Pictures from Hotel Imperial: I got my camera!!!

Tag-team receptionists Xochitl and Mariela.

Me and Bernardo's brother, also a lawyer.

Posing with the norteno band--check out the tiger stripes on the bass.

Straight gata Carla.

Juan receiving his birthday cake at the party last night.

Juan receiving his birthday cake at his party last night.

Receptionist Xochitl ("Sochitl") and I. Xochitl means flower in the Aztec language of Nauhatl. The goddess of flowers, Xochipili, is featured on the 100 peso bill.

Cashier Carla from Gutierrez Zamora posing with the flowers.

Juan Velez' birthday party last night. From left to right: Imajin, Bernardo, me, Juan Velez, Ana Cervantes.

Luz, Anabel and I.

Anabel and Luz.

Luz and I.

My friend Anabel and I at the beach at night.

Anabel and I at the beach at night in Veracruz.

Bell boys Victor and Junior.

Bell boy "Junior", also a good soccer player.

What's up, world?

Friend and lawyer Bernardo, also friend of hotel owners. His father and Juan's father were both big lawyers in Mexico, and that is how they know each other. They are all following in their fathers' footsteps.

My friend Cuautemoc Benitez Patino, who is a tour guide and has gone on bicycle tours, motocross bike tours, and basically one of my biggest fans.

Getting the gloria at the tricycle vendor stand.

Anabel and Luz getting a raspada or a gloria, which is like a snow cone in a cup. Anabel's had raspberry and banana, I think.

Anabel and Luz cannot compose themselves for a photo on the beach.

Me and Luz on the beach at night in Veracruz.

My friend Luz, who I met through Anabel.

Luz not yet ready for the photo.

Receptionist Anabel on the right, her friend Luz on the left, my eyebrow on far left.

From left to right: Hotel manager Juan Velez, cashier Carla, me, Jorge/Pelon, Ana, Tuny, Manuel.

Workers in the La Revolucion restaurant, next door.

La Revolucion manager Marina (the restaurant next door, which actually helped me before I met the owners of the hotel).

Tuny taking care of a bill.

Waiter Manuel showing is tray skills. Leandro in backround.

Waiter Leandro with some drinks, waiter Manuel, and cook Maria Guadalupe in the backround.

Waiter/bartender Julio. Loves to dance to reggaeton song "Salio el Sol" by Don Omar.


Waiter Manuel. Big-time fan of soccer powerhouse Chivas Guadalajara--who by the way will be playing the Washington, DC United this Thursday, I think, in Guadalajara. Chivas and DC United tied 1-1 in the first leg of the match up in DC. Whoever wins the upcoming game will play the winner of Houston Dynamo and Pachuca (another Mexican powerhouse from the state of Hidalgo) in the final of the tournament. Manuel and I are constantly talking about our teams' matchup. I don't know who is going to win. Chivas have the hometown advantage, but DC is still capable of an upset/winning. Manuel is a good soccer player as well.


Cook Maria Guadalupe with some of her artwork.

From left to right: waiter Tuny, cashier Carla, restaurant manager Pelon ("Baldy")/Jorge, Ana Cervantes, and waiter Leandro--a good soccer player.

Ana Cervantes and Carla, in the hands of Pelon.

Cashier Yanet--a sweet girl, lived in San Francisco for a while.

Bellboy Victor. He is a great guy. Stands with the model of the Hotel and the base of the oldest elevator (it's still functioning) in Latin America.

Receptionist Pati; she is actually from a town, Minatitlan, that is three days down my path.

Hostess Karime and I.

Cashier Yanet and I.

Article about how the Swindle film is riddled with errors

Click on the title of this post for an article about how the Swindle film used misleading graphs and data to forward its points.

Article and discussion of the Swindle Film

Click on the title of this post for an article about the below Swindle film for some summary of the film and following discussion by readers. I, personally, think the film was interesting, and it was the first time I had seen a polished presentation of some compelling counter points in the global warming discussion. While the global discussion on global warming has now shifted in favor of action, and in favor of the understanding that the rise in CO2 atmospheric concentrations, which even the makers of this film don't dispute are man-made, are CAUSING the warming we are seeing, I would like to see the rebuttle of the points raised in this film by the scientific community.
Of note on this blog, I have figured out how to allow comments to be made by anyone, not just registered users:)
Also of note, I just received my check card via FedEx mail (perhaps I should offset the emissions of the mailing:)). I had cancelled the other card and had my bank FedEx a new card directly to my hotel here in Veracruz. In the next couple of days, I will buy new glasses and digital camera, and then I plan to head South!

A movie challenging the fundamental cause of global warming

I ran across a video called The Great Global Warming Swindle. It might just be a scam. However, I do kind of want to get the scientist's response to the claims in the video. While the video claims the variation in the sun's activity causes the warming, scientists have said that they cannot attribute the current warming trend to purely natural/non-anthropogenic causes.

Another Climate offset company

Cool Planet I got this from David Kroodsma's Ride for Climate webpage. I have been talking with him recently for tips on my central american segment, since he just finished biking it (a few months back--now he is in Chile, finishing up his California to Tierra del Fuego trip).

What appears to be the next segment

Central America

The deal

So I bought plane tickets from Panama City to Washington, DC to attend my sister's wedding, my brothers' graduations, and my highschool reunion. I think I will be doing some sponsor hustling during that near-month visit to DC--between May 10th and June 7th. This means, obviously, that I have to bike to Panama City by May 10th. So the next almost two months are, you guessed it, CENTRAL AMERICA! I am getting all revved up and ready for the trip. Trying to tie up loose ends--buying glasses, digital camera, etc. I am going to do this in the absence of the card. When there is a will, there is a way. I am also working out my itinerary--stops, directions, etc. I am using some of the lodging networks I list in the yellow section. I am also trying to shore up some sponsors here in Veracruz before I leave. I hope to leave in the next 4 to 7 days.

