Notes From Bacalar

HOUSE ON LAGUNA BACALAR FOR SALE

2008-06-08T18:39:00.004-05:00

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Photo by Howard Dratch, 2008

This is a shameless advertisement for my house on the shore of the Lagoon near the Hotel Laguna and the Cenote Azul. It is a beautiful, light-filled house with high ceilings, terraces, views of the Lagoon of the Seven Colors from every room. There is a covered terrace the width of the house with grille and bar area, a massive, cement dock that will berth larger boats and a ramp on the 1100 square meter, walled property which is proerly titled.

The street side has a massive lap pool, gardens and fruit trees encircled by flowers and tropical birds. There is a 2 room, 2 bath casita and a whole-house generator.

The house has 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths on two floors. The price has been reduced to $US369,000. Contact me at hfd@7colorlagoon.com. It is sited perfectly on the most beautiful cove of the 35 mile long lagoon, far enough above the water to be protected from any possible rise in the lagoon. The house and I weathered a direct hit by Hurricane Dean last August without damage.

View the gallery of photos House For Sale

Tropical Real Estate
Home
Foreign Investment
For Sale
Mexico
Real Estate
Vacation Homes
Bed & Breakfast
Travel

Arthur Passed On

2008-06-01T11:04:00.001-05:00

There was some wind and a lot of rain, but little else. It is the memory of Dean that makes us nervous this year.

BULLETIN
TROPICAL DEPRESSION ARTHUR ADVISORY NUMBER 5
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL012008
1000 AM CDT SUN JUN 01 2008

...ARTHUR WEAKENS TO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION...THREAT OF HEAVY RAINS
CONTINUES...

AT 10 AM CDT...1500 UTC...THE GOVERNMENTS OF BELIZE AND MEXICO HAVE
DISCONTINUED ALL WARNINGS.

Tropical Storm Arthur Jump Starts Season

2008-05-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

NOAA and the National Hurricane Service warn today:

000
WTNT31 KNHC 311658
TCPAT1
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM ARTHUR SPECIAL ADVISORY NUMBER 1
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL012008
100 PM EDT SAT MAY 31 2008

...TROPICAL STORM ARTHUR...FIRST STORM OF THE 2008 ATLANTIC
SEASON...QUICKLY FORMS NEAR THE COAST OF BELIZE...ALREADY MOVING
INLAND...

AT 1 PM EDT...1700 UTC...THE GOVERNMENT OF BELIZE HAS ISSUED A
TROPICAL STORM WARNING FOR THE COAST OF BELIZE....AND THE
GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO HAS ISSUED A TROPICAL STORM WARNING FROM CABO
CATOCHE SOUTHWARD TO THE BORDER WITH BELIZE. A TROPICAL STORM
WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITHIN
THE WARNING AREA..IN THIS CASE...WITHIN THE NEXT 6 TO 12 HOURS.

FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA...INCLUDING POSSIBLE
INLAND WATCHES AND WARNINGS...PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED
BY YOUR LOCAL WEATHER OFFICE.

AT 100 PM EDT...1700Z...THE CENTER OF NEWLY FORMED TROPICAL STORM
ARTHUR WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 18.1 NORTH...LONGITUDE 88.5 WEST
OR ABOUT 45 MILES... 75 KM...NORTH-NORTHWEST OF BELIZE CITY AND
ABOUT 195 MILES ...315 KM...SOUTH-SOUTHWEST OF COZUMEL MEXICO.

ARTHUR IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST-NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH...13 KM/HR. ON
THIS TRACK THE CENTER OF CIRCULATION WILL BE MOVING OVER YUCATAN
TODAY AND EARLY SUNDAY.

MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 40 MPH...65 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER
GUSTS. THESE WINDS ARE OCCURRING PRIMARILY OVER WATER WELL TO THE
NORTHEAST AND EAST OF THE CENTER. ARTHUR IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN
TODAY AS IT MOVES FARTHER INLAND OVER YUCATAN.

TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 260 MILES...415 KM
MAINLY TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER.

ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1005 MB...29.68 INCHES.

ARTHUR IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 5 TO 10
INCHES OVER BELIZE AND PORTIONS OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA WITH
ISOLATED AMOUNTS UP TO 15 INCHES.

travel warnings
Mexico
Belize
Tropical Storm
Chetumal
Bacalar
Travel

Space Feed

2008-03-14T12:24:00.001-06:00

Terrorism In Mexico City

2008-02-16T16:15:00.001-06:00

The entire country of Mexico was automatically placed on alert following a bomb attack in the Federal District (of which Mexico City is a part). The leading national news agency, El Universal reported that an attack was made in the vicinity of the national offices of the Secretary of Public Security in the capital city and that caused the nation to be immediately under an alert.

La vigilancia se incremento en todos los aeropuertos, carreteras, puertos marítimos, cruces fronterizos y vías de comunicación y se reforzaron de inmediato todos los esquemas de seguridad en la infraestructura estratégica en la capital del país.

En la ciudad de México se puso especial atención en las instalaciones del Sistema de Transporte Colectivo, Metro; de Luz y Fuerza del Centro; la residencia oficial de Los Pinos, las sedes de Gobernación y de la Cámara de Senadores, así como de las guarniciones militares que se ubican en la capital del país.

Security was increased in airports, highways, sea ports, border crossings and in the communication sistem as well as reinforcing security for the capital's infrastructure.

They go on to note that Mexico City is being given special attention in transportation systems, subway, electrical grid systems, Los Pinos (the Mexican White House), government offices and the Congress.

Those already in the country will have noticed additional road-blocks even here in far-off Chetumal manned by soldiers and police agencies in full riot or battle gear. They are, as usual, polite and deferential to tourists and known residents.

The explosion occurred yesterday, Friday, at 2:30 PM Mexico City time. One person was killed in the explosion and remained unidentified. It was not known if he ( a man of about 30) had touched the bomb or was carrying it.

The full report in Spanish can be accessed at Diario de Yucatan

Mexico
travel warnings
Latin America
Travel

Violence And Death Continue For Guatemala

2008-01-24T11:21:00.001-06:00

Visit the Toronto Globe & Mail for extensive coverage on the levels
of violence and death, constant crime and robbery and its dangers for
visitors, business people and tourists.

"In 2002, before the violence began to escalate, roughly 2,900 people
were killed. Last year, the total reached 6,033, although international
observers believe that it could be as high as 8,000 (the National Civil
Police doesn't count people who are injured in an attack but die later
in hospital). Canada, with a little less than three times Guatemala's
population of 13 million, had only 605 homicides in 2006."

CONTINUE AT THE GLOBE & MAIL

This is yet another story of a corrupt Latin American country offering
so much charm and beauty that is rendered dangerous to visit by its
unwillingness to control its rampant crime and violence.

American Man Held In Nicaragua

2008-01-03T18:51:00.000-06:00

I have been very distracted by the holidays, the economic situation and the repairs and hassles of trying to sell my home. Therefore this blog (and my others) has been sorely neglected.

Today I was galvanized into writing for the first time in nearly a month by the plight of a young man in Nicaragua. I have posted this to my blog, Travel Dangers and repeat it here because it deserves wider exposure.

Eric Volz is a young, American man who was wrongly accused of murder in Nicaragua -- according to an appeals court in that country. The accusations appear to have come because and through anti-Americanism and xenophobia in that country. The community was barraged, it is reported, by stories of murder, rape, money-laundering, etc. The desire to get the gringo took over for the justice system. Please remember that "gringo" is a highly derisive word in Latin America that equals "spic", "dago", "kike", and "nigger" in American English. It doesn't just translate to foreigner or American.

