We arrived Friday night after a long (3000 mile) trip from Vancouver to Colima, Mexico, our little state, the meat in the torta between Jalisco and Michoacán. Gracias a dios for gas station food along the way or we would have starved- peanuts, tortilla chips, and japones, a sublime peanut coated in sugar and spice and everything bad for you. I am becoming increasingly shocked by the American food habits of eating.

Excuse my rant― Appleby’s, a huge ugly fast food chain, publishes the calorie count of their food. Fifteen hundred calories for an appetizer of spinach and artichoke! What is that about? Does the American Heart Association know about this restaurant?

Everybody asks: Is Mexico dangerous? Yes, no doubt about it. Did we have any trouble driving down this year? No, and we drove through the more dangerous northern states of Sinaloa and Sonora. Colima is, or used to be, relatively peaceful. However, things have changed this year. The ex-governor was shot in November 18th or so and then a few days later the police shot and killed a ‘suspect’ who turned out to be an ophthalmologist, aged 57. So people are worried.

The different levels of police – state and federal and municipal have lots of roads blocks on the highways- more of a nuisance and a delay than anything. No one hassled us in any way. Seemingly, no tourists have been singled out by the narcos. It is mostly the narcos gangs killing each other for control of territories. And, let’s face it- middle aged couple in an eight year old Volvo station wagon does not excite interest.