How did you get put up in a four-star hotel for free?

yeah, these guys--23 and 26--are the sons of the owner of the hotel. they are into extreme sports--scuba diving, mountain climbing, bicycle trekking. they saw my bike outside their hotel and they asked me about it. they said if there is anything I need, they will do their best to help. They are descendents of old Spanish money. Their dad was a famous lawyer in his day, and his sons study law now. they told me i could stay as long as i wanted. they helped me get interviews with the local newspapers, and I almost got a television piece out of those interviews.

Maya Pedal

Michael Karpman just emailed me this article (click here) about a point of interest in Guatemala where they build pedal-powered machines of all types. To see Maya Pedal's website, click here.
This was my response to Michael:
Thank you, Michael. I plan to stop at Maya Pedal. The article gave me a better understanding of the place. I am interested in building a bicimaquina that would generate electricity to charge a battery. I have been to energy fares at a power plant where they try to teach you to save energy. They had a station where you had to pedal to light up bulbs. They would turn on one, two, three and four bulbs so you could feel how it was harder to pedal with more bulbs. They also showed the difference between fluorescent bulbs (easier to power) and incandescent bulbs.

PJ

Pedal-powered washing and drying machine!

Pedal-powered clothes washer

Would like to leave Friday; Working out a flight from Panama

If possible, I would like to leave Veracruz on Friday, whether or not I have my VISA. I am also working out a round-trip flight home from Panama City for my brothers' graduations and my sister's wedding.

"Activist bikes to Brazil for ecology," reprinted from National Catholic Reporter, March 9, 2007

P.J. Park in Veracruz, Mexico

 

By PATRICK O’NEILL
Raleigh, N.C.
On Sept. 17, Paul Joseph “P.J.” Park loaded up his custom, Dutch-built touring bike with mounted waterproof gear bags and headed south from his home in Washington, D.C., for a 9,000-mile trip. His destination: Natal, Brazil.
An avid environmentalist, Park, 26, is on a mission to promote cycling as a means of transportation and to garner support for the Climate Stewardship Act, a bipartisan bill in the U.S. Senate to cap greenhouse gas emissions, most of which come from car and truck exhaust and from coal-fired power plants. At each stop, Park has asked people to sign a petition in support of the bill. The federal act would cap greenhouse gas emissions in 2010 at 2000 levels, and would require compliance by all U.S. businesses and industries, Park said.
The bill will subsidize technologies to “jump-start the market to help corporations to meet the caps,” Park told NCR during a stop in Raleigh, N.C., early in his trip.
Park said past efforts to curb emissions that cause acid rain were “a resounding success” in reducing acid rain damage. A reduction of greenhouse gases is also an achievable goal, he said.
“In my everyday life I try to live a lifestyle that relies as little as possible on burning fossil fuels,” Park said. In Washington, he rode his bike six miles each way to work, limited his use of electricity and persuaded his family to buy “green power,” an option where a utility company allows customers to supplement their energy needs with renewable energy sources.
Before he left home, Park’s family and friends held a party and fundraiser that collected about $1,400 for trip expenses.
Park, who lived in Brazil with a local family in 1999 while he did two months of volunteer work, speaks Portuguese, Brazil’s native language, and Spanish.
In December, he reached Mexico.
On his journey Park has met Canadian anarchists, peasants who have offered him food and lodging, and many kind people who have befriended him. His lone flat tire came when he ran over a nail in Raleigh.
Patrick O’Neill is a freelance writer living in Raleigh, N.C.
Related Web site
"Bike to Brazil" blog
www.biketobrazil.blogspot.com

God Bless US Postal Service

At Hotel Imperial and Flamingo's Restaurant.

So I went to the Veracruz Postal Station to see what may have happened to the envelope my dad sent me with my check card. They asked me if it was in a box or an envelope. I said envelope. They asked if it had a confirmation code or not. I said no, it was sent normal first class mail, and that it was sent four weeks ago. They looked to see if it was in the office. When they determined it was not there, they explained that mail from the US takes 2-4 days to reach Mexico, where it is delivered first to Mexico City, and that is where the bottle neck is, "el cuello de la botella," he said. From there, it can take four to six weeks to reach the town it is destined for. So, he told me, we are still in the normal time period for the arrival of your package. I can appreciate more now the efficiency of our nations postal service! He said to come back next Wednesday and check to see if it has arrived. I think I may take some journeys around the Veracruz region, perhaps to Xalapa, Monte Pio, La Antigua, etc. as I wait for the card, on Mexican time.

Looking for Sponsors

Me in the lobby of the Hotel Imperial, Zocalo, Veracruz. The photographer from El Dictamen, Javier Tello Z., newspaper took this.

Today I set about to get more sponsors, specifically one who could supply me with a new digital camera. I tried Steren, but turns out my friend no longer works at that location and the boss was not around. They suggested a larger electronics retailer in the area, Cotino. I went to one outlet and asked if the boss was around, since they are the only ones who can make such decisions...He told me no, that the boss was at a different location and he told me where it was. When I eventually found it five miles away, cruising across town on my bike through city traffic, it was the administration building. The receptionist heard me out, and I showed her the two newspapers with the articles featuring my story, and she called to someone in the depths of this crystal-shaped building. After some discussion, she asked if I could wait a moment. After five minutes, the person called her back and said that the person who could make the decision was out of town and would be back in early next week. So that is my lead! Emilio, one of the Hotel Imperial owner's sons, is in town and he said that I will let his preppy college mates know about my trip and see if any of them can help out, and we might also try Corona cerveza company. I said we might be able to try Pemex, the petrol company, and he said something about how the polluting company sponsoring my trip would be ironic, and I said that it might be attractive to them so they can balance their profile a bit, reference BP that builds solar panels. Card still hasn't arrived. Still somewhat juggling plan/route options.

