Mexican Wholesale

This is such a touching account of an encounter of Mary Harter together with friends and the rescuing of  whales in Mexicos southern Baja.

It was an unusually gray overcast day for southern Baja in mid April. We were relishing the respite from the often relentless sun and enjoying morning coffee at camp on San Francisquito Island north of La Paz. We were a group of 12 friends and 5 Mexican crew on a 9 day island hopping expedition complete with skiffs and kayaks from La Paz to Loreto.

Some of our party decided to take advantage of the overcast skies and go for a hike up the spectacular ridgeline above camp. A well worn path leads up the north east ridge of the island. From the ridgeline you get a spectacular view of the surrounding Sea of Cortez and islands of Espiritu Santo to the south and San Jose to the north.

While most of us were enjoying morning coffee at camp the hiking party returned from the ridge in a hurry with news of a baby whale they spotted near shore entangled in fishing nets. Everyone at camp immediately set into motion with plans to help rescue the whale. We grabbed ropes and knives and of course cameras and 6 of us jumped into a skiff (otherwise known as a panga in Baja) and headed in the direction of where the entangled whale was last spotted. Meanwhile the hiking group returned to the ridgeline to direct us to the spot with their birds eye view. As we motored around the northeast corner of the island we noticed a couple of whales sounding off in the distance, tails raised high as they dove. They were humpbacks.

We were directed by our folks on the ridge to travel closer to shore and further south and soon we were getting close to the vicinity of where the distressed whale had last been sighted. Suddenly there it was, a humpback calf only about 20 feet in length (mature humpbacks reach 50 feet) with brightly colored fishing net wrapped tightly over most of its head and upper body. The small whale was about 50 yards off shore in about 40 feet of water. Two of our Mexican crew, Carlos Gajon and Manuel Higuera, dove into the water with snorkel gear and knives in hand attempting to swim along side the whale and try to cut the netting off. They were able to snorkel directly above the whale and helplessly watch as it continually dove and tried scrapping the net off on rocks on the sea floor. The poor whale was covered in scraps and cuts, some bleeding, from its fruitless efforts.

Carlos and Manuel’s efforts to free dive 40 feet and try cutting the net off were in vain. We finally realized we would need to get the whale into more shallow water in order to effectively work on removing the net from the whale while working on the surface of the water. Manuel dove down and successfully tied a line from our panga to the net entangling the whale. We used the skiff to start pulling the whale toward shallower water. At first the small exhausted whale resisted but almost immediately it relented and gave in to our efforts to assist it. We succeeded in getting it into shallow waters and several more of us abandoned our dry, warm seats in the panga to jump into the cool, gray waters and begin cutting the net. We were now in about 10 feet of water and the small whale remained docile and calm along side our panga at the surface of the sea. Ever since our initial tug from the panga pulling the whale toward shore this highly intelligent animal totally relented to our efforts in freeing it from its bondage. Several of our party adorned with masks and snorkels noticed its eyes wide open staring at them under water. One of our members even noticed this 20 foot probably 15 ton animal close its eye and nudge toward him as he started cutting the net off. Once the knives started slashing the net was off and in our panga within 5 minutes. The whale hovered near our panga as we all cheered and stroked it. Then smoothly and deliberately the whale slowly swam off toward deeper waters. We all cheered again.

Due to the fact I was 6 ½ months pregnant at the time, I opted not to jump in the water and cut netting off this unfortunate little whale. It took all my will power to refrain from joining my friends in the water as it’s always been a dream of mine to look a whale in the eye from underwater. Instead I took on the role of photographing the event. As a biologist and naturalist on whale watching trips for 20 years I know young humpbacks aren’t weaned until about 8 months. From the size of this whale calf I imagine it was only about 2 months of age if that. Therefore without its mother’s milk supply we didn’t have much hope for its survival.

