Author: Robert

Cyber Attack

We’ve been hacked! Almost…

I realize that this is most probably not of interest to most of our readers, but since this is part of our current life, I decided to drop a short post about it anyway.

Yesterday morning, while uploading the Jugo Verde movie to our server, I’ve noticed a few folders that really didn’t belong. And the funny thing is that they were just being created. A quick glance at their contents, and I realized there’s been a cyber break-in in progress! Looking at the time stamps of all the files on the server, I quickly localized the suspect. I copied it to my local hard drive before deleting from the web server. I’ll have time to look at it later, now the most important thing was to find the vulnerability in the system.

That wasn’t really very difficult, since recently I’ve been working on a new script and I knew it wasn’t properly secured. Whoever broke in, used one of the forms in the script to inject a malformed SQL command, which allowed him to create a Trojan horse file giving access to the file system. The Trojan horse was the script, I mentioned before, so after securing my new script with additional measures, it was time to look at the file.

The script looks gibberish at first – just a one-liner with a couple of commands and a string of random looking characters. But once I started to reverse engineer the decryption methods used in it, it started to reveal it’s potential. And for the more geek among you: it’s a thing beauty!

It actually took 42 loops of encoding and decoding using three different algorithms, before I could see any code. And even then, parts of it were still masked. The script itself is an exploit, which gives full access to the machine’s file system and variables.  It even had the authors signature and web address, which I obviously visited right away. Obviously the script’s author wasn’t the one trying to hack into our system and his website has been shut down couple of years ago. I may still drop him a line or send an email, just to discuss about such poetic code…

So, all in all, the attack attempt was not very serious and it didn’t interrupt any of the services. In fact, since the hacker was trying to use our server in a phishing scheme, none of our files were ever at risk. However, when I realized how powerful the script is, I realized that a more malicious person could have made a lot of damage…

Jugo Verde – Mexican Green Juice

Not only the Parents, but the entire Family is now involved in creating this blog. Today, Nadia and Alex explain what is Jugo Verde and how you can prepare one at home.

Nadia and Alex on our roof top terrace in San Miguel de Allende explain what is Jugo Verde, the Green Juice and how to prepare it at home. There are no exotic ingredients to it, and one doesn’t have to go all the way to Mexico to taste it. Try it at home and let us know what you think!

Nadia’s Birthday

What would you do if you end up in a strange country, not knowing the language, not having any friends and your child was about to turn seven years old…? We improvised…

Looks like we’re running this blog with a two weeks delay. Nadia’s birthday was on the 12th, but I didn’t get to write about it until tonight. This might be one of the hard to kill habits, I got from my former life – you know the one involving shirts, ties and jackets. The currently lacking parts of my wardrobe.

We arrived in San Miguel de Allende at the end of October. That means we had couple of weeks to prepare for Nadia’s birthday. The most challenging was to find her new friends and invite them to the party. We enrolled our children to a local kids club, run by two American expats. Nadia and Alex quickly conquered hearts of Roombo regulars, unfortunately none of them were available to attend the party. Fortunately there is no shortage of kids on our street, even if most of them are boys…

On the day of the party, Agnieszka stayed home, while I took the kids to the library. That gave her a chance to prepare the festivities properly and without being constantly bugged by the two pumpkins.

At the library, lured by a promise of an English language story time, at first we wandered around aimlessly, only to discover new attractions.

You need to know, that in San Miguel de Allende, but I guess in other parts of Mexico as well, agendas do not seem mandatory. Things have a tendency to happen when and where it’s suitable, not when it’s been scheduled for. We learned that lesson before, with our maid, who decided she prefers to clean the house on Saturdays, rather then Thursdays as previously agreed. Therefore we weren’t extremely surprised to find out, that for whatever reason there is no story time that day. Even though it was heart breaking for some of us, we didn’t suffer for long. Instead, we stumbled upon children’s jewelry class. Open for the public and completely unannounced…

When we got back home everything was ready for the party. Well, maybe except for pizza and balloons, so I welcomed the opportunity for a quiet walk on my own, while Agnieszka and the kids awaited the guests. Turns out, Agnieszka almost had to drag some of the guests by their ears to the party. Boys at certain age tend to be real shy… Fortunately, when I got back, the house was already full of kids. Two large pizzas weren’t enough for all of them!

