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.