We truly hoped that one of the two humpbacks we saw in the distance when first rounding the island was its mother and that she would soon find her calf net free. Of course we have no way of knowing what happened to the little whale but we felt good in knowing we at least prevented it from suffering any further distress caused by the net.

Several weeks later one of our guides, Carlos, who had participated in the rescue, was guiding another trip and our group was camping on the island of San Francisquito. There they saw the little humpback, alone, swimming among the numerous yachts anchored in the bay known for its safe harbor on the southern end of the island. Several people were snorkeling with the young whale and our group joined in. Both groups of people from trips in April of 2002 now have lasting memories of frolicking with a young humpback whale in the Sea of Cortez.

It’s difficult not to anthropomorphize when observing such an event. In my professional education I’ve been taught as a biologist to never try and convey human feelings upon an animal. But what other options do we have when trying to explain the emotions of an animal we share many similarities with? This young whale, exhausted as it was, still could have dragged our panga down and under had it been inclined. It knew we had good intentions and let us help it. Whether we made any difference for the population of whale kind doesn’t really matter. All we know is we feel better to have done something rather than nothing and we know in our hearts our little whale friend felt relieved of its entrapment upon release from the netting entangling its body.

I really hope that you’ve enjoyed and envisioned this awesome adventure in Mexicos Baja Whale Rescue. Until next time, enjoy!

Re-Published or Posted by Aetna J B on August 28, 2010

Editor’s Note: Mary Harter (mary@kayakbaja.com) is the owner of Mar y Aventuras(http://www.mexonline.com/kayakbaja.htm), a kayak and whale watching company in southern Baja. They provide other tours as well. She is an expert on the local area and all it has to offer.

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Rufino Tamayo, a Oaxacan painter of international renown, was one of the great modern artists of the 20th century. Tamayo died in 1991 at the age of 91 and had a long and esteemed career. His artwork can be found in important collections worldwide. During his life he was the recipient of many prestigious awards, including France’s Legion d’Honneur.

Tamayo was a prolific artist who was a master of many mediums, including oil, watercolor and lithography. The artist, in addition to producing works on paper and canvas, was also a muralist whose work adorns the walls of museums, universities and libraries throughout the world. Additionally, Tamayo pioneered a new print-making technique known as mixografia with several of his works produced in this medium. This innovative process allows a traditional lithographic print to be created in relief which produces fine surface detail as well as volume. In his later years, Tamayo added sculpture to his artistic repertoire, utilizing his own paintings as a source of inspiration for subject matter.

	Watermelows

Rufino Tamayo was a contemporary of fellow Mexican artists Diego Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Unlike these muralists, however, whose work held strong political commentary, Tamayo eschewed this path and forged his own. The subject matter found in his work is apolitical and purposefully so.

Although his work is embedded with distinctly Mexican roots, both in color and in subject, Tamayo’s art is ultimately a response to universal and not temporal matters. Tamayo’s lack of enthusiasm for political commentary was not appreciated by Rivera, Orozco and Siqueiros who firmly prescribed that important art had to address the societal injustices of the day. Finding his work criticized in Mexico, Tamayo left the country to live for extended periods in both the United States and France. This decision proved beneficial for Tamayo who created many of his important works abroad.

	Rufino Tamayo

Born in Oaxaca to parents of Zapotecan Indian ancestry, Tamayo’s cultural heritage is evident in his artwork. Orphaned at a young age, Tamayo was sent to live with his aunt in Mexico City. The young artist worked as a vendor at his aunt’s fruit stand, helping her sell produce. The bright and beautiful colors of the tropical fruit has been credited as influencing the artist’s future palette. This experience also provided the catalyst for a favorite motif of Tamayo’s, namely the watermelon, which is depicted in many of his works. As a young man, Tamayo attended the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes, San Carlos, in Mexico City but left before graduating to pursue his studies independently.

