Why I love Mexico-- Reason Number 1.

One of the questions I am often asked, is why I live in Mexico, and what makes me stay.

One of, or probably more accurately, the biggest reason to me, is the people. Mexicans are open, friendly, and sharing is done without even a thought. They have taught me to slow down and enjoy what, and who, is around you. To absolutely live in the moment. Walking down the street, everyone makes eye contact and greets you. I have been invited into homes for parties and to share meals, by total strangers, just because I was in the vicinity. Laughter, music, food, and drink have no language barriers.

Because I have crewed on boat deliveries up and down the coast, I have found myself traveling on buses alone, quite often. Almost every bus station, and bus that I have been on, someone has approached me just to make sure that I knew where I was going and that I was comfortable. I have been handed beer and empanadas without prompting and when I try to pay, I am just waved off with a smile.

Last year at this time I found myself in La Paz after another delivery. When we arrived at the port, I checked the Baja Ferry website, asked around the marina, and found out that the ferry left for Mazatlan everyday at 9 am. I took the 250 peso, 45 minute taxi ride to the terminal early the next morning only to find out that indeed, it did leave everyday at 9 am......except Saturday. It happened to be Saturday. However, the ferry to Topolobampo was leaving at 5 pm.

Instead of going back to town, I settled down at a table by a roadside taco stand. I had my iPod, camera, book, and journal, so I was prepared to kill some time. Keep in mind, this is Baja.....desert....nothing for miles but rocks and snakes. After a couple hours I ordered some lunch and a Coke. I asked for a cup of ice, but was told they had none. No worries, I said, the Coke was more than cold enough. I didn't think twice about it when an older gentleman at a table next to mine got up, and hobbled away on his cane. He returned about 20 minutes later, set down a cup of ice, gave me a smile, and hobbled off again without a word. I have NO clue where he must have went to retrieve that cup of ice!

It is a much shorter ferry ride to Topolobampo, but then you have to take the bus from Los Mochis to Mazatlan. I reached the bus station in Los Mochis about 10 am the next day, and booked my seat for the next bus to Mazatlan, which was 4 pm. Once again, I found myself a quiet corner and plopped down. When my stomach started to rumble, I approached the girl from whom I bought my ticket, and asked her about places to eat. She told me about a couple restuarants then stopped and asked if I could wait a half hour. No problem- I just assumed she wanted to show me some places instead of trying to tell me where they were located.

Thirty minutes later, she collected me from my corner. We walked a few blocks, and to my suprise, we entered into her home. The family did not lose a stride when the strange gringa appeared in the doorway, and not only did they share their afternoon meal, her father thought it good manners to drink some tequila with me as well. The family poodle, Poco, even decided that my lap needed warming. Once again, not only did they refuse money from me, her mother sent me away with a bag lunch for the bus trip and made me promise that I would visit if I found myself in Los Mochis again.

Her dad slipped me a water bottle filled with more tequila.

Semana Santa- Mazatlan 2012

It is Easter Week in Mexico- known as Semana Santa. All schools and universities in Mexico take this week as their Spring Break and everyone heads to the beach! It is not just students, but the entire family.

Fun group from Torreon.

Traffic is beyond horrible- what would normally take 5 minutes to drive becomes 2 hours. Convience stores and ATM's are constantly depleted. The best way to deal, is to stock up on grocieries and whatever money you may need early in the week. Then you park your vehicle for a few days, walk around and join in the party!

Eye candy for everyone's taste!

Beaches are packed beyond belief!

Musicians come from all over Mexico to play for the vacationers.

Friday Night Sunset

New beginnings

Sunset from Diego's Beach Bar- Mazatlan, Sinaloa, Mexico.