Making a bike for Ana's Birthday

Today, I went to the bike shop across town, and set about to build or refurbish a bike for Hotel Imperial loose-ends coordinator Ana. It was her birthday a couple days ago, and I promised her a bike. Better late than never. The bike shop manager brought me in the back with one of the mechanics and showed me what there was to offer me to fix up. I asked about a 20 inch frame bike, and he consented. I began using a wire-brush to de-rust the bike. I then adjusted the seat and seat post, and pumped up the tires. The back tire held air but not the front. I flipped the bike over and began to de-rust the chain and gears. Then I lubed them up. The rear wheel rubbed against the brakes, so I set about to remove the wheel and true it. One of the mechanics helped me adjust the nuts on the rear axel to make the wheel spin smoother. After truing and that adjustment, I replaced the back wheel. The mechanic gave me a new inner tube for the front wheel, so I set about to replace it. As I was putting the new tube in the wheel, another mechanic showed up and basically took over. He quickly finished putting the inner tube in, and pumped up the tire. Then he replaced the front wheel, and began working on the brakes. He decided the back brake needed a new cable and housing. He went in the shop, and returned with new cable and housing. He deftly took off the old cable and housing and replaced it. The manager then brought out new brake levers, and cable, housing, and brakes for the front wheel. The mechanic installed the brake, cable and housing for the front and back, adjusted them, and declared the bike was ready. The manager cleaned the handlebars, and seat, and put a new seat cover on the seat. He began to spray paint the bike black, asked me if I liked that color, but I told him I had already selected purple, and the first mechanic had already brought it out. He wiped off the black, and sprayed some purple on and asked if I liked it. I told him I did. He told me it would be better to spray it in the sun, that I could come back tomorrow and finish it up. I told him I would come back tomorrow around 3pm, and we agreed upon 300 pesos or $30 for the whole deal. Putting in my time and helping refurbish a bike was the only way I could strike a deal this cheap in the whole town. Someone wanted 2000 pesos or $200 for some used mountain bike the other day when I was trying to find cheap used bikes. I might have to borrow money to pay him tomorrow since my card hasn't arrived yet, but I am happy with the success of the day. I have also added a bunch of new features to the blog to the right which I think enrich the blog and better explain my trip. Hope you enjoy them.

Why I came back to Veracruz; Today

Okay, all, talking with Mexicans here, it seems normal that three weeks to a month is normal to expect for a letter or a package delivered with normal postal service. So we are still in the normal time frame for the arrival of the card. I am not sure it is clear to people why I came back to Veracruz, so I am going to explain. I made it as far south as Catemaco. Then, I made a decision to go back to Tlacotalpan to experience the festival of the Candelaria, which is the anniversary of the baby Jesus reaching the age of 40 days old, and his baptism. The patron saint of Tlacotalpan is the Virgin of the Candelaria, a virgin who commemorates all of the candels that followed in the procession of Jesus' baptism, the ceremony of the Holy Spirit entering the Christ child. It is celebrated Feb. 2 all over Mexico, but Tlacotalpan celebrates for nine days because it is the festival of the town's patron saint. Their celebration includes bulls running free in the streets, as well as a three-day traditional music and rhyme (jaranero and decimista) gathering. The festival was well worth it. Then, I lost my glasses and my camera broke, plus I met somebody who works for a digital camera company (Steren) in Veracruz who said his company might be able to sponsor me and he invited me back to Veracruz, where we could talk, and I could go to the Carnaval, which is the biggest north of Rio. My friends from Hotel Imperial also invited me back. I figured I could see Carnaval, get new glasses and a new camera, and I would have a place to stay and have my card sent to me. Carnaval was great, but as you know I am still waiting for my card which I can use to get new glasses. Since the camera deal has not succeeded yet (the guy came to the hotel once but I was asleep, so he left, wrote that he would come back, but hasn't yet...), I may end up buying a new camera as well. Then I can move on. (I really miss my camera.)
Today, I got up, streched, then shaved, washed my face, but didn't shower in a lenten "giving-up" to save energy. Then I went down to have an employee meal of vegetable soup and rice--pretty good. Ran into my friend Paul from England who works as a diver on the oil platforms. He is going through a divorce, so it's kind of trying him. Then I visited the local cathedral--somewhat spectacular, not really, though. Then I went to see if I could find some chloroquine/malaria prophylaxis. My friend Lindsay told me one of the local pharmacies had it for $7. I checked out "Ahorro's" and "Simi's", but neither had it. Where did you see it, Lindsay? Then I got a tour of Hotel Colonial, which is a couple buildings down from my hotel, Hotel Imperial, on the Zocalo. Hotel Colonial has some great terraces above, and a heated indoor pool (big energy user, but obviously attractive), but it lacks the elegance of Hotel Imperial, which has a foyer that extends five floors to a stained glass sky light, beautiful arch architecture throughout, marble stairs, and the oldest elevator in Latin, if not all of, America. Okay, after touring the Hotel Colonial, I walked along the portales and noted the name of each restaurant/bar and hotel. I went into "Caliente" to see what they used their upper levels for. Caliente is a betting center with TV's showing all types of sporting events going on mostly in Mexico and the US--horse racing, basketbal, soccer, dog racing, etc. I sat down and started watching basketball, and eventually horse racing and soccer. The waiter asked if I wanted anything to drink and I asked him if it was required to order something and he said no, he was just offering, and I said I just wanted to know what the upper floors are used for--hotel, storage, residence, etc., and he said right now, the owners are not using it at all. I found it interesting that such prime real estate was being unused as such. I continued watching--I think UNC beat Duke, Phoenix beat the Lakers...In the first horse race I watched, the lead horse was overtaken by two horses just in the last stretch. In the second race, the lead horse led the whole time, and ran away with the victory in the end. Anything can happen. Then, my favorite team in Mexico (at this point), Pachuca, started playing one of the most popular teams in all of Mexico, America from Mexico City. Pachuca scored a nice goal off a corner kick and ended up winning 1-0. After the match, I went back to my hotel, and I overheard English. I introduced myself to what ended up being five Americans from the northeast (New York and Philly, primarily) who were into Tai Chi, and who were on a trip to attend a Tai Chi conference/class in Patzcuaro, west of Mexico City, but they are seeing a bit of the country before the conference starts. They invited me out to dinner and I accepted. We had a nice dinner, talked about some of the movies they saw on the bus which were dubbed but they couldn't hear the sound anyway, so they sort of made up their interpretations of what they saw to each other as they watched the movies. They said they could start up their own film-scripting schools using such exercises of interpretation as fodder for plotlines. After dinner, four of the five went to the malecon (dock platform area) for coffee, but one, Emily, and I went back to the hotel because it was too windy and a bit chilly (we were wearing less clothing than the others). After returning to the hotel, I went to check email, and write to you! I will now put up a section of links to sponsors and those who helped me on the way so far.

