toys, or tequila and cigarettes may be placed on alters dedicated to a person who during his life enjoyed such.

The alter you see in the photo was erected at the Tendedero de Illusiones (literally Clothesline of Illusions) Patio Munoz which is hosting four days of events to observe the Dia del Muertos.

My friends at the internet café also provided me with a schedule of the events of the four days. Wednesday evening featured a display of paper mache art with a Dis del Muertos theme, as you can see in the pictures. There was also tango music; and, after I left there reportedly was dancing.

Saturday evening, as I understand there is each Saturday, there will be Fandango dancing, with which I am unfamiliar but understand is a synthesis of Spanish, African, and traditional dance that is unique to Veracruz.

Election Comments

John Kerry once again shows what an educated moron he is by trying to make a joke at Bush's expsense and coming off sounding as though he suggested that if young folks don't take their education seriously they will end up in Iraq. Almost everyone in the USA realizes that John Kerry does not have a sense of humor, except John Kerry that is. A fact that further illustrates who clueless Kerry really is.

Meanwhile, in case you missed the video, a couple of Virgina Senator George (phony grits) Allen campaign staffer assaulted a guy who approach Allen to ask why he had spit on his first wife, as has been reported divorce documents indicate. What's worse than the assault is CNN's Hiedi Collins
remarking "Wow. The really scary thing about it is that you don’t know what you’re dealing with. He had a backpack on." The fellow was wearing a daypack, such as most school children wear and which I wear whenever I leave my apartment. Collins' remark further illustrates the fact that the most important qualification to serving as a TV newstainment anchor is to have good hair.

The good news is that Webb has pulled ahead of Allen, Senator Crazy Rich Santorum is in the dust in PA, Katherine Harris doesn't have a prayer in FL, Dewine will surely lose in Ohio, and a whole host of other whacko incumbents are trailing badly (for the record I don't consider Dewine to be whacko, just a rubber stamp).

Naolinco

The Diario Xalapa reports that the lowest temperature of an October day in Xalapa in thirty years was recorded on Sunday. The low temperature was 5.8 degree Celsius, which equates to 42.4 degrees Fahrenheit.

I can report that Sunday was a beautiful, sunny day, of which I took advantage by motoring to Naolinco with Tere, from whom I buy produce, as my guide. The clear day afforded some spectacular views of Pico de Orizaba, the highest peak in Mexico and third highest in North America, and of Cofre de Perote, also one of the highest peaks in Mexico, both from the town and along the drive there. Both mountains are also visible from various places around Xalapa, most notably from El Parque Juarez and from the glass enclosed lounge on the roof of my apartment building.

Naolinco is a small town about 15 miles North of Xalapa know for its shoemaking and other leatherwork. The entrance to town is adorned by a large statue of a shoemaker sitting over a work in process and there must be at least a hundred shoe and leathergood stores in the small town. There are also a number of homes and shops vending wine produced from local grapes. I haven’t yet tried the vintage, which I am guessing is of last week. The town’s central park is amongst the prettiest I’ve seen in Mexico and is directly connected to a small plaza in front of the cathedral, which you see in the photo.


The hillsides surrounding the town reminded me of the Appalachian mountains, with small farms stretching up the hillsides sporting cattle, mostly Holstein, grazing on the lush, vivid green hillside pastures that fade away into the forest. There were also the omnipresent horses and burros, often tethered aside the road to take advantage of the fodder that otherwise would go to waste, with the remnants of their manure present in the town’s streets.

The area is amongst the most picturesque of the areas I’ve visited in Mexico and its locale a bit higher in elevation makes for a climate a bit more temperate than here in Xalapa. All-in-all a good place to have an acre or so upon which to garden, keep chickens, and perhaps even a sheep or two.

If you look carefuly you can see Pico de Orizaba in the lower picture between the two street lights to the left of the church dome.

Apartment Pictures

I think the problem I was having uploading pictures was that they were in the .bmp format rather than the .jpeg format I usually use. .bmps must be larger files.


Here's a shot of the living room from the dining area.









This is a shot down the hall. The door on the right is to the bathroom and the door on the left is to the really small interior patio/laundry area that resembles the exercise space for a maximum security prison inmate, though smaller.

At the end of the hall there is a door to a bedroom on each side. The bedrooms are modest size and each have a very nice, roomy closet with heavy wooden sliding doors.

I Was Going To Post A Couple More Pictures

of the new apartment, but I am not able to upload the photos. I will take some more and try again. The disk in my digital camera has about 150 photos on it and that may be just about enough. I'll change disks and try again.

First, thank you all for the congratulations on my dog pound escape.

