Wednesday, November 16, 2011

All Aboard The Tequila Train!



I don't know what ad man came up with this pitch, but he must have juevos in both hands to even attempt to draw gringo tourists back to Mexico. And especially to Guadalajara, the lovely city that is likely to become the next hotspot in Mexico's drug wars.

The National Chamber of Commerce, Services and Tourism, Guadalajara cordially welcomes you to experience our legendary train ride that is our pride and joy: The Tequila Express.

Culture, diversion, entertainment and much more is in store on this magical journey. We invite you to discover it.

Come aboard and immerse yourself in Mexico’s past! Let’s begin!


Will the attractions of tequila and Mariachi music draw tourists back to a region where the Sinaloa cartel and Los Zetas are battling each other with drive-by shootings, kidnappings, and beheadings? Not to mention the Mexican government's response to the drug wars, which is credibly alleged to include systematic torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings.

I wish the Guadalajara boosters well, but, as much as I'd like to see the place again, I think I'll plan my next vacation for somewhere north of the border.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

TSB: Thanks for the link to Southern Pulse!..shouldn't the spelling be "Caulderon"? gwb

Anonymous said...

TSB: Is this what you were up to in Kuwait? Now they have "Occupy Parliament Kuwait"! I'm sure they will find that $350 million somewhere. Don't they have any lawyers to protect these thieves like we do? gwb


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2011/11/20111116204038300676.html

TSB said...

I'm highly leery of the stated motive here. Official corruption is an entitlement, not a political offense, in the Arab world. It's the same way as in my birthplace of New Jersey. My cynical NJ assumption is that the reformers want to elbow their way up to the trough, rather than stop traditional Kuwaiti business practices.

I'll be surprised and delighted if I'm all wrong on that.

TSB said...

I think he spells it "Calderón," however, I love the idea of a President Cauldron for that boiling pot of a country.

Anonymous said...

The story says the PM ? has already resigned 6 times since 2006
Isn't that a record of some sort?
Also, this am Occupy Portland shut down one of the main bridges from I-5 into downtown... without even showing up! Those people could really use a band like El Mariachi Loco! gwb http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTg1DSlDMHE

TSB said...

Kuwait has a really weak central government, and the PM is always resigning and the government is always falling. But probably Italy holds the world record on that. Or Belgium, where they just went without a government for 353 days (the Parliament was fragmented into eleven parties, none having more than 20% of the vote).

I'd love a good, weak, central government in the USA except that we have too many foreign commitments.