I have decided to resurrect the blog. There have been many changes over the last couple of years. David and Chili are no longer in the picture--I have been here in Mazatlan alone about 3 years now. Up until last summer, I was working on a charter schooner as a deck hand and crewed on boat deliveries up and down the coast. The schooner is no longer chartering so I am now making a living mainly by real estate, but also by some writing and photography. It is not easy to make money here as a gringa, but I still love my life. Moving back to the states has crossed my mind on occasion, but the thought almost always brings me to tears, which tells me my time here is not over. My life is much simpler here, and I am not near the consumer as I was in the US and I like those facts. I find the Mexican people warm, kind and generous and I am shown unprompted acts of kindness for no reason, on a regular basis. I eat healthier-- very rarely does anything canned or frozen appear on my plate. And the weather--- fabulous.

The last couple years have been hard on Mazatlan and Mexico. Between the swine flu and the narco violence, the US and Canadian press have had a field day. The swine flu was never an issue and the narco violence is very funneled, but you would never think that from reading or watching the news. I travel all over this city everyday, and have all over the country as well, usually by myself....sometimes driving, other times by bus and walking. NEVER have I had even an uncomfortable moment as far as my personal safety goes. Fact is, the press has affected tourism and that is a major reason for me bringing the blog back. I want to share my stories and photos of this amazing place and the people that live here. I'll even dig into the past couple of years. Mexico and Mazatlan deserve so much more than what they have been getting and I am tired of the irresponsible and sometimes flat out incorrect reporting the NOB press has been putting out. I suppose it is a little arrogant to think I can make a diffrence, but If I can, even with one person.....

Adios.

I started this blog when I moved to Mazatlan to keep family and friends updated on what we were doing. My main inspiration was my mother, who is the type that likes to visualize things, so I was spending a good deal of time emailing pictures and letting her know what was going on. The rest of our friends and family were curious as well, and so then the idea of a blog to share the photos and stories hit me. I was never a regular poster, but obviously it has been overly quiet the last few months. The biggest reason is that my muse, Mom, was very ill this summer and ended up passing away in August. She had 9 brothers and sisters (Viva Los Bacas de Mosquero!!) and they were all alive until she was gone.....within five weeks, two more of her sisters followed her. I am not completely writing off this blog, who knows what the future holds. I may get another inspiration for it. In the meantime, Facebook has taken the place of this. It has been a great way to stay in touch with everyone and share the pictures/stories. If you read this and care to friend me on Facebook, feel free! I am currently the only Sandy Hill Pool, so I am not hard to find!

Mazatlan Bus Routes

Click on map to enlarge.

Eye in the Sky: El Faro -- Mazatlán’s lighthouse watches history being made

After negotiating a dirt path and climbing more than 300 concrete steps, you arrive at the top of Cerro de Creston, the home to 33 species of flora, 19 species of fauna, and El Faro. El Faro is the second natural highest lighthouse in the world at 157 meters (523 feet) from high tide, and the view of his domain is well worth the imposing climb. The birds are flying below you, boats rock in the harbor, waves crash at the base of the hill and all of Mazatlán, the Pacific, the Sierra Madres and the surrounding area is spread out in front of you.

It’s 1821, and the Pacific Ocean is a very busy place with the trade market and the gold rush. Spanish rule is over, and the port has not seen pirates since before 1800. The City of Mazatlán received a decree by Cortes de Cadiz making it the first port in Mexico on the Pacific Coast. It was immediately one of the most important on the Pacific, along with San Francisco, California, and Valparaiso, Chile.

Mazatlán was the main supplier of imported merchandise for the states of Sonora, Durango, Chihuahua, Nayarit, Jalisco and Baja California. It is said that an average of 60 ships a year from the United States, Europe and the Far East entered the harbor, oddly enough with no help from any navigation system for 7 years. That changed in 1828, when Isla de Creston (Yes! It used to be an island, more on that later …) began to be utilized for marine signaling. For the first 60 years, it was a very crude operation, merely a rubblework pavilion, with torches and bonfires that were lit using wood and coal, to create a tenuous light at best, that only could be seen from a very short distance. Eventually this was replaced by oil and kerosene lamps, which made for a much stronger, constant light. Then, in mid-1879, a small tower was constructed and a lamp installed that had been handcrafted in Paris. It ran on oil and used mirrors and a Fresnel lens to enhance the light, which was a vast improvement.