The main attraction of the day was obviously the pink, Hello Kitty piniata which Nadia carried back home from the local market few days before. The problem was, that the damn thing was empty and standing in the doorways with two hot, large pizzas on my hands, I realized I only have a few moments to change that. The kids all around me were screaming “piniata”, leaving very little room for interpretation. With a pocket knife, adhesive tape and a bag of candy I disappeared in the bedroom, while Agnieszka fed the little monsters.

I was done in no time, but then there was another challenge. Or even two. First, we didn’t have a baseball bat, so we had to improvise with a broom stick (turns out in Mexico, this actually is quite the norm). Secondly,  there was no backyard and I didn’t like the idea of a bunch of kids swinging broom sticks around our nice rental house. If we ever wanted to see that deposit check back, we had to take it to the streets. All we needed was a piece of rope and a willing neighbor. We found both without problems. Our cloths line fitted nicely with the spiderweb of electric wires suspended between the buildings. And remember the party garage opposite our bedroom…? I mentioned them before in my rant about San Miguel de Allende. Obviously there was a party going on and there were multiple volunteers to swing a piniata on a line. And they were professionals too…

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Nadia and their friends playing on the floor.
Nadia and their friends playing on the floor.12-Nov-2011 15:40, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. u850SW,S850SW , 4.8, 18.28mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 800
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Nadia, Carla, William and Alex's legs...
Nadia, Carla, William and Alex's legs...12-Nov-2011 15:40, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. u850SW,S850SW , 4.8, 18.28mm, 0.013 sec, ISO 400
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Piniata hunging over a cobblestone street in Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Underneath Alex dancing...
Piniata hunging over a cobblestone street in Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Underneath Alex dancing...12-Nov-2011 16:09, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:09, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia with a broom stick ready to hit her Piniata. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia with a broom stick ready to hit her Piniata. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:09, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 85.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia with a broom stick getting ready to hit her Piniata, while other kids are watching the preparations. The scene on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 400
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Nadia blindfolded trying to hit a Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia blindfolded trying to hit a Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia successful at hitting a Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia successful at hitting a Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia with her Hello Kitty Piniata hunging suspended between building on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia with her Hello Kitty Piniata hunging suspended between building on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Piniata with a broken arm after being hit by a broom stick on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Piniata with a broken arm after being hit by a broom stick on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia hitting a Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia hitting a Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia swinging a broom stick on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia swinging a broom stick on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 45.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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Neighbors kids helping operate te Piniata and watching the scene on the street below them on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Neighbors kids helping operate te Piniata and watching the scene on the street below them on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 9.5, 28.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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Our American neighbor operating the other end of the line suspending the Piniata hunging over a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Our American neighbor operating the other end of the line suspending the Piniata hunging over a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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A Piniata with a broken arm in front of a spider web of electric cables on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
A Piniata with a broken arm in front of a spider web of electric cables on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:11, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 45.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia still trying to hit the Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia still trying to hit the Piniata on a cobblestone street of Colonia San Rafael in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.12-Nov-2011 16:11, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Overall, despite being the new kids on the block, Nadia and Alex didn’t have any problems fitting in. For being just a few days in a complete new environment, I think we did quite well. I don’t know much Spanish, but by the look on the guest faces, I’m sure they liked it too. And I don’t mean only the pizza…

Rant about San Miguel de Allende

It’s not only roses here in San Miguel de Allende. This town has it’s problems and I’m about to disclose all of them (whether I want that or not).

It’s only been few hours since I published a rant about San Miguel de Allende on my Polish blog. I wrote about my troubles sleeping in a hostile night environment, full of barking dogs, crowing roosters, loud cars and festive neighbors singing melancholic songs well  into the night. Now, it’s six in the morning and I’m up already, woken up by… a cannonade of fireworks and church bells.

Mexico likes to party, there is no question about it. But who in a civilized World would start fireworks at 6.00 am on a Sunday morning…?!? I guess, this has something to do with the anniversary of the Mexican Revolution of 1910 and the whole town was already celebrating yesterday and the day before. Reading properly the signs, they’ll also celebrate today, and since there is no school on Monday, the festivities will prolong well into next week.

