Brinks Blog

Nicaragua - Pot Hole

2007-09-04T20:35:00.000-04:00

Nicaragua - home again

2007-09-04T20:34:00.000-04:00

September 2, 2007 10:48pm

The travel entries from N have been a bit cryptic and disjointed. This mirrors our communication access. We are home late last night or early this am after a delay for Delta airplane maintenance in Atlanta. I am always conflicted about this sort of thing. I like to thinks that all my airplane parts work but wonder why they do not work so often when I am scheduled to fly. No matter. Spent today sleeping and regrouping. Stayed up last night till 4 am to finish laundry and basic unpacking. Rule I established years ago based upon hard experience. Read mail at home. Unpack. Laundry. Then office. Never get to first three if you go to 4 first. Boy was I right when I started in on my desk at 3 pm today. Gave up and went home at 7 tonight. Hoping an eight hour nights sleep will give refreshed attitude tomorrow. People talk about crossing time zones and which is easier to adjust. One hundred per cent my opinion is that getting home no matter which direction is harder to adjust. Tomorrow I shall send a more upbeat email I expect from. 20 years of travel experience.

Nicaragua 7

2007-09-04T20:32:00.000-04:00

August 30, 2007

What do you say about a country where there are beggars in the streets carrying their babies and the street they are begging on is the same one where there is a Hilton

Nicaragua 4

2007-08-30T22:28:00.000-04:00

08/30/2007 9:16pm

1113 kilometers horizontal. Not quite sure how many vertical. 7 departments. Think states in US terms. 20 hours in vehicles. Temperature zones from 95 to 60 and humidity 99.9 percent. 1 army colonel. 2 judges. 2 police captains. Speed bumps and holes of other varieties too numerous to count. And a creature of unknown origin in Skips suitcase in the middle of the night several auto accidents and overturned trucks but not us. The usual traffic stop of Joel Huyser with no ticket again. And then there was the boe Construction but no broken bones so no harm done.

Then there was the tank. But 30 pounds of coffee was involved and no broken bones so no harm done. This is location where I abandoned my shoes which is becoming a bit of a tradition on my trips.

By the way Mayor the really nice box of cigars was 1500 dollars. You did say I could exceed your budget a bit as I recall. I was using a federal government standard while purchasing. Smiles.

It's Raining Again

2007-08-26T21:59:00.001-04:00

08/26/2007 5:48pm

It is raining again. The mountains roads should be interesting.

Update 08/26/2007

2007-08-26T21:58:00.000-04:00

08/26/07 5:15pm

Well. Shall I tell about the person who was thrown form a bull? Or the two who had their horses spook in a thunder shower and toss them off? Or the ocean kayak adventures? Perhaps not. No broken bones involved so no harm done. The same cannot be said of recent political developments in Nicaragua which we are not hearing about in the US. Last week, taking a page from the President of Venezuela, Ortega sanctioned through the back door a takeover of a US oil refinery. This is not a good thing. He has four years of a five year term to go. More in due course. Monday we get to be participants in a parade in out of the coastal communities. I shall wear my Kentwood shirt. Since they will likely not know where Kentwood is I will likely avoid booing by the antiAmrrican crowd.
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Arrived Safely

2007-08-26T21:57:00.000-04:00

8/25/07 6:34pm

Arrived safely with all computers and typewriters and other things. Customs not happy about computers. Sharon just stood there repeating in English even though she could understand enough Spanish to know there was a problem. "Computer. Mission. Used gift. Computer mission used gift". Two customs agents and their supervisor eventually just gave up and the youngest helped re pack and load all onto trolley. Smiles. Consider this first answer to prayers. Sending this rather than in pool because it is thundering and raining at the moment in Montelimar. This too shall pass. Skip Pylman obviously experienced traveler which makes things easy. More later.

An Iceberg

2007-07-17T15:46:00.001-04:00

I am not a photo guru, but I need to share my favorite with you from the Southern continent - my first iceberg. A most impressive experience.

