On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 07:50:43 -0600, Conan The Librarian brought forth from the murky depths:
That's TODAY's Mexican government. What about next year's? And the different one a few years later? It's less stable than ours, y'know. (But the US is doing things to change that. We'll be as unstable as they are shortly, especially if the Shrub makes it back in.)
That's much safer than being anywhere near the locos in Mazatlan.
Up here in Southern Oregon it's the damned Californicators. They're everywhere! ;)
Our flight into Anchorage last August was hit by lightning. It sounded like some dude out on the wing with a double-barreled shotgun who lit both tubes at once. No problem, just noise. That was STRANGE.
----- = The wealth of reality, cannot be seen from your locality. =
Hey Vato. If you are really athletic, you can go to this trailer park near Otay Mesa in SoCal. I know this guy, he is a coyote. At night he takes the fence down by the trailer park and 500 Mexicans run into the United States. If you talk to him and don't get trampled, he will let you into Mexico for only $100 dollars. Mexico rules man.
Hey Vato, I can help you sneak into Mexico for $1000. I can also introduce you to a doctor in case you get sick. He can write you a prescription good anywhere in the city if you know what is wrong with you. That's because he would never figure it out. He also has a 1949 Chevy ambulance with tuck and role interior. He financed it through Pedro's Medical College and Beauty School.
Kind of reminds me of John D. McDonald's comments about the Florida gate: everyone who gets there wants to shut the gate before any more like him come down and mess things up even more.
Charlie Self
"I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it." George Carlin
Actually, Mexico's government has been pretty stable (in an odd sort of way). The Partido Revolucionario Institucional (Revolutionary Institutional Party ... nice oxymoron, huh?) was in power for roughly 70 years. I think it was 1998 before even a governor was elected from the opposition PAN party. And then of course, Fox was elected in 2000.
Was the government corrupt? Yep. Was the economy unstable? You betcha. But the goverment was stable.
Now it seems no one is exactly sure what to expect. Ironically, now that there is the semblance of a two-party system, things may actually get less stable. Or there may be gridlock as PRI members at the local level oppose Fox's government (this is already happening in some cases).
Anyhow, the point of my ramble is that I am not really afraid of the Mexican government's intrusion into my affairs as a possible home-owner. They have plenty of other things to worry about.
One of the things I like about SMA is that there is nothing to do (relatively-speaking), so tourists who go there have to seek it out for its own charm not because it's a place to go party and pick up chicks.
Heh. Reminds me of a tune by James McMurtry called "I'm Not From Here". It has lines like:
I'm not from here I just live here Grew up somewhere far away Come here thinking I'd never stay long I'd be going back soon someday
Nobody's from here Most of us just live here Locals long since moved away Sold the played-out farms for parking lots Went off looking for a better way
I'm not from here But people tell me It's not like it used to be They say I should have been here back about ten years Before it got ruined by folks like me
I've tried several times to do the ol' cigarette into a puddle of gas thing, and it only works like that in the movies. I know what Smokey the Bear says, but it's actually quite difficult IME to start a fire with a cigarette, which is probably why we don't have a lot *more* forest fires than we do. If you want it to work reliably, Charlie has the right idea with his Molotov cocktail.
I've always said if I ever find the resources to make a trek to Mexico or elsewhere, I'll stay away from all the places I can already find on a map without much trouble, and see what the *real* country is like.
(As long as it's some place with a Burger King, so I don't starve to death. Therein lies the problem. At real Mexican restaurants, I eat a lot of plain tortillas and drink a lot of margaritas. That's about all the Mexican cuisine I have the stomach for.)
(That was funny... I went in one time, speaking nearly perfect Spanish, and the guy seemed to think I was a native speaker until I ordered my plain cheeseburger, solamente con pan, carne y queso. I saw the gringo bells going off. :)
not there with their laws. lots of US people get jailed for 10 years minimum holding possession of ammo only. it happens a couple times/year around here, where tourists get stopped at the border going in for a nice weekend requires US diplomatic interventions (that rarely work) to get out.
It's a shame how many folks go to a border-town and proclaim that they don't like "Mexico". IMHO, border-towns show the *worst* elements of life in Mexico, as all the hustlers and folks out to make a quick buck congregate there.
Go to the interior of the country and you'll get a different picture.
You say that like it's a bad thing. :-) Seriously, I don't know about the Mexican restaurants where you live, but if they're anything like we have here, they'd more correctly be called "Tex-Mex". Interior cooking is a lot more varied and doesn't rely on excessive amounts of chile powder, comino, etc. They always serve various hot sauces on the side, but it's easy enough to get food that's mild if that's what you want.
As far as Burger Kings go ... well, I dunno about that chain, but San Miguel has a Domino's pizza and a KFC. :-} In fact, when we were there last month, I was realizing that it's getting harder and harder to get "local" food. They cater so much to tourists/gringo retirees that for every "authentic" restaurant there is a "tapas bar", a Chinese place, an Italian restaurant or a "bistro" (translation: give the food some European names and jack the price up 75%). Hell, there's even a place that proudly advertises "Texas-style barbeque". :-|
The good thing is, if you speak the language, you can still find good places to eat. You just have to explore a bit and get away from the touristy areas. Working class neighborhoods are always a good bet.
ObWW: One of the nice things about SMA is that mesquite is the predominant tree in that area. Unfortunately, they use it mostly for cooking and heating, but I figure I could find a source for logs easily enough. And I imagine I could get it dirt cheap.
If you get the chance, try cecina de res. Sort of make it yourself fajitas with a different taste. Afraid you won't find it at Tippy's or Anita's. Dave in Fairfax
All I ever saw of Mexico was Tiajuana, and that was many years before anyone even thought of cleaning it up...1959, early, while I was stationed at Camp Pendleton for a few weeks. I've never been back. Never been tempted, really. That was one totally unpleasant experience.
Given, it was a border town. But also given, there were, and are, ways of controlling that kind of mess so it doesn't get as bad as it was then--someone has to make the effort, though. I'm told it's better now, so I guess someone finally got fed up with the corruption.
After a few hours there, you wondered where the real people lived.
Charlie Self
"I have as much authority as the Pope, I just don't have as many people who believe it." George Carlin
So I've heard. I figure the same would hold true to some extent somewhere like Puerto Vallarta or Acapulco too.
No, the place I'm thinking of serves pretty genuine everyday Mexican food. I just don't like much variety in my diet, let's put it that way.
One big reason why I've never been a world traveller. Even if I could come up with the money, what would I do for food once I ran out of trail mix? :)
Most of it has onions in it though, hot or not. Everybody the world over has a love affair with those things for some reason. I just don't get it.
Can you imagine what it would be like to have to avoid onions? I'll bet everyone else on the Wreck loves them. I'm a freak. I *must* be a freak, because people from all sorts of culiary backgrounds use onions in everything.
I can't eat much American food either.
O_o
Anyway, it's all a moot point. We're not going anywhere like that for another 10-20 years. We haven't even been to the *beach* (call it five hours away) since before the kids started school.
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