And this weekend isn’t really that much different from the other ones. Looking at the official calendar of events, there are more holidays and festivals here in San Miguel de Allende, then there is weeks in a year. And that gives yet another opportunity to party!

I won’t even pretend to understand what’s going on around us, but there are people singing and dancing in different parts of town at various times of the day, almost every day of a week. No wonder this town draws in tourists in hundreds of thousands every year. No wonder so many Americans, Canadians and Europeans decide to retire or move their lives here. This city is alive, it’s heart constantly (and loudly) beating…

The cannonade of fireworks and the church bells are done waking people up. But I don’t think I’ll be able to go back to sleep. The bulb in the street lamp hanging right in front of our bedroom window, which (fortunately) had been broken for the past three weeks  just yesterday got replaced with a new one boosting several thousands watt of lighting. Now, that the shooting is over, there is some real loud folk music mixing in with thousands of rooster crows all around us. Our neighbor, like every morning has been already up for a few hours watching television and cutting jalapeno peppers for his breakfast burrito…

God, how I hate San Miguel de Allende! And I love it here…

Dia de los Muertos in San Miguel de Allende

A couple weeks late, but still wort it – a few pictures illustrating the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in San Miguel de Allende.

It’s been over two weeks since the Day of the Dead festivities took place, but even though late, I think it’s still worth posting anyway.

Despite it’s name, Dia de los Muertos or the Day of the Dead is a two days holiday celebrated throughout Mexico on November  1st and 2nd. Related to globally renowned Catholic religious holidays of  All Saints and All Souls, in Mexico it is also a National Holiday. Unlike the USA, where the tradition is almost non-existent (not to confuse with Halloween) or Poland where the events are very serious, mournful and dark, in Mexico the celebrations are very cheerful and vivid. Even though adopted by Christians, the tradition actually dates back to the indigenous cultures, and in particular to the ancient Aztec rituals and festivals dedicated to the goddess called Mictecacihuatl. Like in Poland, people go to cemeteries to commemorate the dead, but that’s about all in terms of similarities. Day of the Dead in Mexico is a joyful holiday. People use food, fruits, memorabilia and tons of colorful paper to build offering altars, not only for their loved ones, but also for well known celebrities and public figures. Only the deceased ones, of course.

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Indians dancing around a fountain in a small square in San Rafael district of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).
Indians dancing around a fountain in a small square in San Rafael district of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).
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Mariachis playing in the courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Mariachis playing in the courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:10, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 70.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 800
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Altar of a local patron in a courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Altar of a local patron in a courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:11, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 28.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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Paintings made by children in Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Paintings made by children in Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:11, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 9.5, 28.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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Courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico adorned for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). On that day, author Robert de Gast was also signing his books at the library.
Courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico adorned for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). On that day, author Robert de Gast was also signing his books at the library.30-Oct-2011 12:11, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Local children with their mothers are looking at an altar dedicated to a local patron on a courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In the background, a group of tourists waiting for a tour of local properties is observing the scene. In the front, few kids are painting pictures.
Local children with their mothers are looking at an altar dedicated to a local patron on a courtyard of a Public Library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In the background, a group of tourists waiting for a tour of local properties is observing the scene. In the front, few kids are painting pictures.30-Oct-2011 12:13, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 45.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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Alex making a donation to a band of mariachis singing and playing in the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Alex making a donation to a band of mariachis singing and playing in the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:14, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 70.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 400
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Agnieszka and the kids listening to the band of mariachis singing and playing in the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Agnieszka and the kids listening to the band of mariachis singing and playing in the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:14, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.022 sec, ISO 400
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Agnieszka and the kids watching local boys working on their paintings on the Day of the Dead. A group of tourists listening to mariachis on the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Agnieszka and the kids watching local boys working on their paintings on the Day of the Dead. A group of tourists listening to mariachis on the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:15, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 200
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Agnieszka and the kids watching local boys working on their paintings on the Day of the Dead. A group of tourists listening to mariachis on the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Agnieszka and the kids watching local boys working on their paintings on the Day of the Dead. A group of tourists listening to mariachis on the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:15, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 3.8, 28.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 200
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Alex looking at the details of a Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) altar build in public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Well, I guess he's also picking his nose...
Alex looking at the details of a Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) altar build in public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Well, I guess he's also picking his nose...30-Oct-2011 12:16, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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Agnieszka admiring an altar of a local patron in a courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). In front, an exposition of children paintings and kids working on their art. In the back a group of tourists listens to a group of mariachis while waiting for their tour of local properties.
Agnieszka admiring an altar of a local patron in a courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos). In front, an exposition of children paintings and kids working on their art. In the back a group of tourists listens to a group of mariachis while waiting for their tour of local properties.30-Oct-2011 12:16, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 200
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Nadia and Alex watching local boys work on their art pieces. In the back of the courtyard, a group of tourists watch a group of mariachis sing and play during the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia and Alex watching local boys work on their art pieces. In the back of the courtyard, a group of tourists watch a group of mariachis sing and play during the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:17, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 4.0, 28.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
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A small cemetary, where most deceased were patrons of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
A small cemetary, where most deceased were patrons of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:25, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 85.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 400
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Candle smoke on an altar of a local patron of a public library. In background, Nadia watching kids work on their paintings on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Candle smoke on an altar of a local patron of a public library. In background, Nadia watching kids work on their paintings on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:54, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 200.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 800
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Nadia watching kids work on their paintings on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Nadia watching kids work on their paintings on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:54, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 200.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 400
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An electrician preparing power distribution board for the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
An electrician preparing power distribution board for the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 13:13, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 135.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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Decorations hanging from a balcony on one of the streets of San Miguel de ALlende, Mexico during teh Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations.
Decorations hanging from a balcony on one of the streets of San Miguel de ALlende, Mexico during teh Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations.30-Oct-2011 13:29, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 800
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Since we’ve arrived in San Miguel three days before the holiday, we had an opportunity to see not only the parades on the day of the holiday, but also to witness all preparations. As already mentioned above, the most distinct feature of the day are altars. While walking around town, we’ve came across many altars dedicated to local patrons, saints, but we’ve also spotted a few build for John Paul II and… Steve Jobs.