After leaving school, Tamayo accepted a position at the Mexican Archaeological Museum. This proved to be a pivotal turning-point for the artist. At this museum, Tamayo was responsible for copying copious amounts of pre-Columbian artifacts by hand. This activity enormously influenced his future work. Through this process, Tamayo became intimately acquainted with the artwork of his ancestors which in turn, greatly shaped his artistic vision and expression. Additionally, Tamayo was also inspired by European modern art movements, especially the work of the Cubists and also that of the Surrealists.

Throughout his life, Tamayo and his wife amassed a wonderful collection of pre-Columbian treasures which today reside in the Museo Rufino Tamayo Art Museum, located in his home state of Oaxaca. Additionally, works of Tamayo and other modern masters, can be found in the Tamayo Contemporary Art Museum in Mexico City. This collection, which Tamayo and his wife orchestrated, was generously donated by the couple to the people of Mexico.

	Tres Personajes

Recently, an amazing story unfolded concerning one of Tamayo’s famous works. The painting, entitled Tres Personajes went on a mysterious adventure after being sold for $55,000 to a patron in the 1970′s. During a move in the 1980′s, the piece disappeared from a storage locker. It was not seen again until 2003 when it was spotted in an alleyway in New York. The large brightly colored canvas was placed outside with the trash, placed between two large dumpsters. A woman, who was on her morning walk came across the painting. Initially, she was reluctant to bring the painting back to her small apartment due to its size. However, there was something about the painting that spoke to her. The woman fortunately listened to her intuition and it was a good thing she did. The painting recently sold for over $1,000,000 at auction. The woman enjoyed a reward of $15,000 from the painting’s owner plus a finder’s fee from the auction house.

Considering the quality and mastery of Tamayo’s paintings, it is easy to understand why the woman was compelled to retrieve the painting from its incongruent surroundings. Tamayo’s paintings actually glow from within. The artist had a command of color that was sublime and his subject matter transcends individual commentary. Perhaps the following quote from Octavio Paz, the Mexican poet and Nobel laureate, sums up the work of Rufino Tamayo best- “If I could express with a single word what it is that distinguishes Tamayo from other painters, I would say, without a moment’s hesitation: sun. For the sun is in all his pictures, whether we see it or not: night itself is for Tamayo simply a sun carbonized”.

Resources: Mexonline.com Re-published or posted by Aetna J h on Augist 23, 2010

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Mexico’s Jose Guadalupe Posada is a very famous yet somewhat forgotten name in Mexico

The artist José Guadalupe Posada was born in 1852 in Aguacalientes, Mexico. Many consider Posada the founder of modern Mexican art. As well, Posada is credited with educating the general populace concerning the political injustices of the day which ultimately culminated in the Mexican Revolution of 1910 His beginnings were humble, being born the seventh son to working-class parents of Indian descent.

Posada is most remembered for his engraved illustrations of calaveras (skeletons) set in political satire. His work remains vital today, oftentimes utilized to commemorate the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday, celebrated throughout Mexico each year on November 1st and 2nd…

	Posada in front of his taller

Posada’s talent was recognized at an early age. He became an apprentice to the printer and publisher Jose Trinidad Pedroza at the age of 16. It was under his mentor’s tutelage that he learned the art of printmaking which focused on lithography as well as engraving on wood and metal. The shop where he worked, El Esfuerzo, located in the city of Aguascalientes also served as a meeting place where members of the community would discuss political and social issues of the day. This environment that Posada found himself in undoubtedly helped shape his political opinions and ultimately, his art.

Posada’s work drew controversy almost immediately. Pedroza assigned the young artist to engrave a satirical cartoon of a local politician and needless to say, the response from the authorities was not favorable. His caricature was so compelling and created such an uproar that both teacher and student had to flee town to escape the wrath of those offended. Posada’s career had begun.

Soon established in his new city of Leon, Posada’s work began to appear in magazines. Some of these early works were political in nature but not all. Posada’s other avenues of output included making artwork for purely commercial purposes, such as providing illustrations for matchbox covers, designing logos or engraving book cover designs. Posada married and began teaching lithography at a local school. Busy and fulfilled, his life went on uninterrupted until the year 1888, when a traumatic flood occurred in the city and Posada was again forced to relocate.