Fear of Tavel

2007-07-17T15:45:00.000-04:00

London has had a new "scare" in recent weeks. Let us all be reminded that if we cancel trips due to fear of travel, the bad guys win.

Iraq

2007-07-17T15:41:00.001-04:00

There are places on my "to do list" for travel that I hope will be seen before I die. This wonderful country is one of them. Many stories of the Bible took place here. Where did Abram come from? Where was Babylon? Where was the Garden of Eden? Some day I would to see these places and I was reminded of this when our church (Forest Hills Presbyterian Church) was honored to host a minister from Iraq, presently in the US due to the dangers of returning to his home town. Please pray that we may all see peace in the mid-east and be free to travel to these lands and visa versa, without fear and within our lifetimes.

Atlantic City - Actually the Boardwalk is now next

2007-06-25T17:36:00.000-04:00

One of the things I am always doing is surfing for deals and reading internet offers. So, before Nicaragua will now be Atlantic City on a three day, two night junket out of Grand Rapids. This is Atlantic City -home of the streets that make up the monolopy game and home of the east coast challenge to Las Vegas. I have been there twice, the last time about 4 years ago. On both prior visits, my impression of the people gambling in the casinos was the same impression I had when I visited the casinos in Detroit - there were too many people gambling money they could not afford to lose out of desperation, not for fun. That took away a lot of my enjoyment of the signs, sounds and people watching that I always enjoy in Las Vegas. We shall see if it is changed. The magazine articles I have read say that it is changing. The boardwalk is shopping and sights and people watching and it will be summer. I remember the walking as fun when I was there last time in the summer. In any event, for $219.00 round trip flight, transfers and hotel, how much could I lose. I do not plan to indulge their plan that I gamble enough to make the cheap trip pay back for them. I shall let some others on the junket do so and just have fun with my friend Sue Carlson, who is often good to go when I find one of these deals.

Where in the World is Sharon Going Next: Nicaragua

2007-05-30T12:00:00.000-04:00

Today at 4 p.m. I am sitting down with several attorney friends to talk about the next trip to Nicaragua (last week in August). Joel Huyser will be there. We shall discuss a country with interesting political issues, but contrary to many people's opinion, they do not settle them with firearms. In fact, Nicaragua is one of the most safe countries to travel in, in Central America. It is beautiful, the people are friendly, the food is wonderful and the prices are right. It is just beginning to be discovered by tourists and travel magazines. What a great gift I have been given to have found it almost a decade ago and gotten to know some really neat people and travel to some special places in their company. More to come.

Rules or it is good to be King

2007-05-24T22:04:00.001-04:00

Yesterday when we arrived back in the big city we were hot and tired. It is amazing how tired a day on a bus can make you. However we wandered out is the street to see what needed to be seen. Next thing we knew we were watching a parade celebrating a sports team. Then on to Woolworths with the old candy counter we all remember. Along the way stopped and purchased a box of Mexican games. After dinner and folk dancing by a local high school group who were seizing every opportunity to perform and earn some money before their competition in Peru we headed to the lounge. The game box was opened. We rapidly concluded that we were not going to be successful reading the rules. However there is always a plan "b" as I tell clients so we decided to make them up. Included in the equasion was the Brinks family tradition of cheating. By the time we moved from the matching game to the dice rolling game we designated a player sitting out as king. That meant that he made up the rules as we went along. For example rolling three doubles was not a good thing in his kingdom. I believe he was favoring number one concubine over number two and you get the drift. By the time we concluded my sides hurt from laughing so hard. It was good to be King except for the fact that he needed to seriously raid the treasury to pay the bill by the end of the evening. Moral of the story. Best travel involves breaking the rules of your life on many levels. Chihauhau. Very nice safe clean city. People who live here very friendly and very proud of their city. Stereotypes fall away here. Did not get sick. Did not see people who wanted to live somewhere else. Did not feel unsafe. Student day yesterday. Education important. These kids learning two three or more languages including English. I wish I could bottle this positive impression of Mexico and overcome things we hear too often about our Southern neighbor