Technically speaking, the term Dia de los Muertos or Dia de los Difuntos (both mean the Day of the Dead) is only applicable to November 2nd, as this is the day to commemorate deceased adults. It sounds a little creepy, but the first of November is solely dedicated to children and therefore called Dia de los Inocentes (Day of the Innocents) or Dia de los Angelitos (Day of the Little Angels). The adults get bottles of tequila, the children get toys and favorite candies on their altars and on their graves. Sugar skulls and Pan de Muerto (bread of the dead) are easily available everywhere around town.

In different parts of San Miguel de Allende there were many festivities, most of them unannounced and rather spontaneous. As an example, on Sunday, the day before Dia de los Angelitos, we were touring the Centro. We have spent an entire afternoon walking around the aged downtown, admiring beautiful buildings, churches, museums and restaurants. Finally, when we got tired of these tourist attractions, we returned home. Entering our Colonia (district of town or neighborhood) we’ve spotted people dancing in front of a bone stone church in a very poor neighborhood. From a distance it looked like a wedding ceremony, but when we got closer we realized that something was off.

First it was the music. Even though I really don’t speak Spanish, I quickly figured the meaning of “Me gusta Marijuana”, repeated in a chorus over and over to the distinct rhythm of  drums in a folk song played by local superstars. Then, there were the dancers. Men and women dancing, or rather moving rhythmically in a large circle on the top of the hill were wearing all kinds of silly, scary and plain creepy costumes. There were rock stars, skeletons, old farts and all kinds of other disguises. The scene was rather surreal, but since we were really on our last legs, we decided to call it a day.

When we turned a corner, there was another surprise. A group of men, dressed in some sort of traditional Indian costumes was dancing to the rhythm of their large drums around a small fountain in a little square adjacent to the poor church…

The most amazing was that there were no tourist around…!

San Miguel de Allende

The Sabbatical trip is dead, long live the Sabbatical!

Even the most elaborate plans change in an instant, when new variables come into play. Our big plan was to reach Panama during this Sabbatical trip. We’ve only made it to Central Mexico and felt in love with a small town called San Miguel de Allende in the Guanajuato district. We didn’t plan for it to happen, but decided that we will stay here until April.

Obviously, this sounds like a very emotional decision, but let me try to reason it.

