Soothing sorrow

What is beauty?

In the city of Ciudad Constitucion, Mexico, a Laundromat was needed to take care of the dirty clothes, towels and sheets.

There was a memory from several years ago of having used a Laundromat in Ciudad Constitucion.
But where again was it?

Since the last visit to this place journeys have been made to numerous countries like China, Japan, Iran, Spain and the USA.
In all those countries hotels, shops and restaurants were found and the locations stored in the memory like if it was the hard disk of Google Earth.

Because there is so much information in the memory, the exact location doesn’t appear on the mind’s TomTomscreen.
The way to operate then is to go by instinct.
Not to connect to the memory through the channel of rationality.
Not to try to remember where exactly the Laundromat is.
But to go where it feels to go.

This is how the Laundromat in Ciudad Constitucion found the Fuso Szulc.
Suddenly it was there.
By not looking but by just letting it go and have it come.

Now, that is beauty.

Next step was to find a car wash.
A place that could clean the Fuso Szulc of the mud and the salt.

Two men were loading a pick-up truck with metal pipes.
“Good morning, Caballeros!”
“Good morning, Señor”
“Where is a car wash to clean my truck?”
“Just around the corner, amigo”.

And indeed, around the corner was the car wash called “El Palmito” where four guys did a great job making the Fuso Szulc a tip top expedition vehicle again.
For 400 Mexican Pesos. (25 Euros/37 Dollars)

Now, that is beauty.

Alfredo of the car wash was asked if he had an idea how to lock the refrigerator and the freezer in a way the content would not spill out anymore.
As has been happening repeatedly when off-roading.
Due to the standard Dometic refrigerator locks that are only good for decent highway use.

Alfredo had a brilliant idea for which hardware was needed from a Mexican version of Home Depot.

“Where to find a hard-ware shop, Alfredo?”
“Just one block from here!”

Where they had the specific locks that are now installed and never the contents of the refrigerator and the freezer can spill anymore.

Now, isn’t that beauty, fervent and loyal blog readers?

A question may come up at this point in the posting by every alert reader.
Is Ciudad Constitucion some kind of Shangri La place or what?
With all these beautiful things happening?

Hell no.

Barking dogs were heard at balneario “El Campestre” where the Fuso Szulc is hiding.
The kind of barking was heard when dogs are very upset.
Checking it out three dogs were observed surrounding a small cat.
Attacking it.
Biting it.
The cat desperately defending herself.
A run at Beijing Olympic Games speed was made to the situation.
By then the cat, out of desperation, had climbed one of the palm trees and was holding herself with her claws around the tree trunk.
The dogs were simply waiting at the bottom of the tree for the cat to get tired and fall down.

As many fervent and loyal blog readers know, their faithfull servant loves dogs.
But to hate them happens sometimes as well.
A stick, while running towards the dramatic situation, was found and the dogs understood it would land violently on their backs if they would not run away and this immediately.
In this way they were chased away to forget forever about ever catching and murdering the innocent cat who was still holding on by embracing the tree for her sheer life.
Next step in the rescue operation was to gain the trust of the cat to let go and come down the palm tree.

When living in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, besides the wonderful Japanese wife, there were three cats sharing our beautiful lives.
They were called Bambi, Zorro and Battery.
When dinner was served, those three cats would never jump on the table to try to get their share.
Because from the beginning of their cat lives, they had been spoken to in case they did something not in tune with living with humans.
Never they were physically punished.

“Bambi, you are now on the table served with our beautiful food while you have your delicious cat food on a plate in the kitchen so is this a good idea you have now?
Are you supposed to be on our table, Bambi?
You may consider to jump down and stop your nonsense!”
And Bambi, who was of course a redhaired cat, would stop trying to eat the food on the table, look pensively at the speaker, understand and jump off the table.
To never return there again.

The cat on the palm tree hanging on to life was spoken to in the same way.
Her mouth was open and her tongue hanging out, breathing heavily.
Completely exhausted after the fight with the three dogs.

