Uxmal
A reliable source has informed me that the average number of daily visitors to Chichen Itzá is down from 6,000 to 300. That’s right. Three hundred.
Meanwhile, at Uxmal, the average is 60 people a day.
This makes for a unique experience in Mayan ruin visiting!
Well I slept on it (yesterday’s post was written at midnight and in a rush of indignation) but this morning I find myself still a tad worked up over this ‘new’ mobile phone registry news item.
I found a better link on the subject on the news site for Milenio. You can read it (in Spanish, of course) here.
The federal government, through the Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB) and its’ Registro Nacional de Población or RENAPO (don’t you love all the initials!) will be charged with the safekeeping of your personal information. Fear not, Big Brother conspiracy theorists, it’s all in good hands.
Meanwhile the cell phone companies, such as TelCel, IUSACel and MoviStar will be responsable for ‘control and storage’ of your calls and text messages. I am sure you are relieved to know that this information is being stored on your behalf. I know I am.
You have until April 10th next year to register your phone; if you don’t, your phone line will be de-activated.
I am not so much concerned with my personal information being in a databse; that’s already a given, whether I live here, in Saskatoon or in Phoenix. It’s just that this measure, which is supposed to combat crime, and the way they are implementing it, is so onerous and full of loopholes so as to make it useless. And more intrusion by government into our private lives.
Of course we are in Mexico, dear reader(s) and so there is a very substantial possibility that this law will be struck down once the deadline looms near. Remember that mega-million dollar airport project near Mexico City that was cancelled by machete-waving campesinos. Think of all those tenencia, agua potable, predial and other deadlines (deadlines!) that were extended and then extended some more. The discounts given to those who pay their government bills late. If enough people don’t register and/or protest, this new law may also just be ‘postponed’ indefinitely.
So I wouldn’t rush out just yet to register anything.
It seems that when it comes to Draconian laws that infringe on your privacy, the United States (Patriot Act) is not the only country to come up with new ways to create more bureaucracy and poke around in your life.
The newly decreed Mobile Telephone Registry program, now officially a part of the Mexican governments’ Telecommunications Law, states that everyone who owns a cellular phone, both on a plan basis or pay as you go, will have to register the number with the ‘authorities’ who promise to keep your personal information private. Yes. Well. Give me a moment to have myself a chuckle.
The purpose of this new Big Brother law is to have everyone’s phone in a database so that if there is a crime involving a cell phone, the all-knowing, competent and completely efficient and honest authorities can trace the telephone used, back to its registered owner, thereby solving the crime! Hooray!
Anyone familiar with laws and police work in this country will probably just shake their head.
Now originally, they said they would like your name, current address, photo ID and even a fingerprint. You had to go and present your documentation to some sallow faced burocrat or some executive at your local TelCel office. Fine and dandy. That might actually have worked.
Now, however, they have made it easier for everyone and have completely defeated the purpose of the new law (matching phones with users) by stupidly introducing the text message option of registering your phone. You type in your name, date of birth and voila! Alternatively you can type in your CURP (another government ID comprised of birthday, initials and some other number or letter) Your phone is registered! Wonderful!
My question is this: HOW DIFFICULT WOULD IT BE (assuming you are one of the bad guys) TO TYPE IN SOMEONES NAME AND DATE BIRTH or another CURP (I bet there is a programmer out there that can generate fake CURPS in the hundreds) and thereby create a false registry and/or cause someone completely innocent to find themselves involved in a crime?
Does anyone else see the stupidity and the futility in this? THIS MAKES NO SENSE!
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These are my first impressions. Chances are good that there will be more later!
Can you spot the Caffeinated Kid?
In the previous post, I mentioned the camp and the rules imposed upon its’ operation by the fact that it was a School District run event and therefore had to comply with several sanitation requirements.
This camp, which was run by counsellors and Grade 12 students for Grade 7 age students, featured tents and campfires and all those things that make camp fun. Such as marshmallow roasts at night.