	Calaveras Bailando

Mexico City became Posada’s new place of residence. He set up his own shop and worked for a variety of publishers on a free-lance basis. The artist forged an important liaison with Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, the leading publisher in the city. Together they created “hojas volantes”(flying leaves) which were one-page papers or broadsheets, distributed on the city streets for a penny a piece. These printed one-page documents covered a whole host of topics, ranging from moral stories to high-society gossip to songs that were illustrated (corridos).

Increasingly, Posada turned to the symbolism of the calavera (skeleton) to depict his illustrations that were filled with political satire. The dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz was in full swing at this time and social injustices were rampant. The decision to utilize skeletons in his illustrations had a two-fold effect. Graphically speaking, these images jump off the page, so to speak and cannot be ignored. As well, the people responded to the symbolism of the calavera as it was a deeply ingrained in their culture and subconscious. After all, the blood of their ancestors still ran in their veins, blood that was indigenous and not European. Many pre-Columbian civilizations decorated temples with skulls and had a deep fascination with death. While perhaps macabre on its surface, the symbolism of the calavera, which is in essence death, was a reminder that physical life is temporal while the spirit is eternal. Additionally, Posada’s intent was to show that in death everyone is equal, despite one’s economic status or position in life, death is the great equalizer that spares no one.

	Hernan Cortes -His First Adventures

Another illustrator that worked in Arroyo’s shop, Manuel Manilla, also utilized the symbolism of the calavera in his engravings. Together with Posada’s prodigious contributions, the amount of calaveras (skeleton illustrations) this group produced was enormous and became very popular with the masses. Although many people were illiterate, they could still “read” what the illustrations were saying, a tribute to their effectiveness. As the often quoted saying goes “…a picture says a thousand words….”.

Posada was extremely prolific with the amount of work he produced in his life. Although the true number of engravings he made cannot be ascertained, some place the number as high as 20,000 works. Of these, it has been reported that an estimated 2,000 engravings have survived.

Undoubtedly, a technique that Posada invented helped him enormously both in production as well as expression. Well acquainted with the traditional printmaking technique of lithography, Posada also worked on wood blocks as well as zinc plates. Interested, however, in increasing his output, his experimentations led him to a new technique. Using acid-resistant ink, he would draw directly onto the metal plate and then place the plate in an acid-solution that quickly embedded the drawing. This plate, in turn, could be placed on the printing press at the same time as the type was placed, thereby saving an enormous amount of time and increasing production.

	The Revolution

Posada’s new technique developed just prior to the Mexican Revolution of 1910. The output dramatically increased at Arroyo’s shop and the one-cent papers were being widely distributed on the streets of Mexico City. Posada’s illustrations have been credited with raising awareness enormously concerning the political injustices and abuses of the day. While he diligently worked from dawn to dusk, Posada was contributing greatly to the work of the revolutionaries who sought justice from the evils of Porfirio Diaz’s dictatorship.

As well, Posada played a pivotal role in the development of Diego Rivera’s work. Rivera was inspired by Posada’s attention to working-class concerns as well as his expressive artistic technique. While attending the San Carlos Academy of Art in Mexico City, Rivera would often stop by to visit Posada and watch him work. Years later, Rivera credited Posada as having been a great influence on his own artwork and direction. One of Rivera’s famous paintings, “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Park” pays a visual homage to Posada. Rivera included the famous skeleton image of the “Catrina” that Posada so often employed, a symbolic representation of a typical society-woman from turn-of-the- century Mexico.