Still waiting for card; My day

Okay, still in Veracruz. My card still hasn´t come. So what did I do today? Up, stretched, did sit ups, showered, came downstairs, entered office. The hotel owner asked me if I was going to send him the email with the specifications of a new crankshaft for his bike. Really, I need him to give me the specifications so I can go out and find the correct crankshaft for his bike, and install it. He has two chainrings, but would like three to make climbing mountains easier. He is interested, too, in getting a Trek 520, which is basically designed for touring, but I´ve heard people have loved using it as a commuting bike as well. I referred him to www.kogausa.com as well so he could see the specs of my bike. His son is going to show me his (the dad´s) bike tomorrow or so, so I can see the crankshaft specifications. I did a bit of emailing and then Juan, the owner´s son, told me we would be leaving for the soccer match in twenty minutes. The Veracruz Red Sharks (Tiburones Rojos) were going to play the Guadalajara Atlas in town. A bunch of us--waiters, restaurant manager, bell-boy manager, loose-ends coordinator, owner´s son and daughter (who is in town from Mexico City)--all piled in a mini-van and headed across town to the stadium. We bought a shirt for the daughter, and the son--which he is going to give to me tomorrow as a present--everybody at the stadium should be wearing read in support of the home team, or you are liable to get bothered. The game was alright, but the opposing team, which is at or near the top of the rankings, scored on a penalty kick and beat us 1-0. We had four or five good opportunities to tie the game, but none went into the back of the net. When we got back, I think that is when I took a nap. After I woke up, I went down for something to eat, hung out with Juan and Bernardo, a lawyer originally from Papantla, but based in Districto Federal (DF/Mexico City), we had a couple beers and I had enfrijoladas (tortillas filled with cheese and covered with black bean sauce and avocado), plus spiced mixed nuts. Later, I made a phone call to a friend I met in Tlacotalpan, Pily, who studies administration in the local technical school. Then, I chatted with her online, and then checked email and now am updating my blog. It is raining outside. All is well, and it´s been a good day. I talked with Bernardo today about forging a plan with the Veracruz local government to turn off some of the lights at night on the palace (administration building) and perhaps some fraction of the lights other areas of town that may not really be benefitting anyone--this to reduce electricity consumption and hence burn less coal, reducing heat-trapping gas emissions.

Maps and errands

This is my second daily post, meaning that it is the second day in a row that I am posting after I have decided to make one post per day. So here goes: what happened to day is that I got up, showered, ate breakfast, talked to some hotel friends and staff, made a list of things to do for the day, and set off to do them. The first was to make a bike for Ana at the shop across town that told me I could work on one of their bikes and then pay for it after finishing. I got there and the guy told me that it was off since I did not show up at the time we talked about the last time I was there. But the time we agreed upon was the time the newspaper reporters were interviewing me, so I wasn't able to show up then. He told me he was only interested in money, he was business man, so how much money did I have? I told him that as I said before I was willing to give three hundred pesos ($30) for a bike that I put together. He told me to come back on Lunes (Monday) since the mechanics had gone home for the weekend. Okay. Then I set out to get some road maps of Central America to plan the next chunk of my trip. Everywhere I went did not have road maps of Central America. Finally someone suggested just use the web, and I eventually did, and found MapQuest to have the best road maps of the area I am looking for. After the map search in town (this is still Veracruz), I went to the post office to see if I could ask them what might have happened to the envelope with my check card in it, or what I should expect. It has been almost three weeks now since my dad sent it. But the post office was closed after four PM, so I decided to go back to the hotel. I started searching online for maps at that point, and that is when I happened upon MapQuest. Yahoo maps were alright, except that they show all the roads, large and small, with the same yellow line, so it is impossible to tell which one I might take (I will be sticking with the largest, most traveled and dependable roads from now on.) MapQuest pretty much just shows the largest roads, at least at a low resolution setting.
The office at the hotel was busy with employees coming in to get their paychecks. I considered working here at the hotel as a bell boy--which amounts to an elevator operator, and a luggage and key carrier. They told me the position pays about the equivalent of $7.50 for eight hours of work per day, plus tips. The staff is very nice. Most of the other bell-boys are studying some sort of engineering, and working on the side to pay for their education.
Anyway, I am also trying to catch up with folks I met along the route with emails, etc. And I am trying to put all my photos in chronological order. This is going to take a while! You can see the current set of albums at Picasa and Image Station.
Tonight I don't know what I am going to do yet, but guess what? I just heard about this huge concert happening on July 7, 07 including Red Hot Chili Pepper and over one hundred other big-name artists, with the theme of "Save Our Selves" from global warming, led by Al Gore, and Cameron Diaz: www.liveearth.org. Check it out--it is going to be huge!