Nathalie thanks for checking in and leaving your comments, all the way from Australia, no less. Hey, and don't forget to go pay the shopkeeper for that salad.

Neil and Jodie, the rent for the new apartment is almost three times the rent for the dump; and worth every cent. The place even comes with art work on the walls, which includes a large painting of a road running through a forest of large trees, of a sort I imagine the Headless Horseman rode through.

The Men Of My Only Internet Cafe

I finally was able to get a photo of the father and brother of the family which operates the great internet cafe I patronize. The brother isn't really sleeping on the job.

Though I met the mother of the family the day the cafe opened I haven't been able to get a photo. I'm still on the hunt though.

My New Apartment

Yesterday I moved into my new apartment and, after a few months of living in the dog pound, I am indeed luxuriating. The picture at left is of the passageway from the street to the very far end where my apartment is.

I have a couple of other pictures to post but Blogger won't post pictures at the moment.

It took three trips to bring my stuff from my dog pound apartment, which was also furthest from the street, to my new digs. I didn’t enjoy the use of a hand truck or cart so the process involved lots of trips from the apartment to the truck and from the truck to the new apartment. So by the end of the day I was spent and didn’t make it to the internet café. During the moving process the manager here informed me that there is a locked parking lot next to the apartment building where I may park my truck at no additional charge.

Additionally, I found that the cable TV service had not been disconnected so yesterday after completing the move, buying a six pack of Modelo, and plopping on the couch I was able to watch the Seattle Seahawks seemingly lose to ST. Louis in the last couple minutes on a Hail Mary pass, only to win with 4 seconds left on a 54 yard field goal.

Today I arranged for internet and TV service through Cable Mas, opting for the 1 mbs service and returned the keys to the dog pound apartment to Rosie.

Just as I expected Rosie informed me that she would not return my deposit as I had not lived there for six months, as provided in the contract I signed. I told her that was fine; but also told her that I had signed the contract before I knew the roof over the bathroom leaked, above which reside a number of dogs, and before she had told me she had twenty some dogs. She said she was very sorry, though I think her insincerity was manifest.

I’m am so relieved to be done with living there that I couldn’t care less about the $1,600 peso deposit. Here, the welcome mat is out, which I just bought today.

Free At Last

Today I rented another apartment. A nice two bedroom, ground floor, fully furnished (including an overstuffed living room ensemble) apartment that is the furthest unit from the street and has it's own very small interior patio with the typical laundry sink one finds here. It also has an intercom to the front gate with which one may buzz in visitors. It is in a complex of 20 units where no pets of any kind are permitted and the place is clean.

The apartment includes roof access, three stories up, which I am hoping the signal from a wireless modem will reach. The manager and her daughters who did the rental paper work we're all very nice and even laughed at my jokes, tendered in my clumsey Spanish.

Tomorrow I will move my belongings and bid a very relieved farewell to the dog pound, its whiney, yapping chihuahua; the barking of the various other canine inhabitants; that omnipresent odor of dog chow processed by those four legged inhabitants; the need to watch where I walk down the passageway, which isn't easy at night; and my dark and dank dog pound apartment where when it rain the roof in the bathroom leaks and the bathroom is right below where dogs live.

Salsa Dancing

Last night I went with Roberto, the proprietor of a "clon" DVD store, and his brother Juan Luis to a nightclub where a Cuban band played salsa music and where we were joined by a few of Roberto's friends.


The band didn't being to perform until midnight, which is a bit late for a guy who is usually in bed by ten, but was preceded by a fellow singing while accompanying himself on guitar. I left the shenanigans at 2:00 to the protests of Roberto and Juan Luis who were still going strong.


Roberto and Tere, an employee at his shop.







Juan Luis and a friend of Tere's












Roberto and Juan Luis ripping it up. They are both very energetic and creative dancers.
Often Roberto would have his dance partner in stitches at his antics.

Garbage Collection And Itinerant Vendors

Here folks place their garbage each evening, except Sunday, in bags on a nearby corner and it is picked up by fellows plying the streets in a partially covered truck. One of the collection crew proceeds the truck jogging tough the streets ringing a cow bell to announce the approach of the collection crew. Crew members appear to take turns at the jogging and ringing duty.

As I was leaving Merida, as a aside, the city was beginning to enforce the separation of refuse into “organico” and “inorganico” bags which were picked up on different days of the week from the sidewalk in from of one’s home.

Similarly, both here and in Merida, itinerant vendors have various methods of announcing their approach. The LPG gas delivery fellows, for example, ply the streets in their trucks loudly playing music while the fellow in the back of the truck issues a ringing sound by banging one of the many gas tanks in the back of the truck. Other vendors utilize other means of announcing their approach, some simply hollering the name of their product.

