African photo vote

My best African photo has now been crowned. It is named ”Beach day” and is taken at Coffee Bay, South Africa on the 10^th June 2008. It won with 47% of the total votes, ahead of the silver medallist "Bucket carriers" on 17%.

Beach day

The e-Bay king

I thought I had experienced every possible e-Bay scam but now it happened again. Before my trip I purchased a 4GB memory card to be able to store many pictures but now, halfway into the card, I realised it was a scam. The card was in fact only a 2GB card, formatted as 4GB and re-labelled. The first 2GB therefore work perfectly well, the problem only begins when you try to save more than 2GB and there is simply not any more space. Without trying to download the pictures for a couple of days, it made me lose a few Belize pictures (this explains why the Belize entries contain no photos). But as I hate Belize anyway I am not too bothered.


Fake

Guatemala – a dark country of contrasts

To say that I liked Belize is to say that president Medvedev gets on well with president Mikail Saakashvili of Georgia. Therefore I hurried across the border to the friendlier Spanish-speaking people of Guatemala.

Guatemala however has a dark past and can proudly display a history involving massacres of several thousands Maya, threats and murders against human rights workers, lynchings in villages, earthquakes, death squads, civil war, the famous Rios Montt, corruption, political violence, abductions, coups and guerrilla activity. Lynchings occur on daily basis against often innocent people in small villages as the population have lost the belief that the police force will actually be able to solve rapes and murders. Political instability is illustrated by Juan José Arévalo´s time at the power 1946-1951, which saw 25 coup attempts by military forces – on average one every three months.

Adding to this marvellous collection - a huge drug problem. To say that Guatemala has a drug problem is to say that there are some tensions in the Middle East; Guatemala is the definition of a drug problem. And with drugs come weapons and organised crime.

A peace treaty was signed in 1996 and the last twelve years along a rocky road have seen some improvements in the society, but the country continues to struggle.
The harsh life in Guatemala has taught the people to be happy with the small things in everyday life and to not expect too much. Guatemaltecos are therefore a surprisingly friendly, helpful, hard-working and loving people. Hence, Guatemala is, in combination with low prices and a beautiful nature, an optimal country for any traveller.

Capital City of Belmopan

A traveller to Belmopan is faced with the most basic of all existential questions: what the heck am I doing here?

The city was founded only in 1961 after a hurricane devastated most of the previous capital (Belize City). Someone then got this brilliant idea: why don’t we move out to the middle of nowhere with the government and a bunch of public servants? Said and done – Belmopan was founded.

Today, the city in the middle of nowhere has grown to the fantastic size of 8100 inhabitants and it is easy to understand that the capital hasn’t really caught up yet. If you are not an ambassador, minister, Member of Parliament nor some kind of a public servant, there should only be one possible answer to the question above: ‘changing buses’. Otherwise you are mad.

Belize City

Belize’s largest “city” has less than 50.000 inhabitants. There is absolutely nothing to do or see in Belize City, especially not on a Sunday afternoon when even the tiniest cornershop is closed. For obvious reasons I did not remain here longer than necessary.

Belize – the little problem child

Belize is a tiny country slightly larger than Wales and it is totally different from any other Central American country. Here the population speaks some kind of Jamaican-English and is proud to descend from immigrated African slaves who intermarried with the original Maya-population. Belize is a Reggae-country and the national psyche is more like an African nation rather than latino.
Due to its size and situation, Belize is a quite poor country, which is heavily dependent on imports - and there are few national resources to pay for it. Adding to this, it often suffers great damage from tornados in the Caribbean.

Although there is nothing of value in Belize itself, Guatemala has never liked the idea of Belize, just like the Arabic countries don’t like the idea of Israel. Guatemala has claimed the land ever since the Spanish left and in 1859, Great Britain and Guatemala signed a treaty that gave the British the right to use the land in return for building a road from Guatemala to the Caribbean. Britain later declared Belize its colony under the name “British Honduras”. The treaty still stands but the road was of course never built (another argument for why the English should remain on their island). Later, in 1981, Belize became independent from the British and took its current name while the Guatemalans protested loudly against the illegal treatment of their (by law) land.

Götland Vodka - From Sweden?

In Puebla I drank this vodka and judging by its name, I thought it was German and it tasted bad. Later I saw the bottle in a store and on the label you can read:

“People around the Globe who seek to live the fullest have long been attracted to the Swedish island of Götland, famous for its vibrant celebratory lifestyle. That vibrant character has been captured in Götland Vodka... A sophisticated spirit distilled from the choicest grain and distilled five times for a smooth, crisp taste that is sure to enhance one’s enjoyment of life anywhere in the world.”

It is funny because I have never ever seen this Vodka, neither am I familiar with the island of Götland. And the stuff about celebratory lifestyle is actually even worse bullshit than the bullshit I can invent for my technical reports; I am thoroughly impressed.

If you happen to know anything about this vodka, post your comment here because there is nothing to be read on the internet.

The mysterious brand

Discriminations in Mexico – but how does this make sense?

Warning: The deepest blog entry so far:

I like Mexico very much but there is one thing I have yet not understood. Mexicans have very strong opinions about some of their historical characters; some are honoured as something everyone should be proud of (with statues, street names and even city names) and some, just as influential, are considered objects of shame.