	Diego Rivera, Dream of a Sunday Afternoon

In addition to Rivera, Posada proved an inspiration to Jose Clemente Orozco, who as a boy would visit Posada in his workshop. In his autobiography, Orozco writes, “This was my awakening to the existence of the art of painting. I became one of the most faithful customers in Vanegas Arroyo’s retail shop . . . .” Posada’s influence was so great and he influenced so many that somehow it doesn’t seem right that the artist died in obscurity and poverty. He died quietly in the year 1913, alone and penniless and was buried in a common grave.

Some years later, a French artist by the name of Jean Charlot was collaborating on a mural with Diego Rivera in Mexico City. Charlot, walking the streets of the city, came upon Posada’s work which was still being used to illustrate the daily one-cent papers. Deeply intrigued and interested, Charlot began to feverishly collect Posada’s work. As well, he published an article about Posada that was widely read and admired. Charlot proved instrumental in bringing international awareness to the importance of Posada’s work and his place in history.

Today, Posada’s work is housed in various collections throughout the world. A museum dedicated to the artist is located in Posada’s hometown of Aguascalientes, Mexico. The Museo Jose Guadalupe Posada features prints along with the original metal plates that were used to create them. Although Posada the man is deceased, his work lives on, perhaps the greatest triumph over death there is.

Let me know if you have enjoyed reading about Mexico’s JOSE GUADALUPE POSADA. Until next time, enjoy.

Resources: Mexonline.com Published or republished by Aetna J h on August 15, 2010,

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I’m posting this article on Backpacking in Chiapas, Mexico for your enjoyment and hopefully this will be useful to all of you who enjoy traveling and backpacking. Although I am sorry to say that this is not a good time to travel into Mexico due to the present drug wars that are happening on a daily basis.

Local advice from a local “mochilero”, Don Fernando, in San Cristobal de las Casas, Chiapas.

Most visitors in Chiapas are Back-Packing or “mochileros” as we call them. 60% of these visitors are from Europe, 35% from USA and Canada, 5% from Latin America and Asia.

Palenque and San Cristobal are the two major towns that are used as the entrance to Chiapas. At the present time, most of Chiapas is a easy and safe journey.

One of Mexico’s best preserved archaeological sites, Palenque

Transportation by bus, “Cristobal Colon”, is the most common transportation, but if you want to go to places where the only outsiders that you will see, are a few “mochileros” like you or no one,

then you have to travel by local “camionetas” or “combis” vw-buses, or by boat in the rivers Usumacinta, Jataté or Lacantún. In these rivers the boats are like buses, in that they have a departure time, but information is very local. Once the boat has enough people, it gets ready to leave. The same for the “camionetas”, but you can always make a deal for a small group of 4 to 6 persons for a special trip, “viaje especial” as the locals call them. “Transporte comunitario” meaning traveling on public buses or vans will cost less than “viaje especial”.

September and October are not the best time to travel by boat or camionetas, it rains every day or night and transportation is not too reliable. You may not be able to get in or out the day that you want to, so if you can avoid traveling then, do it.

Usually while you wait for the departure and during the trip, your Spanish conversation will be improve, children are always present in the area and it’s impossible not to learn some Spanish, Tzotzil, Chol, Tojolobal or Tzeltal. These are the four major ethnic groups in Chiapas. Chiapas is know as “Rich Land, Poor People”, this title was given in colonial times by the Spanish and other outsider travelers. It is true, the land is very rich and most of the locals are very poor, but I have found that in most of the locals, their lives are very rich, the idea of “family values” and “community values” are very rich, and it has always been outsiders that call them poor and ignorant. Reality is very different, the values that we have are just different from theirs, but the smiles of the people are more honest and frecuent than in our society. They smile much more than we do in the cities. “Mochileros” are true travelers that understand that smiles can make great conversation, that will leave eternal memories on you, it happened to me, I am sure it will happen to you too.

Where to go? And how to get there?
The selva (jungle), los altos (the high land), la playa, (the beach)?

