Ciber en Hermosillo
I'm on line!!!!
Last nite, before midnite, after I chased off an hombre pissing on my front tire passenger-sidewalk side as he tested my locked front door handle - talk about covering your pecker, I mean ass - I was thinking maybe it's not too smart to park in the same spot every night.
But all I had to say (thank the goddesses) to cut his piss short was "que PASA seeennnnnor" - everyone is so very polite here - altho I did try to say it in my gruffest "who the hell is it" voice that years ago I taught my daughter to say if someone knocked on our door.
He excused himself, saying "lo siento" several times, i think, as he hurried off. I'm sure he was more terrified then me.
Unable to sleep, I fired up the computer - and found out I have internet - of sorts - access from one of the hotels, which I am parking kind of behind. Slow but free!
Tonight as I return to the same spot after my Spanish lessons, I feel like I've returned home, as no one has parked in "my" space since night of "the" fight. Even the dogs across the street hardly bark anymore when I arrive - and if they do, it's more a greeting than a get the hell outta here.
I wonder if people greet their neighbors here in Hermosillo when they move into a neighborhood. Or if like in the states, they mostly ignore them.
My experience traveling in Baja California is that everyone knows everything about you almost before you do! Word spreads wider than a levy breaking during a hurricane, and I always felt visible to everyone - and I don't remember ever being afraid, ever. Not like in the states when I get into an elevator with an unknown man or walk down the street at night.
I never knew how tense I was in the states, how ready I was for a man/men to turn violent, to jump out of the bushes, to spring from the alley, to break into my home - until I went to Baja California where men were still macho but not violent, where people didn't even have doors, let alone locks on doors! Where I slept (free) with my daughter on the beach in a sleeping bag only.
But that was a LONG time ago. I haven't traveled in Baja for at least 10 years, and haven't really spent extended time there in most likely 15 years.
I cook in the morning and evening with my outer door open (the screen shut), in case anyone wants to approach me, as Anabel and Catrinana did. But they have been the only ones thus far.
There seem to be mostly males on the streets here. Even riding bikes - I have yet to see a womon on a bike. Most of the men on bikes are obviously using their bikes for work, carrying huge boxes or containers with writing - the delivery bikers! Except at the race where they were riding for fun - which appeared to be all men.
Yet I feel very safe. Even the men who attempt to 'pick me up' feel harmless, and have been harmless, unlike the men in the states.
The city is very clean with little if any trash blowing around. The absence of plastic bags and fast food trash is not an indication of the lack of such things - for everyone is here: macdonalds, burger king, starbucks, and TWO wallmarts...
The most dangerous thing you have to face in Mexico is the damned "topes" which appear out of nowhere most of the time. Speed 'bumps' which are more like speed cliffs - even on the great toll roads. Imagine going of a Berkeley speed bump at 50mph, actually about 3 bumps piled on top of each other...
Second is figuring out the one way streets and which way they happen to be running. I make sure I follow someone else if I'm in doubt - and I REALLY hope they are not turisto also!
Of course, there's the drivers who must think 'alto' means tall or something, as they swing through stop signs and around corners. Lucky for me, I have a very big vehicle - compared to most of them - and they give me a wide berth.
I hear alot of sirens but I'm thinking it's because I am close to a hospital - actually there seem to be many hospitals here. And many people hanging around the front doors in wheelchairs, appearing so hurt.
There is an abundance of hurt and starving dogs too. Dogs limping, dragging limbs, ribs protruding - wounded dogs that should be mean and aggressive but are docile and wary, running away when they could be attacking.
I don't see a homeless population, as I see in the Bay Area. I do see a very few men with clothes hanging like filthy curtains around them, where the shuffling of their sore feet in huge shoes and frail bodies seem to be all they are capable of doing, not even asking for a centavos.
I see lots of buildings that appear half torn down, vacant, or maybe half built. Maybe people take shelter there. They are not sleeping on the streets - at least the streets I've traveled down, which I feel are most of those paved - and several dirt ones by mistake - streets in this huge city.
I only hope I can really find veggie oil so I can proceed without buying diesel... I do not want to buy new veggie oil either. I'm not sure if they way I'm approaching people is the correct way. I certainly hope my Spanish is not hurting their ears as it does mine... grrrrr
My friend Jorge claims no one throws away oil in Hermosillo - they only add new oil to the pot as the old oil gets soaked up... except macdonalds and the like. I certainly HOPE that macdonalds oil will not be as good as it gets... hmmmm
But I'm excited about Jung tomorrow morning - I've even set my alarm for 6:00 although I normally wake around 5:30 with the roosters!
