A Blazer Ablaze

Well, we have had another week of adventures!

We were sent off to visit current volunteers all over Mexico. Roger went east to the Mexican equivalent of the Everglades(much smaller but still 1400 hectares) and I went to the Mexican equivalent of Mount St Helen's. For my trip the highlight was the Chevy Blazer ablaze. Fortunately the Bomberos came and got it out and no one was injured. As Smokey the Bear would say.."Only YOU can prevent Forest Fires!"



I also got a chance to do my thing with some kids. I presented an activity with 31 4th - 6th graders and taught them an American scouting song! Kids are Kids everywhere and these were no different.


The bus ride was interesting. Mexican buses run similar to some airports in the US. There is a schedule and they adhere to it very closely (unlike planes in the US). Each city has a station and the buses pull up to a designated slot. You get off one and wander down to the next "gate" to catch the next bus. Pretty slick. The countryside I observed was a combination of agriculture and flood damaged land. There were large areas of what looked like salt flats. I found out that in fact they were areas that flood each year and leave a residue that inhibits vegetation.

Roger traveled to a location near the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico where it was already beginning to warm up for the summer(95 and humid). The cienaga (swamp/bog) is owned by 8 communities in common and much of the area nearby is in Sugarcane production. There are 2 parrot species on an endangered species list one of which is endemic there and of course the crocodile is also on an endangered list. This is a poor region and there is interest in encouraging ecotourism, alternative sources of economic activity and conservation behaviors for this fragile region.