In Merida the knife sharpeners announced their presence with pan flutes which they moved from side to side while blowing into them. The soil delivery fellows ply the in their horse drawn wagons loudly hollering “tierra, tierra.”

Speaking Of Lousy Editing

Speaking of lousy editing, I am reminded of an incident when I was working as the City of McCleary public works director during the early 1990s. The City operates a municipal electric utility and employs lineworkers and other professional personnel to operate, construct and maintain it electrical distribution system. At the time the employees were non-union, and woefully underpaid I might add.

I had made application, on behalf of the city, to the State of Washington apprenticeship training board seeking its authorization for the City to enroll its apprentice in the lineworker apprenticeship training program operated through a nearby community college.

Because the city'’s workforce was non-union, and the state apprenticeship program was essentially a union subsidiary, there was resistance to the city'’s application from the state agency as well as from the electrical workers union. The law establishing the apprenticeship program was explicit that the program was not to discriminate against non-union trainees, a fact of which I had to repeatedly inform folks involved with the process. I never have figured out why there must be a board of political appointees to approve apprenticeship training plans, when professional staff could determine if the submitted plans conformed to the law more effectively than a bunch of back-slapping hacks.

The state apprenticeship board met once each quarter and half of the meetings were wasted with award presentations, but that'’s another story. During the meeting when the board considered the city'’s plan, a business agent from the electrical workers union addressed the board and indicated that he had significant concerns with the city'’s safety practices. Consequently the board postponed consideration of the city'’s plan until its next meeting, three months hence.

Immediately upon returning to my office I submitted a public records request to the state workplace safety agency for all of its records of safety inspections conducted of City of McCleary facilities and operations. As it turned out the business agent who expressed his concerns with the city's safety practices had previously been a state workplace safety inspector, inspecting electric utility operations; and had inspected the city's operations a number of times. I guess the dumb ass had forgotten that fact, or, more likely, he was simply a despicable liar. The records indicated that the only violations for which he or any other inspector had ever cited the city were a crack in a windshield and the lack of an operator'’s manual aboard a truck.

Those who know me well know that there is nothing that brought mepleasurepleassure during my local government career than togovernmentalernemtanl agencies exceeding or abusing their legal authority. So you can well imagine what fun I had composing the letter, for the mayorÂ’s signature, to the apprenticeship board excoriating not only the lying business agent but also the apprenticeship board and its program. The letter was one of my prouder pieces of work, which the mayor loved and readily signed. Which brings me to the whole point of this missive.

Toward the end of the letter I had made reference to the city'’s public works director. It wasn'’t until the mayor and I were sitting before the board at its next meeting, suffering through the endless award presentations, when the mayor noticed that I had left the ''l'' out of ''public''. So as far as the board was informed I was the city's "“pubic works director".

So you can see lousy editing is nothing new for me.

More Public Art

Sunday morning as I was buying juice oranges from Tere, she asked what I had planned for the day. I told here I would take a walk, perhaps shoot some photos, make a couple of calls about houses, and otherwise loaf. She asked why I didn't ask her to accompany me on my walk.

So Sunday afternoon we went for a three hour walk during which she showed me some sights I hadn't yet seen. Including this sculpture of runners.







The sculpture is outside this stadium, constructed in 1925 and renovated in the '80s, which I consider to also be public art.

I wasn't able to get a shot of the sculptures atop the columns that support the gate and a portion of fence.

Meet Amir Abbas Fakhravar

Have you heard of Amir Abbas Fakhravar? If you haven't yet, you surely will. He's the Iranian "student dissident" being promoted by such notable pimps as Richard Perle, Michael Ledeen, and the American Enterprise Institute as a part of their effort to forment action against Iran.

Laura Rozen, one of the few remaining real journalists, reports that Fakhrvar credentials are questionable. According to a number of bon fide Iranian dissidents she interviewed Fakhjrvar was jailed for "unchaste" rather than political acts, was a jailhouse snitch, was able to make phone calls from the Iranian jail where he was housed to a Los Angles based dissident Iranian radio program, and that he "escaped" the country on a commercial flight to Dubai.

An Apology

As I'm sure all three of my readers have noticed, I am a lousy editor. Lousier than usual these days when I am relying on an internet cafe as I enter the posts and most often don't read them again.

Last evening I happened to read through a couple and was appalled.