With only small breaks, we have been on the road for the past four months. During the summer in northern hemisphere, we’ve been traveling throughout Europe. After returning to North America, we’ve been through the US East Coast and around the Gulf of Mexico. As much as we love to see new places and meet new people, I think we started to miss some of civilization’s basic comforts. Camping is fun, but setting up and folding your tent every few days, after a while starts to get a little annoying. Supposedly, your creativity in the kitchen is only limited by your imagination, but even for a great cook as Agnieszka, a propane burner has some substantial snags. Meeting new people every day is great, but it doesn’t translate into building lasting relationships. Finally, and despite what most people think – traveling is a full time job!

Before we entered Mexico, we were a bit uneasy. Courtesy of the US government issued warnings, we were worried about our safety and during the first few hours were on a constant lookout for armed robbers, bandits and road blocks. The fact that we haven’t met any, obviously doesn’t mean there aren’t some, maybe even frequent. I have to admit though, that travel warnings like the ones issued by the US, UK and Canadian governments do great injustice to the actual situation in Mexico. Obviously there are places in Mexico one should avoid, but in all fairness there are more dangerous neighborhoods in Rochester, or even in my native Chorzów than here in San Miguel de Allende. One can argue, that I should compare Rochester to larger cities like Monterrey, Nuevo Laredo or Ciudad Juarez. Obviously in that comparison all those cities will end up equally not appealing. But the fact that there are some troubled areas does not mean that the whole country must be avoided! Especially such a wonderful and magical one like Mexico.

We don’t pretend to know Mexico. We haven’t been here even two weeks yet. And we’ve only been to a very few places so far. Maybe San Miguel de Allende is a typical town, like many one will find in Mexico. But I seriously doubt it. With all the festivals, rich culture, history, architecture and picturesque setting, I think San Miguel de Allende is one of a very few exceptions and that Mexico isn’t so great after all. Because if the entire country was as magical as this old colonial town, Mexico would have been the number one tourist destination in the World… and it would be a rich country.

San Miguel de Allende isn’t rich. It’s a town of great contrasts. There are many terrific, multi-million dollar properties here, especially in the historic downtown, but also in the suburbs, spotted with gated, US style subdivisions, guarded by armed security officers. But the vast majority of full time residents live just outside the Centro, in adjacent neighborhoods in small, rather uninspiring and mostly unfinished dwellings, build over long periods of time, using any available materials. While the appeal of the expensive residences is universal, the more authentic, dirty favelas appeal only to the more spirited visitors.

I have to admit, that the first impression wasn’t good. Looking for the right address, we realized that our home for this month will not be in the fabulous downtown, but rather in a poor, Mexican neighborhood. Our house – large, recently remodeled condo, with it’s beautiful red painted facade covered with hanging flowers distinctly stands out from adjacent dwellings: bare brick, unpainted, with re-bars sticking from the roof-tops. I’m sure architects didn’t make much money in this neighborhood. In fact, I’m not even sure that any were consulted at all. However, what on the surface looked rather uninviting, turned out to be a very safe neighborhood of warm, helpful and very patient people.

30-Oct-2011 11:44, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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Street vendors selling hand crafted items on a cobblestone front yard of the Parroquia on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Street vendors selling hand crafted items on a cobblestone front yard of the Parroquia on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 14:07, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 135.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 800
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30-Oct-2011 16:17, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 85.0mm, 0.022 sec, ISO 800
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30-Oct-2011 16:24, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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31-Oct-2011 18:25, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 135.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 400
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31-Oct-2011 18:36, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 200.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 800
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01-Nov-2011 14:57, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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01-Nov-2011 17:30, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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06-Nov-2011 16:04, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 32.0, 135.0mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 200
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When we decided to stay here until April, we immediately started to look for a place to live. At first, we’ve been concentrating only on the downtown area, very much enchanted by it’s magic and beauty. However, after a while, the experience of living in our current neighborhood, coupled with limited options downtown helped broaden our horizons. The colonias adjacent to Centro, although not as pretty, offer a much more authentic experience. Surrounded by the natives, we have an opportunity to immerse in life and language of the indigenous people and shake off the tourist image. We will keep homeschooling Nadia, but she will also attend regular Mexican school. Alex will go to a Jardín de Niños (Kindergarten). They both are already very excited!