Two Newspaper Articles; Dos Noticias en Periodicos

Proeza en dos Ruedas
Desde Washington a Brasil y en Bicicleta!
Folks at my hotel helped me get these newspaper interviews. One of the newpapers, El Dictamen, is on the national level, and the other one, Notiver, is on the level of the city and surrounds of Veracruz. It is possible that Televisa, a national television station, will come momentarily to do a piece on my trip.
Staying in Veracruz has been nice recently. I met a girl named Lindsay from my home state of Minnesota. She is traveling around Mexico for a couple of months, and will do a three-week program of turtle conservation in Michoacan. I had lots of fun hanging out with her for the couple days she was in Veracruz. We met at the tourist office where she was looking for maps of Veracruz, and I was using the wireless internet to find maps of Central America--road maps. I want to plan out the rest of my trip with stops and dates and everything so I can plan my flight back to my sister Sarah's weddding and so I can present my trip more concretely to potential sponsors. I want to make this more organized, better supported by companies, and more effective with the media and fundraising for the cause. Capture the Carbon means preventing greenhouse gasses from entering the atmosphere in the first place, and extracting them after they are in the atmosphere so they can't keep doing their heat-trapping function. It's getting hot in here, and it's not cool. But try not to turn on the AC unless you've purchased green electricity: Renew US.
For my flight back to the US, I will offset the emissions with Native Energy or a similar carrier: Neutralize your pollution.
I am still waiting for my check card to arrrive in the mail, and then I will purchase my glasses, a new digital camera, and a few smaller things before heading south. My route south probably will include the precious Mayan ruins of Palenque, the beautiful colonial town of San Cristobal de las Casas, a stop at the house of the family one of my co-workers from the Brazilian restaurant I worked at before leaving (house in Totonicapan, Guatemala), a stop in Guatemala City where my cousin lives and works... and a bunch of other places further south. I figure I can make about 2,400 miles before the wedding, so I have to see where that puts me so I can buy tickets back for the wedding.
I am going to try to make an entry on the blog everyday; I heard that was the ideal format for a blog, and it kinda makes sense to me, too. I think I'll use my spanish blog, Bici a Brasil for entries in Spanish.
Last night was a birthday party for one of the workers here at the hotel. I want to make a bicycle for her for her birthday. I talked with one shop who said they would let me take down one of the frames in disrepair, put it together using their tools and parts and pay them something like $30 for the finished product. Perhaps I'll work on that tomorrow. And perhaps that is the seed of a new bike coop in Veracruz! (See Mount Rainier Bike Coop.)
We had fun at the birthday party. Lindsay attended and so did a guy we met at this circus out in front of the hotel at the zocalo. Yesterday and the day before at the zocalo was this awesome circus-like presentation/talent show. These guys, well the most impressive part, was two guys dancing to music, but using eachothers bodies to flip, roll, climb on top of, support, lift, and the most impressiv part--they intertwined bodies into a form that allowed them to continuously roll like a wheel with the hands and feet touching the ground--each person continuously flipping. Perhaps their is some sort of You Tube video of such an act.
We saw last night a presentation, a different one--it was "Miercoles Jarocho", or Wednesday night of the Veracruz person. Jarocho is a person from Veracruz. It comes from the fact that an artistic tradition here is to play the "jaranero", a little guitar. Well, at Miercoles Jarocho, we saw traditional dance with traditional live music. The music included a harp, jaraneros, and percussion. The dancers were dressed in white, the women with flowers in their hair, and long dresses, the bottom of which they fanned out with one hand holding the bottom of one side of the dress. The men wore hats and had shoes with hard soles that they used like taps shoes on the wooden stage. The dancers create a great beat with their steps, and they dance in pairs. If you want to hear some of this music, simply download some "jarocho" or "jaranero" music. It is great. The people playing the instruments also sing along with the music in a confident, announcing, but beautiful tone.
Veracruz is great--it has a large platform next to the water called the "malecon" where the community likes to hang out. Divers will dive for coins there in the daytime--just throw a coin into the water there in the port, and the athletic--adolescent through forties--diver will dive off of the cement/tile platform into the eight-meter water and fetch the coin, which he gets to keep, of course. It is pretty amazing, to say the least.
Where I have been staying, the Hotel Imperial on the zocalo, people hang out and events take place almost every night. My Hotel, which has about ten floors, only five of which are in use for rent, is just about the highest building in this colonial port city. On top of the hotel, I have grabbed spectacular views of the port, the zocalo and the surroundings of Veracruz. I am going to miss Veracruz when I leave, and all my friends at the Hotel, etc. Thanks for following...

Climate Crisis Action Day

You can go to Washington for free on March 20th to talk to your representatives to encourage strong global warming legislation: click here.

Current Plan

My current plan is to continue forward until my sister's wedding at the end of May, fly back offsetting the emissions with Native Energy, leave the bike where I end up, and come back after the wedding to finish the trip. Right now, I am waiting for my check card to come in the mail, I will get new glasses, a new camera, and set off.

Letter I sent to Bush a little while back

July 14, 2006

Dear Mr. President,

As I am sure you have heard and are aware, we stand at a critical time in our ability to preserve the amiability of our climate. I find that it is high time that we begin to take meaningful, decisive, and dramatic movements in the direction of reducing our emissions of CO2, methane, NOx, and other greenhouse gases. We have the technology, we have the ability and the know-how. America is the land of innovation and ingenuity--WE have the resourses and talents to take control of this increasing threat before it gets out of hand. We must take the lead, as we have in the past on so many issues--democracy, space exploration, human rights, gender equality, voting rights, etc., --and lead the world on a mission to tackle global warming before it tackles us with hurricanes, flooding, droughts, sea level rising, tornadoes, heat waves, and ecosystem destabilization.