Or not.
My strict kitchen boss had included in her list of camp food a case of marshmallows for evening around-the-fire roasting and on the first night, issued 2 bags to the camps’ organizers for the evenings’ activities.
The next morning, one of the counselors came to the kitchen trailer where we were hard at work with hash browns, off-the-grill toast, oven sausages and scrambled eggs for 40, to return the two bags of marshmallows from the previous night. With an apologetic shrug, he announced that one of his senior counselors had decided that there were ‘safety issues’ with the idea of people sticking marshmallow mounted on sticks into a fire and perhaps ‘waving them around’ (his words).
Really.
My boss and I looked at each other incredulously and tried really really hard not to burst out laughing in this poor students’ face.
What kind of lame-ass camp doesn’t allow marshmallow roasting at night? The powers-that-be have already gone overboard with mandatory helmet regulations for bikers (bicycles, not Harleys) and their anal sanitation issues; now this? It was just too much! How did we ever get through our childhood, before Mother Government was around to dictate how we were to ‘play’?
Geez Louise!
Also on that morning, a couple (as in 3) kids asked for coffee with their breakfasts. The pot was right there at the beginning of the assembly line breakfast service.
The first kid asked for some and I replied, joking “No, this is just for adults”.
As he started to walk away, disappointed, I said in my best attempt at morning cheer, “KIDDING! We LOVE to have our kids caffeinated!” and served him a mug, adding that the addition of plenty of sugar would give him a nice early morning buzz and keep him wide awake through the mornings’ moss and lichens lecture.
A few moments later, a counselor who shall remain nameless except for his unofficial nickname of Lampshade, informed me that some of the kids were drinking coffee. He said this with the seriousness of an airport immigration officer who tells you “Come with me”
“Yes” I answered, “some kids asked for coffee and I served them a cup”
“Well” he turned to me seriously “actually they are not supposed to have coffee and it should be only for the adults”
I thought of babies drinking Coke from baby bottles in Merida, the complete opposite extreme to be sure, and quietly finished serving breakfast.
Oh, Canada, indeed.
Yes, Paul, we’re still in Vancouver. 🙂
The Banana Leaf is one of several restaurants mentioned in the Best Of Vancouver book Better Half had the good sense to buy on the second day in the city. The Critic and his BH visited the Denman street location, an easy stroll from the downtown West End area and right on English Bay, so a stroll onto the seawall (or a small portion thereof) at Stanley Park is not out of the question.
sampler menu
Instead of ordering off the menu, the Critic and BH decided to try the sampling menu, which featured about 4-5 dishes with a little of everything. The prices was great, the service was charming although there were some lulls between the different servings, but the food was, as the book had promised, outstanding; light, but not insipid; full of exotic flavors that appear briefly on your tongue like dancers on a stage, only to dart off again and make room for the next performer.
The dessert was a pair of delicately fried bananas, accompanied with coconut ice cream and drizzled with what tasted like molasses. The flavor combination of the slightly tart banana, the bittersweet molasses, the coconut ice cream and the texture combination of the mushy banana, the light, crispy coating, the smooth ice cream and the temperature combinations of icy cold and hot, made for one exquisite dessert!
Washed down with an ice cold Singha Thai beer, this meal was a highlight in Vancouver. Highly recommended!
top to bottom: appetizer sampler plate, salad first course, delectably fried bananas for dessert
Just back from a trip to Canada where I reluctantly was recruited to drive the fat and always cantankerous (spelling?) Casual Restaurant Critic around, I was struck by some of the rather quaint differences between life in Canada and life in Mexico observed. Here are some:
Safety First in the Kitchen – having had the opportunity to participate – albeit only on the sidelines, chopping red onions as cooks’ helper to a very strict kitchen manager – in a day camp for junior high school age children, I was able to notice the abundance of positively anal rules regarding the handling of food.
