Mexico Trip Part II
Day 5, July 22. We got up early to head out to the airport. We arrived there with no eventualities. A surreal feeling flying in to Mexico City International Airport, the city goes on as far as the eye can see and then some. We have along day in Mexico City. We hop on our small bi-plane, which appears to be smaller than a bus. As we make our descent in to Xalapa, we hit a couple of bumpy air pockets, and oh by the way, I don’t enjoy those. This sort of climatologic condition is very common flying in to Xalapa, so common that our hosts where surprised we flew into Xalapa, versus the Varacruz airport.
This part of Mexico is much greener and lusher than the central area. After settling in to our hotel rooms we joined our gracious hosts for dinner. The next morning we traveled to a remote village. Here we attempted to contact local individuals that had family ties to the United States, we where unsuccessful in making contact. The reason being, the people in these areas are very miss trusting of outsiders, particularly those holding video equipment. Add to this, a series of kidnappings for ransom and I can comprehend why they wouldn’t want to get involved with outsiders.
I should explain the kidnappings. A lot of Hispanic that work in the US, are not necessarily expecting to stay an live in the US. Many go back to their country of origin. This is the case of the small town we visited. Because so many migrant workers return to Mexico with dollars, life becomes a lot more affordable in rural Mexico. In some cases you will see an architectural juxtaposition. Large homes with gated entrances and thick stone walls, next to a small home made of wood and stucco. This causes a social divide. Those who have and those who have not. Creating an environment of uncertainty, having to protect what you worked for. Also it creates an environment of greed and jealousy, where the fastest way of getting some one else’s money is by taken a loved one away. For our purposes, we needed video from the area in general; we didn’t feel we needed to involve anyone in particular, so we considered our day a positive success.
The next morning we hoped to go on a five hour bus ride to another nearby village, where the community was said to be more welcoming. Unfortunately after two weeks of constant scheduling and shooting and some other unexpected occurrences, we where all a bit burnt out, and we all voted that a five our bus ride would have not benefited anybody. Instead we walked down town Xalapa and acquired some fabulous man on the street and family footage.
On our last day in Xalapa we interviewed Dr. Garrido, who delivered a fantastic elucidation on the intricacies of globalization. The Xalapa economy is suffering due to the world price drop on sugar and coffee. The coffee beans produced in Xalapa, Mexico are considered one of the best in the world. The coffee world market primarily consumes beans for the manufacture of instant coffee. So, hi quality beans are not on hi demand, therefore, lower quality bean-producing-countries like Vietnam and Brazil, can meet the demands for cheaper prices. The irony is that a large population of Mexico consumes instant coffee.
Sugar also suffers a similar fate. Sugar has been largely stigmatized as a fattening and disease causing condiment. It’s also an unsubsidized crop. So, larger countries with subsidies, can afford to promote and better meet the need for lower prices on sweeteners. Enter fructose, a sweetener extracted from plants, one of them being corn.
By the end of the day we where all very tired and hoped to relax for our long return to SC tomorrow.