Check in

I am in Veracruz, just came from dinner and watching dancing in a plaza--live music, normal people dancing, pretty well. The music is "Son", which means sound, and comes from the port of Veracruz. I had spaghetti with a side of refried beans. The restaurant at my hotel is very busy, so I decided to try and eat somewhere else. Also, my hotel is full, so they put me in a room on the sixth floor, not completely finished--still lacking water, but I cannot complain. I am smack dab in the middle of the action for carnival, being hosted by some great friends from Mexico City who run the hotel.

The parade of the Queen of Happiness is coming down the street and at nine pm will be a celebration/crowning of the Queen along with a concert by Diego Torres. Last night, I downloaded a bunch of music by him and listened to it last night and a couple times today. I pretty much like his music, and I like it more each time I listen to it. Looking forward to it.

At midnight, there is another concert by Gilberto Santa Rosa on the "Malecon" which is the platform bordering the water where the ships come in. The music will be salsa, it will give me a chance to dance, and right now I will download some music by the band to get to know it a bit before the concert. Last night, I danced a bit of "Son", which is very similar to salsa, in another town plaza to live music.

Tomorrow will be the first grand parade, and another concert, this time Kumbia Kings. I also downloaded some of their music, and I like most of it.

Some hippies I met in Tlacotalpan also came to Veracruz for Carnival, and I saw a few of them yesterday. One of the plazas next to the parade route has a bunch of tents set up and hippies are hanging out there, doing their hippie thing.

My camera is in a shop and the guy there is trying to fix it in an offering to the cause of action on global warming. I still think legislation in Congress is the most important thing we need right now to deal with the problem. Legislation can redirect our economy to internalize the problem of global warming and use the power of the market to harness the many technological and systematic solutions that exist.