Selva, from Palenque, where you can visit Bonampak and Yaxchilan. The best way to do it by yourself is by bus. At Bonampak look for the village Lacanja and once you are there, you’ll find an air strip, a local school and a health clinic that always look like is closed, this is the central area. Ask the locals for the home of Don Jorge, a Lacandon older person, and members of his family – Kim-Bor, Vicente, Alberto – have camping areas with hammocks to rent. Stay wherever is best for you, all are nice families to stay with.

Once you are there, visit the waterfall of “Rio Cedro” and the Lacanja lake. Always ask for the price of the service before you take someone as a guide. You can also go to Yaxchilan for the day, by bus to Frontera Corozal, then take the collective boat to Yaxchilan. Tickets are sold next to the Escudo Jaguar Hotel. This is the only way you can visit, or by plane, but the cost is much higher.

In this same place, you can take the boat to Guatemala, if your destination is Tikal. The boat leaves every day at 12pm and 2pm. It takes about 45 minutes to Betel, where you take the bus to Flores (about 5 hour drive). Once in Flores it’s easy to take the bus to Tikal, there is also a bus every day from Flores to Belmopan, Belize, if your destination is the Caribbean area, or from Flores to Guatemala City.

Bonampak ruins

If you would like to do a “Zapata” tour, and combine natural beauty and it’s people, from Palenque take the bus to Roberto Barrios, a Zapatista community where very recently (January of 2001) the Mexican Army was removed as part of the agreements with the EZLN (Zapatistas).

The waterfalls and blue river are a dream to go swimming in and spend all day moving from blue pools to green pools, very few outsiders come to visit this area. Always ask permission of the local authorities to visit the river before you go, they will almost always say “yes”, but they want to know who is on their land because of the army conflict.

From Palenque ask for the bus that goes to Chancalá, although you will get off the bus before Chancalá. Ask the bus driver to leave you at the crossroad of Nueva Galilea and Arimetea, Roberto Barrios is on the way. You walk 8 kilometers (4.5 miles) on this road and you may get a ride from a local truck. You can camp next to the church, but remember always ask for permission before you set up your camp. Some people go only for the day, early in the morning and return in the afternoon to Palenque, but I like to stay for one night, and it is on the way to Bonampak and Yaxchilan.

Laguna Miramar is “community ecotourism” at it’s best; the best adventure you can have in Chiapas for the true backpackers. The Lonely Planet Handbook of Mexico has a very good description of the lake and how to get there.

You can go from Ocosingo or Comitan by bus, it takes from 5 to 7 hours driving depending on the time of the year that you go. Take the bus that goes to San Quintin, it is the major town in the area, and is the end of the bus route. Once you arrive walk to Ejido Emiliano Zapata, one mile, and ask for the “comisario ejidal” (local authorities). and pay your fee before you make your walk to the lake. It’s $3 US dls a day and you can rent a canoe for $10 US dls a day. I recommend renting a canoe, which holds 4 people, so you can explore the shore and the island with the archaeological site of Lacam-Tun.

Majestic and Mysterious Laguna Miramar
You can also go by boat on the Jataté river. The way to get there is from Comitan to Lagos de Montebello. Take the “carretera fronterisa” (Guatemala – Mexico border highway) to Maravilla Tenejapa. After you pass the Santo Domingo river, look for the towns of Loma Bonita and Amatitlan. There you can take the boat up the river to San Quintin, it takes about 3 hour and is a great adventure. The boat leaves once it’s full. It’s a long journey to Laguna Miramar, give yourself a minimum of 4 days and 3 nights to make it worthwhile. It is only camping and you have to do your own cooking.

San Cristobal de las Casas
Most of the tour guides in this area are individuals or companies, but if you want to be guided by the local indigenous, I will recommend a local organization called “Turismo Comunitario” El Rostro Indigena de San Cristobal (forods@laneta.apc.org). They have made a “Network of Community Tourism” and support community tourism — no one speaks English and Spanish is their second language. The guide is called “interprete cultural” (cultural interpreter) and has four different daily trips and it’s run mostly by women. In San Cristobal you can get information at Tel. 678-0456 (Claudia Castro or Mario Perez – turismocomunitariochiapas@yahoo.com). I recommend them because it’s a way to suport local indigenous women to make a better income for their family.

