I bought another watch the other day. I didn’t need it, but there is great joy in negotiating with the watch salesman. A chunky, little man works the villages along the north side of Lake Chapala in the exciting state of Jalisco. His specialty is watches with fancy faces, famous names and very ordinary insides. […]
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This old gringo, from time to time, receives a flurry of comments and questions. Many are predictable. Where should I visit? How much does it cost? How’s the weather in January? Is it safe to drive? This message was intriguing: “We are studying symbolism. What’s with the snake on the Mexican flag?” Answer The big bird […]
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A funny thing happened the other day to one of my favorite Mexicans. He was invited to speak at a college, which, once upon a time, slammed the front door in his face. Deep in the MexConnect archives is a previous story about Rodolfo Calva Marquez, migratory worker without proper papers, who had the good fortune […]
Continue ReadingReal life is sometimes stranger than fiction. We stopped for late lunch at Octopus Garden in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, once an old fishing village a few feet uphill from the beautiful Bay of Banderas. The lasagna needed help but the ambiance was superb – classy courtyard with fountain, showplace wooden tables and chairs, slivers […]
Continue ReadingThrough the years, Colima, Colima meant volcano views, small sacks of sea salt, classy museums, pretty parks, souvenir casts and carvings of hairless dogs — and another hour to the beach. ¡No más! The city of palms has new and more meaningful significance. We have discovered The Home of Love and Protection for Children, a protestant […]
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There once was a questionnaire regarding what was best and worst about Mexico. There was no available data about number of respondents or when or where the survey was conducted so I will concede it was unofficial and most likely unscientific. Just guessing that questions and answers were in English. Results were. The timing was […]
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School daze is near which reminds me that most of what I think I know about Mexico education is based on second-hand information. The system is not broken. It never worked in rural communities, out in the country, where so many live near or below the poverty line. There is no yellow school bus, no […]
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For some, illegal immigration is a simple equation, what you risk for what you get. Luis Alberto Martinez Gomez became an illegal immigrant four years ago. He was 16. “Everybody was on their way to the U.S.” He had shallow roots in Tepic, four years until his parents divorced. After that, his mother moved around. […]
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If man’s best friend is really a dog, Nick Lampiris is richly blessed. He has 37. Many colors, sizes and ages, pleasantly healthy, tails wagging, happy bounce to their steps. Some were hungry orphans. Some were rescued from the streets, before or after contact. Some were rejects from weary owners. Some were handed off by […]
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Larry Herman never expected to live this long. He made no financial provisions for old age. At 69, he and his best friend Lynda, 65, escaped subsidized senior housing in Savannah, Ga., by going back to work. They got away from wheelchairs, walkers and the sadness of people waiting to die. Alas, they soon discovered […]
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