The next milestone for El Faro was in 1892. Porfirio Diaz was President of Mexico and a great era of prosperity was underway. The railroad arrived, the port and lighthouse were modernized and the cathedral was finished. There was a new age of enlightment and education; the arts and journalism flourished. The president of the port, Don Bernardo Vazquez, and the city engineer, Jose Natividad Gonzáles, oversaw the final adaptations to the lighthouse, as well as the extension of the jetty and its artificial fill. These operations turned Isla de Creston from an island to being connected to the mainland, thus becoming Cerro de Creston.

In 1905 the lamp was once again converted, this time to a revolving type, and with the exception of a few more minor modifications in 1933, the lighthouse became the El Faro we know now. El Faro is seven meters (23 feet) high, with a 1000-watt bulb that’s the equivalent of 600,000 candles and can be seen from 30 nautical miles (60 km).

As you stand on the breezy pinnacle of Cerro de Creston and look around, you can see all the different personalities of Mazatlán; Stone Island with sweeping beaches and acres of coconut trees, the exciting, busy downtown area, the lazy north beaches covered in high-rises. It’s easy to imagine the stories El Faro could tell about the changes and events in this ever evolving city. The eye of El Faro has seen a great deal of the history of Mazatlán: the arrival of Angela Peralta in 1883 and the yellow fever outbreak immediately following; the revolution of 1910-17 and the bombardment by airplane - the second city in the world to experience this after Tripoli; the ‘60s and ‘70s with “Spring Breakers” and stars like John Wayne; Hurricane Olivia and her path of destruction in 1975. And, of course, El Faro has always had front row seats for Carnaval, which officially began in 1898, although there are accounts of it as early as the mid-1800s.

El Faro is arguable the most recognizable symbol of Mazatlan. His constant beam of light has shone upon the city and all its transformations throughout the years, and will undoubtedly see much more. Viva Mazatlan and Viva El Faro!

This will be seen in the April edition of "M" magazine.

Sinaloa Arts Fair

It is already ongoing, but this is the schedule I have for the remainder of the Sinaloa Arts Fair. Go out and enjoy!!

Oct. 11

Aldoo Rodriquez (Sinaloa) electro-accoustical music

Plazuela Machado - 7 pm

Oct. 12

The Rodriquez Bros (USA) Afro-cuban jazz

Plazuela Machado - 7 pm

Oct. 16

La Pire Espece (Canada) marionettes, theatre,clowning

Antonio Haas Theatre - 6:30 pm

Oct 16

Quarteto Gelatto (Canada) Classical, tango, gyspy, etc

Mazatlan Art Museum - 8 pm

Oct. 17

Edward Gonzalez (Mexico) flautist

Angela Peralta - 8 pm

Oct. 19

Sarruga (Spain) gigantic "insects"

Streets of Centro Historico - 7 pm

Oct. 21

Joan Manuel Serrat (Spain) singer-guitarist

Angela Peralta Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 22

Grupo Folklorio Sinaloense w/Maraguan (Cuba) outdoor exhibition

Plazuela Republica - 8 pm

Oct. 23

Delta Teatro (Sinaloa) spanish theatre

Antonio Haas Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 24

Sinaloa Symphony of the Arts Tarab Octet w/guitarist Alfredo Sanchez

popular music

Angela Peralta Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 25

Tatuas (Sinaloa) "The Midnight Evening" spanish theatre

Antonio Haas Theatre - 8 pm

Oct. 26

Ana Belen and Victor Manuel (Spain)

Free Gala Concert - closes the 2008 SAF

Plazuela Republica - 7 pm

Advice for the Rubber Robbers

In case you need help in how to use all those condoms;

Rubber Robbers

B.O.L.O. -- Condom-mobile stolen in D.F.