Before we set off on this Sabbatical, we agreed that we are looking  not just for a road trip and tourist attractions. We wanted to experience something authentic, live life differently and try to discover our passions. The next morning after arriving in San Miguel de Allende, we concluded in unison that there isn’t a better place for that. Not only beautiful on the surface, but vibrant and offering many cultural and intellectual stimulus, this town is the perfect place to reinvent oneself. We will have five months to meditate and discover our talents. I’ll keep you posted if we stumble upon any…

¡Bienvenidos a México!

We are in Mexico! And despite all the negative press, we love it here!

I promised to update this blog as soon as we arrive at our interim destination. Obviously I failed – we’ve been in Mexico since Friday. I can’t even blame it at lack of Internet access – we’ve been connected all the time. Let me catch up quickly.

Before entering Mexico, we’ve read countless warnings and articles describing situation in the country, and especially along it’s northern border.  Based on all that lectures, we were expecting to enter lawless land of guns, drugs and violence. Being somehow responsible parents, we were terrified with the prospect of encountering “banditos” or running into a random shoot-out. And based on the information disseminated north of the border, those things were supposed to be as common in Mexico, as Walmarts are in the US. No wonder that for the first few hours, I was white knuckling the steering wheel. In reality though, the biggest problem was to find… the right border crossing. The one we were advised to take is a remote bridge called Colombia-Solidarity, about  fifteen miles north from Laredo.

The roads in Mexico are not too bad. There are two categories of them – the free (libre) and the paid (cuota) ones. Obviously, the road conditions are much better on the “cuotas”, which I have to say are rather expensive. At least compared to the US. The road surface is mostly made out of concrete and it’s well profiled. Obviously not to be compared to the German “autobahns”, but nonetheless quite comfortable and safe. The “libres” are full of pot holes and filled with slow local traffic. It’s common to see all kinds of animals eating grass on the sides of the road or even on the median. Supposedly they’re also much less safe to travel. Especially after dark.

Our GPS has maps from 2007, which doesn’t make that much of a difference in the USA, but makes it pretty much useless here in Mexico. However, despite being deprived of modern technology aids, we had almost no problems in finding our destinations. I wouldn’t call the road signs as being a particularly good example of traffic coordination, but if you pay close attention, you will find your way around the country without problems.

Finding a particular address in an unfamiliar city is a different story altogether. We arrived in San Miguel de Allende around noon on Saturday. And it took us about an hour to find the house we are staying at. We found the right district, but were unable to find the street. It may have something to do with the fact that we didn’t have a map, but I suspect that even if we had one, it wouldn’t be of much help, since most of the streets (in that particular district) have no name signs anyway.

We decided to ask for help. My Spanish is about as good as my Chinese, so I was very proud of myself when I put together “donde esta” (where is) and the street address. My wife was really impressed when the taxi driver understood the question without a need for me to repeat it. However, when he explained how to get there, Agnieszka and I only stared at him, unable to understand a word. On second attempt, using internationally recognized hand signals, I suggested to the cab driver that we’ll follow him to the destination. Worked like a charm!

The house we’re staying at is a luxurious three level / three bedroom / three baths “casa” with a small courtyard with a fountain, large kitchen, office, living room and a rooftop terrace. Quite a change compared to the last couple of months we’ve spent living in a tent. And the best is, that this palace is actually much less expensive than the camping sites we’ve been staying at!

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I’ll write separate posts about the beautiful town of San Miguel de Allende and the festivities surrounding the “Dia de los Muertos” (Day of the Dead) that’s being celebrated here right now. For now, lets just say that the ambience of this enchanting  town will affect our further travel plans.  But that’s a different subject all together.

