Current Events

ANTIGUA, Guatemala- The people of Guatemala’s central region answered the call this morning when they woke up to a bus driver’s strike — one that waxed complete with road blocks — with their own forms of public transportation: personal pickup trucks turned into taxis, vans were crammed full of passengers, and people with cars offered their empty seats to their neighbors who were left stranded by the lack of public buses.

ANTIGUA, Guatemala- “They are shooting each other in San Lucas,” a travel agent spoke to me as she made phone calls trying to reroute tourists on private shuttles around the road blocks.

The bus drivers of Guatemala said Ya Basta — they did not get into their buses this morning, rather they chose to block off major roads around the country. Transportation is grinding to a halt, all of the schools are closed, Guatemala’s gears are grinding.

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti- I walked into the Croissant d’Or bakery in Cap-Haitien, and immediately met three very large, armored bodies of UN soldiers. They are here as a part of a re-stabilization mission called MINUSTAH. I walked up to the soldiers — I had little choice, they took up the entire bakery — and asked them in English were they were from.

CAP HAITIEN, Haiti- From where I sit, on a roof top in Cap Haitien, the second largest city in Haiti, life goes on as usual. There is music here, the streets are full of people, some of them are going to work, some are sitting listlessly, some are just talking, some laughing — a Haitian woman across the hotel roof from me is singing to herself — a group of men down below are gambling over dominoes, there is a lottery brokerage on nearly every block, women sit outside of their homes selling bags of purified water, pop, candy, kids chase each other, a group of young girls in Sunday dresses walk by.

News, Politics, and Current Events in France What is going on in France? Are there any warnings for travelers that you would like to share? What is the political situation? Report the news in France below. Help other travelers by letting them know what the situation is like on the ground in France. Read News [...]

12,000 years of history vs. 4,200 gigawatts of electricity.

Don’t wish me a Merry Christmas! It is politically incorrect!  — I come from a Christian home. My family celebrates Christmas. I celebrate Christmas, too. Culture is nothing other than the onward play of doing what you have always done just because you have always done it. The connection between logic and culture is irrelevant [...]

A travelogue entry about border jumpers and Chaya’s experience doing relief work on the US/ Mexico frontier — On that side is Naco, Mexico, on this side is is me, America. There is a fence between us. “How long is that fence?” I asked my friend, Al, who traveled be RV for 15 years after [...]

Mexican border of USA not a no man’s land — I was driving west across highway 92 after a quick visit to Bisbee, Arizona, and I spotted a town to my left that I did not remember seeing the first time I passed this way. It looked as if it was sitting in the middle [...]