Missing in Mexico: One condom-mobile
By Maria Gallucci
ASSOCIATED PRESS
11:02 a.m. October 1, 2008

MEXICO CITY – Missing in Mexico: One truck carrying 5,000 condoms, 800 HIV tests and a 23-foot (7 meter) inflatable prophylactic.

The coordinator of an HIV/AIDS awareness tour, Polo Gomez, said Wednesday that the “Condomovil” was parked in front of a friend's house in Mexico City when it disappeared Sunday evening. He believes the truck was stolen, but he doesn't know why. Police are still investigating.

The truck should be easy to spot. It features painted images of a peeled banana, the exposed part shaped like a condom, and a shirtless man saying: “I protect myself. Do you?”

Gomez estimated US$19,000 (200,000 pesos) worth of material is missing, including the truck, its contents and sound equipment.

The United Nations AIDS program says there are some 200,000 people living with HIV in Mexico.

The Condomovil program has toured Mexico since 1998 promoting safe sex practices while distributing 1.2 million condoms to more than 700,000 people, Gomez said. The inflatable condom was used to draw attention from passers-by.

Gomez said a scheduled tour of Mexico's south would likely be canceled unless the truck is found.

The group bought the truck with a grant from Mexico's federal Health Department. The department also donated the 5,000 condoms in the truck when it went missing.

David, Oscar and I!

Just a picture from the Noroeste last Spring at the Plaza de Toros. We made the Gente section!

Old Pics

These are just some pictures I have taken previously. I thought I needed to brighten the blog up a bit.

No wonder we like it here!

Apparently we are all happy!

World "Happiest" Countries vs. Countries with the Highest Levels of "Subjective Well-Being"
The University of Michigan's World Values Surveys (WVS) has compiled data on the happiest countries in the world for over twenty years. Their results are considered the most authoritative by happiness researchers.WVS measures the happiness of individuals by two different means. The first is to simply ask them how "happy" they are. The second is to ask them how "happy" they are, and also how "satisfied" they are. The results are then combined to arrive at a measure of their "subjective well-being," a term generally considered synonymous with happiness. Because of these two different ways of measuring happiness, some confusion arises in determining which countries in the world are happiest. There is support for the the validity of both measures. For example, former president of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Martin Seligman, uses the "happiness only" measure in his book Authentic Happiness. However, Dr. Ron Inglehart, director of World Values Surveys, considers the "subjective well-being" measure a more accurate indicator of personal happiness.Therefore on this page I present the international rankings using both measures.

When individuals were asked:"Taking all things together, would you say you are: 1. Very happy, 2. Rather happy, 3. Not very happy, or 4. Not at all happy?" countries achieved the following rankings (Dr. Inglehart has not released the complete list):

Ranking of the World's Happiest Countries

1. Nigeria

2. Mexico

3. Venezuela

4. El Salvador

5. Puerto Rico

Ronald Inglehart et al. (eds.) HUMAN BELIEFS AND VALUES: A CROSS-CULTURAL SOURCEBOOK BASED ON THE 1999-2002 VALUES SURVEYS (Mexico City: Siglo XXI, 2004).

When individuals were asked the above "happiness" question and the results were combined with the following question: (On a scale of one to ten) "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?" a ranking of "subjective well-being" for the following countries was achieved.

Ranking of Countries by Level of "Subjective Well-Being"

1. Puerto Rico

2. Mexico

3. Denmark

4. Colombia

5. Ireland

6. Iceland

7. N. Ireland

8. Switzerland

9. Netherlands

10. Canada

Please note that not all of the world's countries are included in the survey.

Ronald Inglehart et al. (eds.) HUMAN BELIEFS AND VALUES: A CROSS-CULTURAL SOURCEBOOK BASED ON THE 1999-2002 VALUES SURVEYS (Mexico City: Siglo XXI, 2004).

Road Trip!!