“You may want to come down, brave cat.
How well you did.
You are a heroine.
Now it is safe.
The dogs are chased away.
You may come down now”

And she did.
Soothed by the reassuring words and the intonation of the kind words.

She was not in a good shape though.
Her fur wet from the saliva of the dogs.
Blood from the dog bites.
Totally exhausted.

She was put in a safe place where the dogs would be unable to exercise again their nonsense hobby.
She was served with fresh water to drink.

Is that beauty?

Maybe yes, maybe no.

But what is definitely no beauty is the fact that the Datastorm Satellite system was unable to get online.
For over four hours the sky was searched and each time connection to the SatMex satellite was impossible.
The HN 7000s receiver in the Fuso Szulc is not recognizing anymore the signal of her SatMex satellite.

The sun goes down.
The only thing to do now is to go into the “Pool of death”.

Nobody is there.
A license to have the water touch a naked, lean and shaved body.
Open anywhere to give and receive beauty to sooth our sorrow.

Tomorrow is the birthday of the Mexican Señorita.
Missed now to share servicing beauty.
In the warm pool.
Here, there and everywhere.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There is a serious problem with the Datastorm Satellite System.
It doesn't recognize the Mexsat Satellite anymore.
This posting comes from an Internetcafé in Ciudad Constitucion.
The day of departure into the mountains.
Maybe without being able to be in touch anymore.

Ferocious flies and whirling winds

Recently in the USA a Persian cat was observed.

The beautiful animal liked to lay down close when the morning meditation was performed on the sunny terrace with the wide view of the Ramona valley.

One day it was noticed that a fly landed on the cat.
The cat was stretched out and had his eyes closed.
Hence, he could not see a fly had landed on his fur.
Nevertheless, the cat felt the fly and was irritated by it.
Woke up and chased away the fly.

The fly was not on the skin of the cat but on his long hairs.
It explained how sensitive a cat is.
Even a little annoyance on some of the hairs is experienced as irritating.

The Persian cat is remembered many times a day now.
Because at “Estero del Tomate” are many flies now.
It must be because there has been so much rain here and of it being the season for these insects.

Besides the ordinary flies, well known worldwide, there are most tiny flies that hardly can be seen.
These tiny flies bite to suck blood.
The landing of these flies on the skin cannot be felt.
But when they bite a pain alarms the ferociousness of the insect.
And next, at the spot of the bite, intense itching occurs for hours.

Staying these days at “Estero del Tomate” therefore is far from a pleasure.
Constantly the small flies are successful in biting.
And by now the whole body is covered by insect bites and itching is all over.

Sitting outside reading the biography of Harry Houdini is made a torture by the flies.
Impossible to concentrate as permanently new bites are felt and time must be spend to kill a few.

Even doing the yoga exercises result in feeling the flies bite everywhere all the time.

Another characteristic of the west coast of Baja California is that late in the year a daily strong northwestern wind will blow.
Usually starting in December but sometimes as late as February.
This year the northwestern wind has already started.
Topping 26 kilometres per hour. (15 mph)
Never before has it been experienced that this wind was already blowing in September.
And it does.
Bringing salt air eating all metal of the Fuso Szulc and having sand enter everywhere.
Making the stay at “Estero del Tomate” tough and unpleasant.
To be in constant wind drives a sane man to the asylum.

This treatment by nature of biting flies and strong winds wear a visitor out.
It eventually makes a sensible person come to the conclusion that it is better to get out of there.
Not to suffer these negative influences ruining the mental and physical health.
And this follows the philosophy of living in an expedition vehicle.
When circumstances are not enjoyable, the caravan moves on.

But this is only day 5 of the period at “Estero del Tomate”.
It is known that these flies are seasonal.
Maybe they disappear in a short while.
Maybe this northwestern wind is temporary as well.
Calming down to return in January.

Meanwhile the idea is spinning in the head to drastically change a pattern around for years.
Always winters were spent next to the ocean and the sea.
But how will it be to find a peaceful and beautiful location up in the mountains?



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