Miscarriages of justice happen. The ability of a legal system to redress its wrongs makes for a successful rule of law and for constitutionalism to carry the day. That happened in this case when a higher court reviewed the case of Eric Volz and declared him innocent. They also ordered that he be freed from the penitentiary where he was being held.

The "judge" prosecuting the case has sequestered the records and applied for an appeal to the supreme court of Nicaragua and is thereby keeping the American imprisoned in defiance of the court's orders. The man and his family are sure that he will be killed or disappeared if he is left in this third world prison. The State Department has offered hopeful words but seemingly little action.

The family has asked for an American boycott of tourism and investment in Nicaragua until he is released.

Watch the Internet TV coverage by ABC News and then go the the website of The Friends Of Eric Volz. Contact your elected representatives to push our timid State Department to actually support threatened Americans in America Latina.

travel warnings
Latin America
Travel
Expatriates
Nicaragua
Anti-Americanism

Tay Zonday Finds The Way On The Net

2007-12-10T23:05:00.001-06:00

No, this is not a music blog nor can I admit to watching YouTube on any regular basis. Still I was caught by these videos, this story. It is an introduction or a warning about the Internet now, the 'Net to come and the changing demographics of fame.

The New York Times caught me up on this story under "Homemade YouTube Video Lands Singer in a Web Ad". Tay Zonday found the way. Tay Zonday is, in reality, a grad student at the U. of Minnesota named Adam Bahner.

Tay Zonday posted his video on YouTube. He sang his song, "Chocolate Rain" and people watched and listened -- 12 million hits now. That friendly Dr. Pepper fellow heard, too, and came for Tay Zonday to take him away and let him sing his Paul Robeson depths out to the world in grown-up video with a real-life rapper, Mista Johnson (sign to that effect wafts by), to advertise Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper which is being given limited marketing for an introduction in January. I can hardly wait for cherry flavored, chocolate flavored Dr Pepper with fake sugar. If Tay can promote it then the Internet will have a new height to reach, a new bar to better.

Here are links to the original, home-made and the Dr Pepper slick version.

Arts
Culture
Technology

The American Dream Of Eternally Sexy Youth

2007-12-03T00:50:00.001-06:00

There are perks to the sponsored notes and reviews in one's blogs. The side trips that are offered (since every sponsor has to have at least their site checked by me personally. This one was fun. It would be more fun for a younger man looking for a sexy gift for the wife -- including "plus sizes".

Off to the lingerie halls. The site, Lingerie Diva, offers -- among other categories -- bustiers. "Aha!", said the blogger, "What is a bustier?"

Bustiers, I am informed, "are women's lingerie similar to a bra but extends down to the waist or hips to create a structured, supported look. Bustiers are often boned and include underwires and may have removable straps. Bustiers can also be worn as outerwear."

This pictured one stuck with me because it was the one that was actually sexy or it was the best photographed one by far.

Another under "sexy clothes" got to me for the same reason. Without the dangerous looking spikes on her feet. Now I have discovered the real nature of the new American dream.

Sort By:

Organized Packing

2007-12-02T23:55:00.000-06:00

Photo © Howard Dratch, 2007.

When I was in Miami recently I, yet again, discovered the usefulness of a backpack. It shows my generation. One when we carried books home from school arranged atop the 3-ring binder. That was before the backpack idea swept the world and before every kid had a travel bag filled with cell phones, laptop, iPod, iPhone and maybe a book or two.

ir

It is the age that leaves me forgetful of the weight-balancing act of the backpack. In Miami I needed to walk some distance to a supermarket, the mall, the local Target and I would be exhausted by the seemingly greater weight of those bags held by each arm. Each step weighed upon you. The backpack helped those shopping trips, the journey by ship. Suddenly one carry-on with cameras and papers and another with computer played the same trip on energy. The backpack carried computer and one camera, second lens, lens-cleaning supplies, filter, cell phone and enough medications for a few days in case luggage sets were lost. One on-line resource for travel supplies and luggage, LuggageSource.com, also has some discounted leather backpacks that would be great to replace my $50 Target one.

