By Road and By Zih

While I haven't been hearing about assaults on passenger buses, I do keep hearing about brazen daylight assaults on private vehicles, mostly late-model SUVs, near Lagunillas in La Unión, so for folks driving to La Unión, Lázaro Cárdenas or up to Uruapan, Pátzcuaro and Morelia I recommend traveling in convoys. If you're traveling by bus I wouldn't worry.

There's also currently a problem in Petatlán where a group of autodefensas (organized armed civilians fed up with the lack of law and order) known as UPOEG have disarmed the police and taken control of the municipio. There was a shootout there yesterday where Federales killed 3 civilians dressed as UPOEG autodefensas, so tensions are high in Petatlán. So the highway has been blocked intermittently, and I heard this morning that it continues being blocked with only brief interludes when vehicles are allowed to pass.

Never a dull moment in paradise!

A while back I posted a photo of don Gindo Morelos and his ox-drawn cart of bricks crossing El Vado. Here another photo from a few years later, maybe 1973 or so of the same place.

Here's another smile as payment for donated glasses. ¡Gracias!

Scene at the muelle this morning: Bertha II.