There is nothing better, in my opinion, then hitting the open road for a trip. Flying is great, you get there fast, but I like driving, seeing the scenery, checking out the local eats, and meeting people. Last week, David and I made a REAL quick trip to Guadalajara. I mean real quick....we drove down Sunday, came back Monday. David needed to go for business reasons, and I tagged along and did a little PR for my job. We took the toll part of highway 15 and it was an effortless cruise the entire way. Of course it cost about $1000 pesos each direction, so in my opinion, it should be pretty damn smooth! We had good front doors and managed to make it in about 4 1/2 hours. About an hour out of Mazatlan, you hit the Caminero Esturary. We rolled along that for about 15 miles and wondered how many and how big the shrimp were that lived in it! I am not sure how much of that is normally there, but it was, without a doubt, rain swollen. A few miles out of Tepic, I remarked about alot of rocks in a field when we suddenly realized that we were driving through a lava field! It was from an eruption in 1879 from the Ceboruco Volcano. It was a really neat sight and I have a thing for rocks. I really wanted to stop and grab one but a couple of things held me back;

1. it is illegal, and

2. I remember the Brady Bunch episode when the boys found something in Hawaii and angered the volcano gods. I certainly did not want to do that!!

Back on the road, we drove through some of the prettiest country I have ever seen anywhere! the Sierra Madres were spectacular, we saw waterfalls, blue fields of agave, and canyons. The trees started out as mangoes and coconut trees and by the end of the trip we had also seen firs and oaks. At one point I told David that I could almost think we were in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia if I just squinted my eyes a little! A good ways after Tepic, you see a large statue of Jesus Christ with his arms spread, up on a hill overlooking a town and you think, "Wow! We must be in Rio!". Well, you are. You are in Ixtlan del Rio. Ixtlan del Rio is where the archaeological zone Precortesiana, which is considered the most important in the country, is located. In the center of this archaeological zone you can see the Temple of Quetzalcoatl, an Aztec god.

Once we got to Guadalajara, we definitely knew we were in a city......like 5 million inhabitants worth!! There were shops selling anything you could imagine! I am not normally a shopper, but I was salivating and whimpering in the passenger seat the whole time. I will assume it was because the shopping here in Mazatlan is not really good. Anyways, it was busy and confusing, but we managed to get around and accomplish what we needed. Every few blocks there were these roundy-round deals that would shoot you off in any of 5-6 directions. We did the Griswald loop a few times around a couple of them until we figured out where to go.It was also pouring rain, so we had that to contend with along with our lack of Guadalajara knowledge! Usually we try to eat at local places when on a trip, but we got there on a Sunday night, it was raining hard and most places were already closed. We looked for about an hour for a Cuban place that came highly recommended, but could not find it and we were starved. Soooo.......of all places, we ended up eating at Chili's in the mall. We felt a little odd at first until we realized that we had not eaten at a Chili´s in 3 years! Somehow that made us feel a little bit better. I will admit though, it was good! When we came out, the rain had slowed and as we got into the USS Ford, we realized that we parked less than 30 yards from the Cuban place and it was open.
*sigh*

The next morning we ran the last of our errands and headed back to Mazatlan. It was pouring rain almost the entire way, but we still made it in about 5 1/2 hours. We made a quick stop in Tequila and poked around for a couple of hours, luckily the rain held off while we were there. We did not spend alot of time since we were on the road, but it is a very, very picturesque town. (as it turns out, it a "Puebla Magica", as designated by the government.) One note of special interest (at least I thought so) all the trees around the main plaza and cathedral were lime trees! You could buy your tequila in one of MANY stores on the plaza, pick a couple of limes and you are in business! How handy is that??!!

Still no camera, so still no pictures. Hopefully that will change soon!

Great Ideas, Part 1

Baghdad plans to build giant Ferris wheel
Aug 27 02:42 PM US/Eastern By SAMEER N. YACOUB Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraq is calling on companies to submit designs to build a giant Ferris wheel in Baghdad—the latest in a string of lavish proposals painting the capital as a leisure friendly city.

The Ferris wheel, dubbed the Baghdad Eye, will soar more than 650 feet over the city and feature air-conditioned compartments that would each carry up to 30 passengers, Baghdad municipal spokesman Adel al-Ardawi said Wednesday.