Some of the most loved people were Benito Juarez (played an important role in the independence movement), Miguel Hidalgo (the priest who launched the war of independence), Cuauhtémoc (Aztec leader who resisted the Spanish) and Pancho Villa (a revolutionary character). Similarly, amongst the most hated people are Hernán Cortés (the Spanish conquistador), Santa Anna (the president who lost Texas, California, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to USA), La Malinche (the indigenous woman who became Cortés’ interpreter and lover) and Carlos Salinas de Gortari (the president blamed for the peso crisis, drugs trade, corruption, etc, you name it).

It is clear that Mexicans have chosen side and adore the culture of indigenous people at the same time as they dislike the settlers from Spain. But most of today’s Mexicans descend from both cultures and it is a mystery why they don’t want to identify themselves with the Spanish immigrants.

What is more intriguing is that all good is not good and all evil is not evil. Miguel Hidalgo for example was a pretty bad priest at the time who feasted on alcohol, women and gambling. Pancho Villa was recruited as a revolutionary leader only because of his ability to fight; before this he was an outlaw and bully who made a living out of stealing. And Cuauhtémoc was feared and disliked amongst all other tribes around Mexico. The Aztecs were at the time of the Spanish invasion very powerful but they were also a people who loved war; they raped the women of other tribes and they captured prisoners and warriors to be sacrificed. The Aztec belief was that if the god Huizilopochtli didn’t get his regular diet of warriors, he may not want not keep the sun moving the next day.

Hernán Cortés on the other hand allied with a number of smaller tribes (now considered traitors) and together they managed to take out the (evil?) Aztecs. However, a true Mexican would never see it this way.

And the most absurd thing of all; if Mexicans love their indigenous past so much, why are today the Maya people discriminated against? The pure Maya people should be considered the elite of the society but instead they are fighting discrimination and all sorts of rights. This led to the War of the Castes in 1847 when Mexican military fought off Mayan forces, who had to rebel against the government. Discrimination continues until this day and Mexicans continue to show off their hypocritical passion.

During my quest for answers I came across a book named ” El Laberinto de la soledad” by Octavio Paz, which discusses this very phenomenon. The same author was also awarded the Nobel Prize in Litterature by the Swedish Academy in 1990 for his works within poetry and many book-length studies in poetics, literary and art criticism, as well as on Mexican history, politics and culture; so it is certainly not any random author. If I ever find this works in a language I can understand I will surely read it and I expect class.

Pixmania is sh*t

You may be familiar with Pixmania. It is a huge European internet trade portal that has specialised in photography (I think it may be French by origin but not sure). This camera bag is practically only four months old and has experienced less than three months of travelling. I wonder if I can have my money back.


Quality stuff??

Tulum

Tulum is a walled Maya city located on the Mexican Beach. The Spanish conquistadors who sailed past in the 16^th century were impressed by the buildings painted red, blue and yellow and with a ceremonial fire burning on top of the watchtower.

If you visit the ruins you will find nothing spectacular in terms of Mayan architecture as you would in larger cities such as Chichén Itzá, Uxmal or Tikal. The site is in fact very ordinary and the only thing that draws tourists to this place is their setting on the beach. Tulum can easily be skipped if you are running low on time.

Tulum

MEW Picture Challenge

NEW:
Go to http://mewpictures.blogspot.com/ and vote for the best Africa-picture before the vote expires. The challenge is on...

Playa del Carmen

For obvious reasons, most backpackers avoid the dollar-thirsty Cancun and instead head an hour or so south to Playa del Carmen. This was a little fishing village which in the early 80s decided to benefit from the massive exploitation that took place in nearby Cancun by offering a more indigenous experience for travellers and more quiet beaches. Today Playa del Carmen has grown into a mid-sized town with a population of 60000 boosted by restaurants, hotels and souvenir shops, but it still somehow managed to retain its original village-mentality. Playa del Carmen is like heaven on earth compared to Cancun and one could spend a good relaxing time here.

The picturesque little town of Playa del Carmen

…but was it a good creation? Cancun – where dollars talk

Dollars talk in every place in Mexico but especially here in Cancun it is evident. They say that 80% of all flights to Mexico go via Cancun airport. I wonder why because this place truly sucks donkeyballs and it is the most disappointing place I’ve seen since I was in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.
There are supposed to be nice beaches here but most of them are off-limits as there are hotels lined up along the coast and to access the beach (provided that you are not staying at one of the 4 or 5 star hotels), you almost always have to somehow try to cross the hotel lobby unnoticed and get out on the sea side. If you don’t want to attempt this, your only choice is to locate one of the few beaches with public access, which generally are small, dirty and jam-packed with visitors.
When I arrived I made arrangements to stay two or three nights. Later I was told that the hostel made a mistake and that I could only stay one night as it was fully booked. I am so happy for this.

Cheap (no, just kidding) hotels lining up along the only road in ‘Zona Hotelera’. This road goes all along the Atlantic beach and as everything is located on it addresses only consist of the distance from the start of the road rather than a complicated numbering system. E.g. 8600 means that the bar or the hotel is located 8.6 km from the beginning of the road. That is the only cool thing in Cancun.

A successful project...

In 1970s, the tourism planners in Mexico decided to take a gamble. They wanted to duplicate the touristic phenomenon of Acapulco, from scratch. The variables sun, beach, sand, building space etc were processed and the optimal paradise location was calculated: Cancun, a deserted costal region on the Yucatán peninsula. Lots of monies were poured into the project and the investors’ most ambitious dreams were soon exceeded. Cancun was a marvellous success and it quickly surpassed its predecessor Acapulco in popularity. The number of tourists continues to grow every year until this very day. Cancun will be my next stop.