Mexico and Venezuela
Back and the mess is still there...

Sometimes one leaves a place of trouble for a while in the very vain hope once back to find a change that one is unable to effect.

Sure enough, I spent a full week in Mexico, not reading a newspaper, not once trying to find a tidbit of news on Venezuela. If the rest was necessary, it did not help when I talked to the taxi driver and saw that nothing had changed. I was expecting something, some news, good or bad. But no, the very same standstill, and probably grand standing, as I try to catch up with a week of intrigue around how to repair signatures for the Recall Election.

Meanwhile I remain on my Mexican memories. Visiting Mexico for business, and even having to ride buses in between towns for reasons of ill matching flights, give one a different perspective on the country (even if Tequila was very present on some nights).

I was in Mexico 3 years ago. This time period observation in the fate of the two countries was impressive. It is painful to see how fast Venezuela is sinking. I am not sure if Mexico is advancing, but I can vouch for the increasing gap between the two countries. Even Mexico City looked cleaner than usual, and definitely cleaner that the West part of Caracas under the direction of the deficient Bernal. Amazingly I felt safer in Mexico's subway than in Caracas. Though on a Saturday Mexico subway looks more packed that a week day in Caracas.

Business people that I met were complaining of all sorts of problems, yet all are planning, building, trying to grow, forging ahead. Sometimes it seems that Venezuelan business's leaders are the deer in the headlight of Chavez train to the night.

I could go on, with such items as great food cheaper that an equivalent meal at the street price of the dollar in Venezuela, but I guess I prefer to savor that after taste of tequila.