Three possible locations in Baghdad have been selected, but officials are waiting to see what proposals are submitted before picking one, al-Ardawi said, declining to give an estimated construction cost or timeline.

"We hope to attract a great number of customers who will be able to see the whole city and enjoy the restaurants and pools on ground below," he told The Associated Press.

Tourism is a tough sell in Iraq, however, because there are still suicide attacks that kill dozens and infrastructure is weak. But since insurgent attacks and sectarian bloodshed have declined over the past year, Iraqis are venturing outside their homes.

Al-Ardawi said the wheel would be taller than the iconic London Eye, which sits on the banks of the River Thames and reaches a height of about 450 feet over the British capital.

The London Eye opened in January 2000 and it took seven years to complete the project, which cost 35 million pounds—about $64.5 million in the current exchange rate. The London Eye has attracted more than 27 million visitors since it opened, according to its Web site.

Officials are also using the downturn in violence to begin promoting tourism. The Ferris wheel and other tourism projects could be built in areas where security is tight and unlikely that suicide attacks would happen. The main city park, Zawra, is adjacent to the Green Zone and home to the Baghdad Zoo.

Families are often seen relaxing at night in parks and children flock to pools. On Monday, tens of thousands of soccer fans cheered on their club in a Baghdad stadium—the largest sports crowd the city saw since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

There are risk-takers despite the possibility of violence. American businessman Robert Kelley announced plans last month to build a luxury hotel in Baghdad's Green Zone, which houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. military and diplomatic facilities.

Iraq's Tourism Board also is seeking investors to develop a "romantic" island on the Tigris River in Baghdad that was once a popular honeymoon spot for newlywed Iraqis, the U.S. military announced this week.

The project would including a six-star hotel, spa, an 18-hole golf course and a country club, the military said in a statement.

"The city of Baghdad has a depth of history and a cultural legacy that, when applied to the development, can be a basis for attracting and fostering tourism," the statement said, not mentioning the war.

Morning Commute

We are staying out at Estrella del Mar for a few days house/animal sitting for some friends, so I find myself commuting to work, something I have not really had to do in quite a few years! The weather has been in a strange pattern because of Tropical Storm Julio over Baja, and so it has been rainy, pretty much all day, the last couple of days. This morning, on the other hand, was marvelous! When I left the gates of EDM, the sun was ablaze and there were just a few thin bands of clouds. The drive to Hwy 15 was an eruption of dense greenery from all the rain, the sides of the road dotted with cows, horses, and goats getting their breakfast buffet on! When not navigating the constant stream of bikers out of Barron pedaling towards work, I was trying to take in the Sierra Madres, the crisp morning making them very clear,with the dark green of the mountains contrasting against the white, puffy storm clouds barely clearing the tops and the deep, blue sky. I hit highway 15 and joined all the various 18 wheelers and buses heading towards the city. Before Urias, I made the hill and turn and BAM! there is Mazatlan and the port. Quick check--no cruise ships in town today.Once I arrived in Urias, I could see the evidence of people getting ready for the day. Alot were crowding the bus stop, most of the ladies with umbrellas to block the sun, tortillerias in full swing, roosters crowing and the dogs making the morning rounds. Within a few moments I am definately in the city, the traffic heavier with city buses, employee buses from diffrent resorts, trucks with the beds full of workers, bikes and, of course, the ever present mopeds and motorcycles. El Marino is already busy, filling the air with the thick smell of roasted coffee beans. The traffic light shopping this time of day mainly consists of newspapers and freshly squeezed fruit juice, the window washers not appearing until after lunch. Soon, I turned onto Rafael Buelna and was instantly surrounded by only cars and small trucks. In a few more minutes, I was on Camaron Sabalo, and due to the combination of the time of day and the fact that there are not many tourists around right now, it is virtually a ghost town. You can almost hear the snores of the few visitors that are in town, in their margarita induced slumber. I open up the office, get my morning coke from Roberto at the tienda next door and a heads-up that his wife was on the way with chilorio sandwiches. Yes!! (If you have not tried this, you should! It is a Sinaloan dish, basically a pulled pork sandwich with peppers and onions. Way Yum.) Soon as I get settled in at my desk, I look up to see a fully outfitted clown complete with a bunch of ballons walking down the sidewalk in front of the office. What a way to start the day!!