Recent Galleries And Links

2007-11-23T00:08:00.000-06:00

This week, besides watching the stock market doing aerial displays of falling leafs and low-level bombing, the real business of selling my house has begun. Now that the first potential buyer came by I feel that the process is begun, the die cast, the decision made irrevocably.

Check out the listing for the property as a B&B on the Mexico International site.

This agency feels the casita, the small house on the property that was for a worker-family and could be rental units or a pool house, is a selling point. They may be right and repairs continued today with a crew of masons patching, a good scrubbing begins tomorrow and the windows will soon be replaced and all the plumbing modernized for the two very small bathrooms.

Photo of the Medusa Nebula from APOD © Don Goldman at Astrodon.

NEW GALLERY SERIES: I began a new set of gallery pages called HPOD for Howard's Picture of the Day after NASA's APOD, the astronomical picture of the day -- one of the greatest websites on the Net.

The first two pages with one picture on each are of a sexy tuliapan flower and last night's When Tree Frogs Sing The Blues.

As the weather (even here in the tropics) begins to cool for winter, swimming becomes a bit harder, wet suits need to be worn, and the exercise becomes harder. There is walking where it is safe and practical and there is the home gym idea to keep the heart muscle pumping, the body in motion, the brain in gear.

Check out the ProForm site for fitness equipment. The site is straightforward and the equipment of high quality. It is sold on-line and from major retailers.

HPOD - Picture of the Day

2007-11-20T02:23:00.000-06:00

Check out the first of my Pictures of the Day (20 Nov 2007) on a separate gallery page from 7 Color Lagoon.com. I will never actually mount one daily or even close. But it is a nice presentation and the workflow will get faster as times goes on.

Flowers
Gardens
Mexico

HPOD

2007-11-20T01:40:00.000-06:00

Howard's Photo of the Day

Tuliapan, Bacalar, Mexico

Flowers
Mexico

The Reality And The Dream

2007-11-18T01:45:00.000-06:00

Is the condo boom of South Florida real or a counterfeit version of life amid luxury in a tropical version of the American Dream? Photo ©Howard Dratch, 2007.

SOBE, South Beach, Miami Beach in what was once the tropical dream, Miami. Here the ship passes the southern tip of the barrier island that has become an urban playground, the center of the lure of the Sun Belt and the America-land theme park of the Caribbean, Central and South American worlds. Here is land's end, what was what was left of the island as island rather than urban development.

Here in Bacalar such things are beginning to happen albeit on a tiny level. This week a real, full-size Caterpillar bulldozer began its dozing across the cove on what had been a pretty piece of land with an abandoned house begun years ago with walls and roof, no floor or windows. The land is being leveled for a building site and rumor (chisme) along the coast road is that it will be "condos". Condos in Mexico could mean a skyscraper or four apartments. Bacalar is not Miami. It is not America.

Hopefully the mortgage crisis which has widened so far and begun to affect other industries and economies, will not stop the growth (the sale of my house is really what is on my mind) and prices of the last vestiges of Mexico's Caribbean coast. Mahajual on the Xcalak penisula near here is now called "The Costa Maya" and is rebuilding after Hurricane Dean's direct hit and devastation. The state government has earmarked large sums (really large in pesos) to rebuild a planned Mahajual as a tourist destination. Bacalar is considered part of this plan.

Sterling Silver version of a "Tiffany inspired" ring for $22 on-line.

Looking at condos and apartments, thinking of cities where I might live there is always the real and the dream and the lines are blurred. A designer jewelry on-line catalog caught my interest. They have many "designer" items that are designer inspired jewelry. Which is to say that they sell copies of luxuriously designed items which may be in less precious materials. ("Is it real - or is it Quanta Bella? Only you will know.......") The prices are highly attractive, as are some of the pieces. I was taken with this mesh ring of stainless steel mesh.

