::Every reader, if he has a strong mind, reads himself into the book, and amalgamates his thoughts with those of the author.::
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
When G.W. was governor of Texas he decided to get tough on crime by approving Project Spotlight, a program implemented in the neighborhoods of our major cities with the highest level of recidivism. I was awarded a three year contract with Travis County Corrections, providing once a week art and art therapy sessions to youth offenders, i.e., gang members. The young adults were great, and cherished an opportunity to tell their stories and the possibility of altering the course of the younger youth in their neighborhood. The teens on the other hand were resistant and belligerent, as at-risk teens can be in general. It was very difficult not to laugh out loud when the Garcia siblings showed up to the first class wearing contact lens that made their eyes resemble those of a demon, or when Cartoon Kid, aka Felix, insisted that I read his poem titled "F%ck You", which consisted of fifteen lines of only that phrase. On the latter, there was no need for my laughter as the whole classroom began howling as I read the work with great gusto and variance of inflection. You wouldn't believe how many ways that simple phrase can be interpreted!
No matter how many hat tricks I pulled out I never got these babies to come on board the love train. By our final project, collage works that would be exhibited in a rather significant contemporary art gallery in Austin, I had grown weary of the group think imagery. Apparently, it is very dangerous to have an individual voice when one is part of a gang. At the end of that first evening of image collecting I decided to pull a Johnny Carson on them. By wrapping my pashmina around my head, I transformed myself into "Carnac the Magnificent". I tipped each of their manila envelopes of images to my temple and guessed the contents. "Let's see. Yes, I'm getting a very clear image of women dressed in revealing clothing, expensive cars, lots of bling-bling, and bottles of booze. Am I right?," followed by dumping out the contents to reveal my accuracy. If individual thought puts a gang member on red alert status, a teen who is thought of as a copycat is dead meat.
Considering the number of visitors each day, News From A Broad post are rather slim on the comment side. Each month I receive a number of questions sent to the News From A Broad email address. I've been answering these in a general way through the post, as well as being more specific in my private correspondence. Here is a sampling of the questions I've been asked followed by my replies:
A Broad From Canada ask, "Do you know anything about driving down with dogs? We have four dogs and are not sure which hotels will allow that number. Does it add cost to the hotel room?"
I paid a hefty fee for a special letter from my vet, written in English and in Spanish, to bring Mimi the Cat across international borders. No one at the border crossings nor immigration stations ever asked to see this document. As far as I'm concerned, I could have created a letter myself and had it in hand if necessary. I don't know how many animals are allowed during your immigration. What was once true for me, or any expat in Mexico, may no longer be true for you so check a qualified site on immigrating with animals before you drive them down. I would consult with YES.
I've always stayed in the No-Tell Motels when traveling through Mexico. They are sometimes referred to as the "sex motels" because they rent by the hour. Sounds like a sleazy choice but they are really convenient, easily recognizable and economical. They generally are in plain site from any highway, walled off and often resembling famous places from around the world. They average about $350 MXN for a full night. The best part, in my opinion, is that they have secured garages attached to your room and don't care how many trained monkeys you bring into the room. During peak travel season there will be plenty of US and Canadian plated vans, packed to the roof and loaded with 4-6 family members making their way through Mexico to visit relatives. I've never felt unsafe during one of my stays in a No-Tell Motel.
A Broad From Texas writes, "We are driving down in November. What route did you take when you drove down? I've heard that it is dangerous to make the interior trek and that it will add days to our trip."
I considered taking the coastal route as I had never done that in my many years of driving through Mexico. However, with all the incidents along the border and on the coastline, I decided that driving a familiar route was safest, and in this way I would immediately recognize if something was amiss. However, if you have never driven down, driving through Texas might feel scarier than driving through Mexico. I certainly have never seen a bunch of deer parts hanging from an open tree in Mexico, nor a huge collection of crosses embedded in the lawn of a Mexican courthouse.
The route you take is totally up to you and I cannot guarantee safety. With that said, I prefer the interior route. I avoid topes, i.e., speed bumps, the possibility of fiesta traffic, and small town police officers looking for bribes. The highways in Mexico are comparable to those North of the Boarder (NOB). It's easy to spot Pemex gas stations for fill-ups and restroom stops. Many are attached to restaurants, OXXO and occasionally, a pharmacy. The other reason I prefer the interior route is because topes slow down the trip and are hard on my vehicle. With the Autopista Arco de Norte opening a few years back, there is a complete bypass of Mexico City and a direct lead into Puebla. It is an incredibly beautiful drive, often crossing canyons and spectacular views of napole fields.
Create the life you want.
The Broad
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A Broad From Canada ask, "Do you know anything about driving down with dogs? We have four dogs and are not sure which hotels will allow that number. Does it add cost to the hotel room?"
I paid a hefty fee for a special letter from my vet, written in English and in Spanish, to bring Mimi the Cat across international borders. No one at the border crossings nor immigration stations ever asked to see this document. As far as I'm concerned, I could have created a letter myself and had it in hand if necessary. I don't know how many animals are allowed during your immigration. What was once true for me, or any expat in Mexico, may no longer be true for you so check a qualified site on immigrating with animals before you drive them down. I would consult with YES.
I've always stayed in the No-Tell Motels when traveling through Mexico. They are sometimes referred to as the "sex motels" because they rent by the hour. Sounds like a sleazy choice but they are really convenient, easily recognizable and economical. They generally are in plain site from any highway, walled off and often resembling famous places from around the world. They average about $350 MXN for a full night. The best part, in my opinion, is that they have secured garages attached to your room and don't care how many trained monkeys you bring into the room. During peak travel season there will be plenty of US and Canadian plated vans, packed to the roof and loaded with 4-6 family members making their way through Mexico to visit relatives. I've never felt unsafe during one of my stays in a No-Tell Motel.
A Broad From Texas writes, "We are driving down in November. What route did you take when you drove down? I've heard that it is dangerous to make the interior trek and that it will add days to our trip."
I considered taking the coastal route as I had never done that in my many years of driving through Mexico. However, with all the incidents along the border and on the coastline, I decided that driving a familiar route was safest, and in this way I would immediately recognize if something was amiss. However, if you have never driven down, driving through Texas might feel scarier than driving through Mexico. I certainly have never seen a bunch of deer parts hanging from an open tree in Mexico, nor a huge collection of crosses embedded in the lawn of a Mexican courthouse.
The route you take is totally up to you and I cannot guarantee safety. With that said, I prefer the interior route. I avoid topes, i.e., speed bumps, the possibility of fiesta traffic, and small town police officers looking for bribes. The highways in Mexico are comparable to those North of the Boarder (NOB). It's easy to spot Pemex gas stations for fill-ups and restroom stops. Many are attached to restaurants, OXXO and occasionally, a pharmacy. The other reason I prefer the interior route is because topes slow down the trip and are hard on my vehicle. With the Autopista Arco de Norte opening a few years back, there is a complete bypass of Mexico City and a direct lead into Puebla. It is an incredibly beautiful drive, often crossing canyons and spectacular views of napole fields.
Create the life you want.
The Broad
2 comments:
Great that you are posting these practical hints along with your life-observations. One reason you may not get so many comments is that for first-timers, this particular "Blogger" site makes it difficult to do so.
Thanks Charles for the information. I'm not sure why that is so for some and not for others. Will continue to improve the site to make it as user friendly as possible.
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