And in the , "Man, I wish I would have thought of that" news....

Gnome at last: Stolen garden elf is returned after a 7-month adventure around the world

By Beth Hale
Last updated at 10:50 AM on 12th August 2008

If only he could talk there would surely be extraordinary tales to tell.

He's been swimming with turtles off the Great Barrier Reef, scaled a glacier in New Zealand and toured the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat.

Unfortunately the gnome formerly known as Murphy is giving nothing away - save for a singularly enigmatic smile.

Sydney Harbour: Murphy in front of the world famous Opera House

The adventures of Murphy, now Barrington (of which more later), began back in September after the best part of a decade spent in 'quiet reflection' in a simple flower bed in the 'Shire'.

Owners Eve and Derrick Stuart-Kelso were stunned to discover the 10-inch high stone leprechaun they had inherited when they bought their Gloucester home, had disappeared.

The couple, both retired, assumed the gnome had fallen foul of students from a nearby college and would never be seen again.

Taking a dip: Murphy cools off in Thailand

Both keen travellers, the couple never dreamed that the humble green-hatted garden ornament was setting of an around the world jaunt taking in 12 countries and three continents.

And oblivious they would have remained if Murphy had not decided that there really is just no place like home.

The 8lb gnome appeared on the Stuart-Kelso's doorstep on Thursday last week, some 11 months after disappearing.

A little the worse for wear, the traveller was standing next to a mysterious and tightly-wrapped parcel.

Once unwrapped it revealed a leather-bound photo album containing 48 pictures of the gnome's trip around the globe along with a note putting his impromptu world tour down to 'itchy feet'.

The painstakingly compiled album, complete with index, showed their gnome - renamed Barrington by his travel companions - abseiling down a mountain, standing in a shark's mouth, swimming in the sea, and riding a motorbike.

On top of the world: The gnome takes a cable car ride in Singapore

Also with him were immigration stamps for all the shores he had been taken to visit - South Africa, Swaziland, Mozambique, New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Laos.

A witty note, purporting to be from Barrington, referred to his 'travelling companion' only as The Bear, and told the couple how he attracted unwanted attention from customs officials and took up 25 per cent of the party's luggage allocation.

The only clue, however, to the identity of those companions was a photograph of a group of grinning young men.

As for the letter it began:

'Hello! First of all I feel I should explain my prolonged absence. A gnome's life is full of time for reflection, and whilst surveying your garden one summer morning, I began to get itchy feet.

'I came to the conclusion that the world is a big place and there is more to life than watching the daily commuter traffic, and allowing passing cats to urinate on you.

'So I decided to free myself from the doldrums of the Shire and seek adventure. My travels have taken me across three continents, 12 countries and more time zones than I can possibly remember.

New Zealand: Murphy joins some ice-climbers

'There have been high points, low points, and positively terrifying points. But I have survived - small thanks to the companion with whom I have shared all these moments.'

The bizarre crime echoes the French film 'Amelie' starring Audrey Tatou in which a gnome belonging to her father is taken around the world and photographed to show him how much he is missing out on in life.

Last night grandmother-of-three Mrs Stuart-Kelso said: 'The leprechaun went missing many, many months ago and I had forgotten about it.

'Then I opened the door on Thursday and saw he was back. It was such a shock.

'Murphy was quite badly damaged and there was a tightly wrapped parcel next to him. My curiosity eventually overcame my alarm, because I did wonder if it might explode.

'Then I saw it was a beautifully bound photo album and opened it up.

His feet were missing, but that's no real surprise given that he was sent abseiling down a mountain.'

