It's still hot, but not as hot as the as usual unbearable days of May.
Rain is now overdue and Los Tuxtlas is a potential tinderbox. Each year hundreds to thousands of acres go up in flames, primarily in the Sierra Santa Marta to the south. Little is done about it because the mountain communities lack both fire equipment and fire roads.
My series about tourism going down the tubes was waylaid by dozens of tangents arising from studying the local dreams which I had unfortunately stored in a mess. To be continued soon.
The high faluting chef that created a little excitement in Catemaco is gone, and instead I just saw my first sliced pizza tricycle peddlar.
For twelve weeks the local authorities ballyhooed the carnival of Catemaco, which finally came to a close the end of May with three identical parades, presumably attended by identical local people, because touristically the local restaurants were starving.
Also coming to a close is the political gift giving season. Every year I am amazed at the public funds used to entertain potential voters or influence peddlers. Gifts ranged from cash to refrigerators, plasma TVs, and video recorders, which in the latest round, kept local school teachers and journalists in line. The last potential give-away day is Father's Day, but somehow I have never seen politicians use that day as a vote buying opportunity.
You might think my mentioning politicians without upcoming elections is a little stupid. WRONG, the jockeying for political power started the day after the last election in 2010 and, amazingly, is now in full swing for the end of 2012 elections, even in a hick town like Catemaco which sells less than 300 newspapers per day. Which brings up the current mayor. I had hopes for the next 3 years of Catemaco. Like I said, I had hopes.
Yesterday, a terrible accident occurred on the road around Nanciyaga. A young women died and another two are fighting for life. The horrible aspect is that the driver fled the bloody scene. That is the typical response of Mexican drivers who prefer to leave their dying wife and children on the road (2010 local accident), rather than to face the Mexican judicial system. But, among all the razzle of protests in Mexico, I see none addressing that issue. "Asi es", says my Popoluca.
Yesterday, a terrible accident occurred on the road around Nanciyaga. A young women died and another two are fighting for life. The horrible aspect is that the driver fled the bloody scene. That is the typical response of Mexican drivers who prefer to leave their dying wife and children on the road (2010 local accident), rather than to face the Mexican judicial system. But, among all the razzle of protests in Mexico, I see none addressing that issue. "Asi es", says my Popoluca.
We are now in the doldrums of tourism which won`t lift till the beginning of summer vacation in mid July and the major festival of the Virgen del Carmen, the local chief holiness. Charter buses filled with European tourists are the only visitors that pop out on the bleak touristic landscape.
This is a local mountain cat which has lately been snacking on the Fool on the Hill's chicken. Jaguarundis are not particularly endangered, but they are almost extinct in Los Tuxtlas.