When you come from Mexico, where succulent mystery meat tacos are made and sold and eaten streetside, and delicious tamales can be discovered at the bottom of a battered (not breaded; beat up) cloth covered aluminum pot at a gas station, you are bound to be blown away by the rather hysterical regulations regarding food handling and preparation in Canada.
For one thing, the washing of dishes must be done in a commercial-grade dishwashing machine. If that is not available, there must be a three compartment sink available, one for soaking and washing in soapy, xix-filled water; another with ‘clean’ water for rinsing and finally a disinfecting sink with a chlorine solution. There are specific instructions as to water temperature, soap content, and chlorine content as well. These are located on a chart which must be posted at the sink location.
One can’t forget to leave room at the sink for the handwashing poster, which also must be posted there. It instructs one on how to properly wash hands – in a rotary motion and above the wrist and paying particular attention to fingernails – and for how long.
Refrigerator temperatures are controlled as well and must be in a certain range to ensure there is no spoilage. This brings to mind the Comercial Mexicana’s practice of laying out their raw bistek meat on tables in the supermarket, presumably beacuse it is ‘cool’ in the store, thanks to that chilly air conditioning. Of course they are concerned with your health; just look at the ham n cheese ladies: they are wearing facemasks and hairnets. While the raw meat slowly rots nearby.
My hunch is that this is less about food poisoning than it is about legal concerns. In a society where all the basic needs have been met, such as is the case in first-world Canada, people are on the lookout for a problem – any problem, real or perceived – and are willing to sue at the first sign of what they think might be something questionable.
More fun comparisons later!
Back from a much needed and barely affordable vacation that is.
Once again, the Critic was in Beautiful British Columbia (it must be so, it says so right on the license plate of every vehicle!) and had the opportunity to sample many restaurants great and not so great. Here are a few of the places tried on this visit.
Vancouver
The Keg – As on a previous visit, the well known Vancouver institution The Keg (Thurlow, near Robson, downtown Vancouver) was visited and since this was covered in a previous visit, there is not much new to report other than the fact that the place is still as great as ever. If the Critic may make a beer recommendation, it would be Alexander Keith, a full bodied and slightly sweet – and not too gassy – ale.
Milestones – Another tried and true BC favorite, Milestones is known for their good food, large portions and friendly atmosphere. On this visit, the Critic and the two MiniCritics as well as the Better Half had breakfast there (English Bay, downtown Vancouver) on two occasions. While the Critic’s choice of prime beef hash with eggs on top was very satisfying, the better choice was made by the Critic’s Better Half; she chose the Eggs Benedict, with the Milestones twist of adding several good sized succulent shrimp and guacamole.
Milestone’s Prim Rib Hash (above) and Eggs Benny (below)
Water Street Cafe – also reviewed previously, this Gastown favorite (Gastown historical district, Vancouver) is as great as ever and the oyster appetizer, again, wipe-your-plate-with-the-bread good! The service seemed a little less attentive than on previous visits, leading the Critic to suggest that perhaps the restaurant had been sold, but the Critics observation was drowned out by the other members of the dining party, who thought the people doing the serving were in fact there on the last occasion.
Tsunami Sushi – Tsunami Sushi (Robson Street, downtown Vancouver) has been a Critic family favorite for about 20 years now. The big attraction is the fact that you can get a seat at the oval shaped bar, inside which the sushi chefs are hard at work and around which a small, water filled canal flows, at about eye level. As the sushi chefs prepare the different kinds of nigiri, rolls and other goodies, they place them on little colored plates on small wooden boats that go around in circles in front of you, so you can come in, sit down and begin eating immediately!
The service on this occasion left a lot to be desired, putting a severe strain on the Critics relationship with the restaurant. One piece of raw clam or conch tasted and smelled definitely past its prime and the waitress was informed, who stared blankly and not understanding what was being said. Another waitress and a possible host type person also came over, these two evidently with a better command of the English language but their reaction was of the ‘oh well’ variety. They were probably under the impression that this was another of those cases where the dumb western diner didn’t like the taste of the sushi he/she had selected and was trying to not pay for it. They of course had no idea that the Critic and Co have been coming here for about 20 years now and this was a definite case of fish being ‘off’. In any case there was not a gram (this is Canada and it’s metric) of empathy to be had and this put a damper on the rest of the meal which was thankfully near its’ end.