Taser Stories Continue

2007-11-16T13:23:00.000-06:00

Disclosure: I have sold my stake in TASR. It is a strong company with a product in demand and is surely in a growth industry. At some point I may even buy one of their new consumer models (they come in colors) but it is also a potentially dangerous or deadly weapon in the wrong hands. Too often the police seem to be the ones who have the "wrong hands".

The Offer, The Hunt, The Big Steps

2007-11-04T20:33:00.001-06:00

As selling my house on Laguna Bacalar in Mexico ( see the photo gallery on my site) begins to gather steam, my hunt to sell, perhaps then buy, real estate is somewhat different than the US equivalent. In the middle I shall have to move countries and that is no small decision nor chore. For now I continue to use real estate sites on the 'Net to get an idea of what is available to rent in the US or in Merida. The sites with the best pictures and most information win. It is almost like getting to visit -- almost -- when the pictures are used at least vaguely well.

Since Miami-Dade County is one greatest possibilities in the US, the sub-prime mortgage crisis and credit squeeze will be a blessing for me in either renting or buying. Miami is one of the bubbles that burst but remains a livable city with an aura of fun about it. Lower prices will help since living in America requires waking up in the American Dream just to survive.

In the US, Canada, Puerto Rico and, of all places, Portugal, GMAC real estate offers Premiere Service agents and offers its Elegant Homes like this California beauty for 3.5 million dollars -- not pesos.

Forbes recently listed so many places hit worst by the mortgage debacle that are now more affordable choices for retirees. We shall see how long I remain here, how long it takes to sell and how easy it is to move countries yet again.

Some Jewels To Adorn

2007-11-03T00:36:00.000-06:00

In reality my use of jewelry is small and my use of it the same. But for many it is something of beauty, a statement of character and appeal as well as the diversification of wealth. Here in Mexico, considering the great trust earned by the banking system, gold jewelry is far more than adornment. It is the bank account that is pretty and worn, protected on your person from the insecurity of the financial systems.

For some it is the deposit of value for the very rainy day, the one when the financial system has failed, when the revolution has come and swept away all your possessions and accounts.

I chose a titanium bracelet for the illustration because titanium is on my mind this week. It is a pretty metal, not so precious, that is a necessity in more and more technological products and is growing its appeal as jewelry as well. On a financial note I recently invested in a Titanium production company, TIE which looked great in its numbers -- and still does -- but showed flat earnings for the quarter, took my little investment in its shares and fell dramatically. It has begun to recover and my choice was probably good, my timing lousy. We shall see what the volatile future in the Market brings this season.

Staying Home While Traveling

2007-11-03T00:08:00.000-06:00

A condo vacation rental from Lowery's Vacation Rentals, www.moremouse.com

It is twice now that I have sublet apartments in Miami while traveling there for medical visits and procedures. The two condos I rented for 2 weeks (in January) and a month this past September were totally different but both served their purpose.

The first purpose was, of course, to save money. Hotels are for a day, weekend, week. Past that point they are expensive and I would be paying for things that would have begun to annoy me. The restaurant in the lobby of most of the hotels in my price range can be wonderful on a dark and rainy night when I am too tired to leave the hotel but are usually on the Howard Johnsons gourmet scale. Exception: The Biscaya at the Ritz-Carlton in Coconut Grove -- one of my favorite restaurants in the world. Good to delicious, simple foods available (grilled salmon with perfect asparagus, perfectly colorful salad and the world's best fruit sorbet), gentle classical music to sooth the savage beast waiting for dinner, and perfect service.

My last apartment gave me a relatively comfortable refuge following a difficult surgery where I had stored food-stuff and drinks, had a separate bedroom in which to curse surgeons and a nice kitchen to keep myself fed at minimal cost.