We must take our automotive technologies off the shelves and dramatically increase the efficiency of our vehicles. This will reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our toll at the pump, and reduce our need to destroy precious wildlife preserves in the pursuit of oil. The time is now. The stakes are high. The excuses are unforgiveable. The benefits will be pervasive.

We must create power plants that use our vast resources of power generation without the production of greenhouse gases. We have the technology. We must act now to create a global transformation of our power generating methods and infrastructure. Solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower, nuclear power, tidal power, wave power, ect. We must capitalize on the opportunity these resources provide us to power our society without destablilizing our climate.

Such a mission, such a mobilization of our forces and energy, will generate tremendous opportunity for jobs, growth, and economic expansion in the areas of hybrid vehicles, renewable energy, the green building industry, energy-efficient technology, and infrastructure transformation.

Mr. Bush, you have the opportunity to take an undeniable, inevitable challenge, capture the hearts and minds of the American people, and lead us and the world on a timely mission to preserve the clemency of our climate.

Every day, every minute, CO2 levels in our atmosphere are rising. Let us consider the future of our planet, the lives of our offspring, and the sustainability of the human project on our precious, unique home. Let us be heroes with the grace and determination with which we accept and conquer this challenge.

Sincerely, your fellow citizen and constituent,
Paul Joseph Park
4405 29th St.
Mount Rainier, MD 20712

Lots of partying over the weekend with the Carnaval. Lots of music, dancing, parades. Taking in some of the local culture. While in Brazil, most of the dancing at least in the Rio Carnival is samba, the dancing here in Veracruz is mostly salsa. They did have a group from Brazil in the parade to show the traditional Brazilian style samba, but all the rest were salsa. And like in Rio, they had a competition among the dancing troups.

Tonight plays one of the most popular singers in Mexico, Alejandra Guzman.

As far I concerns me and the trip, I am currently considering moving forward, flying back for the wedding, leaving my bike where I fly from, returning after the wedding to continue the trip. I will offset the emissions from flying with Native Energy.

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.

Zocalo (written Monday night, 2-12; btw, Happy Valentine's Day!)

It is not everywhere you can sit in a town plaza at a table outside at a restaurant and be surrounded with live mariachi music from multiple bands playing one after the other. The 69 degree air here in Veracruz wafts of fresh bread and other delicious local cuisine. Behind me a solo guitarist sings to a gathering of three friends, seated at the table with them. To my right a band plays loud and confidently a traditional mariachi song to a party of Mexicans in from Mexico City passing the evening before Carnaval kicks off tomorrow with the children’s parade.

Behind me, the light and sound technicians are fine-tuning the main-stage of the zocalo, or colonial plaza, where the main presentations, such as the crowning of the Carnaval Queen, will take place. Lining the zocalo are “portales”, or restaurants, bars and hotels, whose tables spill out into the open air of the plaza for patrons to enjoy the atmosphere in the plaza--music, vendors, perfect weather and all.
The city of Veracruz is winding up for the main event. Visitors arrive from all corners of the republic, and from the US, and Europe to enjoy Veracruz’s Carnaval, the best one north of Rio. Vendors cruise the portales pedaling selections of watches, nuts, DVDs, credit for your cellphone, shirts, belts, bracelets, and even the chance to pass a bit of electricity through your arms and chest to invigorate yourself.
One of the bands plays a popular “nortenho” tune called “On my knees I plead you” (De rodillas te pido by Alegres de la Sierra), about how he had an “adventure” with a woman, and now he asks forgiveness of his girlfriend, describing how he thinks about her all the time, he misses her kisses, and he wakes up in the middle of the night terrified, calling her name, hoping she is not with some other man.
A girl comes up to me and starts singing a song, almost just saying the song. I recognize her before I even lift my head from the screen to look at her. She came up to me a couple weeks ago when I was here, and I had her sing me “La Bamba”. I thoroughly enjoyed that and paid her peso for it. This time I asked her to sing me “On my knees I plead you”. She smiled, said that she did not know it, and asked for a peso. I told her I loved the song and I would pay her twenty or even thirty pesos ($2-$3) if she learned it and sang it to me. She was amused, and eventually moved on.
Now the band plays another hit favorite of mine, “To not see you” ("A no verte," K-paz de la Sierra), how the guy would die if he could not see her. This song is of the style Duranguense, similar to nortenho, but with more drumming (and originating in the northern state of Durango). The music just goes on and on. When one band stops, the next one starts. If they are far enough apart, two or three bands, or more, will be playing all at once, tableside for their delighted audience.
This place is like no other I have been to. I will enjoy my time here while it lasts. As an aside, I will enjoy it more knowing I biked here from my house.

Veracruz: Carnaval

Estoy en Veracruz y la ciudad esta preparando para el gran evento de Carnaval. La calle Camacho en la playa está barrancada con sillas para asistir los desfiles, el programa de actividades esta destribuida, y están poniendo los decoraciones. Voy a reparar mi camara para sacar mas fotos, y necesito comprar una nueva hierramienta para quebrar la cadena. Mi cadena quebró anoche, y un mechanico me ayudó--mi hierramienta quebró tambien cuando intenté usar la para reparar la cadena. El mechánico no tuvo la hierramienta correcta, pero usamos otros hierramientas que nos sirvieron.