Stunned: Grandmother Eve Stuart-Kelso found her gnome on her doorstep, with a letter and photo album of his travels

She said while strange, the gift had sent the family into fits of laughter.

She said her grandchildren, Sophie, 14, Ellie, 13, and Piers, 13, would be thrilled to hear of the gnome's adventures. The trio give the green-hatted gnome a fresh coat of paint every year.

Gloucestershire police took a less amused view of the adventure.

A spokesman said: 'Any theft of a person's property, even if it is carried out as a joke, will be treated as a crime by police.'

As for Murphy, his wanderlust satisfied he is now back in the flower bed where he belongs - only this time he's out of temptation's way in the back garden.

Future Events

I thought I would post about a couple of events coming up in Mazatlan worth mentioning. First, on Saturday, August 30 2008, the city is planning a memorial to Angela Peralta, the "Mexican Nightingale", on the 125th anniversary her death. The morning of Aug. 30, 2008, the mayor will place a wreath at the graveyard where Peralta was buried, and another wreath at theatre. He will then inaugurate an exposition of Peralta memorabilia in the upstairs gallery of the theater. In the evening at 8:00 p.m., the story of the life of this famous diva will be presented at the theater, with a prize-winning soprano and a Cuban pianist performing and some readings from a book on Peralta's life by the author.

Then for all you bird watchers, the first Mazatlan Bird Festival is happening January 16-19 2009. They are having birding tours, exhibits, speakers, all kinds of stuff:
http://www.mazatlanbirdfestival.com/

You may have heard about it, but in the last two days in the U.S., a body of a bigfoot in was found in Georgia AND a live chupacabra was taped in Texas. Not to be outdone, I got a picture of the Loch Ness monster, apparently it was vacationing here in Mazatlan!!

jus' 'cause

Something reminded me of this today and I am posting it solely for me and a couple of my friend's amusement......I apologize to anyone else who might stumble across this......

"We don't got no rocks......." .....bartender, Conroe,Texas, June 2004, name unknown
(I keep saying this is worthy of a t-shirt)

No se.

I am posting, well, just because I have not posted in a long time. I really don't have too much to say! My summer started with some really close friends from Galveston that were in town for 6 weeks. Shout out to the Pappous Family!! They own a condo at EDM where David works, so we spent ALOT of that period staying out there and just hanging with them. It was a nice, lazy time! David and I then had a "quick" trip to Baja ( it was supposed to be 2 nights, ended up being a week, and an overall nightmare ) The ferry was actually a surprisingly, cool adventure! I was expecting the chicken bus version, and it was really nice! I very much recommend spending the extra pesos and getting a cabin, it is worth it solely for the bathroom factor! To sum it up, compare it to using your own toilet, to one on the malecon about 5:30 am during Carnaval. Yea. Ick. Anyway, quite frankly, I have never really liked anywhere I had been in Baja previously, and this trip did not change my mind *EXCEPT* for La Paz. We both really enjoyed that place alot. It was almost a Mini-Mazatlan, plus more heat, minus the rain and waves. Beautiful malecon with alot of statues, excellent food, friendly people, interesting history, nice arts/music community for such a small town...... One BIG difference was, in La Paz, when you try to cross the street, traffic comes to a grinding halt on both sides! Apparently, pedestrians are king there! Here, in Mazatlan....the best way I can think of describing how to try and cross the street is a human version of the video-game, "Frogger". (And my parents thought all those hours I spent playing video games would do me no good! Ha!) After that, I had a last minute trip to Virginia that got extended for a few days. I did manage to load up on bras and books! Then, I arrived home to start working full-time, baby-sitting a puppy, and begining to think about packing for our move to El Centro ( I hate moving - I would rather lick a bathroom floor). I would elaborate on the work thing a bit more, but I think that I better see if I make an ass of myself before I start to really put it out there! Anyway, once I get settled into some sort of a routine, I'll ramble on a bit more. Until then, to quote a good friend of mine, Cindy;
"Peace and chicken grease!"