The Pacific – beach and lagoons
Visit “Boca del Cielo”. Don’t be surprised to find great hidden places, with very few locals at the beach, eternal Pacific Ocean sunsets, mangrove lagoons with all the birds you’ve seen in the Discovery tv programs.

The seafood at the restaurants are fresh, cold beer, tender coconuts and local prices are low. As we say in Mexico “bueno, bonito y barato” or “good, nice, & cheap”. The European or American tourist mass market is far away from this area, no golf courses or yacht marinas. The area is mostly inhabited by people of th Istmo of Oaxaca influence more than Maya influence.

How do I get there?
From Tuxla Gutierrez take a bus to Arriaga and Tonalá, then change buses at Tonalá and take a local bus to Puerto Arista, getting off the bus a few miles before Puerto Arista (ask the bus driver to leave you at the crossroad of “Boca del Cielo”). From there take a local “combi” vw bus to Boca del Cielo, then take a boat across the lagoon where you will find many restaurants that have shade areas for camping. It’s usually free, as long as you buy food or beverages from them. Most of them have toilets and shower, many have hammocks for rent, and some have storage room for your pack.

While you are at the beach, all restaurants are facing the lagoon, if want to see the ocean, you’ll have to walk over the sand dunes. I recommend walking south, so you can be by yourself for miles and miles. If you walk the other way, you will come to the mouth of the lagoon that connects with the sea, very nice but the locals are not very conscious about garbage collection. By the way if you go there, tell the people of the restaurant where you are staying, that you don’t like what they are doing to the environment so maybe things can begin changing.

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this article  about backpacking in Chiapas Mexico as much as I did and  for all of you believers out there, please keep the people of Mexico who are now caught in the crossfires between the Mexican army and the drug cartels, in your prayers. Until next time, enjooy!

Author:Fernando Ochoa Magaña
Fernando is the owner of Laguna Miramar Ecotours. He is a 1997 Conde Nast Eco Tourist Award Winner, and bilingual outfitter from San Cristobal de las Casas. For overnight camping trips or guide services to the Lacandon Rain Forest, contact him at 11-52 (9) 678-0468 (from U.S. or Canada) or by e-mail at donfer8a@prodigy.net.mx.

Republished ane/or posted by Aetna J H on August 8, 2010

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This is very different to what I have recently been posting. I have found it necessary to expose what I can about current events in N Laredo,Mexico Laredo, Texas and other US/Mexico border towns as the violence is spilling into the U.S. side of the border.

Recently the U.S. congress blocked additional funds for Border protection as they feel that it is as safe as ever on the US side of the border. I dare to disagree. This particular video includes the bombing of  a N.Laredo newspaper office in retaliation for an article that did not favor the drug cartels. Those of us living on the border certainly do not agree as we can actually hear the explosions and gun fire on the Mexican side and have seen an escalation of murders in Laredo, Texas. Actually the American Embassy Offices located in L. Laredo were bombed with grenades  and just this past weekend an affiliate of  a national TV station was also blown up with grenades.

Once again, recently the U.S. congress voted for no additional funds for border protection as they feel that we are safe as ever. The American Embassy Offices located in L. Laredo were blown up with grenades  and this weekend the affiliate of  a national Mexican TV station was also blown up with grenades, so please do not insult us by telling the world that the US/Mexican border cities are as safe as ever.

I have a personal invitation for any senator who voted for “no additional funds for border security” to come and visit us and see for yourself what is really happening. As a matter of fact, bring your families to the US/Mexico border and spend a week here and see how safe you feel while visiting.

I encourage all of my friends and followers to forward this to as many friends and people that you can so that we bring awareness of the truth. Thank you in advance for your help.

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