Meet Tere

From whose shop around the corner I buy fruits and vegetable. Like Mari at the lavanderia, the first time I went into Tere’s shop she quizzed me about where I live, where I’m from, and etc. She has also has been on the lookout for another place for me to live. Tere has been very nice to me, even when I mispronounced her name.

Tere has two children and also has a brother and sister living with her. Her shop is in the front room of her house and is a very busy place in the morning when her regular customers who operate cocina economicas are buying for the day's fare.

Dealing With Samll Businesses

Yesterday I stopped by the panaderia to buy some bread. The nice folks there didn’t have change for the $50 peso bill I had so told me to pay tomorrow. Try that at Safeway or Chedraui.

Conversely, when I took a roll of film to DaVinci Photo for development the other day they were short $5 pesos of change so I told them they could make it up to me next time.

Another advantage of dealing with familiar small businesspersons.

Xalapa Churches

Here are a few churches I've run across here that I think are pretty neat.

Mexico is considered a Catholic nation but there are churches here of all stripes.

The church at left is the Light of the World church, which I think as a name is a bit presumpuous.











The church at right is actually in Xico.

















This church is actually very near to where I live but to get a good shot I had to walk about 2 miles and use a telephoto to get most of it in a photo.














Here's another one not far from the dog pound.












This is the church of an obscure sect believing in the cosmic power of pyramids and where pyramid head gear is worn during services.

Actually, as I'm sure you realize, I have no idea of what denomination the church is.

The World's Fastest Indian Motorcycle

I happened to run across a copy of a movie I’d never heard of but which stars Anthony Hopkins so I thought I’d I check it out.

The movie, The World’s Fastest Indian, is the story of Burt Munro, a New Zealander, who in 1963 fulfills his twenty five year dream of taking is modified 1920 Indian Scout motorcycle to Speed Week at the Bonneville Salt Flats. Munro had for years worked at modifying his motorcycle with the goal of driving it faster than 200 mph to set the motorcycle land speed record. He returned to Speed Week eight more times and his 1967 speed record for motorcycles of less than 1000 cc still stands.

Munro was assisted financially in his quest by folks from his hometown, the southern most city in the British Commonwealth, including a group of young bikers who fancied him to be an crazy old coot. He hired on as the cook on an ocean freighter headed to Long Beach, CA and won the at first skeptical crew members to his cause. After disembarking he made his way to a hotel in Hollywood staffed by a transvestite who take a shine to Munro and helps him retrieve his motorcycle from USA customs officials and recommends a used car dealer. Munro buys a 1953 Chevy and talks the dealer into allowing him to use his shop and junk to construct a trailer with which to haul his Indian to Bonneville.

More Public Art

I really like this mosaic wall mural.

I have taken photos of a number of churches which I will start posting tomorrow.

By the way, the dream house fell through, so I'm back to looking for a way out of the dog pound.

Independence Day Decorations

OK, so I got a roll of film developed that's been in my camera for a month or so. Some of the photos are a bit dated.

These photos show a small sample of the decorations placed all around town leading up to independence day last month. I think the outline of the fellow releasing the dove is pretty cool. Sorry I didn't get a night time picture.

The red, green, and white streamers you see on the building are the colors of the nation's flag.

I'm afraid the decorations don't show up so well in this photo of the state government building, located on the East edge of the Parque Juarez.

Pico de Orizaba

Here's a shot of the snow covered peak of Pico de Orizaba peaking through the clouds that I shot from the Parque Juarez. This is the highest peak in Mexico and the third highest in North America, or so I read.

It is a dormant volcano, not extinct, that last erupted in 1687 and erupted fairly often during the 15 and 1600s, or so I read.

If you want to read more about the mountain this web site has a well documented summary of info.

Augmented Public Art

Someone has placed a red flag into the hand of this statue of Al Benemer, I think his name is. I don't know what Al did to merit a statue, but I'll try to find out.

A couple weeks ago, the day after the independence day bash downtown, I noticed someone had place a Sprite bottle in the out stretched hand of a statue of a former Veracruz governor nearby. Unfortunately I didn't have my camera.

My Only Internet Cafe

Here are three members of the family that operates the only internet café whose services I use, and who have been so extremely nice to me as I reported earlier.

These three, along with their mother, are the good looking members of the family. Their father also regularly works at the café as does a brother. All of the younger members of the family have, or are now, studying computers and a few speak English well.

Meet Mari

Mari is the wonderful person to whose lavanderia I take my laundry. When a few weeks ago I told Mari I was looking for a house or apartment to rent she said she would check with a friend who has a rental. It turned out to be occupied by I really appreciated her inquiry. Last week when I told that it looks like I may be able to rent the house around the corner she said she was happy that it was close so that I would continue to bring my laundry to her. Today she asked if the house has a garden, as I had told her I like to garden. When I told her it did and that I would also plant in containers that I brought from Merida she told me she knows a woman who sells soil and to be sure to let her know when I need soil.