Mexico Revolution

2007-05-24T22:03:00.000-04:00

5/23/07 1:58pm

we all know of the us civil war but how many of us know the story of the Mexican civil war of a decade in length at the turn of the last century. We have all heard of Pancho Villa. Was he a hero of a thug? Most certainly he was a legend and remains one. Some see him as a Mexican Robin Hood. Some see him as a cruel opportunist. He was certainly a ladies man and he believed in church weddings. A lot of them actually. A most interesting historical fellow. My recommendation. Either get a video from the library or a children's book or two and enjoy reading about a Mexican bandit or hero. You decide.

Bus Breakdown

2007-05-24T22:02:00.000-04:00

5/23/7 1:33pm

The bad news is the bus broke down. The good news is that they carry spare parts. The bad news is that the spare parts let you limp into the next town. The good news is that the next town has shops to peruse while the two hour repair takes place. Or is that bad news? My travel philosophy includes this premise. You do not truly know a place until you have shopped where the locals shop. So I now know this town and I have supported the local economy. My additional travel philosophy. You have not had a really good trip until you have serious luggage packing problems. I am having a really good trip. Smiles from sunny friendly beautifal Mexico

Green vegetable and ham

2007-05-23T13:35:00.001-04:00

This mornings breakfast included a wonderful vegatable from the cactus plant. Food on this trip has been excellent. There are some things you recognize and some that are a bit of an adventure to those of us from Michigan. The Texans can identify pretty much everything that appears. The fruits are ripe and excellent. I am not sure that the hiking we are doing is going to compensate for the eating we are doing. I envy those who find food part of the adventure of travel. Myself, I prefer food that I recognize. That reduces the need for finding "friendly bathrooms".

Presidents Speech

2007-05-23T13:34:00.000-04:00

The President's speech yesterday included a new program to try stop the deforestation of the mountains and canyons of the region. Each landowner will have a count of trees done. If at this time next year there are the same number of trees then they will receive a payment from the government. The guide opined that he was not sure what the government planned for the people to do for firewood in the meantime. It gets rather cold in these mountains. I am not sure what else was said about development and I am going to try to find a local paper later today.

Mexico and More

2007-05-23T09:06:00.001-04:00

5/22/07 12:16pm

Land issues seem to be critical in every country I travel to. Here the Indians have lost much of their land because in their culture they do not have a sense that a person can own land. Foreigners can lease land for 99 years. The government is trying to preserve places of beauty for futur generations. The Tarahumara people are now counted at 100000 people but they are losing there culture and language by the encroachment of others. For example taking shaking hands. They brush hands. For them the Mexican strong handshake means that someone is trying to overpower them. They need to become like Mexicans to protect themselves from Mexicans and in doing so they leave behind some things that cannot ever be brought back.

Copper Canyon Continued

2007-05-23T09:05:00.000-04:00

5/22/07 12:06pm

We are at about 8000 feet at our hotel. If altitude bothers you, you would notice it here. The area is dry and dusty. They are mining again in this area and it is a concern of enviromentalists. They, the mining interests, have a powerful lobbey and many laws on the books are not enforced well. People also need jobs and when an industry can provide them to people living on little that entity is powerful. So perhaps a thousand room hotel which would bring people to speak in favor of preservation while it might seem at first blush a bad idea might turn out to be helpful and important.

What is progress

2007-05-23T09:04:00.002-04:00

5/22/07 12:27pm

Here one of the issues of the Tarahumara people is whether an outsider's idea of progress is a good idea. The town we are staying in did not have elecricty until recently. Now is does and the 1000 room hotel is proposed. Some leaders in local communities are discouraging any "progress" because that means outsiders will have comforts and will come to their area and they do not want outsiders. The invasion of outsiders came in a large wave with the Spanish conquistidors and the priests. You cannot believe where some of the churches were built in these Canyons. It gives you a real impressive perspective on Jesuit priests. I have added a museaum to my list of top ten I have visited. In the middle of nowhere therer is a museaum of art saved from some of the church ruins. The art was astonishing and powerful and priceless. Something like this whole trip.