The same factors would be relevant for the vacationing family group. Why pay for multiple rooms or suffer the indignities of sharing with children when a condo or house fully fitted out is waiting to give you refuge at less cost than the confines of a hotel room or rooms. Spread out, relax, make yourself at home, then vacation.

Visitors to Florida, especially those family groups with children tend to head for Orlando and the world of the mouse. For them there would be an Orlando rental home.

On The Road To Malibu

2007-11-02T01:58:00.000-06:00

It was more than 20 years ago we decided to check out living in LA, re-settling my photography work where things happen more quickly than in the older world of the East. Or so I thought. Photography went well enough for me at the time and it looked to be a place where work would come in. But a little Rodeo Drive and the cost of housing made it clear that the Hudson Valley would be where we would land again -- and did.

Malibu and Santa Monica, Venice beach and Harry who was the Rasta-man in white robes on skates who we hung with were my memories of LA. Malibu and it canyons and the Pacific looking beautiful we ended up living in Laguna Beach for a time but Laguna is not the City, not L.A. and not quite real. Also expensive!

You can do, in L.A. in Malibu drug rehabs in the L.A., Malibu, Rodeo Drive style. Get over the craving (or the giving in to it) while being surrounded by beauty with the Pacific in the distance and surroundings that hardly seem like a gritty movie about wild-eyed addicts. This is the stuff of therapy in style, reinforcement in surroundings that are fitting for recoveries.

Tickets To Big Ball Games

2007-11-02T01:38:00.001-06:00

If your tastes run to football games in the fall and you like the Cowboys tickets-- they are playing at the Texas Stadium in Irving, Texas; have I got a web site for you. NFL, MLB, NBA,Hockey, NCAA Football, NASCAR Racing (even I can enjoy car racing), tennis and even wrestling tickets are waiting. There is even an email newsletter to sign up for that will deliver news about your favorite team regularly.

There was the trip last January to the US, to Miami, when I neglected to look up when and where the Superbowl would be. Yes! That piece of ignorance gave me troubles since it turned out the whole world was coming to Miami just when I needed a place to stay until my apartment was ready. All of a sudden all rooms were booked, blocks of rooms, loads of fans. Travelers should stay aware of everything scheduled for their destination and itinerary.

Ten years ago as we left my old home town of Tampa towards the west or south west or Mexico or wherever we ended up, the stretche into New Orleans became clogged with cars waving team penants, drunk college students and fan hordes and, again, New Orleans was full up, the choice of hotels limited by reservations by fans of the Sugar Bowl. Another piece of ignorance. I never take the extreme interest of many in ball games and the effect it can have. In reverse the fans have to fight for their tickets and travel plans. This site helps with the tickets part.

Home For Now

2007-10-31T00:07:00.000-06:00

Photo © Howard Dratch, 2007. Rainbow from the end of my dock.

Here again in Bacalar, home again. At the same time my home is on the market officially. For those of you seeking a tropical, Mexican village on a 35 mile long freshwater lagoon not too far from the Costa Maya and the Caribbean, this is a special, unique property. The location is among the best on the lagoon. The views spectacular in all weather and seasons. Terraces both upstairs and down overlook the panorama of the lagoon, the uninhabited far shore and the spectacular ink-black night sky in common with the Mayan astronomers.

I have made a short pdf article I can email. Email me at: hfd@7colorlagoon.com. You need do no more than put Bacalar House as the subject. Visit the photo gallery of the house at http://7colorlagoon.com/galleries/houseforsale/index.html.
Two agents are already representing the house and more are expected. Links to them will appear here shortly and are on the last post at 7 Color Lagoon.

This house does still need some things. Modern lighting that is well-planned and designed would be an improvement on what was designed by the original owners. We have only used small lamps to augment this but modern equipment in whatever style would help. One style that does tend to intrigue me for this house and for my next space is track lighting.