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30-Oct-2011 11:41, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 3.8, 28.0mm, 0.3 sec, ISO 200
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30-Oct-2011 11:44, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 200
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30-Oct-2011 12:03, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 55.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 200
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Alex making a donation to a band of mariachis singing and playing in the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Alex making a donation to a band of mariachis singing and playing in the courtyard of a public library in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 12:14, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 70.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 400
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30-Oct-2011 12:16, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 200.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 800
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30-Oct-2011 12:33, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 3.8, 28.0mm, 0.022 sec, ISO 800
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30-Oct-2011 13:04, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 55.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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30-Oct-2011 13:05, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 3.8, 28.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
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30-Oct-2011 12:26, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 400
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30-Oct-2011 12:26, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 108.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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30-Oct-2011 13:06, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 4.5, 28.0mm, 0.011 sec, ISO 200
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An electrician preparing power distribution board for the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
An electrician preparing power distribution board for the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) celebrations in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 13:13, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 135.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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30-Oct-2011 13:39, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 28.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
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A man setting up a pole with two skulls on the stage in front of a Parroquia, on a centarl square (Jardin Allende) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).
A man setting up a pole with two skulls on the stage in front of a Parroquia, on a centarl square (Jardin Allende) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).30-Oct-2011 13:36, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 55.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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Parroquia, the parish church is a focal point of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In front, colorful decorations in preparations of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).
Parroquia, the parish church is a focal point of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. In front, colorful decorations in preparations of the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos).30-Oct-2011 13:33, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 28.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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30-Oct-2011 13:56, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 3.8, 28.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 200
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Street vendors selling hand crafted items on a cobblestone front yard of the Parroquia on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.
Street vendors selling hand crafted items on a cobblestone front yard of the Parroquia on the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.30-Oct-2011 14:07, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 135.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 800
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30-Oct-2011 14:00, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 200.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 400
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Next »

Laredo

Last minute preparations before we cross the border. Or have we crossed is already? Is Laredo still in the USA…?

Night fall slowly upon Laredo. It’s still hot, but a strong breeze cools things down. The wind is harsh and blows  all kinds of garbage onto the courtyard of our hotel. I double and triple check the ratchets. Both, the roof rack and the bikes are holding firm. We’ve dropped some stuff at a local Goodwill store, so there is now more space inside. And after leaving Alex’s bike, the van is also much lighter. Still heavier that I would have wished for, but every ounce left behind helps get us farther.

Plastic bags dance in the wind. There is nervousness in the air. Large, black birds – hundreds of them – gather on a nearby trees and make alarming noises. The storm  seems near. Except there is none in the forecast…

I look up and see an orange dot glowing on the walkway above my head. In the darkness brightened only by a dim light of the parking lot lamp, I can barely recognize a large Mexican watching me from above. Laredo might be considered an American city, but that’s entirely misleading. Everyone here speaks Spanish. Whenever you go you’ll be greeted by a friendly “Buenos Tardes” or “Hola!”. Every restaurant has tortillas with “Salsa Verde” on their menus. You can even buy them along with Mexican car insurance, on every gas stations. The streets are busy. Loud Mexican folk music is booming from every store, service garage, street vendor stand and every other passing car. All the signs are in Spanish, sometimes bi-lingual. There is no doubt, Laredo is a pure Mexican city on American soil.

The night before departure from Corpus Christi we’ve met Ryan. He’s from British Columbia and it took him four months to get there. He’d been pedaling through the mountains and some of the most beautiful places on this planet to arrive in plain, dusty, a little boring, but enormous Texas. We’ve shared Ten Ren’s King’s 913 Oolong tea and a few stories from our travels. Obviously we look at World from different perspectives, watching it’s beauty comfortably through a TV-like car window or experiencing nature and the elements first hand on a narrow, hard bike seat. Despite differences, I think we found that we do have a lot in common, share similar views on life. We spoke about Mexico and after a while, we got a little depressed as discussion kept coming back to travel safety. When we split up for the night, I started looking for news about road conditions south of Brownsville and accidentally stumbled upon a site dedicated to road safety in Mexico. It looks a bit dated, but the information is fresh. I contacted it’s owners, who responded very quickly and proposed an alternative, apparently much safer route. This is how we ended up in Laredo, instead of Brownssville.

Tomorrow morning, we’ll head out very early, probably before sunrise. After crossing the border we’ll circle around Nuevo Laredo, head towards Monterrey, but stay away from the city, then through Saltillo arrive in Matehuala, where we plan to stay for the night. This will be a long day, as this 350 miles stretch is supposed to take some seven hours. Hopefully, there will be no crowds on the border.

On Saturday, we’ll move on to San Luis Potosi and finally to San Miguel de Allende, where we plan to stay until Thanksgiving. I will give an update on Sunday, once we recover form the trip.

Agnieszka turned off the noisy air conditioning and it’s now hot and humid in the room. It’s late and the kids sleep sound. It’s time for us to retire too. Tomorrow will be a long day.