Mexico Update

2007-05-23T09:04:00.001-04:00

5/22/07 11:22am

We are deep in the copper canyon region. This area is 5770 feet deep which is deeper than the grand canyon. It is also still lived in by the Indians and largely undeveloped. That may change. Today the Predisent of Mexico is flying into the small town where we are staying to announce plans for development of a thousand room hotel. Now this is a town so small there is no grocery store. The canyon views where they have rails at all often have wooden rails that trust me you think twice about leaning against. Indians climb up and down to there homes on wooden ladders on sheer clifts. I do not like edges and I won't go near one. However oddly enough I walked out on glass over the edge. You have probably heard of the Indian glass platform just built over the grand canyon? They did it first here and I walked out on it. Hope the picture turns out to prove it. More later. I am off to try to see the President of Mexico.

Mexico and More

2007-05-21T00:34:00.001-04:00

5/20/07 11:29pm

They said the cell would not work here. They were wrong. Now where we are tomorrow and the next day might be another issue. Do you remember cruising. This is a change of topic. Sunday night. The square in Creel Mexico. The boys are in their vehicle. The girls are on the sidewalks. The square is one way traffic. The boys hang a blanket out the window and make comments and issue invitations. It is somewhat comforting to know that you are still young enough to be invited when they drive by especially if you are traveling with an elderhostel. Did we get in? What happens in Creel stays in Creel.

Will travel, will be ill, Maybe

2007-05-21T00:32:00.000-04:00

5/20/07 9:40pm

We have a resident pharmacist with the group. Dan needed advice on local remedies. Dan followed advice. Dan is feeling better or not caring that he does not feel better. Local remedies are good.

Where in the World is Sharon (Mexico)

2007-05-21T00:30:00.000-04:00

5/20/07 12:42pm

This northern region has 50000 apple trees. They have pastoral fields with cows grazing. The stone fences are often over one hundred years old. Chihuahua people are crazy about baseball and we have passed several stadiums. The houses are deceptive. On the outside they look unkempt and poor but then you notice a satallite dish. Our concept of curb appeal does not apply in a number of other countries I have visited. Makes you think or reminds me that we also need not to look at the outside of people but find out what is on the inside.

One of the interesting events which happens when you travel a long way from cities is that you see the stars. At ft davis they had a star party going when we were in town. This is an event where amature and professional astronomers come together with all of there expensive toys and stay up all night star watching. Tonight in mexico when the sungoes down and the moon rises venus will be very near the crescent moon. Look for it. It astonishes me that the men and women who explored this land navigated by the stars. Probably a good thing that I was not in charge of navigation. I like my gps system entirely too well.

Mexico Train Ride

2007-05-21T00:29:00.000-04:00

5/20/07 11:11am

Very large mennonite community here 30000. Came from canada. Dress a bit different. Men wear cowboy boots. Have a wonderful book and dvd to share with anyone interested in it when I return.