Laguna Bacalar
Lighting
Foreign Investment
Tropical Real Estate

Macworld's Mac Security Pledge

2007-10-28T01:28:00.001-05:00

Macworld recently published its' "Mac Security Pledge" on ways to protect your on-line presence from identity thieves, hackers and other bottom-feeders of cyberspace.

Definitely worth a look and then take the pledge.

Back In The Little Pitaya

2007-10-23T00:22:00.000-05:00

Photo © Howard Dratch, 2007. My house in Bacalar is going on the market. Check the Bacalar House page which will be largely enhanced shortly.

Home again in Mexico, an alien land, after being home in the States where I have begun to feel a little lost in the brave new world. Home again in "little Pitaya", a title I just made up after actually having returned to The Big Apple itself. There was a lot of Miami too but I don't know if Miami has given itself a fruity name. I must stop to search to see one day when it really seems interesting enough.

Also when pitayas are in season I must photograph it to show off. It is a delicate red-skinned fruit that is the fruit of a viney cactus that grows around tropical trees. Around lime or mange trees I was told would be best. It is, like all cactus, slow-growing for here, mature enough to fruit a time to wait. I have not been able to raise them, but have managed to eat them happily. The flesh is whitish -- it almost looks like a whitish kiwi inside with its flecks of black seeds. The taste is not of a kiwi but similarly sweet-tart and juicy, the skin thick and waxy. The Mayan word for it is pi'tahaya I am told by Mayans who question why I would want to learn Spanish when I could be learning Mayan. This is one of the only words I ever seem to remember for some reason. The numbering system was fascinating with its dots and bars, the dots a 1, the bar a 5.

While in Miami I treated myself to a new watch suitable for life here on the jungle edge. A $50 Casio that will work sturdily like the last one I gave to my guard but will not tempt anyone to cut off my hand above the wrist to take it.
That type is collectible, incredibly beautiful but awfully tempting. Essential Watches has IWC watches as well as "pre-owned" Rolexes like the vintage "Paul Newman" Daytona for only $120,000 or the other quite acceptable model for $3100. Not for the jungle. The watch will probably function flawlessly but the machetes might just start flying too.

Since being home I have pulled the walls of the property, the steel gate and the walls of the house around me to retreat into myself. There was this crushing culture-shock of being shocked by both my cultures and the profound exhaustion. There was also the Mexican version of broadband to deal with. And the volatile stock market that does sap the energy watching and reading the roller-coaster days of fall.

Love & Cholera on Babbitt's Main Street

2007-10-07T19:54:00.000-05:00

Photo of stack of antique bound books from the site Pictures of Old Books.

Shopping for books always seems as if Amazon is the lone Internet dealer. Shopping for books in New York was always The Strand where they were all to be found in bins and dusty shelves, everything that could be read could be found with enough searching. Back in my more youthful days living in small-town America, shopping for books included the sweet hunts in odd corners -- the Salvation Army store in Hudson, NY where I found a first-edition of Harold Lasky's The American Presidency.

There were also yard sales at churches and the wonderful book sales at The Woodstock Library. Last January a magical book sale appeared in the parking lot next to my motel near The Falls in Miami where a lovely lady sold me all the books that would fit in my suitcases for the trip home for $4. The shopping can be as much fun as the collection and both almost as satisfying as the reading.

2007 has brought us the Internet, PayPal and plastic money. Check out my Amazon links and Buy.com for books. I found Love In The Time Of Cholera at widely different prices and a rather complete selection of Sinclair Lewis' works at Buy.com.

Books

The SubPrime Mortgage Crisis

2007-10-07T00:11:00.000-05:00

Photo © Howard Dratch, 2007.

Confused about the market jitters, past volatility, housing supply surpluses, the "melt-down". Here is the explanation is a single shot. This is, of course, merely an indication of the forces that moved big lenders to throw caution to the winds allowing everyone a shot at their 15 minutes of wealth, sort of.