MeXscape

Summer is on its way. The temperature is up. The humidity is definitely up. Comments about the weather are starting to change from observations to complaints. But really, its not too bad...yet. And the warmth is far preferable to the butt puckering cold we suffered through in the winter. I think it's still quite pleasant, and anyone who has been here for any amount of time has developed some very good coping mechanisms.

In Mazatlan, the loudspeaker is the single most common form of mass communication. It is the cheapest, easiest, most effective way to get your message directly to your target audience. Every gas and water truck is equipped with loudspeakers that play a repeating sales message to let you know they are in your area with goods to sell. But the use of loudspeakers goes way beyond the direct vendor-buyer relationship.

One of the best things about living in Mazatlan and a tropical climate is the incredible biodiversity around and even in our home. It's something I am simply not used to. In our suburban, planned neighborhood in Fort Worth, which was completely transformed and landscaped by its inhabitants, the biggest wildlife sighting was what bugs were eating my roses. Here, we have daily interaction with animals I never imagined I would be sharing space with.

One of the wonderful harbingers of Spring in Mazatlan is parade time. That doesn't mean there aren't parades all year round – there are. But spring brings extra clusters and fits of random paradeness, especially with the closing of the school year and elections for king and queen of each school.

There are many things strange and wondrous in Mazatlan, completely different from the cultural norms in the US. One of the big differences is the attitude toward noise. Noise is a very real fact to be dealt with here. I've gotten pretty zen about it, and usually find myself enjoying it. I've come to see it as the daily, exuberant celebration of life, and a wonderful part of living in this vibrant city. Not so this morning.