Después de Veracruz, quizás voy a ir a DF en bici, Querétaro, Monterrey, Matamoros, Houston, St. Louis, DC. Quizás voy a continuar a Brasil. Pero una cosa que quiero hacer, por lo menos en el futuro, es empezar un programa en que los ciclistas levantan dinero, como un dolar para cada milla para comprar créditos de carbon que crecen proyectos que hacen electricidad en maneras que no contribuyen a calentamiento global. Por ejemplo, hacen panales solares o turbinas de viento para hacer electricidad, o juntan la mierda de ranchos de vacas o cerdos, atrapan el gas métano y lo quema para hacer electricidad. Una organización que hace esto es Native Energy/Energía Nativo. Voy a contactar a ellos para hacer un plan funcional de tranferir el dinero que recibimos. Otros ciclistas o otros viajes de ciclismo pueden usar el mismo plan. Tenemos que empezar ahora. No hay tiempo para perder.

I am in Veracruz now and the city is preparing for the great event of Carnaval. Camacho street along the shore is lined with bleachers to watch the parades, the program of activities has been distributed, and they are putting up decorations. I am going to get my camera repaired, and I also need to get another chain tool. My chain broke last night, and a mechanic helped me out--my chain tool broke when I was trying to fix the chain; we used other tools and fixed the chain.

After Veracruz, I may bike to Mexico City, Queretaro, Monterrey, Matamoros, St. Louis, DC. Or I may continue south towards Brazil. But one thing I really want to do is start a program in which cyclists raise money to buy carbon credits--one dollar per mile--where the money for the carbon credits goes to create new projects that create electricity in ways that do not contribute to global warming such as solar power plants and wind turbine power plants, or those on cattle or pig farms in which they collect the manure and trap the methane gas emitted from the decomposition, and burn it to create electricity. Methane when burned creates CO2, but methane itself is a heat-trapping gas twenty-two times more potent than CO2, so it makes sense to burn it. One organization that facilitates this exchange of carbon credits and formation of new green power is Native Energy. I plan to contact them and work out a system of transfering the funds we raise for the miles we bike. Cyclists everywhere can use this plan. We need to start now; there is no time to lose.

Update

So I am in Tlacotalpan now and the festivities have basically come to an end. They released two more bulls in the streets today, and then two vaquitas (two cows, with horns). We had more fun running around with the bulls and the cows in the streets, pulling them, dodging them, mounting them, caring for them when they get tired or thirsty, lassoing them, directing them, etc. Was quite fun.

So at this point in my journey, I have a few things to consider in deciding where to go, how to move forward. At the beginning of the journey, I was hoping to make it to Recife, Brazil, ambitious as it was, by carnaval (word derives from ¨carne¨-¨valle¨, or farewell to meat, since during lent, consumption of meat is forbidden in the Catholic tradition.) Well, as it is, after 3800 miles and almost five months, trying to hook up with Canadians to join my trip, enjoying different places as I go, going solo and trying to work out logistics on a first long-distance bicycle journey--I am near Veracruz as carnaval starts. But, turns out, word has it that Veracruz has the best carnaval north of Rio, AND I have friends at a four-star hotel who will put me up and dine me and provide friends and company for the carnaval, AND the hotel is right at the main stage of the carnaval--seems like a no-brainer, or the best thing without burning fossil fuels or spending money on a flight to Rio.

By the way, the reason for going to Brazil in the first place was not to go to carnival, though I did want to make it in time as I have never been to one. I want to bike to brazil to live and work there--I want to commute there, and see Mexico and Central America. I have been there twice (to Brazil, never to Mexico or Central America before this trip), I have good friends there I stay in touch with, and I speak portuguese, play soccer, enjoy brazilian people and culture, warm weather and beaches. I intended to work teaching english, work at hotels in Natal, and go back to school in urban planning and transportation engineering there in Natal or Recife. I intended to live in Brazil--and of course still may.

Things on my plate now include the following: my sister´s wedding is at the end of May (many of you reading will probably be there, and perhaps some of you will bike there), my brother Tommy will graduate from U Mary Washington, and my brother Timmy will graduate from Harbour High School in Anapolis. I will not be able to make it to Brazil on bike by the time these come to pass, so I am having to decide if I will bike back now, after the Carnival, (by a different route to see other things) which would probably give me enough time to make it back in time purely on bike...or continue forward and...fly back for the wedding round trip from whereever I am...or ?just keep going till I make it???

The option of returning by bike for the wedding would not eliminate biking to brazil. On the contrary, I have a plan to come back with more experience, of course, more people, more organization, with a different approach: raise one dollar per mile biked, and the money would go to purchasing carbon credits which in effect stimulate the creation of new wind farms and solar power plants, and projects on hog and cattle ranches that collect the manure, trap the methane released and burn it to create electricity--all which keep heat-trapping gases out of our atmosphere.

It is about ten thousand miles by bike to brazil, so the ten thousand dollars (or more, since more riders will be going) could be presented in a singular event covered by the media, sort of encapsulating the trip. This trip would take place in the next two or three years. Sponsors, media attention, riders, fundraising, etc. could build from this trip and up through the next trip. So that´s kind of my big exciting idea. Could be the next trip, or the idea could start right from where I am now, whether I go forward or backward, southward or northward.

As for pictures right now, my camera is not functioning well--the monitor no longer works--so I cannot take any pictures right now. Sorry--I know, you wanted to see the bulls in the streets. Well, I can put some pics from the web up to give you an idea. As for the rest of the trip, wherever I go, I met a guy on the road who works for a tech company that makes digital cameras (Steren). Perhaps they can sponsor me with a cam--and perhaps one that mounts on the head like a headlamp.