And I’ve heard that it’s snowing in Rochester…

Texas

After leaving New Orleans we couldn’t find a place good enough to stay longer than a few days, which means we’re ready for the next milestone – Mexico, here we come!

In the last few days we’ve been traveling fast. It was Friday, when we left New Orleans and tonight I’m writing this short update from Corpus Christi, Texas. There was a cold front passing through the Gulf’s north shore and temperatures at night fell down below 40’s forcing Agnieszka to upgrade her sleeping bag. Despite relative luxuries of the park in Louisiana, we decided that we deserved a hot bath and comfy beds at a decent hotel. Half way to Houston is Lake Charles, where we settled for the night. The next morning, refreshed and invigorated we’ve entered Texas.

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Originally, we planned to stay in Houston for about a week. I wanted to look at lighter bicycles. Mine is rather heavy and after a week of riding on a beach, the gears started to skip. I also wanted to browse Craigslist and see if there are any replacements for my broken Kindle. I must have dropped something heavy on it and the screen cracked. I have to admit, that this loss bothers me a lot. Not that I have so much spare time to kill, but not having a good read at night is depressing. We decided to stay in Brazos Bend State Park, but arriving on Saturday night, we were lucky to get a spot on the overflow site. The park wasn’t very exciting, except for the alligators and a first class observatory – we had a chance to take part in a night sky viewing event. And for the mosquitoes that turned up in such numbers that we decided to evacuate the next morning. This is how we ended up in Corpus Christi a week or so ahead of time. And the park we found a spot on isn’t necessary the most exciting either. It’s nothing more but twenty sites nested between the ocean and a busy highway, which gets really loud, especially early in the mornings. Between that and the red tide, we decided, it’s time to head South.

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If everything goes well towards the end of the week we’ll enter Mexico. We are headed to San Miguel de Allende, where we found a large apartment for the next three weeks.

New Orleans

Welcome on the bayou! A field trip to New Orleans earns us Junior Ranger badges and a real pirate story!

Sunday was a travel day again. We’ve packed our stuff, folded the tent, got the bicycles on the rack and left Fort Pickens before noon. The three hours ride was rather smooth  and after crossing three state lines (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana), we’ve arrived at the Fontainbleau State Park on the north shore of lake Pontchartrain. The weather was still very nice, so Agnieszka and the kids went to a water park, while I was setting up the camp. To my surprise, the whole campground is covered with strong WiFi signal, a playground and clean bathrooms, which coupled with rather inexpensive price tag, lifts the park to the top rank of places visited so far.

The park itself is very popular and busy, especially on the weekends. It has nature trails, suitable for bikes, a lake front, couple of small alligators and other attractions. On the south side of the lake is New Orleans, but instead of going around the lake, we were able to cross it on the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, which according to Guinness World Records is considered to be “the longest bridge over water”. With almost 24 miles it’s a rather boring ride, unless of course there are strong crosswinds and you happen to have a faulty roof rack installed on your vehicle.

The city of New Orleans, or the French Quarter at least, is as wonderful as we remembered it from our last visit here eleven years ago. We haven’t seen any remains of the devastating force of the 2005 hurricane Katrina. Apparently though, the French Quarter or the Garden District that we’ve visited yesterday were not the ones hit the hardest. We chose Tuesday for our field trip, which meant no school for Nadia yesterday (yipee!). Instead, we’ve been to Jean Lafitte Park, where Nadia and Alex became Junior Rangers and got badges to prove it. They’ve learned about a French privateer, a pirate and slaves trader, who despite numerous robberies and acts of violence against the USA, became it’s national hero. Apparently, he had a sudden change of hart at some point and became a maritime version of Robin Hood. He stole from the bad guys, mostly Spanish and gave to the poor people of Barataria and New Orleans. Most important though, he supported Andrew Jackson against the Brits in 1815, which probably accounts for most of his heroic life.

18-Oct-2011 12:03, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 13.0, 135.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 200
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18-Oct-2011 12:19, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 8.0, 108.0mm, 0.006 sec, ISO 200
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18-Oct-2011 12:29, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 28.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 200
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18-Oct-2011 15:12, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 5.6, 200.0mm, 0.022 sec, ISO 800
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18-Oct-2011 17:14, PENTAX Corporation PENTAX K100D , 6.7, 55.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800
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