jah, Chicuahua! Mexico

2007-05-19T22:26:00.000-04:00

Ola from not quite as sunny as usual Mexico. We arrived across the border from Ft. Davis, Texas today in Chicuahua, Mexico. This is one of the more prosperous areas of Mexico. The population has grown from 200000 only a few years ago to over a million. A lot of industry is developing and it shows. The peso is 10 to 1 american dollar, so it makes it entirely too easy to shop. However, thus far we have not had a lot of time to do so, which does save some money. Toured the city today, had dinner in a Mexican home, and tomorrow we are leaving on the train at 6 a.m. for Copper Canyon area. This is supposed to be one of the best train rides in the world. I do not have a lot to compare it to, as I have traveled on an odd assortment of trains in my life. I have been on the Amtrack to Chicago, the bullet train in Japan, the overnight sleeper in Russia between St. Petesburg and Moscow and the overnight in China between Shanghia and Bejing and the overnight in England between London and Edinbourough. I have not been on scenic trains in the USA, which experience I shall have to have some day. This is a very safe city in Mexico and belies the stereotypes we have of the country. We can walk around from our hotel to the shops and to the park. We could walk to the political rally we can hear outside. They have a contested election for the head of the region and the streets of full of trucks with signs and balloons and banners and it is lots of fun to watch. They are currently very angry with the USA because guns smuggled from the US have been used to kill their police officers. They are seriously outgunned by guns coming across the order illegally and the vehicles are subject to search and checkpoints. We think the only illegal things are headed north and that is not quite accurate. I have also discovered that once again I am picking up some Spanish by ear and I can read more each time I travel in a Spanish speaking country. I try to read the newspaper at least a bit each day. The area we head to tomorrow will likely not have cell phone coverage or e'mail, so the next entry will be Wednesday, at the earliest. Stay tuned from Mexico...to be continued.

Travel vs. Tourist - The Great Debate

2007-05-09T15:23:00.000-04:00

I am afraid that from time to time I have encountered some people who I believe have a bit of "travel snob" in them. On the other hand, I have encountered some people who do not know how to travel at all and behave badly when more than 100 miles from home. The literature talks about "be a traveler" not a "tourist" as if being a tourist is a bad thing. It is not. Sometimes what we want and need in our lives is a place to veg out, to regroup, to revive and if it means staying at an "all inclusive" in a third world country, that does not make you a bad person. That time, you are a tourist, but maybe you can be a bit of a traveler too. When you look outside the walls of the resort, consider what impact your visit is having on the local people. Does the resort pay their employees fairly? Are they ecologically responsible? Does some of the profit stay in the country? Ask those questions as a tourist; if we all ask them, then the world will be a better place. And do not be afraid sometimes to be a "traveler" too - go where tourists do not normally go (with some common sense, of course - it does no-one good for you to get mugged). Look at the country with the eyes of someone who does not need to stay at the Holiday Inn all the time, and you will have wonderful adventures with people and places that tourists never see no matter how much money they are spending. You can start small - instead of taking the cruise ship tour, negotiate with the people on the dock and see some of the island that that you would never see from the bus. Be smart; travel safe. Tour when you want to tour. Teach our children that this is a big world and we are all responsible for places and people beyond 100 miles from our doorstep.

Idea for your next trip

2007-05-07T17:53:00.000-04:00

One of the fun things I do each time before I travel is borrow a video of the location from the library and also do a search for literature, fiction or something more intense, such as history, of the area. If I can find used books set in the location, all the better. I buy them and leave a trail of books behind. For example, if going on a cruise, get a "Murder She Wrote" set on a cruise ship. What fun. Learning should be fun; that lifelong desire to learn new information is a gift we can all give the children around us.

A thought on the benefits of travel

2007-05-07T17:52:00.000-04:00

Who was it who said that he (make that she) who has not traveled has experienced life as it were by reading only one page of a book?

Where in the World is Sharon Going Next? Mexico

2007-05-03T14:06:00.000-04:00

The next trip is a Mexico excursion. We fly into El Paso, and then head to Ft. Davis and across the border to Mexico and the Copper Canyon region. There are two train rides involved, and the scenery is supposed to be spectacular, Grand Canyon variety. When I say "we" on this trip I am not going solo. My friend from Canton, Sue Carlson and my friends from GRR, Dan and Julie Caris will be along for the ride. Otherwise, I do not qualify, as this in an "elder hostel". We will be visiting the Tarahumara Indians in Mexico. City stops include El Paso (we will have part of a day for touring) and Chihuahua City, Divisadero and the Ft. Davis area, including the National Historic Site. Along the way, I believe we will see that wall we are building on the border. I am headed to the library to pick up a biography of Pancho Villa, as I am once again discovering some large gaps in my knowledge base of history. Of course, there are even larger gaps in my Spanish knowledge base, but I know the word for bathroom and for wine, so the rest can be improvised. You have to get the important things first in line.