Powell River
The Alchemist – Everytime the Critic has the occasion to visit this small, former logging town on the optimistically named Sunshine Coast, there is a new ‘good’ restaurant. The reputation seems to last as long as it takes for the Critic to return to this charming hamlet. Last time it was the Laughing Oyster. This visit, it’s The Alchemist (Marine Avenue, Westview, Powell River) where a real, live French chef works wonders in the kitchen.
Well the local gourmets are not exaggerating! The Critic is pleased to report that this is as good as anything in Vancouver or elsewhere, tucked away in an unassuming former house with a (somewhat limited and only on a clear day) view of the snow covered peaks of Vancouver Island across the water.
Service, atmosphere, food; it is amazing! There are some photos below (did someone request food porn?!) so as not to make this post more time consuming than it already is for you…
two main courses and a cheese plate for dessert!)
The Critic highly recommends this restaurant if you are in the unlikely position of both being a reader of this blog and in the Sunshine Coast area.
More Critic mini-reviews from this visit later! It’s late and my eyes aren’t what they used to be.
praying for some information
This morning’s Diario de Yucatan website states that there is one unconfirmed case of swine flu in the Yucatan. Great news, right? According to the story, they are awaiting the results of the tests from Mexico City. There’s no way to confirm this locally? Hmmm.
This same website has another article that reports on the efforts being made on Yucatan’s state borders, where people driving in from other states are checked with state of the art equipment that measure body temperature with a laser device. If anyone shows a high body temperature, they are pulled aside to have more samples taken right there and the testing will show right there if the person is infected with the swine flu virus. The test takes… TWO MINUTES.
This begs the obvious question: why, if the health authorities are able to detect the virus at a mobile lab set up on the highway in Coba, are they saying they need to wait for confirmation from Mexico City to determine whether or not the Merida case is positive? I would humbly suggest they send the sample to the Coba mobile highway lab and test it there – seems it would be a lot faster and more efficient, no?
Meanwhile, the federal government, in an update on the news, shows a list of states that have the infection – Yucatan is among them.
Meanwhile the malls are officially closed until May 6. But they are open, for the most part. So they are closed and open at the same time.
And those people who organized a party on Facebook which was broken up by the Health Police are, according to some sources 6 years in prison and/or fines. Talk about your overreactions.
Who to believe? Is there any wonder people are praying?
In that occasionally infuriating way Mexico operates that brings out the neurotic foreigner in me, it turns out that the Gran Plaza mall is open this morning. A call to their administrative office reveals that the order from the manager/administrator is that ‘the mall opens’. This in spite of the ‘official’ statement yesterday saying that Merida malls would be close until May 6th. And you wonder why Mexicans are so cynical about anything ‘official’.
Stores/businesses open this morning in the Gran Plaza are:
How long will this last? Who knows! In the land of the unexpected and the Kafka-esque, ANYthing can happen! Maybe someone will sneeze and the mall will close.
Officially.
Have a great Monday!
Just a quick note to let anyone not aware of the latest local developments regarding the swine flu hysteria that the authorities have decided in their infinite wisdom to close the malls as of this afternoon and apparently until May 6 or such time as it is determined ‘safe’ to do so.
Wouldn’t want anyone to get a runny nose now, would we?
This is another nail in the coffin of the local, state and national economy. WHo stands to gain, I wonder, by propagating all this ridiculous hysteria?
It’s not Ebola for chrissake. IT’s A FLU people!!!
Anyway.
Soon they will close the beaches as a lot of people are going there since it is the only thing left to do in this scorching, dead city.
Here is the latest update as of this moment on the World Health Organizations website.