Well, that is kind of where I am at now. A return trip could include Xalapa, Mexico City, Queretaro, Monterrey, Matamoros, Houston, maybe St. Louis and DC. If I go for the bike to brazil trip after the wedding, perhaps you know someone interested in doing something about global warming who wants to raise money for alternative energy, see more of America (North, Central, South), and have an adventure, let em know, and have em contact me at pauljosephpark@gmail.com. There you are welcome also to send me comments and feedback on trip, blog, global warming, etc. Hasta pronto.

I did a google news search on global warming. Nearly all of the articles refer to the recent UN climate panel report that details the certainty global warming exists, the 90 to 99 percent likelihood it is due mainly to human burning of fossil fuels, and the likely effects over the next decades, centries and millenia. After reading many articles, this quote struck me:
(Taken from article by Alan Dupont, Wed. Feb 7, 2007, ¨Scorched Earth an Insecure Place¨, Online Opinion, onlineopinion.com, first published in The Australian on February 5, 2007)
¨Although these sobering statistics should be a wake-up call for action, complacency should not be replaced by alarmism or defeatism.

¨If climate change is human-induced, then the solutions can and must be found within our collective resources and wisdom.

¨As a first step, the Government needs to take a more comprehensive approach by developing a national strategy on climate change that considers all the consequences of a rapidly warming planet. For this is an issue that transcends the environment and goes to the heart of national and international security.¨

For complete article, see Scorched Earth an Insecure Place

The main things in this quote that strike me are that the issue is not just an environmental issue, but it transends that and it is fundamentally an issue of international security.

The second thing that strikes me is that we need to neither become alarmists or defeatists, but rather we need to face the issue with creativity and cooperation.

Fiesta de la Candelaria

Estoy en Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico. Aqui todos los años hay una fiesta grande en que sueltan seis toros en la calle, y las personas tienen que correr para evitar el toro, o cuando el toro para, las personas provocan el toro atacar mas. Tambien hay mucha musica folklorica de los jaraneros, una tradición jarocha (del estado de Veracruz). Además hay muchas presentaciónes, actividades y comida tradicional de la región. Todo el mundo me dijeron que no perder esta fiesta. Por eso, regresé del Catemaco a Tlacotalpan en un dia. Corrí cien kilometros para llegar en el mismo dia para ver los toros en el dia siguiente.
I am in Tlacotalpan, Veracruz, Mexico. Every year here there is a great festival in which they set loose six bulls in the streets, and people have to run to avoid the charging bulls, and when the bull stops, people provoke the bull to charge and run again. Also, the festival includes a coming together of hundreds of jaraneros and dicimistas, which are guitar folk bands and people who recite rhyming verses. In addition, throughout the festival, which runs from Jan 31 to Feb 9, there are many cultural presentations, activities and food representative of the region. I came back for the festival from Catemaco, biking 62 miles in one day through the hills of this region to arrive the day before they set loose the bulls.

Friends I met in Santiago Tuxtla--Orlando, Andrea, and I. We had a good time together.

Procession through streets of Tlacotalpan antes de la fiesta de la candelaria.

Cascada Salto de Eyipantla. The waterfall 'Salto de Eyipantla'.

Un chango chamaco, Lago de Catemaco. A little monkey, lake of Catemaco.

Chango, Catemaco. Una vez, el changuito agarró un plátano de mis manos. Otra vez, tiré un plátano a un chago, y el cachó el plátano! Thai monkey, Catemaco. These were placed on this island around thirty years ago by a University in Puerto Rico. Once, a little monkey took a banana from my hands. Another time, I threw a banana to one of the mature monkeys, and he caught it, sitting there on the branch above the water. He proceeded to eat the banana, peel and all.

Changuito, Catemaco. Little monkey, Catemaco.

Las flores lotos, protejadas. The lotus flowers, protected.

Un pajaro común aqui en Catemaco. A common bird here in Catemaco.

Catemaco, Veracruz, MX. Abajo dice 'Escápate a Paraíso'. Below, it says, 'Escape to paradise'.

Estoy en San Andres Tuxtla ahora. Acabéi de jugar fútbol con un grupo de hombres. Supuestamente, San Andres Tuxtla es un lugar turistico. Cerca hay la Salta de Eyipantla. Luego es el lago de Catemaco, la isla de los changos, y los brujos y shamanes.
I am in San Andres Tuxtla now. I just finished playing soccer with some guys. Supposedly, this town is a tourist attraction. Nearby are the waterfalls of Eyipantla. Further on is the lake of Catemaco with an island with monkeys on it, and a group of shamans.

Cabeza olmeca. Olmec head, Santiago Tuxtla.

Plaza en Santiago Tuxtla.

Centro de Lerdo de Tejada, con el ingenio de San Francisco en el fondo. Center of Lerdo de Tejada with the sugar factory in the background.

Muchas mujeres usan estas motocicletas chicas, llenas de niños a menudo. Many women use these scooters, often loaded with kids, too.

Mira la silla para el niño. Witness the wooden seat for the baby/passenger. Very common this side of Veracruz.

Sergio y la escena de la navidad, Lerdo de Tejada. Sergio and the Navidad scene in Lerdo de Tejada.

La plaza en Lerdo de Tejada.


El circo viene al Lerdo de Tejada! Los tigres estan en la calle! The circus is coming to town, the tigers are in the streets!

Bicicletas son muy popular aquí en Lerdo de Tejada. Bicycles are very popular here in Lerdo de Tejada.

Unas de las bicicletas para vender cosas o cargar cosas o gente, muy popular aqui en México. A couple of the bicycles common here to sell goods (fruit, often) or to transport people or goods.


Interestante terreno en la carretera. Interesting terrain near the highway...

El terreno local, cerca de Santiago Tuxtla. Some of the local terrain, near Santiago Tuxtla.

Uno de los pajaros sentado en la vaca. One of those birds that hang out on cows.