Tuesday, July 19, 2011

UkuAdventures in Mexico: Mexican Tourists, Illegal Immigrants & Dead Gecko




Dear Blob,
As Kool & The Gang says, CELEBRATE GOOD TIMES! Heroic Burbank Larry has struck again: He took Baby OC! We celebrated with fresh Lenguada fish, a sack-o-crunchyHot churros & the discovery of Fleas in the house! Clearly, I'm feeling better.

In other news, extraordinarily rude hordes of wealthy Mexican tourists have descended upon the coastal region and are equally as irritating as Baby OC.

They come in busloads and their children wear long-sleeved scuba shirts, I assume to keep them light-skinned. They are far and away the Worst Litterers I've ever encountered, guzzling cases of beer and leaving every bit of garbage they generate, on the ground and beach.

I encountered a busload at the Oxxo and they blew me away with their rudeness; at least 3 tried to cut me in line, with their armfuls of beer, oreos and sodas; even the babies were clutching packages of oreos. They feed the babies oreos, snack cakes and soda. Every item demanded it's own plastic bag. Each tourist must have been responsible for 4 - 5 plastic bags each. It's painful to know their trash is going to be left on the beaches.

The other day on the Malecon (Barra's charming walkway that juts into the water), an older lady Mexican tourist approached me and asked me something. I politely told her, "No Habla espanol." and like a child, she snidely mimicked me, "Noooo Habla Espaaanooooool!" She was in her 50's. I was amazed at the rudeness.

I know American tourists can be pushy, loud and rude, but generally Americans have been eco-educated on garbage disposal, which puts them ahead of of the Mexican tourists on The Ukulady's Popularity Graph.

On the Joyous Celebrate Good Times side, we enjoyed Sunset with Fernando, the local Meep supplier. Fernando speaks excellent English and, as expected, is a mellow, laid-back fellow. It's fascinating to learn the local's backstories; Fernando ran away from Barra at 16, sneaked into LA, where for 2 years, he crashed at a coyote house and dabbled in petty crime, which he disliked. He then headed to Fresno, where for 20 years he worked in the fields, which is where he learned English. He often traveled back and forth and eventually was deported. Now he's a fisherman and meep dealer in a far more beautiful place than LA or Fresno. I'm curious what the standard, daily wage is here.

Being from California, passing immigrant workers all the time on the highways or at the Home Depot, it's very interesting to meet them on their turf, in their home town and hear their stories. I didn't realize it's so easy to travel back and forth across the border.

Love The Ukulady
ps: We found an extremely tiny, shriveled gecko carcass on the bathroom floor last night. Horrifyingly, it looked like a gecko abortion. Sorry Reader.
pps: It's a major work-week around here. Yesterday I recorded 2 Old songs for my Heart-on-a-Sleeve album, U.....

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