Last nite, before midnite, after I chased off an hombre pissing on my front tire passenger-sidewalk side as he tested my locked front door handle - talk about covering your pecker, I mean ass - I was thinking maybe it's not too smart to park in the same spot every night.
But all I had to say (thank the goddesses) to cut his piss short was "que PASA seeennnnnor" - everyone is so very polite here - altho I did try to say it in my gruffest "who the hell is it" voice that years ago I taught my daughter to say if someone knocked on our door.
He excused himself, saying "lo siento" several times, i think, as he hurried off. I'm sure he was more terrified then me.
Unable to sleep, I fired up the computer - and found out I have internet - of sorts - access from one of the hotels, which I am parking kind of behind. Slow but free!
Tonight as I return to the same spot after my Spanish lessons, I feel like I've returned home, as no one has parked in "my" space since night of "the" fight. Even the dogs across the street hardly bark anymore when I arrive - and if they do, it's more a greeting than a get the hell outta here.
I wonder if people greet their neighbors here in Hermosillo when they move into a neighborhood. Or if like in the states, they mostly ignore them.
My experience traveling in Baja California is that everyone knows everything about you almost before you do! Word spreads wider than a levy breaking during a hurricane, and I always felt visible to everyone - and I don't remember ever being afraid, ever. Not like in the states when I get into an elevator with an unknown man or walk down the street at night.
I never knew how tense I was in the states, how ready I was for a man/men to turn violent, to jump out of the bushes, to spring from the alley, to break into my home - until I went to Baja California where men were still macho but not violent, where people didn't even have doors, let alone locks on doors! Where I slept (free) with my daughter on the beach in a sleeping bag only.
But that was a LONG time ago. I haven't traveled in Baja for at least 10 years, and haven't really spent extended time there in most likely 15 years.
I cook in the morning and evening with my outer door open (the screen shut), in case anyone wants to approach me, as Anabel and Catrinana did. But they have been the only ones thus far.
There seem to be mostly males on the streets here. Even riding bikes - I have yet to see a womon on a bike. Most of the men on bikes are obviously using their bikes for work, carrying huge boxes or containers with writing - the delivery bikers! Except at the race where they were riding for fun - which appeared to be all men.
Yet I feel very safe. Even the men who attempt to 'pick me up' feel harmless, and have been harmless, unlike the men in the states.
The city is very clean with little if any trash blowing around. The absence of plastic bags and fast food trash is not an indication of the lack of such things - for everyone is here: macdonalds, burger king, starbucks, and TWO wallmarts...
The most dangerous thing you have to face in Mexico is the damned "topes" which appear out of nowhere most of the time. Speed 'bumps' which are more like speed cliffs - even on the great toll roads. Imagine going of a Berkeley speed bump at 50mph, actually about 3 bumps piled on top of each other...
Second is figuring out the one way streets and which way they happen to be running. I make sure I follow someone else if I'm in doubt - and I REALLY hope they are not turisto also!
Of course, there's the drivers who must think 'alto' means tall or something, as they swing through stop signs and around corners. Lucky for me, I have a very big vehicle - compared to most of them - and they give me a wide berth.
I hear alot of sirens but I'm thinking it's because I am close to a hospital - actually there seem to be many hospitals here. And many people hanging around the front doors in wheelchairs, appearing so hurt.
There is an abundance of hurt and starving dogs too. Dogs limping, dragging limbs, ribs protruding - wounded dogs that should be mean and aggressive but are docile and wary, running away when they could be attacking.
I don't see a homeless population, as I see in the Bay Area. I do see a very few men with clothes hanging like filthy curtains around them, where the shuffling of their sore feet in huge shoes and frail bodies seem to be all they are capable of doing, not even asking for a centavos.
I see lots of buildings that appear half torn down, vacant, or maybe half built. Maybe people take shelter there. They are not sleeping on the streets - at least the streets I've traveled down, which I feel are most of those paved - and several dirt ones by mistake - streets in this huge city.
I only hope I can really find veggie oil so I can proceed without buying diesel... I do not want to buy new veggie oil either. I'm not sure if they way I'm approaching people is the correct way. I certainly hope my Spanish is not hurting their ears as it does mine... grrrrr
My friend Jorge claims no one throws away oil in Hermosillo - they only add new oil to the pot as the old oil gets soaked up... except macdonalds and the like. I certainly HOPE that macdonalds oil will not be as good as it gets... hmmmm
But I'm excited about Jung tomorrow morning - I've even set my alarm for 6:00 although I normally wake around 5:30 with the roosters!
posted by Xan @ 11:45 PM
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