Mari has been wonderful to me from my first visit, during which she quizzed me as to where I lived, where I am from, and etc. She really is very sweet.

There is a lavanderia every couple of blocks here, as there is in Merida. Also in every couple of blocks you will find a panaderia where the panadero/a supplies the shelves daily with fresh bread and other baked goods. For stationery needs one goes to the papeleria, for dry cleaning to the tintoreria, for tailoring to the sastreria, for cakes and pastries to the pasteleria, for meat to the carniceria and etc. The shops are generally small and family operated so one may feel very good about trading with them.

Dredging The Dog Pound

Yipee. I have anew neighbor, who moved into the apartment right next to mine yesterday and he doesn’t have a dog. See, I can look at the positive side of things.

However, my new neighbor’s snoring reverberates through the passageway that separates the two apartment buildings with a sound akin to a harbor dredge sucking the sediment from the bottom of a shipping channel. The sucking sound is interposed with an equally load whimpering, as thought the dredge were sucking air.

I was awakened by the dredging at 4:00 this morning and, ultimately, had to get up and play my Tchaikovsky CD at a level necessary to overcome the snoring. He’s still dredging as I write this at about 10:00 AM.

And I thought that the whining and yapping of Bobbie, the Chihuahua in the apartment across from mine, was irritating.

The apartment occupied by the dredge was previously occupied by a woman with two children whose squealing and laughing, as they played in their apartment, I found quite enjoyable. Rosie, not liking children as she explained to me, required that the children to remain indoors unless they were coming or going.

El Gringo Loco Visits Jalcomulco

So you know just how loco this gringo is, I went there on the back of a motor scooter. My ass, which doesn't carry much padding, will never be the same.

I was in Roberto'’s shop earlier in the week, looking over his selection of "clone" DVDs; and Roberto, who is the gregarious sort, struck up a conversation. Before long he asked if I wanted to go to Jalcomulco Saturday and offered to drive us on his "“moto"”. Being in the midst of the adventure of my life and Roberto seeming like a nice fellow, I said "“claro."”


Later, in one of my more lucid moments, I thought I donÂ’t want to travel to Jalcomulco, some thirty miles from Xalapa, on the back of a motor scooter; and decided that on Saturday IÂ’d tell Roberto we will take my truck.

This morning I arrived at Roberto's shop at the appointed time and told him we I would rather take my truck. Two hours of rigmarole later, during which I had figured that since it was a nice sunny day a motor scooter ride would be fun, we were ready to leave. I asked Roberto how long it would take to get to Jalcomulco and when he responded it would take only a half hour I suggested we take his scooter. The trip was more like an ass torturing hour and a half

Which reminds of when I went with Long Life Harborite to look at some land he had purchased. The land he told me was about a half mile away and about five miles later we arrived there. Not that under estimating the mileage caused any problems, since we were driving; but I still remind him of the incident.

I was greatly relieved to arrive in town and to be able to dismount the motor scooter. So relieved, in fact, I started to give Roberto a bit of static about his half hour estimate, along the lines of the static I give my buddy Life Long Harborite.


Jalcomulco is a very picturesque riverside puebla, surrounded by mountains, that is home to quite a few river rafting guide services and camps. The town, it appeared to me, is largely supported by tourism. When we were there two groups of rafters passed, and as we were leaving two tourism buses were pulling in.

We spent a bit of time looking around town and walked across the suspension bridge,
you see in the photo with Roberto mid-span, had a great lunch of Camarones a la Diablo, which I think the dish is called because of the very hot tomato sauce in which the shrimp were bathed. Roberto told me that I would experience the spiciness of the lunch again in the bathroom tomorrow.

The ride back to Xalapa was pretty much excruciating for the first fifteen minutes, or so, until my ass went numb. After that it wasn'’t so bad except when Roberto failed to notice a peton (speed bumps which are installed in populated areas to slow traffic) and I rose off the seat eight or ten inches. Rising from the seat wasn'’t bad, but the landing was damned painful.

Roberto was a great traveling companion and a very safe driver. We enjoyed lots of laughs together, especially on the ride back after a couple of dark Victorias with lunch. I'’m afraid I'm too old, or have too boney of an ass, for extended trips on a motor scooter, though, and told Roberto that next trip I'’m driving.

If you're in Xalapa you will probably enjoy a half day trip to Jalcomulco which is a bit warmer than it is here owing to its lower elevation.