Interesting, I've returned to pen more thoughts after a substantial period of time ( Ya boy iz back )

I can't wait to eat these papas fritas coming my way.  Se come muy bien con mayonesa y salsa habanero!  My brothers have come and gone, I've trucked it to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_itza , and as soon as these fries are comfortably resting in my duodenum, I'm off to find a store that sells supplies for the workers at my place right now.  Mi amigo Abel has been instrumental, steering me in the general direction of stores I'm looking for - street addresses are a little odd down here, as are many things.

Simultaneously nervous and estatic about conducting business in Spanish, I've found I can hack my way through most things involving paint, gas, weather, etc.  I'm trying to keep away from English as much as possible, save for this blog and the emails back home.  I'm investing in a cheap external dvd drive for my netbook, as bootleg movies for 30 pesos are very common here, and they are in Spanish almost always.  It should supplement my legally obtained Rosetta Stone and conversations con mis amigos aca.

The street vendors and manual laborers have given me a greater insight into the poverty in Mexico.  I understand other states nearby (Campeche, Chiapas, etc) are even worse.  I'd imagine they have less income from tourism, which makes sense based on location.  The intricate work on some of these masks, or rugs, or whatever is amazing, and the price reflects how low they value their own labor (based on demand, of course).  I hope to get invited to the painters house at some point for a cerveza, they seem to really like me for a white-boy living in a big house.  I've shown these guys I know what's up with regard to the usual method of painting, taking slight advantage of gringos, etc.  No mixing agua with the paint, then taking a new bucket home for yourself.  No, you can't paint over dirt because it's easier.  I'm not upset about these things, I understand how it works and what I've got to watch for, and I think I get more respect for that in addition to not speaking the english. 

I've decided at some point to rent a motorcycle, grab my hammock, and head out for 5-6 days south around Mexico and Belize.  Supposedly, the land rises up southwest of here, and we'll all know how much I like elevation in reasonable amounts.  I can't touch Martin's sea level to http://www.geonames.org/3521567/volcan-pico-de-orizaba.html in one day - solo.  I think it was this peak.  It won't be for a while, I need to get the house painted and ready, and I'd like to at least wait until I had a buyer with a down payment - sort of a reward for success.  We'll see how it goes, I'm hoping Ricardo makes a move and we can all put this behind us.  I've got a few more things to do before I settle down a bit, and I'm looking forward to the next several years. 

Bonus pics of 4 boys without supervision: