Friday, February 11, 2010
Guadalajara, Mexico

I changed all the locks on my van today with the help of a locksmith. It felt good to spend the time with Veronica giving her some TLC. I also patched her leaky roof with silicon, and fixed up some other odds and ends. Couldn't get the windshield washer fluid pump working again, but the forecast looks like rain so for now I should be fine.

Been thinking about my direction and figured out quite a lot, but still waiting for some things to fall into place. By the looks of the weather, it may be a good thing to be staying here a few more nights since there's supposedly a huge rain storm heading North causing havoc.
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Feb 12, 2010

Awoke this morning to clear skys and it seems the storm may have dissipated.. still have to look into weather.

Went to the Ferrerateria (hardware store) and got myself a switch and some wire and, with Marcos help, installed a kill switch in my van. It's in a hidden spot in my interior in a place where no one will ever find it, so it'll help me sleep better at night. The engine is as good as dead until you hit it.

I felt so good coming back to the hostel knowing the the rateros don't have access to my home anymore. On the way back I talked to Jesus who works the street as a parking attendant and told him to offer the rateros 500 pesos for my books and tripod.. for one day only will this deal stand. Otherwise I'll just replace it.

This is the way it works down here, playing the game of life, good guys vs 'bad guys', all thrown into a melting pot together, everyone trying to survive and make a living.

I arrived home to the hostel to Frank's friend Aldo who has spent a lot of time with the Huichol's up in the mountains of Mexico. I told him of my wish to visit and he offered me more guidance on what to bring and how to properly go about it. It's nice to have spent time with my family back on the Piikani Reservation back home, since their guidance and all the ways they've shared have in so many ways prepared me for Mexico and the broader circle. I'm ever-grateful.

So Tomorrow the plan is to take my cameras out for a walk to some various markets around town and look for some particular items I'll need in the next week or so, and capture some more images of this beautiful city. Tomorrow the markets will be filled with people and I feel in all my scouting over the past week I have a good feel for what I'm after.

Then depending on the weather forecast that I'm about to look into, I'll be off to Morelia to see butterflies (that require good weather for good images, when it's cold they just sit) and then back up to Ixtlan Del Rio to head into Huichol lands.

paz, amor y luz,
d


peace,d