Where in the World is Sharon? She was in LV....

2007-04-14T20:15:00.000-04:00

Back dating this post to spring break - where I had such good and busy time shopping and cheering college basketball teams (won 4 of 4 bets on my teams) and doing some of the other stuff you do in LV that I never got around to blogging. Las Vegas is one of those places that you go that makes the world you live in seem a long way away for a brief period of time. I find that about four days is the right time to be detached from reality in this particular environment, however. I have been going to LasVegas for over 20 years, since a friend who now lives in Kansas, and I went there for New Year's eve when we were in our 20's. Things have changed in that 20 years in the city. There are multiple mega resorts that I have watched go up and several that have been blown up in my absence. LV has gone from being a cheap city to a "family destination" (not a bright idea and it has passed, thank goodness- this is an adult town, not a place for children) to now a city of very expensive hotels and spas (they make more revenue now on non-gaming activities than on gambling) and it is harder and harder to find a cheap place to stay and eat. There was a time when LV worried about all the other gambling areas and Indian casinos. Now, their attitude is that those places just warm up people for the "real experience". However, I note some concern about Macao and Atlantic City, but their hotel occupancy is still the highest in the world, and no one seems to be very worried. More on LV and the experience on some other post to come......

Where in the World is Sharon? Monroe, LA

2007-04-14T20:05:00.000-04:00

OK - Get out your atlas and turn to LA. Today I toured, after meeting with a client on Friday. Plug this into your google search: Poverty Point, LA and find out something interesting I did not know about this region. And I personally have passed up the opportunity, a once in a lifetime event, no doubt, to purchase a square inch of the blue cloth suitably framed of the suit Clyde had on when ambushed outside of Gibsland Louisiana! The price was only $199.00. And sad to say, that when the old gentleman (late 70s = my guess) of the rural south, completed his personal tour of the Bonnie and Clyde museum (I was the only patron, and trust me, he wanted to make sure I appreciated everything in the museum), I had to tell him I was not coming back for the Bonnie and Clyde Festival to be help on May 25 and 26, 2007 ( an annual event), including festival tee-shirts, a pancake breakfast, "shoot-outs and bank robberies" performed by the famous "Public Enemies" and an actual Ambush Reenactment at the death site. They sure do know how to throw a party here in northern LA.! One of the things I have learned is that this state has a great divide between Northern and Southern LA. Sort on an intrastate civil war of sorts. In any event, my brief visits to Vicksburg (was there with Mom and Dad and had previously seen the Civil War Battlefield) and Shreveport remind me how much of the USA I have yet to tour.

Las Vegas Spring Break

2007-03-24T13:45:00.000-04:00

Why keep going back to Las Vegas? Several reasons, including great memories of past trips. Everyone has someplace when they arrive, they smile as they remember. Las Vegas has become that for me. More to the point, one of the hardest things for an attorney is to actually feel like they have "gotten away"; often it takes a week to disconnect. Las Vegas - upon arrival the feel of being elsewhere hits. Great people watching place; great shopping place (people from California fly in for the day to shop on commuter airlines, would you believe); great walking place; great golf; great shows; no need to change from Michigan time zone - there is something going on 24/7. Stay tuned. We leave on 3/31.

Where in the World is Sharon Going Next

2007-03-24T13:41:00.000-04:00

Regular Question - What is your next trip? Here are a few - Las Vegas with Ellen over spring break; Monroe, LA to visit a client in April; Copper Canyon in Mexico in late May; Nicaragua to visit our Christian attorney project in late August, Cruise to Southern Caribbean in July of 2008 (15 year law firm retreat). Stay tuned.

The Very First Post to the New Blog

2007-03-24T10:42:00.000-04:00

To Everyone: This is the beginning of a new blog, with the most capable assistance of my nephew, Scott Brinks. Stay tuned.